Today I had my first pedicure since my peripheral neuropathy raised its nasty head. It was uncomfortable at times but I'm hoping that after a few of these, my toes will not be so darn sensitive. Can anyone tell me about your experience with pedicures? Did they help or hurt you?

Thanks and I hope everyone is having a great week-end,
nancy-h

Well, every time Alan goes to the foot doctor, that man can cut his toes, bang his toes, pull back the nails on his toes, do ANYTHING HE WANTS TO HIS TOES , Alan feels nothing. One time the doctor was filing down his nails with this drill type thing and he said "I can't believe you dont' feel this, it's absolutely amazing".

So I gather that PN presents differently in everybody. Some people have no feeling and others might have too much feeling, right?

Mel

I've tried it, and I can't stand it when they touch the bottom of my feet! The arch of my foot is soooo sensitive that it hurts. I soak my own feet... scrub my own heels and feet, then my daughters paint my toes for me. Not because they want to, but because I do such a TERRIBLE job, they say they are embarassed to go out in public with me! I only have to have them do it once a month, and it isn't bad! If you can stand it, go for it! Just be really careful of them cutting your toes and you not feeling it!

I LOVE love love having my nails done, and will tolerate the pain to have them done as long as possible! That is my one luxury I give myself. We all have our own treats, so indulge as long as you think it's safe.

Terri

I have had Pn for 10 years and I am a nurse and diabetic and as mad as dh gets I allow myself a monthly pedicure since they will let us know if our numb areas are injured and anyone with Pn needs foot care in the worst way!!

subject?

Pedicures? Do you mean by a person that does the cuticle and nail polish thing? OR the Podiatrist that does the snip and scalpel thing! For me it's the latter...regular as clockwork every 6-10 weeks! This guy is the one who'd saved my life after all! It was HE who didn't like what I was relaying to him about what the [now former] neuro was saying about my neuropathy. Bless Him! The podiatrist that is.....

I have to say I used to go just because the footbath was well better than a heck of a lot of things! Now, tho I skip the bath-too much input to nerves not trained. Good news tho, each time I go, I get a teeny tiny bit almost giggly as he scalpels the scaly heels....He has been my best barometer as to progress, however small, progress. I really don't mind when he has to do the 'ingrown toe' excavation thing...I simply gasp and he puts more temporary freeze stuff on the sites. He's helped me keep my feet reasonably whole w/the armory of lotions potions and gels at his disposal. Some even work - tho they can strip the finish off the furniture [NO KIDDING!].

Gotta tell you BEFORE PN, I used to giggle like a toddler as my feet were soo tickly! Little giggles? Well, they equal a tad of hope? Besides, it's the ONLY time I truly stupidly giggle.

Pain free moments, then minutes then more! Lets all get greedy here! - j

I love them, but find them worrisome. I have had pedicurists who cut the cuticle too much and caused me to get infected, and some who just don't get it that they have to go light with me. On the other hand, podiatrists don't have a sense of the aesthetics of the thing. I'm thinking of switching to a podiatrist, just to get checked. I've had soemthing that "felt" like an ingrown toenail for almost a month, and there's nothing there; on the other hand, my son noticed in the airport yesterday that there was blood gushing from one of my big toes. Obviously, I'd dropped the suitcase on it, or banged it, or something, but didn't feel it at all, and couldn't really tell what the damage was. He had to check it out and tell me I'd ripped a toenail. I still don't feel it.

Some pedicure places let you keep your own tools there. I see lots of women in NY who just bring their own each time, also.

Hey Liza Jane,
Great to have you "home"! I can't imagine dropping a suitcase on my toe and now feeling it. It isn't a good sign. Is it the left side where you have all the other pain?

Pedicures are a no-no for me since this nail thing started. My fingernails and toenails are too sensitive to do anything but the bare minimum to. And I don't polish them because I can't keep an eye on the color of the nailbed when I do. I miss these because I wear so many sandals in the summer and I hate the look of my feet without polish. Ah...maybe someday.

