Learning To Walk Again
I bought some sandals the other day. They are very common in the Philippines. Often when I go out to eat, my legs and feet swell, sometimes to the point I either rub sores on me or it causes them, I’m not sure which. I’ve always had problems with getting sores on my legs. They use to get really bad when I was a child. They were starting to be a problem again, so I got some sandals.
Problem is they flip flop and slide around, Jessie says I have to learn to grip them. Hmm grip them with my toes? Okay, now that caused substantial pain from the arthritis in my hips. LOL
I sure am hard to please? I’ve had some flip flops Jessie wanted me to get for around the house. Its something Filipino do but I’m not use to it. She calls them slippers and to irritate her I call them flippers. 
She too easily get irritated so I have to go for it. She’s learned this about me so she pretends it no longer bothers her.
When I try to walk in my sandals for a longer distance, I usually end up in a tricycle. I probably need to increase my arthritis medicine. I’ve been having more trouble even in shoes I know how to walk in. I was hoping I could reduce it, because of the side effects. The NSAIDS for arthritis are hard on your kidneys and cause an increase in blood pressure too. That means more blood pressure meds are needed. Seems like a never ending story.
Seems like a never ending Philippines learning curve for me. Didn’t think I’d have to walk again though. I guess I’ll keep trying to wear them for going 
out to eat and see if I can get use to them. They are clearly more comfortable. Or perhaps I should spend more than $6.00 for them. I think they are too big but Jessie assures me, I just have to learn to grip them. Fifty years old and I have to learn to walk again. Okay, Okay, I’ll start with baby steps in my new flip flops.
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Yes I were them all the time if the weather permits. I find them much more comfortable and easy to get in and out of. Get a good pair of Islanders. They are not expensive and they are thick enough to offer some protection. Giasano should have them. Your feet do have to get used to wearing them but once you do you should do fine.
I think the pair that is causing me so much trouble just doesn’t fit me right. I need to be sure I get adjustable ones. I thought I had this time but I didn’t. They are pretty cheap. They were P300 I think.
I walked over two miles yesterday. One mile of that was in flip flops. Problem is though, even those really cause a lot of pain in my hips. I have a good deal of arthritis there.
Thanks for the tip on Islanders. i wont buy any others that are not adjustable so they fit my foot right. I may not be able to go for my walks in these kinds of shoes every.
We will find out!
With your diabetes aren’t you supposed to wear closed in footwear when walking about? Espcically in rough terrains like Bogo. We never advised flip-flops for diabetics here because of the risk of foot injury, that could lead to gangrene. Of course of haven’t got peripheral neuropathy, I suppose it’s OK. By the way, what are Islanders? – as it is referred to footwear that is.
I have peripheral neuropathy per one doctor. he was quick to diagnose tough, said I had cardiomyopathy and I don’t. I have numbness in my thighs. I do worry about foot injury but my legs are swelling so bad in shoes that too is causing injury.
I’m not having major problems with my feet just yet but I do worry about it.
Islanders are a brand of slippers. I think they are made in the Philippines. I am sure they come in adjustable but you may have to look around. They have a sole that is over 1″ thick so not as easily penetrated by sharp objects as the thinner kind. There are expensive ones but the kind I get are regular slippers. But I have seen the adjustable ones.
I’ve seen them too, thought I had some. They were only P300. I walked a mile in my regular flip flops that I flippers. Boy was i hurting the next day. And while I was doing I to. Different set of muscles.
Thanks Tom, I’ll check those islanders out when I come for a visit. Sounds like good footwear for the beach. What a funny name for a pair of footwear, but now they have Crocs as well. My daughter has one. Rus, you should probably teach Jess how to check your feet and what to look for. If you have neuropathy already you won’t feel the beginnings of an ulcer.
I know the big department stores like SM carry them. I have seen them in shoe stores in the Philippines too.
you have to accustom your feet to wearing them. I wouldn’t recommend long walks in them till you break them in. your feet will toughen and the slipper itself will form to fit your feet better.
