Here is a question I get asked a lot by fellow FA'ers

Here is a question I get asked a lot by fellow FA'ers, do your feet get cold in the winter. As winter is just around the corner I thought I’d take this time to let you in on what I do.

First off as FA has taken my ability to walk so my feet no longer have the movement they use to, which means blood dose not flow easy to my lower limbs (bad blood circulation) and my feet can turn a bluely/purple colour and sometimes feel like blocks of ice. Even though now I have had feet operations I still get cold feet and sometimes colder because of all the metal in my feet.

I have tried all the tricks in the book to get warm feet like the two pairs of socks, hot water bottle, thick socks/hiking socks the list goes on.

Post operations my feet were bad and use to get really cold and turn blue/purple quick, now after the ops they still do get cold and that it just takes longer. My right foot is better now were they had  to do the flap surgery (Flap surgery is a technique in plastic and reconstructive surgery where any type of tissue is lifted from a donor site and moved to a recipient site with an intact blood supply. This is similar to but different from a graft, which does not have an intact blood supply and therefore relies on growth of new blood vessels. This is done to fill a defect such as a wound resulting from injury or surgery when the remaining tissue is unable to support a graft, or to rebuild more complex anatomic structures such as breast or jaw. The skin can be divided into 3 main layers including the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue. Blood is supplied to the skin mainly by two networks of blood vessels. The deep network lies between the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue, while the shallow network lies within the papillary layer of the dermis.The epidermis is supplied by diffusion from this shallow network and both networks are supplied by collaterals, and by perforating arteries that bring blood from deeper layers either between muscles (septocutaneous perforators) or through muscles (musculocutaneous perforators). This redundant and robust blood supply is important in flap surgery because part of the supply will be cut off. The remaining blood supply must then keep the tissue alive until a more optimal supply can be restored through angiogenesis.
An angiosome is a three-dimensional region of tissue that is supplied by a single artery and can include skin, soft tissue, and bone. Adjacent angiosomes are connected by narrower choke vessels and so multiple angiosomes can be supplied by a single artery. Knowledge of these supply arteries and their associated angiosomes is useful in planning the location, size, and shape of a flap)
A lot of work went in to rebuilding my right foot and because they took my main artery in thigh to put in my right foot it now had much better blood circulation than my left foot.

Here we go I have two ways to getting warm feet, one is a quick fix and one is the long route.

1.      The quick fix

A few Christmas's ago my mum and her friend Jackie get me these microwaveable stuffed animals, now the animals are not important it’s the sacks inside them that it. All you need for this quick little fix is 2 of them sacks, some over the top big novelty slippers and a microwave. (I will include a photo of the set up) You cook the sacks up in the microwave for 1 minute (I love how I sound like a blue peter presenters here or a drug lord hahahaha) and after the 1 minute pop them in to your slippers and relax. They will keep your feet warm for about15-30mins it’s really nice like having a personal fire under your feet.

2.      The long Route

It’s actually really easy just put your feet up; elevation is the key to help the blood flow to your lower limbs. Whenever you are not busy get your feet up for 5,10-15mins and it will help. Sit on the sofa and get your feet up, or get a foot rest/puffa anything to get them feet up trust me it will help.