Diabetes and Silicone Tails

[MermaidAine]

I apologize if there is already a thread about this, but I did a search and did not find it. If there is please kindly redirect me.
So I am a mermaid with Type 2 diabetes. I am insulin dependent and on an insulin pump. I also have diabetic neuropathy in my feet, which means I have nerve pain and numbness. Those of you that are familiar with diabetes and its nasty side effects already know that it can and often does lead to ulcers of the feet and legs that very likely end up having to be amputated.
So...I have one friend that had a silicone tail and has diabetes, and ended up with very large wounds on her legs that had started out as small sores but ended up becoming large and deep, and she had to actually go to wound care for them. They (wound care) told her that they believed that they were caused by her tail rubbing on her legs. Her tail also had issues with mildew which of course would lead to a nasty breeding ground for bacteria, so add that to someone with diabetes that can't heal properly and I can see how that COULD happen.

Now what I want to know is how often this DOES happen. Those of you with silicone tails, whether you have diabetes or not, do you get sores on your legs, feet, lower back, tummy from the silicone rubbing on you? If so, is this due to ill fitting tails, or is it pretty much unavoidable?
How many of you have ended up with mold or mildew in your tails? And again, is this due to a bad tail? Poor care of a tail? Or is this unavoidable?

I am very much wanting to have a silicone tail, but not at the risk of having sores that I can't heal, and certainly not at the risk of losing my legs. I do like having them when I am not in the water.

Any information would be helpful.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Only one question:

Do you have any issue with neoprene the one that scuba divers use for their mute?

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

While I do not have diabetes, I have gotten sores on my feet before from the monofin, but nothing so far from my tail.
I would not say the tail is "poorly fitting" but it is also not "properly fitting"
I can see it happening though, especially around certain seamlines.

To help with mildew, even after cleaning and wiping dry, we sometimes put solo cups in the tail near the ankles and then up at the waist to prop it open and get a little air flow.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[MermaidAine]

I honestly don't know if I have issues with neoprene or not.

[MermaidAine]

Yes Aysun, I have gotten some pretty good blisters on my feet from my Mahina, so I know now that I have to be care of that. I guess I know it is a definite possibility that the worst could happen. I am just wondering if silicone is notorious for causing sores or rub spots on people.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

If you don't we make silicone tails with a body of neoprene the one used for scuba divers suits.

It would be a good alternative and for your feet we can make you also neoprene socks so they'll be protected from blisters.

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

My dad has diabetic neuropathy and had to have wound care on one of his feet due to a small cut. Though one doctor wanted to remove the foot, the other decided to give it time and it did eventually heal. Now he wears special shoes, and always wears something on his feet when in water. My mahina also rubbed and gave me blisters. I think, since every persons body is different, no one can really tell if a tail is going to rub you or not. From everything I read, most mers with silicone tails do end up fighting blisters and sores now and then.

That being said, my dad started to lose weight and has gotten some of his health back. I had to go through a lot of anatomy, and pathology studies including diabetes and neuropathy and one thing I did learn was that if you still have feeling in your feet, you can improve circulation through healthy lifestyle choices and getting regular massage by an LMT to improve circulation. Its a scary illness, and I am not sure if I would risk it if I were in your shoes.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

You might look into having a hybrid silicone tail made for you (along the lines of what Keiris just made). It would give you all the benefits of silicone while being much lighter and thinner, being as the silicone is only a thin layer over a fabric. As far as mildew and such goes, proper tail cleaning should keep you from getting any mold growth.

[Mermaid Alea]

This reminds me of Raina's tail cleaning videos. She explains how to prevent mold and she even talks about her own personal experience with getting mold in one of her first silicone tails.
Tail cleaning video 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7rkcuds7c

Tail cleaning video 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4zTevqZMA

Hopefully her videos will help. They are very informative. :)

[Winged Mermaid]

Mildew and mold and stuff is always a possibility with tails. You have to take good care of most tails to prevent it. Fabric tails typically don't get them because they dry though easily. Silicone you have to be diligent with it. Raina has great info about that, as well as info in the tail care thread (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3108) (which I think it mostly the same info).

Blisters are always a possibility with monofins. The mahinas especially. I advise you get some lycra or neoprene socks or booties to wear in any monofin to prevent those, if you don't have some already.

As for rubbing, I haven't gotten any sores from my silicone rubbing on me. My skin is sensitive and I heal slow so pretty sure I would have noticed. To get into silicone you should always lube up anyhow. I could see it being an issue if you were doing a long dry gig in a silicone tail, but in the water it shouldn't be an issue.

Hope that's helpful :)

[SeaGlass Siren]

I came her to comment about Raina's cleaning tail vids but the lot of y'all beat me to it .
with that said, I clean my tail right away when I finish swimming.

[MermaidAine]

Thank you all so much for your comments. It doesn't look like it will be an issue as long as I clean my tail and watch for any kind of blister. I am happy to know that it is not a normal thing for the tails to cause any sores. I will still have to be careful and take care of things at the very first sight of anything that might not be right.

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