podiatrist what to expect?

[gail2]

I am according to my gp entitled to see a podiatrist on the nhs. This would be at the west Norwich hospital which is the other side of the city and would involve a taxi journey and me freaking out. There is a private podiatrist who holds a clinic at my chemist five mins from me. Her prices seem to to be very reasonable and I think it would be more convient for me to see her. A plus of this is that I asked my gp about her and he told me he has quite a few patients who see her. So now my gp knows of her I feel more relaxed about it. My question is this if I see her what can I expect of my visit ie what will she do. Have only seen a podiatrist once before and that was when I was in a private psychiatric unit
Cheers
gail

 

[Caroline]

When I saw the podiatrist they asked a few questions looked at my feet and checked my shoes and then left me to get on with it as they felt I was coping well with my foot care, but it does vary from area to area.

 

[Northerner]

A proper podiatry check will test your pulses in your feet and also your sensations. They test the sensation by getting you to close your eyes then they touch tour feet and toes with a nylon strand and you have to say when you feel it. The pulses are tested by putting a gel on your feet and then using a machine to listen to the pulses. They'll also check for hard skin, check your toenails and also for any signs of infection or injury, cracked skin etc.

It's absolutely nothing to worry about Gail, in fact it's quite nice! 🙂

 

[Monica]

Carol will be going to see one too, when we get the appointment through. I was a bit worried about her nails, so I asked the DSN about it and she said she was going to refer Carol on Monday.

Good luck Gail, sure it won't be too bad.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I have been diabetic for 12 years and only got my feet seen to weeks ago through asking for a referal, it was always a case of asking if I needed to see the podiatrist...........

When I went she had a wee feel aroud and used a small wire to press into different bits of my feet to test for sensation............I was then deemed low risk and sent on my way......not even 5 minutes.........

might be longer if there are issues......