![]() Roger stated he just has to have fried chicken, even though he knows he shouldn’t eat it so often, and he loves his sweet Southern tea. His A1C has always been a bit too high for comfort at 8 percent, and he prefers a Southern US diet of high fat and high carbohydrate, despite his diabetes education. Roger is a 69 year old who has had Type 2 diabetes for the past 15 years. To bring this devastating scenario home in your mind, the story of Roger tells it best. Set up needed services for after an amputation.So you have a foot ulcer that won’t heal, and you have to have an amputation – now what?.Are we doing a better job at preventing amputations these days?.Foot and skin care – what you can do to prevent amputation.Osteomyelitis related to diabetic foot ulcer infection.Callouses, corns, warts, and foot ulcers beware.Why do people with diabetes have more amputations?.What causes people with diabetes to have more amputations?.Types of diabetic foot amputations and rates per 1,000 people.Statistics related to diabetes and amputations.I have sat up late with them, while they try to deal with phantom residual limb pain, as their mind plays tricks on them and they feel pain in the already amputated leg. I have watched their pain and suffering, and seen the struggles that their families go through after amputation due to complications of diabetes. With cardiovascular disease, the risk of another amputation is very high. I have watched them come in and out of the hospital until they have an above the knee amputation. In addition, I have worked with people who have been through femoral popliteal bypass surgery, amputation of the toes, then a below the knee amputation. I have seen a person go from having a blister and not even knowing they have diabetes to having a below the knee amputation in under two weeks. In my own experience as a nurse for 22 years, and as a certified diabetes educator, I have seen many people with diabetes lose functional mobility, and even their life, after an amputation. We will discuss what to look for related to residual limb care, and how to locate needed resources, such as a physical therapist. We will also discuss ways to protect your remaining limbs so that you don’t have another amputation later. We will look at ways you can become mobile again safely. We will also look at what to do if you are going to have, or have already had an amputation due to your diabetes. We will look at how to get it treated, so that it heals and doesn’t progress to amputation. We will discuss whether or not you need to see a podiatrist, and what to do if you do have a diabetic foot ulcer. We will cover skin and foot care, what to look for, and when to contact your doctor. In this article, we will cover everything that you need to know about how to avoid an extremity amputation due to diabetes.
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