Crocs are wonderful. I always thought they looked kind of dumb, until I decided to try a pair to wear around the house. I got my pair of Crocs at the local Crocs store at an outlet mall here. It ended up being the best $30 I have ever spent on anything, ever. They are extremely soft, made entirely of what seems to be a really soft and pliable rubber. The soles soak up anything I can throw at them. The bottoms have a nice grip, too, so they don’t give me that ice-skate sensation when walking on smooth floors. I just got them to wear around the house, but now I wear them around the neighborhood, and also to Walmart and other places. I even wore them while I mowed the lawn last week. Not adequate foot protection from a mower blade, but then again, I doubt that normal old shoes would protect me much better for that anyhow
Also, they don’t flop around at all. They feel more like shoes in that way.
It is almost impossible for me to picture myself taking the time to wear shows around the house.
I should, Jessie does, she got me flippers (as I call them) soon after I was here. She’d remind me to wear them at first but I guess she gave up.
Joe, once your hear for a while, I doubt you’ll be buying many $30 indoor shoes.
I would buy Jessie $20 or $30 Islanders but I would never spend that kind of money on myself for something like that. Now I’ll spend $2500 on a camera if I had it though.
Has anyone tried the Havaianas…they are so comfy but expensive… I would love to collect different colors but my husband has been calling me Imelda Marcos because of my shoe collection…i have a shoe fetish…
There are a lot of islanders sold in colon or carbon market…these are not originals…you cannot tell the difference except the price, The same through with pocketbooks…by the way, the first time I came here, somebody told me to give her her pocketbook. I was
looking for a book – I love reading and I always have a book with me to read. She was laughing and asked me how do we call it in the Phils…I said, a bag, a shoulder bag, a handbag but not a pocketbook. A pocketbook is something to read.
I still call it my shoulder bag til now. Hard habit to die…
Awww, here’s the problem! I got the names mixed up. It is the Havaianas I was thinking of, not the Islanders at all.
Okay You are forever Imelda from now on. LOL But Jessie is in competition but she goes for the cheaper stuff.
Must be a Filipina thing.
HI Guys, I’m back from the hospital. I’d been sick, admitted Tues. My goodness, I missed out on a lot of fun, didn’t I. Oh well I hope I catch up.
Imelda? Hey Terry, I’ll fight you for that title – ah, no, I’m retired so you can have it.
Glad your okay Christine!
Jessie doesn’t like it when I call her Imelda.
She bought some Havainas this month or last month. I just found out about it the other day. LOL She thought I’d fuss. I was surprised they were not fancier but that’s all. Simple but comfortable. Now she wants some Crocs. I’m sure its only a matter of time before she gets them.
Hi Christine, we miss you too…no wonder I have not read any postings from you. Are you ok now? Hope so,,,, i just got back from a conference from Albany, NY….thankfully I did not drive…it is not that far but it is tiring to drive.
yeah, I guess I am stuck with the title….anybody out there interested….i wish i have her brand name shoes though….i could not afford a manolo blahnik nor jimmy cho….all i can afford is coach and shoes from DSW….i am too poor to compete with Imelda.. LOL
Yeah, thanks mostly OK now. I should hope to be back to work this Monday. I’m gonna try and pack today as we only have 6 weeks left. Clothes are not the problem, it’s that damn balikabayan box. It’s overflowing. We’ve got 60kg baggage allowance. Anything doesn’t fit will just have to go next trip. Any idea how much Singapore air charges for extra kgs?
Manolo Balhniks? Now you’re talking!
NO, I’m not retired when it comes to Manolo Blahnik’s. I’ve got a collection of “glass” heeled shoes. Whenever I go to functions, I get asked “your shoes, they’re not from Australia are they?” I just chose a lower heeled one, and they are comfortable to wear all day. I also have a 4 inch glass heeled stilittooes. Looks gorgeous on the legs, but you can only wear it no more than an hour. So I usually just wear it for pics.
I know US airplanes charge 50 USD /lb extra after 50 lbs allowed….I do not know singapore air…i do not fly on those….i take cathay pacific straight to cebu
how cheap are your uggs in Oz…. they are expensive here….i love uggs winter time….so comfy and keep your feet warm… Oz really did good with uggs…
50/lbs? That’s a lot!
Singapore air is the only direct flight to Cebu at this stage. I’ve looked at Cathay, but for us it’s worse! the trip goes like this : Brisbane to Melbourne, to HK, Sing,Manila, then Cebu. It’s cheaper flights too but I couldn’t be bothered. So I just pay more for a direct fare.
