Feet

I really sympathise, the endless to-ing and fro-ing from doctor to podiatrist and back is a huge pain, excuse the pun!
I have suffered from bunions for many years and until a friend in Austria put me onto Fidelio I was really at a loss, hotter too cheaply made and don't really stretch over the bunion enough or keep their shape very well. Fidelio do a nice " Mary Jane" style not too clumpy at all that works with skirts and for walking I've got some lace ups too. Awful to get evangelical about shoes when they don't even look particularly
gorgeous but when you feel comfortable for once it's such a relief! I ordered online ( returns process pretty good actually, I got two sizes as i wasn't sure about the widths) from a site called meanfeet Www.meanfeet.com
Hope this helps

When my plantar facitis was at its worst, the physio recommended that I get two bowls of water, one filled with the hottest tap water, the other with the coldest tap water. I was to soak the feet alternately in the bowls. Shazabelle40 - it was the best relief I could get.

I have planterfacitis and I find winter so hard because I have to wear boots all the time which make my feet really ache,it's hard to find boots that are flat and I can drive in them

I always buy good socks for comfort, preferably seam free and usually from TK Maxx. Haven't worn tights for at least 10 years. All that hoiking....

Such a variation in our feet. I wear a 7, width fitting is A with a AA heel.

The Think Julia sandals look very pretty, but look as if they would have no support in them for my feet.

I wish I could still wear Birkenstocks - the straps sit exactly where my hammer toes are and cause blisters . I have, though, got three pairs of Think Julia sandals, which avoid the rogue toes, and they are so comfortable. Well, at least, they were last summer....

About foot trouble making you feel grumpy - I was reading yesterday that Victoria Beckham has had trouble with her feet and you know how grumpy she usually looks. She had a bunion op. last year and now has changed to flats, instead of those ridiculous spikey heels she used to wear. Hopefully she'll look more cheerful now.
Indinana - my feet are like yours, bunions and hammer toes plus blisters and corns. The chiropodist gelps up to a point. Costs 27€ here.
I have one pair of wide soft shoes which are comfortable, also my walking boots are ok .

Soak them in a lovely warm bowl of epsom salts.

I get cramp in my feet so epsom salts make it better, it's the magnesium in them.

Jalima Wider Fit catalogue has a measuring page, with a tape measure to measure round your instep, a diagram to stand on and mark where your feet come to, and a chart to read off from those measurements what width to order - and a free exchange if you get it wrong first time.

Now that I know that I am a size 5 and an EEEE fitting, I can just order and know that they will fit. They always seem a little close-fitting (but not quite tight) when they are new, but they soon ease off.

Son-in-law used to buy a very expensive make of shoe from America, but since I introduced him to Wider Fit, he buys theirs - and he waits for one of their frequent sales, when there are good bargains.

Their Da Bella range of ladies shoes seem to be a different shape from their others, though. I think they must be made on an Italian last.

Ooh, leaning on an open door here Alea, Indinana et al, as the dear, departed Sir Terry would say. I try to convince myself I don't look my age,
but my feet let me down big time!
I find my toes really hurt in the winter, not chilblains I'm sure, but I have whittled it down to wearing thick tights ( I reckon its because I have to heave 'em up, my toes get scrunched), and socks are almost as bad. I've ditched tights... can't be doing with 'em for all sorts of age-related problems!
I long for warmer weather and I can haul out my trusty Berkenstocks, but I think I'll have to invest in a new pair, as they were getting a bit uncomfortable last year. Does anyone find that what was once a comfy favourite pair of shoes can suddenly become an instrument of torture? Then another day they can be fine. Must be how our feet are performing 'on the day'.

Some of the Hotter shoes have removable insoles, and they come in different widths.

No, I haven't Elegran, I will take a look thank you

I'm not really sure what width I take, I just keep trying them on until I find a pair that feel comfortable, preferably with a slight arch support inbuilt as the orthotics always dig in

and they don't look like herring boxes.

Jalima If your shoe fitting is from between E and 8E, have you tried DB Wider Fit shoes? They have removeable insoles and can take orthotics,. There are a lot of styles and colours - and they don't look like herring boxes.

Dare I say it but my feet are fine. I wear Birkenstocks in the summer and Josef Seibel during the winter.Both these allow your toes to spread and give good support. I would feel really miserable if my feet hurt , so can sympathise with those of you who have foot problems

I keep intending to find some really comfortable, low but not completely flat, shoes, buy them in all colours and throw everything else out apart from one pair of smartish Gabor shoes (with a strap) which I will keep for 'best'.

