Posts Tagged ‘Feet Care’

You are a diabetic – What is some of the most essential information you should know ?

All over the world, there is an increased focus among health professionals and medical specialists on getting people to take time out from their busy (and mostly sedentary) lives and focus on getting more on shape. All statistics point towards more and more people getting afflicted by obesity and more diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. In fact, a large number of people are afflicted with diabetes, where their blood sugar levels have a tendency to be higher than normal, and this increased sugar level can cause a number of other health related issues over a number of years. It is quite necessary to ensure that somebody who has diabetes is aware of some basic precautions (and have an enhanced level of information) about some critical areas. Some of these are:
- Know the glycemic index of foods you eat. Certain types of foods have a much higher glycemic content and can cause increase in blood sugar levels to the extent that they are deemed harmful and should be avoided. Know the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Foods
- Know about the timelines for food consumption and intake of medicines. For a diabetic, both hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia can be dangerous; so you need to ensure that the gaps between meals is not very large, as well as the prescribed medicine for diabetes is taken as per schedule
- Have a Glucometer: Having Glucometer at home allows you to quickly measure your blood sugar levels when you need to (this helps you to determine the pattern of your blood sugar levels over the day, as well as determine the impact of food and exercise on your blood sugar levels)
- Be wary of problems in your foot. Feet problems are particularly tough on diabetes because of reduced pain experience in the feet as well as more time taken for healing. Be careful of the footwear you buy, as well as ensuring that your feet are kept dry.
- Carry some form of identification of being a diabetic along with some text. This is particularly important if you are prone to get into hypoglycemia situations, so that if somebody finds you in a bad condition, they know to give you some immediate sugar.
- If ever you suffer some cuts or bruises, be sure to get them treated quickly else these cuts can actually cause huge problems to those suffering from diabetes
- If you need to take insulin for maintaining your blood sugar levels, then be sure to always have your Diabetes injection pen along with supplies ready.

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Proper treatment of your feet if you have Diabetes – precautions to take – Part 2

In the previous post (Diabetic and foot precautions), I had written about some of the checks that a person should do if they are suffering from diabetes in terms of ensuring that their feet remain healthy. For a person with diabetes, the high blood sugar means that there is some impact on the blood vessels as well as on the nervous system, both of which can cause problems to the feet. In this post, I will post some steps that a person should take to ensure that you reduce the probability of something bad happening to your feet:
- Make sure that you check your feet on a regular basis, preferably on a daily basis. You can use mirrors to see under your toes. If you find some instances of pain that remains, any instances of numbness or tingling, or redness, then make sure that you check with your doctor.
- Avoid your feet being exposed to too much hot or cold. Remember, when your nerves have got affected to some degree by diabetes, it can be harder to make out whether the water is too hot or too cold
- Avoid being barefoot
- When you are wearing your socks or stockings, dust your feet lightly with some powder (medicated powder); talk to your doctor
- Make sure that you cut your toenails straight, else you risk getting ingrown toenails.
- Make sure that you dry your feet well after a bath, or any other occasion when your feet get wet, including drying the portion between the toes (pat your feet with a towel)
- Be careful to avoid your feet getting too dry, since that will cause your feet to crack, and that is something that you want to avoid
- If you smoke, then you should stop. Smoking contributes to a reduction in the blood flow to the feet.
- Be careful about your choice of shoes. If you see shoes that have pointed ends, these can impact the blood pressure to the toe region of your feet. Wear shoes that give space to the toe region of your feet.
- It is preferable to wear shoes made of material that allows the movement of air, such as leather or suede or canvas. Plastic shoes do not allow the transfer of air and can impact your feet.
- If you live in a cold region, then wear socks to bed. You need to prevent hot or cold danger to your feet.

Quick tip: Foot care for diabetics

One of the complications / side effects of having a high sugar level is the effect on the foot. Too often, one hears of people with very high sugar levels who have had to have their feet amputated due to the damage caused by a high blood glucose level. This makes it essential that you try to keep your sugar levels in check, and at the same time make sure that you get your feet checked out at regular intervals (more so if you are a diabetic with a high sugar level). Some of the steps you should take to ensure that your feet remain healthy are:
- Visit your doctor for regular inspection of your feet
- Make sure that your feet are washed on a daily basis, and you do not ignore any wounds or lesions on your feet
- Be careful about what you apply between your toes, since that area tends to retain oils for longer periods
- Make sure that you do not get tempted to increase your toenails (cut them often), and cut them straight (since that reduces the chances of having ingrown nails at the corners of the nails)
- Make sure that your feet remain warm and dry (this means that you should not subject your feet to cold conditions, and if wet, dry them quickly)
- This one is a bit more strange, but important. Don’t sit with your feet crossed.