Uggs? I’ll have a look next time I’m shopping. They are out because we’re coming into winter now. I almost froze to death waiting at the emergency last Tues night. How I wished I was back in PI with its warm climate. I just can’t get used to this cold weather. In PI, I never get the flu. I never got sick, never entered hospitals etc. It wasn’t when I started living in this cold damp weather that I found how much I missed our warm country.
I’ll post something about uggs when I’ve had a look. What size do you take?
LOL…we will be summer soon. Our county/area made it to guinness book of world record as the snowiest place last 2007 winter season. It was cold and windy and the blizzard was awful…i live in upstate NY and the lake effect from all the lakes between Canada and the US is blown to us…I drive an all wheel subaru forrester and it helps a lot. I too, not looking forward to winter…i wish i can spend time in the Phils when it is winter here but I have to work and drive my daughter to school as well.
i bought timberland boots=2 of them….i do not know if uggs that are sold here are the same size as in Oz. who owns the uggs?
Wow that is a long trip. Mine was Syracuse to LA to HK to Cebu or you can also take Syracuse, NYC, HK, Cebu. The last time I went home was Syracuse to Chicago to Japan to Manila. Then I took a flight to Tagbilaran the next day. I wanted to go straight to Tagbilaran to avoid the the ferry to Bohol/ I did go to Cebu minus luggages….it was easier without people grabbing your luggages from you at the Cebu pier. I mused to go thru Cebu because I love shopping in Cebu than Manila and have hair oil treatment, facial, manicure/pedicure, etc and a lot cheaper. I also like to buy Bench, Loalde, and other local brands which you could not find here in our area. Aside from that, I go to the Santo Nino Basilica church…remember I am a Catholic…ha..ha..ha..
Do not forget to bring dried mangoes when you go back to Oz…plus otap, galletas, hopia from La Fortuna…and the lumboy should be in season, lanzones, guava apple, marang, rambutan, tambis, etc. Enjoy….and ahhhh the litson baboy and the native tinolang manok…na naglaway na nuon ko…:)
Terrry, you’re making me hungry! I haven’t eaten Lomboy, Lanzones for 2 decades. I hope there will be some left when we get there. and what the hell is a “marang”? I have my own guava tree here. I love guavas. I spent $100 buying 2 kamyas trees. It died when the first winter hit. I covered it everything and all. I guess it just did not like the cold. My malunggay is thriving though.
My flight is just Brisbane to Cebu. 3 hour stop-over in Singapore and straight to Cebu. That’s why that particular flight cost me $1,124 each and that’s the discounted rate.
I wear size 7 US/PI. I know it’s the same because I bought a pair of lace-up knee high boots from the US 2 years ago. However, if you google the Australia-US conversion, it’s different. So I ignore that. I go with experience.
Not sure who own uggs. But there are lots of brand these days.
Christine, May and June should be the seasong for lumboy…also santol…kanang dagko and tam-is…ask peopleabout marang…you might not like it…daghan na sa colon or sidewalk vendors. aren’t you lucky you have kamunggay…we have frozen ones and it’s not the same. and the diffeent kinds of saging as well…ha..ha..ha.. enjoy thsoe…ooh, i am jealous ….you’re going home and i will jsut be dreaming about it… continue to chat with us…and say to Rusty and Jessie for me…although he might be reading this now….in case you see them in person.
so we share the same size and so is my daughter. we buy her adidas for her cleats for soccer and these are the copas…i bought her gladiator shoes and now i am the one wearing these…
Is “marang” durian? hmmm you got me intrigued. I might ask my friends when we have a get together next week. I can’t remember if we have a Boholana? I know we have Ilongga, lots from Davao, 1 from Manila. I teased the one from Manila because she liked hanging out with Visayans for some reason, baluktot pa rin mag-binisaya, ha,ha,
My daughter just bought a pair of sneaker shoes from Ebay US. She’s just reminded me to pay for them. She was going to buy one according to Google conversion. I told her not to do that. I hope the exchange rate is favourable.
Christine the marangs look like “kulo” or breadfruit, I do not know if you would like to eat them. Durian is different…more like nangka with spikes.
What sneaks did she buy from ebay? There is a school near my daughter’s school whom the students should have a must -ugg boots, north face sweats, and vera bradley bags. ha..ha..ha.. so materialistic. I am happy that my daughter really does not care with brands as long as they are comfy but she is into pink (from victoria secret) for undies.
