I have a friend who does diabetic foot care. She and I were visiting and I learned a few things. 
Did you know that if you are getting manicures and pedicures that you should let the person doing the service for you know that you have diabetes. 
When I asked her why, she said that a good licensed professional will give extra attention to your hands and feet. They will check for skin condition, nail condition, cuticle condition. They will take extra care when they are cutting nails and cuticles. They will look for damaged skin before they file dead skin off, and they may do it in a different way. 
Finally, the thing that I found the most interesting is that a person with diabetes may not be offered certain manicure and pedicure services because of diabetic health reasons. 
I asked if there were any tips that she could offer for my readers. Here they are: 

1. Wash your feet with soap and a washcloth. Make sure that you get in between each toe, and wash each toenail as well as under the toes. 
2. Get into a routine of how you wash your feet so that you know the entire foot has been cleaned and gently exfoliated with the washcloth. By doing this, you ensure that you are looking at your foot for any issues. 
3. When you are washing the heel of your foot, look at it for cracks in the skin as well as bruising or discolorations. 
4. Don't dry your feet roughly with a towel. Pat them dry, and go in between each toe as well. I asked why, and I was told that you can damage a toenail with rough drying, especially if you have neuropathy. 
5. Treat your feet to a cornstarch based powder, especially if you are going to be in heavy boots. Absorb sweat, and keep your feet cooler. 
6. If socks are leaving deep red indentations on your skin, they are either too small, too narrow, or both. Switch to a larger sock, and preferably a diabetic sock. You can even get them at Dollar Tree now. They feature a looser weave on the part that goes up your leg as well as a lighter elastic so that you don't create issues. 
7. If you are going to wear compression socks, ask your health care provider first. They are not an ideal solution for everyone. 
8. If you notice any skin conditions, loose or damaged nails, or other foot health issues, make an appointment with your doctor. You may have neuropathy, or your foot health may have changed. 
9. If you ever have deep bruising that looks like pooling blood, call your doctor immediately. She said that this could be something major, especially if you don't recall injuring yourself where the bruise is. 
10. Don't go barefoot in the house, especially if you have neuropathy. You may not feel an injury. 

I wear steel toe boots. I ordered them really carefully by reading the reviews online and the sizing guide. Everything said that these boots were an exact fit, no need to go up or down a size. 
I work in a warehouse and the floors are poured and polished cement. The first days I was at the new job, I noticed that at the midpoint of my shift, my toes were really aching and when I got home, they were sort of numb. I had done everything I could to make my feet as comfortable as possible. Orthotic inserts, a pair of thin compression socks topped by a pair of thicker socks to prevent rubbing and chafing, and a couple of gel wraps for my little toes so that they did not rub along the side of the leather boot. 
Remember what I said? The boots were right on size. I was basically wrapping them like mummies to provide comfort and cushioning. So, I was cramming a bunch of stuffing and feet into a boot. If I was going to do this, I should have ordered a size up, and gone to a wide boot as well. 
I noticed the small little blister when I was washing my feet. Since being diagnosed, I make it a point to go over my feet really carefully at least one time a week. I look for injuries, blisters, nail and cuticle health, and make sure that each toe is in good condition as well as clean each foot carefully during this little health inspection. I had never found anything suspect, but I kept up with it. 
The blister was on my left foot's second toe. It didn't hurt. It was pretty small, and comparing it to where my composite in my "steel toe" boots hit, it seemed that the blister was at the edge between the regular boot and the toe guard portion. I marked it on my "diabetes calendar" so that I could accurately follow the progress of the blister. 
I then thought about all of the stuff that I was jamming into those doggone boots and decided to remove everything, including the orthotics and just wear a pair of diabetic socks until I could get a larger pair of boots ordered. 
The next day, my toes did not began being numb at the middle of my shift. Coming home, I took my boots off and looked at the toe with the blister on it. I had taken a photo the day before. I took another and looked at it. My blister was actually looking deflated and less angry. I monitored this blister carefully for the next few days. By day five, there was no blister, the skin was just ever so slightly more wrinkled than the other toes at the place where the blister had been. 
I did not apply anything that would soften the skin, such as ointments or lotions. I wanted to have the blister dry out and be absorbed, not apply a humectant to draw or trap moisture at the site. 
By day seven, all traces of the blister were gone. Since that point, I carry moleskin, the felt like protective fabric with a gentle adhesive backing in the trunk of my car with a small pair of safety scissors so that I can protect any tender skin areas on my feet and rest of my body.
I feel that by doing these frequent inspections of my feet, I avoided what could have been a significant issue. I do not have neuropathy, so the issue was not one of not feeling the injury. Instead, by monitoring my skin closely, I was able to catch something happening at early onset. 
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