Apparently I have extra-long ligaments which make my feet 'collapse'; the orthopaedic surgeon said I would have made a good circus acrobat (but not any longer at 70!).

My feet have always been well maintained with regular chiropodist visits, no bunions, no corns.

However I have suffered all of my adult life with what was like ingrowing toetails, but wasn't. The big toenails grew with an angle at the outer edge that dug into the skin, never any infection but inflamed. So painful. Chiropodist would try and trim it down the outer side but it never really worked and said I needed proper partial toenail removal. My reluctance was because I had this done previously (privately) some 30 years ago and the nails fully grew back again.

As I also have very skinny narrow feet and really skinny heels - fitting shoes is also a problem. Laces and straps are and were my friend to actually hold the shoes onto my feet.

The best thing I ever did was go again have a further nail evulsion on each big toe. It took away enough nail to leave me pain free but still enough to be able to paint the toenail and not look odd. (apologies for my vanity). It was done at no cost via the GP Chiropody Service and I only waited about 6 months.

Nowadays with the onset of osteoporosis my knees and feet suffer and I no longer wear shoes with a heel. Sketchers and Gabor lace-up funky canvas pumps look ok and I always look for a decent 'toe box'. Well.... I keep one pair of gorgeious black shoes for weddings (with lowish heel)

40years ago our local Health Visitor used to give talks at the Health centre and one was "the bones which carry the stones" meaning your feet are very important to keep you on the go.
I perhaps didn't listen too closely as I needed a bunion op 30 years ago. It was quite painful but nothing compared to the agony before.
It was some months before I could wear proper shoes again and now I only wear flats. I can really recommend the operation.

I've always been quite proud of my feet which have stood me in good stead (pun intended) for over 70 years, but now have a lump on the instep of the left one which the rheumatologist said looked like osteo arthritis. It makes walking any distance very painful. Next week I am seeing my GP for a round-up of various things and will go on my knees (I may have to) and ask if it's possible to have a steroid injection in the foot.

I had one foot done bunion and hammer toe plus a clearing out of lots of bit of bone erosion a couple of years ago and the other one needs doing and I am trying to decide to get it done as the surgeon said I would have to have a general anaesthetic for this one as it was so hard to anaesthetise my foot (thick ankles couldn't get at the artery) and there is a lot to do!!!. It wasn't too bad really except that you cant put your foot to the floor for four weeks and DH doesn't cook so it was difficult to manage. Its bloody agony at the moment slightly relived by my lovely chiropodist yesterday. I go every three months for £26.

I sympathise - when your feet are a problem you cant escape it and its so restricting.

My daughter had that op michelle about 4 years ago. She was in a good deal of pain in the immediate aftermath, but that was managed with strong pain relief and it gradually subsided. Unfortunately she was left with reduced mobility in her big toe - they found a rather large ulcer right in the joint which seems to have contributed to this. For a long time she could barely bend her toe, so that she had to wear flat shoes at all times. However, over time, this has improved somewhat and she can now manage low heels.

She has absolutely no regrets about having the op as she is now pain free and able to get back into shoes that had previously been too narrow.

Good luck with your op.

I am having an op to realign a bunion on my right foot in June. Has anyone had any experience of this? I am tired of my shoes looking awful and having shooting pains in my toes - especially when they wake me at night.

I empathise Alea, I have feet that roll inwards, hammer toes, all sorts of nail problems and I wear orthotics. The nhs biomechanics department that make the orthotics put a layer of foam on top so they are no longer rock hard (hello Tegan) to walk on. They only started to do this when I had new ones made during a two year period in which I had plantar facsitis which was excruciatingly painful. It eventually began to be less painful and currently is not one of my foot issues.

I buy expensive shoes and follow the advice from podiatry to wear either lace ups or shoes that cover the top of my foot and provide support. It is very tedious and there are times when I long to buy some frivolous yet attractive shoes. I used to be able to buy Think shoes in Manchester but the one store that sold them closed down.

My orthotics don't even fit into any shoes and they're rock hard to walk on so I don't wear them [well, I can't if they don't go in shoes, can I ].

Orthotics didn't work for me either - I have the classic bent big toes from bunions on both feet. These have caused my second toes to rise up due to lack of space. The orthotics i was prescribed took up some of the height in my shoes so that those raised toes became blistered from rubbing on the top of my shoes. Just can't win