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Itchy, Red, Swollen, Painful to walk on foot

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by stevesmiff, Sep 9, 2010.

  1. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member


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    I have woke up this morning to find one foot to be itchy, red, swollen and painful, especially when walked on.

    Although I've only had it since this morning, it has happened in the past and seems to disappear within a couple of hours upto 48 hours.

    It might only happen about 4 or 5 times a year but I'm still concerned as it is a re-occurring thing and think I need an answer as to its cause and a possible solution as it makes it difficult to walk anywhere.

    I'm sure in the past it has happened to my other foot and possibly both at the same time but with one being considerably worse than the other. It sometimes comes on during the day but waking up from a sleep seems to bring it to its worst stage and then I struggle to calm it down.

    Previous investigations have lead me to a few possibilities:

    1. Poor circulation - I'm only 29 and am not aware that I have poor circulation but I do suffer from extremely cold feet when laying in bed (so my wife tells me!) - obviously this came about from being in bed but I've been up and about for several hours now and no improvement.
    2. Insect bite - I'm known to re-act bad to an insect bite but it seems too coincidental that it is always my foot and never any signs of the bite itself.
    3. Washing Powder - I always use non-bio due to possible allergic reactions in the past but maybe something along these lines such as a sock or something that is coming into contact with my foot it causing. I don't wear socks in bed but it may be from the day before?

    Keeping it out of socks/shoes and applying something cold helps calm the itching but doesn't seem to have any long lasting effect.

    Any help or advice would be appreciated.

    Steve
     
  2. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member

    I posted this back in September with no reply. To be honest I forgot about it as the problem passed, but here we are 3 months later and the symptoms are back again. Anyone with any ideas?
     
  3. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have the same exact problem. Mine has become more frequent, occurring every few days now. My joints have actually started to hurt in my toes. Doctors have tried telling me it's athlete's foot, then only to change their minds completely. I have had blood work to check for possible rheumatoid arthritis or lyme disease. You name it, they've done it. I have no idea what it is to this day. My foot is red, swollen, and itchy at this present moment. I know exactly how you feel.

    P.S. It could be gout, although that usually occurs in singular joints and hurts to the touch (however that's not the case for me).
     
  4. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member

    I've wondered about gout before but symptoms don't quite match. Mine is not really painful to touch either but is very painful to walk on but I would guess any swelling under the foot would always be painful to walk on regardless of its cause.

    Do you possibly have poor circulation and/or get cold feet when your feet are raised in bed or just in general? I keep thinking this is what it is for me, strange for my age but all seems to add up.
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I am only 23 and in relatively good shape, running regularly (before this problem). I have had very poor circulation the last couple months although I had never noticed it before then. My hands and feet are always freezing cold. Sounds like we have something very similar. I am scheduled to go to the doctor again on Tuesday and will be sure to update you if he has any suggestions as to what it could be. I'm assuming he will send me to a podiatrist or dermatologist next. Either way, I don't want to live the rest of my life with this.
     
  6. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member

    When I last saw my doctor about it, he provided treatment for Cellulitis caused by an insect bite. I indicated that I react badly to insect bites sometimes and although I had no visual signs of a bite, they made this assumption that this was the cause.

    The treatment provided seemed to work but like I've mentioned, my symptoms generally only last a day or two anyway and it happens again and again over the year - maybe that same insect keeps coming back for more!

    I'm sure it is circulatory/vascular related. Found an interesting article here with a lot of things sounding familiar to our problem.

    Look forward to hearing how you get on at the doctor Tuesday.
     
  7. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Time for an update... First, it could be cellulitis, but if that's the case, you should have a blood test (you would have an increase in white blood cell count). I went to my family doctor on March 3, who then directed me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist came to the conclusion that I am probably suffering from raynaud's disease, which can be triggered by cold weather, smoking, or caffeine. I don't drink caffeine often or smoke so I assume it must have been the cold. He suggested seeing a vascular doctor, who could prescribe a medication to help in the wintertime. I haven't had any symptoms in the last seven days after keeping my feet warm throughout the day. He recommended wearing polypropylene socks underneath ski socks. I live in Pennsylvania and am originally from New York so it could make sense! I hope this may help...
     
  8. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member

    Hi, thanks for the update. Glad that you have been able to find a way to relieve your symptoms.

    Looking at what you have said, I have had blood tests in the past and no abnormalities have ever been found so I guess it isn't that. You mentioned Raynaud's Disease which is a new one on me. Just had a brief look into it and the symptoms it describes may well be what we have.

    It describes that Raynauds affects the fingers or toes (or both). The initial episode of Raynauds makes the fingers/toes go white/blue and tingle or feel numb. Following this episode, the affected area will throb/swell/tingle/go red.

    Interesting article about it here.

    I can't say I really notice the first stage in terms of white/blue toes but maybe this is something to do with having cold feet a lot. Maybe they are cold as they are experiencing this first stage to a certain degree?

    I am from London, England so not necessarily as cold a climate as you but stress and caffeine are other contributing factors. I have both of these to a degree due to a busy working lifestyle but not any more than most people in my situation.

    I definitely think this Raynauds disease is the right direction. The article is very interesting. Think I might go and see my doctor and suggest they check me out for the possibility this may be the cause.

    Many thanks...
     
