diabetic foot syndrome

diabetic foot syndrome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my roles as a professional is to manage the complications of diabetes. Many times this is noted first by non-healing ulcerations (sores) on the lower extremities (feet and ankles). Here are some ways to prevent the manifestation of problems….
1.Check Your Feet Daily. Make it a routine to check your feet every night before bed. Get a hand-held mirror and look at your heels and the bottoms of your feet. I have seen and taken out nails and tacks and various other things imbedded for weeks in someone’s feet. Which leads to huge ulcerations and potential loss of limbs. If you can’t find someone who can.
2. Test all water with your hand before sticking your feet in. Neuropathy inhibits the ability to FEEL. Pat feet dry especially between toes. Small amount of lotion as long as the feet feel dry to the touch. No lotion between toes as this space does not dry well.
3. Cotton Socks and well-fitting shoes…Cotton absorbs moisture and your shoes should not rub any where. Pay attention to rubbing on the top of your toes. If you are diabetic, your shoes can potentially be the difference between walking on two feet or walking on one.
4. Never go barefoot. Even the tiniest sliver can cause great hardship in the diabetic foot that does not heal properly.
5. Bunions, calluses and hammer toes need to get fixed. See a Podiatrist early. These cause pressure points that can cause the breakdown of underlying tissue and eventually lead to diabetic foot ulcers.
6. After showering-when dead skin is softest-gently remove dead skin with a pumice stone or emery board-trim nails while they are soft-you can file the nail beds even. Just make sure you do not file too deep to open to the underlying tissues.
7. Manage your Blood Sugar Levels
God Bless You AND Yours