A Rough Winter For Feet

I started writing this way later than I probably should have, and I'm also writing about something I probably should have done well before I did, too.

The thing I mentioned before the jump is something I'm sure I've mentioned a time or two here on this blog, but I think it's only been in passing, as part of various Text Play issues I've done over the years, so this may be the first post I've made specifically about how my feet get all weird on me in the winter.

This is an issue I've had on a fairly consistent basis since high school, if memory serves. Basically, the deal with this is that once the weather turns wintery on us, usually late November or December sometime, my feet will dry out and, depending on the year, crack up on me, especially in the heel area. I've had some years where it's not really a problem and I don't have to do all that much about it, and I've had other years where it's a big problem, with deep cracks that actually bleed a little bit and scab over. I've been lucky the last couple, three years or so, and it really hasn't been that big a deal. It's been long enough since I've had to do much about it that the carton of epsom salts I bought specifically for the purpose of dealing with this had clumped up on me.

I guess I was about due for my luck to run out on that front, though. This winter looks like it's going to be one of the worse ones. I started noticing before Christmas, really, that things were getting worse this year than they had been in awhile. I've just had enough else going on that I had a little trouble setting aside time to actually take care of the matter properly, so now I've got some major catch-up work to do, on account of having at least one crack on each foot that's at least an inch and a half long and deep enough to bleed. Gotta say, it's about as comfortable as it sounds, especially since I'm a bigger fella who's on his feet all day at work.

The good news is, though, that I'm finally getting with this. With any luck, I'll have this part of it back under control before too long. The hot water in my apartment is very much so, to the point I've kinda gotta be careful about it. Still got most of a carton of epsom salts from last time this was much of an issue. Best of all, somebody had a jar of high-end moisturizer or lotion or something they weren't going to use that they gave me to give a shot this year.

As to what causes all this, I'm not entirely sure. I've heard it said that it's one potential symptom of diabetes, and I'm certainly a candidate for that, though I don't want to just jump in and say it's that just yet. I've got some other health issues that could be partly responsible, too. Plus, I've got stress from things going on at work right now as well, along with worrying about other family members and their health.

At any rate, I'm finally getting on this, even if it is a bit late. Hopefully, this will be an easy thing to take care of. And who knows, if I go about this right, it might even lead to my finally getting on with a few other things I've been meaning to for awhile now, too.

Anyway, see you soon, folks.