One of my greatest frustrations since being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis 11 years ago is shoe shopping. My size 8 1/2 feet were already a tad wide in my pre-rheumy days, but have since expanded into a full W. Most stores do not carry wide shoes. Most shoes that come in Wide at said stores are not “cute.” Sigh…
I have the most difficulty finding shoes that I can wear with a dress. Most of those type of shoes are pinching my poor swollen feet an hour into the evening. Sigh…
Over time, I have come to realize (I was going to say “accept,” but I’m not quite there yet.) that it’s better (for me) to own plain shoes that are comfortable than cute shoes that are not. But sometimes a girl would like to wear some cute shoes! Am I right?
Typically, my solution is to go up a half size to 9, and that mostly works, but I can tell that the size 9 doesn’t not fit as well as it could. It is good enough, but just doesn’t quite feel right.
Enter BarkingDogShoes.com, a blog that vow wows to “help women find a shoe that not only looks good but feels good.” Kristen, who runs the blog, has rheumatoid arthritis and understands the importance of comfort shoes. Her content organization (a few categories, for example: Roomy Toe Box Shoes, Supportive Flats/Loafers, and Comfortable Pumps/Heels) makes it super-easy to find what you are looking for. Combine that with great images and a light-hearted writing style and you’ve got my new favorite blog.
She sums up her site in three words: Comfort. Fashion. Deals. I’ll sum up this post in nine: Yay, Kristen! Thank you for providing this awesome service.
Please share your shoe stories or tips in the comments and don’t forget to check out Kristen’s site!