Ok, my husband has dry feet. And he's not diligent about using moisterizers. Well, since they're so dry he has this cut on one of his feet. He's going to show his dr. on friday. He says it does hurt and bothers him. I just want to know how serious could it get? Also, are colder climates worse for diabetics who have poor cirulation? I don't think his is that bad. But i'm not an expert on this so i can't say.........would appreciate any info. He never says his legs bother him..but sometimes is cold. But thats because he doesn't wear socks all the time. Any advice from anyone??

Take this cut very seriously. It's probably on a callous? If it's smelly, it's infected, which could get to the bone and, worst case scenario, require amputation. If it's a diabetic ulcer, you want to research it on the web.

A podiatrist will probably first prescribe an ointment, after debridement, shaving off, of the callous, and one told me they're never going to work as long as there's any dead skin left on. A thin patch from a medical supply place called DuroDerm helped mine at first, but I couldn't stay off the foot enough, tho' I have a wheelchair.

They may want to test his thyroid function because he's cold. He's had diabetes a long time, I think you said. Could it be poor circulation too? I found that usually I can stop an attack of painful neuropathy in my lower legs and feet by drinking a lot of liquid, if he has that. And to try to get the diabetes under better control, I'm doing Atkins, but still on my meds. Have had it 16 yrs, and before that, gestational in 1964.

Does anybody always get an error message that your IP # is banned when you try to edit?

I bought a pair of SAS shoes, with velcro and these insert insoles that the podiatrist can add things to. There's an extra arch support in my left one and some extra padding he cut from extra thick moleskin. They're normally $115, but one shoestore which has been here a long time gives seniors a discount. Every 3-6 mo you can buy new insole inserts and feel cushy new again. They can be a size smaller, not much difference.

There's other kinds, of course. I love mine, and my Atkins for keeping blood sugar under better control. Tell your husband to at least wear socks in the house, for padding, for one thing. Maybe it helps a little with osteoarthritis, cartilage wearing out, and protects a little.

Previous poster, do you know if soaking in something like betadyne would help to heal a diabetic ulcer? Someone said put Vicks VapoRub on nail fungus and the camphor would heal it. Would that help on a diabetic ulcer also? I've read that debridement sometimes doesn't work. This last time it really did hurt for several days, a combination of causes.

Thank You Guys For Responding. I Really Appreciate It! His Cut Doesn't Look Or Smell Infected . So I Think He's Doing Good And Might Be Getting A Little Better.AND YES IT IS ON A CALLOUS. So Should He Go To A Podiatrist Anyway? What Do You Recommend? He's Had Diabetes For 10 Years And Hasn't Been Regulated . He Only Walks Bare Foot In The House But W/out Socks. I've Always Heard That Diabetics Should Always Wear Socks No Matter What. He Works In Retail And Is Always On His Feet. So I Don't Know If He Should Invest In A Different Pair Of Shoes Or What? Would A Good Podiatrist Recommend What To Do That'll Benefit Him. He's Never Been To One. So Any Advice Would Be Great!!!

What is it with feet and diabetes? I am a fairly new diabetic and don't understand why feet are so important.

Thank You

Diabetics can have poor circulation in their extremeties. There is also a condition called Neuropathy that can happen to diabetics that haven't been controlled. Neuropathy makes it to where you either have dull feeling or no feeling due to nerve damage. Because of both of these, diabetics stand a good chance of developing foot problems if they arent careful. If the problem gets too bad, because of the circulation problem, blood flow doesnt get to the wound so it wont heal. This can lead to amputation.

I don't walk in my bare feet anymore due to too many problems with stepping on things. I have 4 kids so you never know what is on the floor!!LOL I wear my houseshoes around as I have found that socks are not enough. I also use lotion on my feet to keep the callouses from forming. I use the lotion on my entire foot except between the toes where moisture can lead to problems

Diabetics can have poor circulation in their extremeties. There is also a condition called Neuropathy that can happen to diabetics that haven't been controlled. Neuropathy makes it to where you either have dull feeling or no feeling due to nerve damage. Because of both of these, diabetics stand a good chance of developing foot problems if they arent careful. If the problem gets too bad, because of the circulation problem, blood flow doesnt get to the wound so it wont heal. This can lead to amputation.

I don't walk in my bare feet anymore due to too many problems with stepping on things. I have 4 kids so you never know what is on the floor!!LOL I wear my houseshoes around as I have found that socks are not enough. I also use lotion on my feet to keep the callouses from forming. I use the lotion on my entire foot except between the toes where moisture can lead to problems

So what would you do to increase circulation? I believe I am having that problem with both feet and legs.

Sandy

Any Cut on a diabectics feet is serious.
I know I lost a big toe!

And yes nerophy is for real ,I can step on nails and not feel them.

Feet first than the Eyes
Make an Eye exam priority #1

Somebody please try to answer that one. All I know to do is massage when applying lotion to both the entire foot and the leg up to the knee.

Neuropathy is sometimes painful. I have plenty of pain, sometimes can stop it by downing about 3 glasses of liquid, doesn't always work. I have a diabetic foot ulcer, more than 7 months old, debridement every 2 or 3 wks, went deeper last time, bled a little, and the pain was terrific for about 6 days, may be getting better now, I hope, not sure. I've thought it was healing at times before. There's always some blood in a little spot under the callous. Prompt treatment works better than delayed. I didn't know how serious it was until it was smelly and I knew infected.

Did I mention before that if ointments don't help, because there's dead skin, a DuoDerm thin patch you get at a medical supply place, not a pharmacy, might help? It seems there's no guarantee for anything though.

I heard that an older man had diabetic ulcers on his leg, finally had a skin transplant. I think it worked.

I would have edited this into the above reply, but always get an error message when I try to edit. Does everyone else have the same problem?

:bouncing:

Sadly, increasing circulation and preventing Neuropathy are only preventable by doing the things we have all heard we need to do. Keeping the blood sugar as normal as possible, dropping excess weight, and exercising.

Eagle, I have no heard of a skin graft for ulcers but I guess it could work. My only worry would be, if the ulcer won't heal, how does the graft heal? I totally agree that the DuoDerm patches are great. Intense massage also increases blood flow.

My best advice is to constantly check your feet. Get a toothpick or something pointed and check for Neuropathy on a regular basis. You point on each of the toes on the underside, the arch of the foot, the ball of the foot, the outside, and the heel. If you have decreased feeling on any of these points, I would suggest getting in for a nerve study and staying on top of it

Good Question, if the leg ulcer wouldn't heal, how would the graft heal. I have no idea. Maybe because it was a larger area and a little higher up, and he/they took better care of it? Search me.

Good idea about the toothpick too.

I'm a Type 2, btw, had gestational diabetes in 1964, dx'd 1987, just 16 yrs ago. I may have already said this, sorry, but I'm enjoying doing Atkins to get blood sugar down, easy. Was already having some muscle problems, and heard you have to have 100 grams of carbs a day to have enough glycogen for muscle health. So Induction's 20 a day isn't enough for some people.

There's a new antibiotic, broad spectrum, for foot ulcers, but my podiatrist says there's no infection now. Just as well, there might be side effects.
My muscle problems are partly from quinalone antibiotics, broken rotator cuff in my shoulder, he says, hurting my arm biceps, and partly from overuse. Don't know what else could be a factor. I forget what kind of doctor he said to see for the shoulder, will have to ask next time.