  9. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have the exact same thing! (olny my little toes itch, not my whole foot) Where I live it's been about 30 degrees this whole week and I have problems with circulation as well. My arms often "fall asleep" at night which I think is from lack of exercise. But keeping all this in mind I searched on google "red, swollen, itchy, feet" and this site called "Chilblains" came up (think its a condition) but basically it says it can be from cold weather and poor circulation/lack of exercise. It mentioned ways to treat it at home like: •wear wool/cotton socks to keep your feet warm
    •simple exercise to get the blood flowing
    •calomine lotion or witch hazel
    Haven't tried it yet but I hope it works! :)
     
  10. Fayew

    Fayew Guest

    Hi

    I have the same condition - itchy, sore red parts of my feet, it can be really localised like the back of my feet, the heel, the toes etc but not the whole foot at the one time. It seems to happen at night time - gets itchy, unbearable and then in the morning I can barely walk on them. I havent had this through winter it has come back in the hot weather?? but I also have terribly cold feet in winter. I have been to a podiatrist and to the doctor with no results. Am really interested to see what results you all got

    Faye
     
  11. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have had the same problem for many years now on various parts of my feet/toes at different times of year. This is confirmed (for me) Raynauds Disease. It is mostly caused by the cold but can also be caused by stress, caffine, smoking and poor circulation. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet, some people have actually moved to warmer climates, quit smoking and caffine but I don't know the results. I have actually taken notice of what brings mine on, it takes a few days to a week after my feet are cold for the symptoms to start, for me anyway. I haven't figured out what works the best for relieving any of it, very frustrating. Hope this helps anyone.
     
    Shirley porter likes this.
  12. stevesmiff

    stevesmiff New Member

    Good to see some other helpful posts here! I did approach my doctor with the Raynauds idea last time I saw him. As always with my doctor, he knows best and told me to try a few things before diagnosing me with anything.

    The only one I really listened to was to avoid taking Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin. I did take Ibuprofen every now and then but can't relate this to receiving my symptoms but I haven't taken any for nearly a year now and haven't had any symptons whatsoever. Maybe a lucky year, I don't know but will continue and see what happens.
     
  13. Roadrunner

    Roadrunner Guest

    From time to time the instep on my left or right foot and sometimes my large toe will suddenly swell and then itch and turn red. Usually happens when resting at night and early morning. No pain. However, unlike some of your responses which seem to be affected by the cold, no way is it cold here. I'm living in the desert. After reading about some of the possibilities of causes, guess I'll mention it to my Doctor at my next visit. I also thought about the probability of a bug bite, but not after it's recurring over and over. If I get results from the Doctor, I'll give you his analysis.
     
  14. MARii760

    MARii760 Guest

    Is this sumting serious please help......
     
  15. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Worst case scenario is Kidney Disease !! So get some proper tests
     
  16. Tyler

    Tyler Guest

    I have had this same problem for a while now. It started for me 6 years ago in Brazil. At first I thought it was from a walking bare foot on the beach and some sort of parasite. But after many years of research and talking to many foot doctors I came up with a couple things. Plantar fasciitis is what I believe is the main cause. Also I have suffered from athletes foot in the past. My solution to relieve my pain is expensive breathable shoes with proper arch support. I also stop drinking dairy and that helps for some reason.
     
  17. Itchy

    Itchy Guest

    Hi, i have the same problem. Ive had it every day for two weeks now. The itching drives my gf insane. ive slept on the couch for two weeks.

    The only redness comes from me scratching. Ive scratched till I bled.

    Walking hurts so bad, it feels like the joints are going to pop.

    Ive talked to the doc and she just gave me locoid cream. Doesnt work.

    HELP, this is driving me insane!
     
  18. Frustrated!

    Frustrated! Guest

    I am currently suffering from this. It hurts SO BAD to walk. And when I finally take my shoes off to relieve the pressure and pain, my feet itch so bad but after scratching I have the most excruciating pain! There is no relief whatsoever! I'm 24 and have experienced this for about 4 years. I believe it started when my arches fell. Not sure. My daughter's physical therapist said that being flat footed can cause these types of problems. Yet I have not looked into that. There is my next step. Usually when it happens it's after there has been pressure on my feet. This time I role up with it. Granted I only slept one and a half hours after a 12 hour night shift. The conditions are nowhere near cold here. As far as my circulation goes,i think I have good circulation. There never is really a moment that I'm not moving. I haven't been to the doctor in a while so I can't really say. Just like in one of the earlier posts, I have been eating a lot of dairy lately. And the only thing I take is ibuprofen. I try not to have to take any unless it's really needed. I have been having really bad headaches lately so that has increased a little. I took two last night then woke up with another swollen itchy knot on my other foot. But before when this happened I dont really remember any of the circumstances surrounding. My stress level is considerably lower this time though. So these are things I might need to look into as well as better shoes. The only two pairs I have at the moment are very old and worn. The only thing that is remotely working is putting an ice pack on my feet, and thats after I have to try not to scratch for fifteen minutes and it only helps the swelling a little for a few minutes. This is very frustrating to deal with when it happens. It affects everything I need to do. I guess I will look into the flat foot option and post again. Are any of you others flat footed or have you experienced falling arches? Thanks.
     
  19. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and my foot was RED!! It was sweating a lot and also felt like it was on fire.
     
  20. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    i have two toes itching...one on each foot but different ones...and both toes are red...the rest of my feet are fine but the itching is unbearable..i was scratching them with a scrubbing brush...what started it? new socks which are so thick i couldnt get them dry, new shoes which were a size too small and very cold weather 1 degree C...after a week of misery i saw a post which mentioned fungus and since i had some excellent fungus creme i tried it...put it on last night and the itching stopped..re applied this morn and wore soft shoes as much as poss (i have to wear safety boots at work) ..by tis arvo the toes started tickling(felt like the toes were trying to itch) so i re applied creme...the toes were still red so no change there but no itching still..i got this creme from a dermatologist on prescription for a shaving type rash and its called HYDROFORM..creme is yellow anti fungal...it manages the rash but never gets rid of it..so far no itching but would love to know whats wrong....i'm 60 and never had this before....PS am in AUSTRALIA
     
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