Liza Jane, let us hear more from you.

Billye

What an entrance you must have made at the airport! Well, maybe not feeling anything on your foot was good in this case...

Hope you had a wonderful trip. Pictures?

Pedicures! Great. I did not ever have one until about 2 years ago, and I am hooked.

In the Dallas area, we have had a number of reported infections resulting from spa pedicures. Cutting along the side of my big toe to remove the ingrown toenail caused a slight infection of this toe. It also caused the toenail to grow back in MUCH smaller and it is now very thick in the front part of the nail.

I don't know what my Dermatologist has in mind, but I am hoping it is not to remove the nail. I think it was Mel who had that done and it sounds painful...

PN causes wierd problems. The bottoms of my feet look like a peeling, dried snake skin. I have tried numerous creams, vaseline, lotions, etc., but the only way to get rid of it is to have it razor shaved regularly... Maybe this is the same thing dahlek is talking about above-scapeling. I was wondering if any of the rest of you are experiencing this?

Cathie

Oh, I forgot to mention about the time I went to for a pedicure about three blocks from my house. All the pedicurists in my neighborhood are korean. They really do know their stuff. They sterilize the instruments. They are immaculate with everything that they do.

This was a few years ago and I think it was only the second time I went for a pedicure. Now I know to tell them that I am diabetic and they go "oh good, it's good you told us, we won't take off too much of the rough stuff on the bottom of your feet". So, thinking I was in the best of hands (and thinking that I am ONLY GOING TO GET A PEDICURE, I just sat back in the chair and relaxed. The first thing was that as they soak my feet, they press a button and the back of my chair turns into this massage thing that has rollers going up and down my spine. I have scoliosis so I started yelling Stop this thing immediately. They thought I was nuts, but they indeed stopped it. Too painful for my back.

They proceeded to give me a very nice manicure and took care of an ingrown toenail. Very nice job. I did not bring my own instruments (didn't know at the time that I could do this).

Then (and thank god for this), they press a button and the water empties out of the thing your feet are soaking in.

So after they do all the cutting and filing and cuticling and whatever else they do during the pedicure, WHAT COMES NEXT IS MIND BOGGLING. They take this lotion and do your calves, then she starts doing each toe, bending them back and forrwards and massaging each toe. Since I had never had this done to me in my entire life and there is this strange person doing this to my toes, who am I to argue and tell her "stop massaging my toes". If she wants to massage my toes,let her massage my toes".

Then she takes her hands and starts thumping up and down my calves. Didn't stop her there either. She's thumping away and smiling at me (she didnt' speak english that great).

But that's when it got kinky. She starts pulling my leg towards her. I guess it was supposed to be part of the massage. All I know is I landed in the tub that my feet had just soaked in. I fell out of the chair and landed in the tub and everybody started yelling (well, I don't speak korean, so I have no idea what they were screaming) but it took three of them to get me out of the tub.

Of course I just laughed it off and they were apologetic. But the funny part comes next. I get my dignity back and stand up and ask if they do haircuts. Because this place (It's called Empress, on 18th avenue in Brooklyn), also does haircuts. So I ask if they do shags. 15 men come out of the back of the place all saying Shag, shag, yes we do shags.

So I sit in the chair, and he proceeds to cut my hair (into a shag I presume), then he takes a curling iron and proceeds to use it on the top of my hair. My hair starts to smoke. I politely tell him "sir my hair is on fire" and because they don't speak english I just jump up and say "fire, fire". It seems I got a beginner that day.

I walked out of that place and didn't pay for a pedicure or a haircut.
Never went back either.

Found a new place one block from my house. They have never pulled me into the tub yet.

Jeez, what we do for beauty!!!!

Melody

I also get cracked dry heels. As a matter of fact at the present time its very painful to walk on my heels due to cracks. I put creme on them, but when it gets cold it cracks anyway.