Crocs...the shoes
 

Anyone tried these? They're supposed to very comfortable and actually good for people with PN. The price they are I don't want to buy a pair unless there's a good chance they'll help me. Money is so tight I squeak.

I love them. I wear them almost exclusively. I have noticed that the stores that sell expensive diabetic shoes are starting to sell Croc knock-offs. They have really improved the quality of my life. I am so much more comfortable in them than anything else. I have 3 different colors. I even wear them to church.

Almost everyone I work with wear crocs and love them. I bought a pair and ended up not really liking them. The reason for me is because I have NO feeling in my feet. Because of this, it is easy for me to turn my foot or ankle when walking. There is no support for the feet with them. Otherwise I hear even doctors recommend them. So if you don't have a problem with needing support for your feet and ankles, I recommend you try them. I don't know if they have Wal-mart where you live, but here a generic brand of them is only about $5.00. Worth trying out to see if you like them before spending the money on a real pair of Crocks.

I got something that looks a lot like them from Lands End... and I love them. They were only $19.99. And the colors were great!!!!!!

:)

I tried ordering Crocs last year and for more than three months my order kept getting lost. :eek:

I think the Lands End ones are called Trellos... something that rhymes with Jello, as I remember it...

:)

I have Crocs
 

And enjoy them very much. I have also foot support that I use with my crocs.

Just for GP's
 

I googled them. Check this out:

http://www.crocs.com/

Look at all the styles they come in! There's even one that looks like a regular shoe. And a dressy sandal type called sassari....*with* heels! Not high and more like a wedge heal. But they're cute! A style for just about every season and occasion. I had no idea!

ETA: Another link for Rx Crocs;
http://www.crocsrx.com/patientLanding

I was going to post a link to the Land's End Trellos, but the pics there aren't very cute. :(

So I'm posting a link to a discussion comparing Trellos with Crocs...

it was sort of interesting to read.

See what you think. :)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18269536

I opened that link and the first thing I saw
 

were the bumpies on the bottom of the shoes! OUCH! I can't stand any shoe that has any texture at all on the bottom!

I've found that this summer, the only thing I can wear are the slippers or flip flops with the Terry cloth soles on them. Otherwise, I have to wear socks with shoes. I can't stand anything touching the soles of my feet if I have to walk on them.

Do they make them without bumpies? :eek:

OK about CROCS?
 

I got the diabetic type 'Relief' directly from the mfr's site. I called, and spoke with a live, responsive human being about those 'nubs'. Before PN, I was worse than a 'princess w/a pea'! I was sure the 'nubs' would drive me up a wall and back down again. They do not! Matter of fact, as long as I wear thin socks [a whole different issue fer sure] I can tolerate the 'nubs' w/o clinging onto a ceiling..
As for delivery, the MFr said 7-14 working days...got 'em in four days. While I find I tend to wear either slippers or my 'river/water sandals' more often, The Crocs cause no problem. I DO use the 'strap' tho-to keep myself from 'walking out of shoes' as I can do...find myself five to ten feet past my shoes before I realize I've not got them on? As for swelling and 'adjusting' to the foot and all, I find that as you wear them, your body heat [which can be absent at times in the toes, etc] will soften the footbeds and adjust just nicely to your feet. Since I've ingrown toenails that docs refuse to do anything to...the toe room on the Crocs I have is pretty durn good.
IF you get a pair, tho...don't just get them and WEAR them all day at first? I find they do put your foot in a good place to walk, but I do a lot of 'compensation' in my walking so, walking RIGHT right off will result on one biig HECK of a payback in terms of foot, arch and leg cramps! An hour, two hours a day and then work yer way up to more time. I did that at first, the pains were not well, NICE?
They may not work for some folks tho..I have a very WIDE foot C-D-E, depending of fit, and I've no problem, those with a narrow foot would have to wear really thick socks, and I'm not sure that all could be tolerated.
Hope this all helps....and I have/DO see lots and lots of nurses and techs wearing them...I asked lots of them questions about them before I committed myself to a pair...Got happy answers. BTW my pair are the black? It's a discrete pebbly kind of black, not tacky looking at all. - j

If you are talking about the Crocks that absolutely everybody in my neighborhood are wearing, then you must be talking about these. I bought them two weeks ago, on 86th street in Brooklyn. And I paid $2.99 for them.

Around the corner from me, they go for $3.99. Now they are not all the same. Alan bought a pair 5 blocks from our house in the men’s department of Telco and he paid $4.99. He wears a size 11. He also needs a wide shoe and as soon as put his foot in this shoe, he said “this is the shoe for me”. His crocks look exactly like mine but they’re bigger. I’ve seen many variations of these shoes. I tried the $3.99 ones on and they are too flat for me. The one I paid $2.99 for has some support and cushioning. I mean, they basically all look the same but some have holes over the tip and some do not. All the crocks have the holes all over the whole shoe though.