We have a lot of Cebuano speaking in our group as well and 4 Tagalas but I do not why we have to talk in their language when we get together. They should be the one speaking our language because they are the minority, right? I should tell them next time we meet that they have to learn Bisaya, if we tried learning their language, they should do the same…LOL
Rusty, there are a lot of Crocs here and I think a lot cheaper than in the Phils. what size does Jesie wears? I do not like crocs because it is too wide for my flat feet. I like something with heels like the Havaianas with heels but I seldom see it here in our stores…more in the Philippines…I already bought one when I went home.
Don’t know what they are there but they are $20 to $75 in Cebu, at least the ones i looked at.
I don’t care if Jessie gets them. I’ll be happy if she does. I wouldn’t mind a pair but she needs to save part of her money to pay for a monitor. She sucks at saving. ::) That’s okay, i do too.
I feel bad that I’ve been unable to buy her a lot of nice things.
Hi Rusty,
Have you tried taking supplements for your arthritis? Glucosamine with chondroitin and MSM have you heard of them? Its over the counter and taken like ordinary vitamins. Glucosamine is for the cartilage, Chrondroitin and MSM are for the swelling and pain. It preventative. Google it to know more or ask you doctor.
I hope you are loosing weight, it also helps. Cheap and delicious food in the Philippines will be a big hurdle.
Take Care.
The bread here is the hardest thing to stay away. I love bread anyway and here, they even cover it with chocolate!
For the last month I have not been walking and I’m afraid to get on my scales.. I have lost about 40 pounds over the last couple of years. Another 40 would help a lot.
MSM makes my skin burn. Unless I getting it mixed up with something else. Sking feels like its burning is probably a better way to put it. It makes me weak too. Maybe I’m getting it mixed up with something else that is used in many foods in the USA.
I guess you can’t take glucosamine. It the burning sensation on the skin, same here with multivitamins. Better ask you gf for herbal remedies just topical not the one you have to take, I presumed you have other meds, you have to avoid this.
Ampalaya (bittermelon) is known to lower blood sugar but it is really bitter. Do not eat it sauteed with lots of fatty pork or egg. Eat it as a salad(blanched) with tomatoes, ginger, olive oil and salt to taste. It is an acquired taste but it is proven to help with blood sugar and weight. You can also cook it in a clear soup with other veggies. I hope you like veggies. Philippines is a have for vegetable lovers with its tropical weather you can buy or plant your own vegetable.
Have you eaten mallungay/kamunggay (Moringa Oliefera) already? Do you like it?
I don’t like anything that’s good for me. LOL that’s part of the problem but I am who I am. I don’t like any of those things. They make me gag and possibly worse.
Even Jessie’s noodles make me gag. After that i just gave up, I am who I am.
Amen to that!. You just have to find food that are nutritious that you like.
There are many ways to make delicious food that are not junk food.
Endless possibility.
I don’t eat a lot of “junk food” but too many foods that are not heart healthy That’s even harder to accomplish here.
Hi Rusty,
I do not mean to intrude into your eating habit and unto your health, sorry if ever I sounded like this. I am merely suggesting and hoping readers of your forum can also pick it up. The internet is an excellent medium for sharing and gathering knowledge.
In the Philippines fish is abudant, it is good for the heart. Unless you do not like fish. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, legume.
Being healthy is a lifetime commitment and only you can help yourself with that and nobody else.
Enjoy your life in the Philippines, you are one lucky person. Count your blessings.
Kyrie Elieson !
Toting
Kyrie, I welcome your comments!
Unfortunately many of the things that are good for me make me gag from smelling them.
I love fish.
I’ve never been so happy, hope I live long enough to enjoy much more of the Philippines.
Hello friend,
I wore a pair of Islanders, given to me by my wife’s family, for an all day trip to Manila. At the end of what I fondly call “the longest day of my life”, my feet and ankles were swollen like I’d never seen before. It concerned me, and, thankfully, 3 of my beautiful sister-in-laws faithfully massaged my legs, ankles and feet for about 30 minutes the next 3 evenings before bed. When I decide to do that again, I will wear either my Adidas sports sandals, or my Payless Shoes Teva knock-offs from the States. It’ll be worth it, although I might have to fake it to get another foot massage!
My left foot has been swollen very badly for about two weeks now. I think the only kind of show I could wear right now would be Crocks. Trying to find some in my size might prove difficult. Expensive for tihs part of the world but I need to get some next time I go to Cebu City