Lamenting Foot Metamorphasis - YouLookFab Forum

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Lamenting Foot Metamorphasis

rae

(website)

Veteran

I am feeling soooo sympathetic to anyone who has had a child, a foot surgery, a back issue, etc. today. My feet seem to be perpetually swollen all the way around the last few days - all of my shoes, which used to be comfortably roomy on my formerly-narrow feet all now squeeze my toes so they rub together, pinch, and feel too short. Ever read that Kafka novel? -_-

*despair!*

I LOVE my shoes. I felt fine buying quality shoes, because I knew I didn't want to have children... silly me, I thought my feet would never change. Now even away from work I'm afraid to wear my pretty pretty boots.

What do you think I should do? Invest in a kick-butt pair of work shoes and hope that kills the swelling so I can wear my normal shoes on off days? Or do you think it's hopeless and that I should start selling off my Precious? :_(

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57 replies

Latest reply was from giddyup

ironkurtin

Veteran

"I felt fine buying quality shoes, because I knew I didn't want to have children."

First, that is a really strange rationale IMO. It's like saying that people who DO want to have kids shouldn't buy nice shoes, right? Second, I had a baby and my feet changed not at all.

What do you think is causing the swelling?

catgirl

Veteran

I'm a little surprised because you seem like you're on your feet most days whether working or not - all that walking at the swap meet, plus you jog and are out and about. I'd wait it out. I don't think it's a permanent change the way pregnancy can be - give your body time to adjust like with any other activity.

Otherwise, I'd be first in line to buy all your boots if we wore the same size!

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I'd buy some crocs or other true work shoes made for standing all day asap. I mean it's a new job and you have to dress right for it. Standing on your feet all day requires special shoes, not fashion forward shoes. Save your other shoes for off time or for that promotion ;-).

Anonymous

My feet were maybe a bit swollen during the latter stages of both pregnancies, but they are still the same size as they were before.

You have to give your feet time to adjust, it's going to take a while as you have been mainly working sedentary jobs, yes? I suggest you get compression stockings to help with the swelling until your body adjusts, and just get two comfortable roomy pairs to wear (swap out each day) until your body equalises. You have to build up all the little ligaments and muscles in your feet and ankles and get them used to bearing your weight all day without a break. And this is a different animal than walking around everywhere, it's unnatural to your body, you are probably standing, maybe pacing, likely putting weight more on one foot than other (that's my bad habit), perhaps locking your knees when standing etc.

Oh, and when you get home, put your feet up!

I sympathise, and I hope your poor feet are feeling better soon.

Glory

Veteran

oh no! I am with Alaska Girl - don't despair. I would buy something in the interim to give your feet a break from whatever has caused this issue. Is there a chance you could wear runners to work for a bit? Perhaps an adidas with some fun colours? That way you could wear a cotton blend sock and your feet could relax a little. I think it is the standing that might be the problem.

shiny

Veteran

Are you retaining water?

Every now and then, I'll have this issue, it happens in the heat. It affects other parts of me too, like my waistband (it can swell so I look 6 months pregnant) and my fingers (my wedding band will no longer fit). But most annoying is that my feet swell dramatically and no shoes fit, not even the wide widths.

It's happened here on really hot days, but mostly it happens when I'm traveling. It happened when we went to Hong Kong. The worst was when It happened on a business trip to NYC in the summer -- my feet swelled so much, my work pumps dug into my skin, creating horrible blisters. I tried to buy new, wider shoes, but none of them fit either. I actually walked off the train in socks, because I couldn't get my shoes back on. The swelling did eventually go down, but because of the blisters, I had to stay off my feet for a week.

The only solutions I know: 1) HYDRATE!! Make sure you are well hydrated -- drink water constantly. Stay away from alcohol and caffeine. Be careful with the salt. When traveling it's especially easy for me to inadequately hydrate myself, which combined with high heat appears to be the culprit. 2) wear flip flops or thongs (hate doing this on a city street, but it's the only style shoe I can wear when my feet swell 3) wear shoes with laces 4) Wear shoes that allow you to wear SOCKS.

JulieJohn

Veteran

Ach, that is so sad. Put your feet up at night, and there are support hose which work a bit for the swelling during the day.

I believe you should keep the preciouses, because in the near future you will have more of a walking job as a personal fashion stylist.