I went to Payless and I pointed to my shoes and I said “do you carry these? And the girl said “oh sure, over in the back”. I wanted to get a pair in white and I figured, “I paid $2.99 on 86th Street, how much more can they be in Payless? Well, there on the wall of Payless Shoe Store, was a rack of Crocks to sink a boat. Every single color. Guess how much they were? “$14.99. I said “are you people nuts?. Right next door in the 99 cent store, they are selling them in all colors and they are $3.99. She had no answer for me.

I wear a size 10, and in crocks I get a size large. I could have had my pick of yellow, orange, red, BUT NO WHITE. So maybe some time this week, I’ll mosy on down to 86th Street again and guy another pair, hopefully in white, for $2.99.

I mean, these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.

And you can wear them with the strap in the back, or you can sling the strap to the front and wear it as a slide. That’s how I wear it. I LOVE these. I can’t wait to buy another pair.

I don’t care how ugly they are. Everybody is wearing them and THEY ARE COMFORTABLE!!!

These are my black ones. THEY COST $2.99. I've clicked on the links and they are selling the same stuff for $50.00. Oh my god, I'm going to 86th Street tomorrow and buy some more. Jeez. only $2.99


http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...t/mycrocks.jpg

Here’s a side view of them.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...sidecrocks.jpg

Here’s an inside view of the crocks.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...deofcrocks.jpg

Take
 

A look at the nurses feet,they love them,as do some Drs. My wound
Dr. said yes,as did the other Drs. But i really got some cute Diabectic
shoes this time. And insurance paid for them. Yahhh S how are
you doing??? Anyway i like them but get the real thing,i pay 30 dollars
at Dillars,walked around the store on my walker,i looked hot,oh
they felt good to. :) Sue

I love the image of you in Dillards, happily walking with your feet feeling good.

:)

(((((((Sue)))))))))

I'm supposed to be getting my diabetic shoes (from my podiatrist) next week. My insurance covered the whole thing. They look like regular sneakers, but are very very comfortable and roomy in the toe box.

I don't know but they can't be half as comfortable as these crocks!!!

lol, Mel

As always
 

There's the question about knock-offs being as good as the real thing. I'm finding with my feet that I can no longer wear the cheap shoes. By cheap I mean the 12.00 pair of tenny runners from Wal Mart. I also found that mens shoes fit me better. Are more comfortable. I have very high insteps and most womens shoes seem cut too tight through there for me. If I go for a pair that fits comfortably in the instep they're too big everywhere else. The Crocs are cut wide and appear to have a good high instep but I won't know until I try them on. These days I care more about comfort than style.

This hullabaloo about the Crocs reminds me....does anyone remember Earth Shoes?

Jarrett:

You mean these::

Click on the link and scroll down. Theres the original Earth Shoes.

http://www.earthbeach.com/Library/in..._from_past.htm

Yep! Those be the ones! :ROTFLMAO: Think the Crocs will go the same way? I'm not sure Earth shoes are around much anymore, are they?

yep. they actually have some very pretty ones at walmart now. genuine earth shoes. lol...i love mine. ( the pretty ones...lol)

Oh! I didn't know they had them....unless they're the ones I have now. I just checked and yes, they're Earth Shoes. I didn't realize they were the same ones. They're very comfortable. I just didn't connect them with the ones from so long ago. Figured it was a knock-off type thing. Wow, ya live and ya learn.

I almost bought a pair of crocs b/c I heard that they were good for PN-ish peeps like myself but the look of lack of arch support stopped me cold. I want to be able to wear these without socks and therefore I'm not sure arch inserts would work too well--all slippin' out and stuff.

It's so funny how different and yet the same we are! I HATE socks. I used to love new white fluffy socks but my feet scream claustrophobia when I have them on for more than an hour and get all hot. Sneakers have almost become little straight jackets. I'll wear flip flops/sandals (I know, no arch support there either, I'm a moron. It's all about trade offs people :p ) until the first snow and then some!

My feet are either freezing or HOT and freezing is way more tolerable than hot. People at work will comment on the flip flops in November and I'm thinking, do I have to explain my PN to all of these people?! I'm only outside to walk to the car from home/work so it's not like I'm getting frostbite or walking on ice with dangerous footwear. Give me footwear freedom!

((((((((Hurty)))))))

Isn't it weird how pressure, like even from socks, can be upsetting to our feet.

If I let the sheet rest on top of my toes, in no time I have a huge problem.

