Diabetic Feet on Tour

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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ferdinand
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Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by ferdinand »

I'm a couple of days into my first solo tour along the South Coast.

It was a bit of a challenging start because I was on the Isle of WIght for a couple of days last w/e and the rain has been vile! The national route has been flooded to about 6-8 inched just north of Sandown - twice. Plan B over Brading Down is quite risky in really bad weather in the dark - an experience. Almost all vehicles were very considerate, though.

I'd like to ask a couple of questions about feet, as my cycling shoes are damp-sodden.

As I have Type I Diabetes I expect my feet to take at least twice as long to heal from blisters etc as normal feet, so taking care is important. I have the plasters etc and the normal backup antibiotics and so on.

In the circa I think I will pick up a pair of water proof socks, because I won't dry out my shoes short of a bb with a drying room.

This post is to ask for experiences.

Are there any Type Is on the forum? What are your practises?

Thanks

Ferdinand
ferdinand
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by ferdinand »

Interesting that no one seems to have felt able to comment on this one, or perhaps no Type Is cycle!

I found an outdoor shop selling waterproof Sealskinz socks (£30 - ouch), and went for the lightest weight version.

After a careful plastering of embryonic rubs and a potential blister I have done 60 miles in the 2 days since and it is fine, even though shoes have been continually damp.

Sealskins next time methinks as the main socks, and drying the inside every night.

Fortunately my cycloshoes are slightly generous esp when they have worn in and are wet, which may have been a part of the original issue.

Ferdinand
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barrym
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by barrym »

Well, I'm T1 too, but don't cycle that much. I have longed to tour, but just don't think I could manage the condition in that environment. However I was watching the thread with interest. Have you looked over on runsweet.com or the diabetes.co.UK forum?

Cheers
Barry
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Barry
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Vantage
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by Vantage »

I've yet to tour and it isn't looking like I'll be able to until next year. I've been type 1 for 34 years.
From my days of commuting ten miles to work and ten miles back in all sorts of weather, I can't remember wet feet ever being a problem. I'd get to work, put on dry sock and work boots and go about my business with no adverse effects other than wrinkly feet if it was bad enough.
The problems may start if you combine wet feet with cold weather. But even then I think it would take some time for any long term issues to surface. Neoprene overshoes might be your best bet and shoes with as little padding as possible will dry out quicker than those with lots of padding.
The best overshoes I've ever used are these... http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBB-HardWear-BW ... +overshoes
Mine are nearing 3 years old and still waterproof and cosy. Water gets down the sides but any overshoe will have that problem.
Bill


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DaveP
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by DaveP »

Ferdinand I'm sorry you have had a poor response for a serious enquiry. I'm not diabetic - but I would have happily recommended sealskinz socks to you. They work. There have been reports of water getting in by running down your leg in very wet conditions, suggested solutions seem to centre about taping the top of the sock to your leg. Haven't had this problem myself, but even if water does get in this way you should certainly be able to dry them out overnight (turn them inside out!) and start the next day with cosy toes. Good luck!
Trying to retain enough fitness to grow old disgracefully... That hasn't changed!
mercalia
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by mercalia »

I think you have to wait a bit more time for responses ferdinand ? few people are in your predicament and probably dont want to make useless comments on a serious matter?
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Redvee
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by Redvee »

I'm T1 and my cycling now is mostly commuting in all weathers, 10 miles/40 minutes. If it's raining or has been then the Sealskinz get worn on the commute and depending on how wet they get decides on how long I wear them when I get into work. Most of the time I'll keep them on as it quickens the drying time and putting damp shoes on 9 hours later doesn't feel as bad. If I get caught out in rain without my Sealskinz socks then I have spare socks in my locker along with a jar(?) of baby powder which gets sprinkled on my feet and legs before I don my work clothes. I work 99% of the time in a +2c chill warehouse and don't suffer with cold feet in my workboots despite only wearing a thin pair of sports socks on my feet. Sealskinz socks do take their time to dry which is why I have two pairs so that I have a dry pair ready to wear.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by MrsHJ »

B&b with radiator for the shoes and then waterproof over shoes would be another method. We picked some excellent waterproof equipment up in the Netherlands a few years ago, good commuter kit, which cleared up incipient trench foot. Boy, that was a wet holiday.- I'm sure there will be similar kit available decent cycle shops in towns you visit. Good luck with the tour.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about diabetes and what will work best for you.
Pederson
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by Pederson »

Hi there

If you are passing Aldi pop in and buy some cycling overshoes. They will keep your feet warmer and hopefully DRIER which is the main thing. Good lick with your ride.
Flinders
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by Flinders »

I have no experience of diabetes, but I use these to keep water out:

Shimano MW81 Gore-Tex Winter SPD Boots

I don't know whether they would be any good for you, but might at least be worth a look.

