Diabetics need to pay special attention to their feet. Diabetic nerve damage hinders a person’s ability to feel pain, cold and heat. As a result, individuals can injure their feet and not know it. Doctors recommend that diabetics inspect their feet daily. It lets the person know early on if they have a foot injury. Injuries can be daunting because many diabetics have poor blood circulation. Blood circulation is necessary for injuries to heal.
Among Diabetes Complications in Bohemia NY is possible amputation. Many diabetics develop peripheral artery disease (PAD) which reduces blood flow in the feet. The combination of a loss of sensation and PAD causes injuries and foot ulcers. It’s difficult for the foot ulcer to heal because of poor circulation. The result could be amputation. Ulcers develop around the ball of the foot or on the bottom of the big toe. Bad-fitting shoes result in ulcers on the side of the foot. Foot specialists can prescribe therapeutic shoes for diabetics and health insurance will pay the bill. The doctor generally x-rays the ulcer to see if infection has reached the bone. Additionally, they will clean out dead and infected tissue. Also, antibiotics may be prescribed.
People with ulcers are advised to stay off their feet. Walking on an ulcer makes it larger and the infection travels deeper into the bone. Patients with serious cases may be sent to a vascular surgeon. People who have Diabetes Complications in Bohemia NY should visit the foot care specialist regularly. Patients should have the doctor trim toenails, corns and calluses. This keeps the patient from cutting themselves. Likewise, patients need to keep their blood pressure and cholesterol low to improve circulation in the feet. Indeed, the best thing to help blood circulation is to stop smoking. Finally, people with Diabetes Complications in Bohemia, NY need to beware of skin changes in the feet. Sometimes, the feet get very dry and the skin starts to crack. That’s because the nerves that control oil and moisture don’t work. To compensate, after bathing dry the feet well and then apply Vaseline or another moisturizer. People with Diabetes Complications in Bohemia NY need to pamper their feet and avoid injury.
