Question
Hi...thanks for taking my question.  I am 42, not a diabetic, but have mild htn.  I notice lately my feet are very hot at night in bed. They get beet red as well.  During the day, sometimes they tingle and feel slightly numb.  I also have a foot condition that sometimes cause great pain randomly where I must remove my shoe, massage my foot and seemingly "reallign" the bones or tendons or whatever in my foot to make the pain stop. When that pain occurs, I can actually see my two smaller toes misallign unitl I can get my good back to normal with the massage. Sometimes I am awakened in the middle of the night with this acute pain and I have to get out of bed and walk on my foot and massage it to get rid of the pain.  But could this be r/t my burning red feet that feel like they are on fire at night especially?  or do you think they are unrelated and have to do more with my circ., htn problem?    I am so frustrated at such a young age I am experiencing this issue.  I am not over weight either.  Oh, and sidebar = I have that thing with my hands/fingers too, if I touch something cold my finger (s) turn white and numb.  My doctor tested my blood for autoimmune but didn't show anything (???????)  makes me feel like I am losing my mind, so I don't even want to go to the doctor AGAIN with these complaints, its like they don't know what to do with me.  Although, I have never seen a podiatrist, that might be a good idea.  We have military doctors, not sure they would recognize a unique or uncommon issue.   Sorry this is so lengthly, thanks for taking the time.

Answer
Hi Ruthann,

There are a few areas to explore.  If you take HTN medication then you could be getting low potassium.  This could cause foot and leg cramps.  I would see a podiatrist to see if you need some circulation testing.  The burning is typical of a condition known as neuropathy which can be associated with various conditions or may occur by itself.  The numbness and discoloration of the hands is typically called Raynauds and can occur with certain types of arthritis or autoimmune disease.  Perhaps you should see a rheumatlogist to have more thorough testing.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com


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