MY FEET ARE A BLOODY MESS

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What a thoroughly obnoxious way of typing. Please hit your caps off key.

I used to scratch the skin off the tops of my feet. It was like an itch, and the harder I scratched the better it felt. I managed to stop that, learned to ignore it. I also used to chew the skin off my fingertips until they would bleed. Eventually I wore my "chewing tooth" down to the point it hurt to do it, and was becoming noticable. (the tooth, didn't care about the fingers.) So I stopped. Except for rare occasion. I still pick at my fingers, but can't do much damage that way.

Grammar, mother, do you use it?

A conjunctivitis case month ago is still reddening my eyes and make them water and itch. Sometimes I wish to gouge them out.

Buy a nice and expensive pair of socks and shoes...

I used to scratch at my hands untill they would bleed and crack open.........I've found that lots and lots of lotion + prescription strength steroid cream helps. I still have a problem with scratching my legs, but lotion helps some, and when it's really bad I put on skin-tight cotton pants so my skin isn't irritated and I physically am unable to scratch.

For your feet, you could try taping gauze 4x4s over the open spots so you can't pick at them and they have a soft cushion for comfort. Lotion twice a day to make the skin more flexible and soft might help too. Try having a specific thing to do instead of picking at your feet, say, twirling a straw or something. Whenever you feel like you want to pick at your feet, twirl the straw, or play with a rubber band, etc, etc. Maybe just wear really comfy, soft socks all the time? I hope you find something that helps!

OMG I do - I can't believe anyone else does!
I have no idea why I do it. Do you?

I'm also a compulsive scab picker. I hate the fact that my wounds never heal yet I can't stop doing the very thing that makes them worse.

Is it specifically an AS trait or just general anxiety?

Last edited by whitbywoof on 03 Nov 2007, 7:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

sounds like anxiety to me. not everything can be blamed on AS.

Yes, that is true, but it is also true that autistic-spectrum people tend to be more prone to anxiety than most other people.

I think the skin-picking thing is like feather-plucking in parrots...it is a reaction to stress.

Try taking a good look at them and think about how that must affect your walking. I used to pick my upper lip almost nonstop. Then I ended up gouging a big chunk out of it.

That really awoke me to the issue and now i rarely pick it, and when i do I'm almost always aware that i'm doing so, which makes it unusual for it to get to the point where it bleeds.

Everything that bugs me about my body in an obsessive way I take care of in the proper hygenic way now.

I used to be bothered by MANY thing when I was a kid. I took all kinds of steps to try to get more comfortable.

Now own a razor, a personal hair trimmer, tweezers, a file . Etc

I need a cutile pusher. I could use one of my sculpting tools.

I think I have been able to make the best out of the OCD by appling it to art. And my art tool using abilities have taught me how to take care of my body.

I missread this while reading too fast, it was too funny. I saw "taping 4X4's over the open spots so you can't pick them up."
4X4's, as in lumber. That would be a little drastic. Probably effective though, assuming you like to just sit in one place. Then I saw "soft" which didn't make sense, forcing me to slow down and reread.

Yes, I know this is not a helpful reply. Sorry.

You need feet to stand up straight with
You need feet to kick your friends
You need feet to keep your socks on
And stop your legs from fraying at the ends

You need feet to join the army
And to dance the hoochy-koo (on Saturday night)
Yes the whole world needs feet for something
And I need feet to run away from you

I used to constantly scratch the sides of my feet. The skin went so bad that I just forced myself to stop. Not to say it wasn't hard, because it was. I still do it at times.

Helsinger...Buy and EYE CLOPS! It might disgust you to the point that you won't ever do it again...We bought my son one and when I put it next to my skin it freaked me out...it's the coolest toy!

I scratch the backs of my hands compulsively when I get anxious and stressed. What helps me is to keep my fingernails very short, to use pharmacy-grade steroidal cream twice a day, and then use masses and masses of aqueous cream constantly. I try to convert the compulsive scratching into compulsive cream-applying, as each time I use a glob of cream it needs to be rubbed in. It helps my hands cope with the constant friction, and has done wonders for letting the cuts and redness heal, whilst still fulfilling the fidgety needs of my anxiety.