Foot Doctor.

I finally saw my foot doctor so we could talk about the incredible pain that I've been having on an intermittent basis. What I told him was that I was having more frequent attacks of neuropathy in the last three toes of my right foot.

He asked, "What kind of pain? Burning? Sharp?

I said, "It's like someone hits it with a hammer. But, in the very next instant, I can squeeze those toes and they don't hurt at all."

He then began to squeeze my feet. Beginning by squeezing the entire foot, he then reached my toes and gave each a little squeeze. No real pain. Then he put his thumb on the ball of the foot beneath my third toe and squeezed.

WHOA! I jumped about a foot.

"That hurt?" He asked. "Uh, yeah."

Then he went to the second toe and hit the same spot on the ball, just at the joint of the toe. And WOW! That was it. That was the spot. That hurt like hell.

He said, "I know what's wrong, but we can take x-rays just to make sure it's not some kind of injury."

Here's what's happening: That foot bone going out to that toe is the longest one in my foot (and in most people's feet). Therefore, the big toe bones are kind of spreading out when I take a step on a flat surface, putting all the weight on this joint. The nerves and muscles become inflamed and they send out shock waves to my toes -- and because the nerves are damaged in my toes, it feels like someone hits them with a hammer.

Luckily, I was there to pick up new shoes (because of the diabetes). They have an orthopedic insert which distributes the weight around. I could tell immediately that this provided relief to the pressure on that bone. They aren't the prettiest shoes in the world. More like black gym shoes. But they work. That pain will probably nag me for awhile, but it's just inflammation of that joint. There's probably a little arthritis involved, too, he said.

And there you have it.