So I have to remember to either make a tent for my feet, or have my feet be sideways so there's no pressure on my toes.

Intense.

Well, I love my crocks and you couldn't take them away from me for all the tea in China. Today, I went back to 86th street (where I bought my black ones for $2.99) hoping to buy a pair in white and hot pink. (I do wear hot pink, now how silly am I at my age, but who cares - woo hoo!!!).

Anyway, when I last bought this pair, there was a table FILLED WITH MANY COLORS OF THESE CROCS. Because I really didn't know if I would like them, I only bought the ones in black. STUPID ME!!!

I went there today, and there was no more table in front of the store. I went inside, pointed to my shoes, and asked, "where are the crocks"? The lady takes me over to a little table and there are maybe 5 pairs left. No white, no hot pink. Just purple and little ones. None in my size at all.

There are different crocs too!! By that I mean, a black pair in these, are totally different (in the feel I mean), then lets say, another black pair.

The ones I presently wear are nice and cushiony. The ones they sell around here, well they are too low on the floor. I want a bouncy feel and my crocs do just that. I could wear them all day and feel just fine (as a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened today). I walked and walked and you really don't know you are wearing ugly shoes because they are so comfortable and airy and they are springy. Don't know how else to describe them. The toe box is big and airy and roomy. It's like they have their own air conditioning. And I do not wear them with socks. Never have. Don't need do. The best thing about my being able to wear these is that I wear them as a slide. So that I just sllip my feet into them and I'm out the door.

Last night, a neighbor saw me walk by and she said "Melody, how can you wear these things, I know everybody is wearing them (and she whispered), but they're so ugly". I said "Yeah I know, but once you have them on, they're not so ugly, believe me.". We all laughed.

I must find more of these (the ones I own I mean). I had no idea there were so many different varieties of these kinds.

We go to the podiatrist tomorrow (Alan is going to go to a wound treatment center for the ulcer, so we have to talk to his podiatrist about this.), so at Kings Plaza Mall, there is a (I don't know what you call the people who sell stuff in the mall, but there's a big STAND with hundreds of crocs hanging, in all sizes and colors. Alan's going to kill me tomorrow.

lol

Melody

For four months of this I worse socks all the time. Now the past 1 or 2 I can't stand them at all. The issue is the cold bothers my leg or even the wind? Does anyone notice that cold bothers them? As for those shoes I need more ankle and foot support. I have to wear gym shoes. I hope to get orthotic but waiting till farther in recovery.They have copies of those crocks at Target so on but I think when having "issues" sometimes going cheap can be more expensive and there is no price to take away pain. You could try them in the house first and then if don't work return?

I tell people to google PN and then get back to me. ;-)

The cold feels good to me. I guess it varies according to one's symptoms. It's heat I can't stand. Cold seems to alleviate many of the symptoms for me.

Well, we went to the podiatrist today. Alan is going to have to go to a wound treatment center. Hopefully, they will decide to shave down the bone, so his ulcer will finally heal. It's been 18 months with the same ulcer. The doctor said 'it has not penetrated beneath the dermis". I then said "oh, it's superficial crap, right??" and he laughed and said "that's exactly what it is".

We waited 2 hours for the Access-a-ride. Do you know how we wanted to kill the driver?? Alan was beside himself. It was so hot waiting in the sun. We were called the access-a-ride company, their computers were down. Forget it, We hate them. But we have no one so we have to use them.

Doctor said Alan's oft-loading shoe is not DOING IT!!! So at least we now know for sure that the wound treatment place will be doing something. Don't know what that something is, but it will be something.

Never saw the lady who sells the crocks at Kings Plaza. Too bad, I would have died for a pair of hot pink ones.

Maybe next week, when we go back.

Hope all of you are good.
Mel

OK - knock-offs or the real thing....
 

knockoffs have NO guarantee, You can, IF you order direct for MFR or Land End [I think they're the ones] and they don't work...can easily return them.
Price for the real Animals, vs the knockoffs is different yes, BUT, IF one calls the Crocs.com's -800# Telephone and actually SPEAK to a real person, which I did last year and got sound advice about the 'nubs' and what I mite and mite NOT need, well, the extra bucks were worth it?
Advice about sizing , fit, and neuro issues and tolerances made the $50 bucks of Crocs a lot cheaper than most other brands of diabetic specialty shoes by what, a $100 bucks less?
Earth Shoes are still around at WalMart and other places, not too bad, but for me, a 'princess fussy about 'peas' the stitching on these makes me crawl up a wall and back down again, and the Crocs don't have any stitching to complain about... E-S's have lots less of the 'old fashioned' leather 'give' than the originals had too...
Hope this humble person's opinion helps some out there - j