The importance of feet

I saw my GP about my feet sometime during 2014. I was nervous because I feared he would think I was a malingerer. What's that word for someome who thinks they are alwayts ill with the next big thing? ... a hypochondriac. Thank you Dr Google. I was actually worried that it might be "diabetic foot" which was on the way to becoming gangrenous, not that I am diabetic. But, I did not voice this - too embarrassing. I just told him that my right foot stung, and flared red periodically. He turned it over. Said it was nothing to worry about. And gave me some "Diprosone" in case it was some sort of psorasis, which even I knew it wasn't. Kirsten suffers from that, and psorasis is much different, and much worse. So, 12 to 15 months later, I now seem to have this permanently on BOTH feet. I went through a period where it would alternate feet: one foot would be screaming red, and the other deathly white. The white I was used to. My circulation has been bad for many years, and my feet are so like blocks of ice that I wear hiking socks to bed, even in summer. The pain is distracting 24/7, but worse at night, or I am aware of it more at night. Half the week, the throbbing will wake me after about 3 hours, when I take two panadol, which ease it enough to go back to bed after about 90 minutes. So, just garden-variety panadol eases the perception of pain. The feet are not damaged anywhere that I can see. I do not have tinnea, or cracked and peeling feet. I clean my toes assiduously. It is extremely painful to get the towel between my two smallest toes, on either side. My shoes are not too small, and are totally flat. My socks are Bond's cotton variety. My hiking socks are a quality (expensive) wool blend. So, tomorrow, I go back to my GP to ask him to set up an "Ancillary Enhanced Primary Care Plan" for Podiatry which will enable me to partially claim up to 5 visits to a podiatrist each year. It could be something as obvious as chilblains.