He has had numerous glucose tolerance tests. He gets a blood test every 3 months (for years). His sugar has NEVER gone over 80. And I just checked the test and his a1c is 5.7.

How could this man be a diabetic? And we truly believe his neuropathy stems from his back. Even his neurologist is sending his mri results to a back specialist. She saw something on the mri and someone once told him "your back is really screwed up and if you have an operation it's going to be a big one"

They could never in the past associate his neuropathy with his back, but now that he is 63, his back is so bad I have to massage him 2 times a day (especially if his neuropathy is going nuts), and when I pound on his back and massage his spine, the pain in his feet goes away).

To me, this smells of a back issue. He has another appointment with his neurologist soon. He couldn't make the last one because of the snow around the end of December.

He can't walk long distances because of his back. To me, that tells the tale.

They might not have seen anything on previous MRIs but this last one (so they say) was a doozy.

He has degeneration and spinal this and spinal that. Too many things on that paper. He will go over everything at the next appointment and I'll post here and tell you what his neuro says.

Yesterday he was taking a nap on the bed and he was moaning, Oh my feet are killing me". I went over, starting massaging his spine and doing what I do and he immediately fell asleep.

It that is not a back connection, I dont' know what is.

Melody

Mel, you could try a product called DuoDerm or Replicare. Something similar I have been able to find at Wal-Mart is a band aide product used to cover blisters. They are a "hydrcolliod" dressing that is made to stay on for a minimum of three days. When I was working HomeCare I would clean the wound GENTLY with soap and water, rinse well with normal saline (to make your own boil water and add 1 tsp salt to 1 quart boiled water, can seal in Mason jar or keep in ref for 1 week no longer) then if you wanted to apply a drop of the silver let air dry and apply the dressing. I would use a Metaplex tape ONLY if needed to keep in place for three days. Another product is Spenco "Second Skin" it is a saline based gel that is changed daily, more of a cushion. Like Mrs D said, I would not leave it openwhen he is up on it, too much risk for infection. Along withe the zinc and C I would increase his protien intake (unless he is experiancing renal failure). A wound consult would help with insurance.
Good Luck!
pooh

Have you ever tried honey on his ulcers? I don't mean local store-type honey, but pure honey from bee farms. Pure honey forms a crust when applied to the ulcer, and it's a treatment I successfully used for many years as an RN in a hospital setting.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that Alan has diabetes...... and if so, I don't know what locally applied honey would do to his blood sugars, but I'm sure there are others here who could help with that.

Something else outside the box?

Homeopathic "remedies" or "cures"??

all the blood tests and MD stuff hasn't fixed it yet...

http://www.webhomeopath.com/
http://www.abchomeopathy.com/
http://hpathy.com/abc-homeopathy/hom...-for-patients/

Have you looked into using a knee walker instead of a wheelchair to keep him off that foot? Here's what they look like. You may be able to get a used one at better price. Don't know if insurance covers these but a few of my friends who have injured their ankles used them during recover to get around.

Here's what they look like:

http://www.amazon.com/Roll-A-Bout-Al...m/B001LJASQ0/2

I think I recommended a knee type walker once long ago.
I met a doctor at a conference who had one.

You know, I wonder....why is that podiatrist debriding a callus?

Have you seen another foot doctor and determined that this treatment of removing skin, is necessary? Or could it be actually prolonging healing?

Hi. I think he's debriding the ulcer, and the callus that forms around it, well when Alan steps on it, it hurts him, and when he walks out of the podiatrist's office, he always says "Ah"!!!!!

Tonight I checked his sock and it was bloody. His doctor had prepared me for this. I told Alan "let's clean you up and I'll put a new dressing on it".

I took off everything (oh, I remembered what the doctor said when he asked me to sit next to him and he showed me Alan's foot, he said "good granulation, wow, look at that". So whatever good granulation is, Alan's is good.

After I cleaned him up, I used the saline wash, took off the dried blood, I took a q-tip and put a dab of the Santyl in the wound, covered with a non stick gauze, then another gauze, and then I wrapped the covering bandage around it. He is good to go. I read up on this Santyl. It has had good results in people with pressure ulcers.

I would have made a good nurse.

lol

Melody
P.S. Do you know that when I came home, I cooked dinner, served him, cleaned my kitchen, dressed his bandages, AND THEN I DID MY SPROUTS!!!

Thank goodness I drink wheatgrass juice. lol

Re: Knee walkers. We saw that a long time ago when he went to a previous podiatrist. Alan said "this is not for me".

One of you said:

"Is this an upward trend in the A1c? this is the high end, the very end, of what is now considered normal. When you are massaging the back is it down into the butt? I am thinking piriformis....though that is really deep and i am not sure you could do much for it....just thinking out loud.... could have more than one thing going on. "

Don't know anything about upward trend in the a1c but alan has had numerous 6 hour glucose tolerance tests over the years (remember he has had neuropathy for over 20 years). In the beginning his fasting sugars were in the 75 to 85 range.

He has NEVER gone over 80 or 85. Never. Only when we loaded him up with sugar one night (the night before another blood test), we wanted to see what would happen when the doctor took the blood the next day. And believe me, we loaded him up with cakes, cookies, pies, orange juice, whatever. Even the next morning (before the blood test), he drank orange juice and ate some cake after breakfast.

His sugar was about 90. So honestly, at this point, I don't see any diabetes connection.

Maybe someday in the future (if he doesn't lose any weight), but not now.

Now about the back massage.

I massage towards the buttocks. That how he gets relief. I treat it like I would treat sciatica. Down down down. He loves it.

When I massage his shoulders and upper spine, he just loves it because it feels good (has nothing to do with neuropathy).

But when I do the lower spine and massage the glutes and go down his body and especially when I carefully massage the legs (I know about clots and I showed his former chiro what I do and he said "you're good", well that's when he sighs and says "Oh my god, all my neuropathy pain is gone".

And last week Dr. Fred checked his circulation and found EXCELLENT BLOOD FLOW.

So when we come home from podiatrist today, I'll update you all

Melody

P.S. Mrs. D, you ask why the doctor debrides the callouses. That's because Alan makes callouses around the ulcer and that's when it hurts him when he walks. As soon as his podiatrist does his feet, he says "I feel like a new man"

What happens if he goes in socks or bare foot for a day or 2 staying off the foot most of the time, does it get any good healing done in that time frame?

With the sore spot bandaged/dressed of course, but no shoes or slippers..
Maybe the shoes or slippers aren't fitting well and causing continuous irritations/rubbing??
also holding in excess moisture too, maybe some fresh air and even sunlight might help it.

Alan has NEVER had diabetes in his life. I am the one in the family with diabetes (under control thank god for that).

Alan has idiopathic PN (which they now are certain is linked to his back problems).

I have never heard of so much information about dressings, second skin.

CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH.

Going to print all this out and bring to podiatrist today.

THANKS THANKS THANKS.

What would I ever do without you guys??

Love ya
melody