The long cuffs keep out the splashes from deep rural puddles, which is partly why I got them. They are sufficiently warm that I do get sweaty feet in them unless it's very cold, so short of really cold weather I tend to wear thin summer socks in them, but if a person's circulation was a bit compromised they might not be as hot on the feet. You'd need to check the size carefully, most people seem to need a size that's a bit larger than usual.
ferdinand
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by ferdinand »

Just a quick note that I'll respond to this thread in detail now that I am back at the w/e.

(Also had an interesting experience being locked in the airlock of the St Pancras Securacycle facility, since the button is out of sight for not-short people and the notices to find it have been absent for some weeks, according to the nice lady who let me out eventually. For later!)

Ferdinand
Vorpal
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by Vorpal »

Previous threads with information about about keeping feet dry...
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=66593
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=76815

There are also a few threads about Cycling with type 1 diabetes, if you are interested. The best way to find them, though, is google or bing. If you do a forum search on diabetes, you'll find that most of the threads are about type 2.

To find them with google, use 'site:forum.CTC.org.uk type 1 diabetes' in the search window.

There was a poll a while ago that had respondents with both type 1 and type 2...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53039&start=15
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ferdinand
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Re: Diabetic Feet on Tour

Post by ferdinand »

Replying to the various comments.

In the event, I took a morning out to find some waterproof socks, and in the end I settled for SealSkinz medium weight socks - they have quite a range and the Blacks shop I eventually found some in had a complete stand with several types. I tried a couple of more obvious shops - Halfords, outdoor shops, sports shops etc around Newport in the IoW, but noone had anything until blacks. The price was £30 for a pair, which hurt slightly but is worth it.

My cycling shoes are Shimano AM45's, which have a weather flap, are "recessed cleat" type shoes designed to be reasonably walkable. They look like bootees for teenagers who think they are being cool, but I like dry laces. Those Goretex boots look good, but at £110 a pop I'll wait for a SportPursuit flash sale unless it is critical. My shoes are probably half a size on the large side (47), so the socks improve the comfort. For some reason the Halfords price for these was £67 for a size 47 and £52 for a size 46, but they knocked off £15 when price-matched in the shop with a printout from the Wiggle website.

The socks are very comfortable and I cycled a further 120 miles over the next few days at up to 35 miles a day, with no rubbing of potential sores - the existing slight chafing healed up with a few carefully applied dressings. Recommended, and I will get another pair for Christmas.

@barrym> I have longed to tour, but just don't think I could manage the condition in that environment.

I think it all depends, as does everything with D, on your own circumstances and resilience to different stressors. I've had T1 for about 13 years (now in 40s), and to date I'm OK with circulation etc and always nearly knock the nurse off her feet with my reaction at our annual foot tickling session. I have had a single foot ulcer which started from a rubbing shoe and ended up with a minor operation and 4 weeks for the skin to grow back.

I think that general health makes a huge difference to resilience, and I was willing to relax control a little for 2 weeks to give me an extra margin, plus be careful to be relatively close to civilisation should I have a serious problem (eg never far from mobile phone coverage), emergency rations etc. My only real diversion from a plan for the day was a need to divert over Braden Down in the IoW when I ran into the same flooded section again, which was six miles over a 100m hill on a narrow A road in the dark in a rainstorm and down the other side on the wet leaves. Interesting, but not fun.

I'd say try it starting close to civilisation,. which should let you be in a more controlled environment than eg Iceland.

(Aside: For anyone who doesn't have Type I, the problem discussed here - aside from keeling over completely and ending up in hospital (!) or having to take a timeout for a snack and recovery if your blood sugar goes too low, and the vigilence to avoid it by regular testing - is that if something does go wrong injury wise it can get much worse much more quickly and then take much longer to recover, due to our systems being more "fragile".

That is a particular problem for feet, as a complication of D is poor circulation and consequent slow healing. Another one can be loss of feeling due to damage to peripheral nerves - neuropathy - so you don't notice an injury. Another can be being fed up with dealing with the previous 2 after 25 years of constant vigilance so you ignore them and it gets worth. If you are out with others yyou may feel guilty about making them wait, or have kept quiet about your condition.

A rub which develops into an ulcer can quickly give a nasty pothole-like injury which grows back very slowly - due to the slow healing/poor circulation thing. There is some diabetic foot ulcer porn on Google Images here, but I would not advise it at the same time as Spagheiiti Bolognese or or a pizza.)

I'll be going back in the second half of February (2015) to do some more of the South Coast route, and hopefully "around the IoW" (100km). This time I did Sandown-East Cowes-Sandown in one day. If anyone is interest, send me a PM.

Ferdinand
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