'My Feet Are Killing Me': Kim seeks Dr Ebonie's help with hereditary foot condition
For the stories featured on 'My Feet Are Killing Me', each patient wants nothing more than to have their normal lives back, where they can be on their feet yet again. Often dealing with years of discomfort, Dr Brad Schaeffer, Dr Ebonie Vincent and Dr Sarah Haller offer them a chance at reclaiming their lives.
Throughout the show, there is a little the doctors haven't dealt with. From webbed feet, Proteus Syndrome and even potentially cancerous growths, they've seen it all. In this episode, Dr Ebonie Vincent meets Kim, a woman who has been suffering from a hereditary condition right since she could walk.
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For Kim, her feet have also been a deep source of her embarrassment and worry. Having been diagnosed by a dermatologist, Kim was told that she suffers from Palmoplantar keratoderma, also known as PPK.
PPK causes the thickening of the skin on the palms and soles of the feet. It often occurs due to abnormalities of keratin, a skin protein. It can be contracted or is hereditary. The latter applies to Kim, seeing that her mother and grandfather had a similar issue as well. In Kim's case, she's been suffering from the same right since she was three years old. For Kim, she even struggles to walk, because as she stated, every step that she takes feels like she is walking on hot coals and fire. Upon examing her feet, Dr Ebonie explained that PPK often worsens when there is excessive sweating, leading to fungus and callous buildup.
Dr Ebonie also noticed that she already had moisture buildup under her skin. So she gave Kim a simple enough routine -- powder to absorb the moisture, a change of socks twice a day and application of anti-fungal cream. She even scraped off a significant chunk of the callouses. Kim stated that the pain was quite unbearable, but scraping it down would help her keep the condition under control. She did feel far better post the procedure and even noticed that her feet looked far better than they did when she began.
Catch all-new episodes of 'My Feet Are Killing Me' on Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on TLC.
