Hi everybody. I hope it's okay to post these photos.

Alan wanted me to show you what his compressed toes looked like before the sponges and after the sponges. We found a system that really works. We’ve tried visco elastic foam thingees, and pads, but ultimately I just went to the ninety nine cents store, got a bag of sponges, cut them in strips.

Here’s what it looks like: when it’s cut up.





Now here is a photo of Alan’s compressed toes, as they normally appear all squeezed together. And you can see the tailor bunion. If left like this, he has neuropathy between his toes.


But lo and behold, when we take the spongy strips, fold them in half and put them between the toes, it looks like this.


He wanted me to tell you “Oh my god, I am not in any pain at all, you must tell these people on the boards that if they have the PN between the toes, and their toes are compressed like mine, to give this a shot. It’s just a bag of sponges.

See how it stretches his toes apart?

So after we do the toe separator things, he puts a bandaid on his ulcer and we place a sponge inside his sock.

Here’s the sponge we use.



He has had no problems since he does this. Why we didn’t think of this system years ago, well, I can kick myself.

But he did ask me to show you step by step, how he de-compresses his toes.

We are going to his podiatrist on Wednesday and show him this whole thing. I cannot wait to see if he either laughs in our faces or says “now that is brilliant”.

Now I realize that this is not for those of you with body-wide PN going on, but for those of you with the toe problems, give this a go.

Hi Melody:

I for one sure think your sponge idea is brilliant! I hope others can do this if they are having that trouble and that it works for them. The doctor may soon be stealing your idea!

Shirley H.

Hi Mel, only one word " brilliant ".
well done

Brian

Once again brilliant,and so wonderfull ..Bob said i'm trying it,so off Daniel
just took all to see the Hot Air Baloons.. How brave he makes Bob,lol
Cian showed me Daniel foot,looks just like Bob's and Alan's so she will
tell his dr not ask politly although she is,just very firm. I'm so happy,for
Allan and my wee one... Sue

Thanks Sue:

Wow, you get to see Hot Air Balloons. I think they are the most beautiful thing when they fly them up in the air and they have all those great ballloons in different shapes and sizes.

I love them.

bye for now.

Melody

This is a Great post!

How clever! and how nice of you to share.

I don't understand though what "compressed" toes are... The first picture looks like I thought all toes looked.

What am I not seeing?

I know that when I went to the podiatrist when I was falling so much when I was living in the hydrogen sulfide... back then I would spend hours while watching telly trying to move my toes, to wiggle them.... the podiatrist told me that my toes were curling because... darn it, I forget, but I think because of the nerve damage.

It was the podiatrist who told me that if I kept moving less and less because of how unsteady I was on my feet, that I'd lose more and more mobility, so that's when I ordered my Gazelle because I could see that I could hold on when I used it.

But recently I discovered that even though it's very sturdy and heavy, if I lose balance on it, because I'm so tall, I can tip it. So it's not perfect. But it has been excellent over all.

Coffee time.

Actually, I came up with the name "compressed toes", because Alan's toes are all squished together (especially the one with the tailor bunions).

Now in comparison, my toes look nothing like Alan's toes, my toes are not curved (like his pinky toes) and that's where he has the neuropathy.

And when we do the spongy thingees, well it gives him a lot of relief.

But.... and this is very telling, if he sits in the chair for a long period, lets' say over 3 hours, then he starts to get the burning between the toes. But it's much much better, and initially, when he puts the sponges in, he is just fine. And when he puts on his propets (the sponges are in his toes), well, he walks just fine, (he walks slowly because he doesn't want to get the ulcer back).

But the one thing I do not understand is what happened when he went to bed last night.

He got up off the living room chair, (sponges still on), he came to bed at 11:30 (I was sleeping). I get up at 2 a.m. to do my thing, and I notice the air condition is on in the bedroom. It was not on when I went to sleep.

This morning when we woke up, I said "when did you put the air conditioning on"? He said "I couldn't sleep when I laid down, my toes hurt, but once I put the air conditioning on, all the pain went away". He is fine today.

So can someone explain how spongy thingees between the toes work when he is going to sit for a spell, when he walks, but when he lies down, and it's hot in our room, he can't sleep because of the PN pain, but once the room gets cooler, he was just fine and drifted off.

This I just don't get (and probably you could explain sensory stuff to me, and the barometer and it will still go over my head).

This part of the PN (where you have to change the environment settings of the room, well, it's a mystery to me). It used to be that when we had a hard rain (I mean a big thunderstorm) and the ions changed in the weather, he would sigh and go, "oh, it must be raining, my feel feel great"

Someone explained the ion thing to me and I think I understood it but what's with having to turn on the air conditioning last night?

Thanks to anyone who has a clue.

Melody

Melody,
I'm guessing. But the airconditioner makes my skin shrink up. It takes all the moisture out of my skin. My fingertips actually wrinkle up. Maybe when the airconditioner runs, it draws moisture and perhaps swelling out of the skin and tissues that surround the nerves. And when it does this, it takes pressure off the nerve.

My best guess.
Billye

Oh thank you Billye:

See, this is why you guys are geniuses!!!!!

I never, in all my life, would have thought of that explanation!!!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU!!!

Melody

I think the heat makes my PN feel worse. I perfer having the a/c on.......not cold but cool. The cold a/c.....like in the grocery store, makes my Arthritis hurt like crazy. I can't seem to win! lol I need to find an island with 78 degree temps all the time! lol