Diabetic Foot Care

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is when your body lacks the ability to remove Blood Sugar (Glucose) from the blood stream. An individual who is diabetic will take Insulin; a protein designed to aid in the removal of Glucose from the blood stream.

If an Individual is a Type 1 Diabetic their ability to produce Insulin is either extremely reduced or lacking. A type 2 Diabetic can produce Insulin but the body’s ability to use the Insulin for the purpose of removing Glucose from the blood stream becomes reduced. This will result in high blood Glucose levels. Although we need Glucose for energy production too much of it can cause severe damage to multiple different types of tissue in the body. Therefore, we see such severe physical symptoms of Diabetes. These symptoms include:  

1.   Tingling, numbness, or pain in the hands or feet

High blood sugar levels can affect blood circulation and damage the body’s nerves. In people with type 2 diabetes, this can lead to pain or a sensation of tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.

2. Slow healing of cuts and wounds  (Diabetic Foot Wound, Diabetic Foot Ulcer)

High levels of sugar in the blood can damage the body’s nerves and blood vessels, which can impair blood circulation. As a result, even small cuts and wounds may take weeks or months to heal. Slow wound healing also increases the risk of infection.

3. Frequent urination

When blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys try to remove the excess sugar by filtering it out of the blood. This can lead to a person needing to urinate more frequently, particularly at night.

4. Increased thirst

The frequent urination that is necessary to remove excess sugar from the blood can result in the body losing additional water. Over time, this can cause dehydration and lead to a person feeling more thirsty than usual.

5. Always feeling hungry

Constant hunger or thirst can be early signs of type 2 diabetes.

People with diabetes often do not get enough energy from the food they eat.

The digestive system breaks food down into a simple sugar called glucose, which the body uses as fuel. In people with diabetes, not enough of this glucose moves from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

As a result, people with type 2 diabetes often feel constantly hungry, regardless of how recently they have eaten.

6. Feeling very tired

Type 2 diabetes can impact on a person’s energy levels and cause them to feel very tired or fatigued. This tiredness occurs as a result of insufficient sugar moving from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

7. Blurry vision

An excess of sugar in the blood can damage the tiny blood vessels in the eyes, which can cause blurry vision. This blurry vision can occur in one or both eyes and may come and go.

If a person with diabetes goes without treatment, the damage to these blood vessels can become more severe, and permanent vision loss may eventually occur.

8. Patches of dark skin

Patches of dark skin forming on the creases of the neck, armpit, or groin can also signify a higher risk of diabetes. These patches may feel very soft and velvety.

This skin condition is known as acanthosis nigricans.

9. Itching and yeast infections

Excess sugar in the blood and urine provides food for yeast, which can lead to infection. Yeast infections tend to occur on warm, moist areas of the skin, such as the mouth, genital areas, and armpits.

The affected areas are usually itchy, but a person may also experience burning, redness, and soreness.