Diabetic foot

Diabetic foot needs special care if you have diabetes. Feet are the very first victim of diabetes. The un-consumed  glucose accumulate and block  the tiny blood vessels of feet. The blood can not flow in those  blood vessels and the first fingers and toe of the feet feel  cold and  become numb, specially in cold season. This damaged portion of  diabetic foot is  irrecoverable. That is why doctors always insist to take good care of diabetic foot.

contents.

Daily care of diabetic foot.

Care of toenail.

Footwear.

Consult a doctor.

Daily care of diabetic foot:

It is observed that diabetes’ very first attack is on human feet. During  uncontrolled diabetes the excess glucose accumulates in the tiny blood vessels of feet and block the blood flow in the feet. It happened firstly in the first fingers and toe of the feet. In the result those parts become numb and very cold. If this situation remains for a long time, the  whole foot become as ” dead”.  Since this situation is irrecoverable, some time the feet need to be  removed. That is terrible . In the worse condition, there is no other choice except to remove the leg from knees. I have seen many people walking with artificial legs. They last there leg in an accident or due to diabetes.

Losing a leg in an accident is out of our control. But if we have diabetes, taking care of diabetic foot is not difficult for us. By acting on the following precautions, we can maintain healthy feet. We will discus it in details;

• First of all, manage your diabetes. For more details read our article ” Are you diabetic, Part 2 “. Consult a doctor and follow his/her instructions. Take the medicines prescribed by doctor regularly at the same time.
• if your doctor advise you to take insulin injection, inject the specified insulin units at the same time.
• Measure your  blood sugar at fasting, before your lunch, 2 hour after lunch, and before dinner, and 2 hour after dinner. Keep a record of the results. Do these tests 3 days in a week. Show them to your doctor. Doctor will decide if you should carry on the previous insulin unit or he/ she will change the insulin units.
• Never change the quantity of insulin unit by your self.
• Never forget to eat your meal at the fixed time.
• If you plan to go outside your home, keep some thing sweet like chocolate, toffees, or sweet biscuits within  your reach. Some time you might feel sudden weakness, cold sweat and tiredness, this could be a hypoglycemia . It means that your blood sugar is less then 80 mgdl. You should immediately drink some thing sweet. Take a rest for some time. Eat some thing in moderate quantity.
• You should try to keep your blood sugar within the following range;

Fasting  = < 108 mgdl,

2 hours after b.fast  and dinner  = 140 mgdl .

• Maintain a healthy life style.
• Avoid eating sweet fruits in large quantity.
• Drinking tea without sugar will help you to maintain your blood sugar. Drinking green tea will help to keep your blood sugar in safe range.

Exercise;

• Make it your habit to exercise daily. Walking, cycling , weight lifting, running, swimming etc are very beneficial to regulate your blood sugar.

Diet:

• Eat a balanced diet which is included fruits and vegetables, specially with green leaves.

Regular medical exams;

• Check your A1c (The A1C test is a blood test that provides information about your average levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, over the past 3 months. The A1C test can be used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. . The A1C test is also the primary test used for diabetes management.) blood pressure and cholesterol.

Beside the above precautions,  we include some foot care actions.. It is strongly advised to do them every day.

Wash your feet:

• Wash your feet with warm water and mild soap. Washing with hot water and harsh soap can damage your  foot skin. Because of your diabetes, your feet will not feel water temperature. Better check water temperature with your hand fingers or elbow.

Inspect your feet :

• Make it your habit to check your feet every day. Check your feet toes, heels, soles, area between toe and fingers. In case you find any sores, cuts, redness or  blisters , bring it in the knowledge of your doctor. Ignoring such signs will cause serious affects.

Keep your feet dry :

• Keep it in your mind that infections may develop in moist areas . Keeping your feet well dry , specially the area between toes , will save you from infections.

Keep your skin moisturized :

• Examine the skin of  your feet heels . If they are dry or rough , apply lotion or oil on them. NEVER use oil between your toes.

Be careful :

• Antiseptic solutions are harmful to your skin. Such solution may burn your skin. It is advised never use such solutions.
• Use of heating pads , electric blanket and hot water bottle are harmful if use on feet.
• Try to avoid walking barefoot. It may cause sores or injuries which can get infected.
• Try to protect your feet from cold and heat.
• Never try  yourself to remove warts, corns and calluses . Use of  chemical wart removers on your feet will  create other problems.

Care of toenail:

A diabetic person feel difficulties in trimming  toenails. If you think you can trim your toenails safely, then

• Try to trim your toenails after taking a bath or washing your feet, when toenails are soft.
• Make sure you cut your toenails in straight and not in a curved fashion .
• Never cut into the corner. You can use an emery board to smooth the nail edges.
• Never cut your toenails too short.
• If you feel difficulty in trimming your toenails, get help from a healthcare provider . It is necessary if your toenails are thick or yellowed.

Footwear;

Diabetes usually attack firstly on feet. Feet become numb and cold. In such situation one should consider the following in choosing his/her footwear.

• Never choose a shoe which fits tight in your feet.
• Always choose a shoe which is comfortable , loose fitted and your foot toes do not touch the front of shoe.
• Avoid wearing pointed toe shoes.
• Always wear  leather, canvas or suede shoes. Shoes made of plastic are harmful to your feet. Leather shoes with laces are considered fine to wear.
• Daily inspection of your shoes before wearing is a good practice .
• Giving a break to your feet, remove your shoes after 5 hours is very beneficial to your feet.  Inspect your feet if there is any visible pressure point or any red point.
• Wearing clean dry socks can provide another soft layer of protection between shoe and your feet.
• If your feet are very cold, wear socks while going to sleep.

Consult a doctor ;

There are some symptoms that point out to consult a doctor. These are when you feel:

• Loss of sensation in your feet.
• Burning, tingling or painful feet.
• Loss of hair on the lower leg, toes or feet.
• Changes of  feet colour , or shape of feet.
• Appearing of red spots , sores, blisters and corns.
• Toenails colour changes to yellowish.
• Toenails become thick.

If you see any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor immediately before these get worse.

source : healthline.com

Last words :

I always pray to All-Mighty Allah to bless every body on earth with good health and success.