That said, I don't have kids, don't do a lot of standing, and my feet have changed in size from a 5 to a 6 or sometimes 6.5 as the years went on. They've also gotten much more fussy. It's just Chinatown ... um, feet.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think working in a stand on your feet all day jobs requires proper footwear. Once in a while I will 'get away' with a cute pair of shoes or boots for work, but 9 times out of 10 it's walking sneakers with good arch support or some thick soled shoes like Doc Martens with plenty of cushion between me and the ground.
Much as we think we are 'on our feet' throughout the day, not until you have to literally walk or stand for 8 hours straight do you really get how your shoes affect your comfort!

Irene

Veteran

Do you think this is because of your new job? In that case, you will probably get used to it and the swelling will go down (I really hope so). I have to admit I worked at a perfume shop some years ago and lasted only a week (contract was for a week since I was substituting someone else but they offered me to stay and I said no). My feet swelled like hell, I couldn't walk back home and my big toe's tip went numb. It stayed like that, and it's been six years. So I hope your body is not as weak as mine I am a good walker but when it comes to standing for long periods... just can't do it.

Now, what came to my mind when reading this was actually a friend of mine's experience. One day she got up and non of her shoes fitted. The swelling was way crazy though. Doctors discovered she had intolerance to certain food and they went back to normal after following a special diet.

Sylvie

Veteran

Don't sell off your Precious! It's been less than 2 weeks. I bet your feet will adjust over time. I see foot swelling as being the same as muscle swelling post workout. Meanwhile, maybe buy a pair of (larger size) Danskos or other shoes beloved by people who spend a lot of time on their feet. Wear those (or sneakers) while your feet adjust to standing all day.

*elbows Una aside for first dibs on buying Rae's shoes since we are the same size*

catgirl

Veteran

Sylvie, I'll have to get a standing job to make my feet swell to fit her boots!

rae

(website)

Veteran

OK, before I read the rest of the comments, I have to answer IK! I didn't mean anything about deserving - I just meant that I know many women's feet change permanently after pregnancy. It happend to one of my GFs, and she was so devastated to have to replace every single pair of shoe. All I was thinking is hey, my feet won't have to go through that. I'm so sorry if it sounded like a dis to mothers at ALL!!!

Diana

Veteran

Definitely don't start selling the shoes just yet! This sounds like it could be an acute problem, which might be solved by just waiting it out and/or getting more supportive shoes for work.

My feet DID change size (length but not width) and got a lot more fussy for no apparent reason during my 20's but it was a gradual thing that happened over a couple of years or so, nothing so drastic or sudden as waking up one day and finding out all my shoes were too small.

ETA: Try icing your feet. Like, for real icing with a bucket of ice and water until they go numb (ice packs don't work nearly as well in my opinion). It helps.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Rae, I did not take that as a dis to mothers. You're perfectly right: feet can, and often do, change permanently from pregnancy. I have a number of friends who had to replace all their shoes. It's because there are gestational hormones that cause pelvic ligaments to soften up, which helps during delivery, when even a little wiggle room can mean the difference between a vaginal birth versus a surgical one (or death, a hundred years ago). Unfortunately hormones are non-specific, so sometimes the ligaments in your feet soften and stretch out too.

Having said that my own feet did not change size during pregnancy. But I was worried about it!

Back to your predicament. It seems to me that your feet have not increased in size due to relaxation of the arch ligaments, as with a pregnancy, but because they're a bit swollen. That's just extra fluid. It should go away. If I were you, I wouldn't get rid of ANY shoes yet, but I would make sure to wear super-comfy ones with sensible heels for work. I think the swelling will go down eventually, as your body adjusts. There are lots of jobs where people are on their feet all day, and their feet don't grow.

catgirl

Veteran

And you can always get your shoes stretched if it turns out to be long term.

Anonymous

Rae, my first time out in the field on a fieldschool, oh, about 15 years ago, my feet swelled so much my arch disappeared! I was balancing in a squat on my tippytoes on a little rock in the unit for 8 hours a day and my feet let me know in no uncertain terms that this was not acceptable. I was in so much pain, I couldn't even bear to weightbear on the balls of my feet. It went away after a couple days, but ever since then, I am way more careful of my feet.

