I had a very scary experience this week when I noticed some distinct redness near the heel of one of my  feet (I have neuropathy in both). I had also had trouble walking and experienced a dramatic increase in pain in my feet in the previous 3 days or so. I went to the Dr right away, who ordered blood tests and a MRI - Stat! - as she put it. The Dr said my foot was clearly infected and she wanted to find out if it had progressed to the bone. If it had, I would have been put in the hospital for IV anti-biotics. And, if that didn't work, I presume that amputation would have been the next step. 

She asked me if I had injured the foot and I could not recall doing so. However, over the previous 7-10 days, I had gotten into the habit of taking steaming hot baths to help relax. I know that most of the time, I got the water as hot as I could take it since the hotter the water, the more I relaxed. What I did not factor into my steaming, hot, relaxing bath was that with my foot neuropathy, I was unable to detect with my feet just how hot the water was. After thinking about all of this and considering the timing of the events leading up to my Dr. visit, I now believe that I burned my foot. The result being an infection. Thank goodness that I acted quickly and was able to get into see the Dr. right away.