I am betting your feet will settle down in a bit. When you are at home, practice writing the alphabet with your toes also, that helps foot and ankle flexibility.

merwoman

Veteran

Perhaps I'll ask what size shoe you wear Rae before responding?
I'm on my feet a lot (health care worker) and good supportive footwear is a must. I don't have a problem with foot swelling perse- it was plantar fascitis that forced my foot er hand.
There is lots of great choice for funky sportwear shoes - I wear Kswiss. Like other posters - I think you need to give your body time to adjust - but ultimately, once everything settles down, what might wotk for you is to wear a supportive shoe most of the time at work - and a fun shoe once in a while.

rachylou

Veteran

What texstyle said. And I would check out crocs, definitely. They have more than those funny garden shoes!

DonnaF

Veteran

Or ice, then heat, then ice, then heat. Not sure which one you end with, but the combo is supposed to help circulation according to PT I once saw.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Has this just started happening since you got your retail job? My feet always went through a painful transition stage whenever I got a new job that required being on my feet all day. It's different than having a job that requires a mixture of standing and walking and sitting. In retail, I was on my feet for hours at a time and hardly got a chance to sit down during a shift (other than a short break). You need shoes with cushioning and support. I found Me Too to be a great brand for this. If the floor is hard (tiled or that super thin carpeting over cement), stick to flats during this transition period. In my experience, even the most comfortable, short heels would cause the balls of my feet to really ache.

Depending on what is causing your foot pain, I think this phase will pass and your feet will adjust. It can take some time though, depending on how often you work. Don't get rid of your cute fun shoes yet. But there may be some pairs you will never be able to wear to work. Once your feet have adjusted, you'll just have to experiment (and always bring a super comfy back up pair with you, just in case). Will your DH give you a firm foot massage? I found those kind of painful when my feet were sore from being on them all day, but they really help and make the swelling go down. Also, foot stretches.

Good luck!

Ariadne

Veteran

What Ana and others said--this is probably a transition stage that will pass. It's happened to me with jobs that required me to be on my feet all day.

Strangely enough, my feet grew 1 full size in the last 2 years, and I've never been pregnant. I'm slowly replacing all my shoes.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

If you're going to get clogs, get Sanitas, not Dansko. I too think it is just a transition phase. Don't sell your boots just yet.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Ok. No longer at DEFCON 1. Sounds like this is just from the trauma of a new lifestyle combined with wearing not-so-kindly footwear. I was so afraid that this is Just What Happens when you are on your feet all day. Big thank you to those who pointed out hydration and shoe stretching as solutions - and also those who cited past precedent to argue that the feet *can* recover.

Rachy, I just exchanged a pair of Crocs flats for a new size and am waiting with baited breath. The last time me feet hurt this much, Crocs were the only relief. I might get impatient and try to buy some in store today, though.

ironkurtin

Veteran

Rae - Oh, I know you weren't dissing moms. It's just deciding that nice shoes are OK because you don't want kids seems a weird correlation. Like me saying I am OK wearing white because I don't drink coffee. Not an obvious causal link, at least to me.

xo

Anonymous

Rae - I did not have time to read all of the replies so I don't know if someone mentioned this already, but give compression hosiery a go. I used to buy these knee high compression tights that looked awful, but helped me so much with leg circulation. They also help with preventing spider veins, which are very common in people with jobs that require long standing periods. The swelling is probably due to standing in the same position for long periods of time. I also think you might want to look into a few pairs of flat shoes to try. .

Scarlet

Veteran

I was also going to say check out compression socks. Besides that putting a good insole into shoes can do WONDERS.

rae

(website)

Veteran

FWIW, the correlation is this:

Mom - "You spend too much on your shoes. Don't you know your feet get big when you're pregnant??"

Me - "I'm not getting pregnant."

Mom - "You're almost thirty. You'll be pregnant soon enough. Buy nice shoes after!"

Me - "I'm not getting pregnant."

Mom - "You are wasting that money, young lady. Don't come crying to me when those things don't fit."

Me - "I'm not getting pregnant."

Anyway... so it's not that nice shoes = ok only if you aren't a mom. It's that nice shoes are ok NOW because it's not like I'm likely to have to replace the whole lot of 'em in the next couple years.

Anonymous

Ah Rae, you are a sweetheart by explaining the correlation. I loved the dialogue. LOL

Sona

Veteran

Rae: I had to throw away/gift/thrift all my shoes after my size 9 foot morphed into size 10 post Ms K . well I'm between a 9.5 and ten now.
That being said I often have foot and shoe problems= fussy feet if you will.
time does help. as do orthotics, inserts, moleskin what have you. I find boots a lot more comfortable than pumps and flats so do a lot better in fall/winter with my feet. I also have black coach sneakers that I sneak on and pass for a dress shoe of sorts when need be.

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