Leg Amputation

What You Need to Know About Diabetic Foot Amputations

Yesterday, James came to my office because I just discovered that he had just been diagnosed with diabetes. His doctor said he had to receive a check of the diabetic foot. The first thing I asked James if he had ever met anyone that amputation of the foot diabetic. He said he did have a cousin who had lost his lead to diabetes. He said that his cousin had died shortly after surgery. When asked what happened does not seem to mind some of the details surrounding the case. When asked if he knew how diabetes can lead to amputation. He said he had no idea.

Should not all diabetics know the details so that the amputations can be prevented?

There are basically two groups of patients when it comes to the understanding of diabetic foot problems. A group is set covers all the risks associated with diabetes feet, but this is very rare. The largest group of people have no idea how this happens. With each of these people I think the only goal is to make them understand that the problems diabetic foot are optional.

Diabetes can be a very difficult disease to learn to live. Next thing you know, your doctor says you have to start exercising, that tells you what can and can not eat, and is that also tells you to suffer a heart attack. Then you are at home on monitoring learning blood sugar, taking medications, prick your finger every day. People will say: "Now I have to think on my feet too? Looks like a nuisance."

And it is.

But the good news in all this is that everything bad that can happen to you because diabetes can be prevented. Everything. All you need is a little learning, a lifestyle change little and little daily effort. The aim is to understand the basics of how diabetes can affect your feet ... So you can take action and do something about it.

When you have diabetes are three main problems, all working together and conspiring against him, which can lead a diabetic foot amputation. These are the nerves, blood flow and immune system.

When blood sugar is high, there is a reaction chemistry that directly damage the ends of the longest nerves in your body. The longest start in the back (where they exit the spine) and head all the way to the fingers of one long piece. Because the ends are damaged first, nerve damage begins in the toes and gradually creeps up feet at the ankles.

It is always damaged at the same level on both feet. For example, if you have nerve damage (neuropathy) in the ball of the foot, nerve damage is only in the toes. In this case, the foot around the ankle healed and the arc can be very good.

diabetic nerve damage makes it very difficult for someone to say if they are starting to develop a blister, cut, or even an infection. This may put them at a very high risk of developing problems serious. It is misleading, since it might be able to feel other things as the position of the feet, shoes and socks compression, but not cut the blister, or ulcer.

The second problem is the flow of blood circulation or feet and legs. Clogged arteries faster when you have diabetes. If you takes two people are identical except one is diabetic, who has diabetes is four times more likely to have a heart attack. This is because the rate increase of the blockage to the arteries through the process known as atherosclerosis. However, this process happens everywhere, not just the heart. Blood vessels the legs are covered too. Then when you get a sore that needs more time to heal. It is also difficult to make your white blood infection fighting down there.

The last problem is the immune system. When blood sugar is high, white blood cells (called macrophages) have a difficult time to fight nasty bacteria. White Macrophages find bacteria through a process known as chemotaxis. It is like following a chemical trace to its source. This is not very effective when blood sugar rises. Indeed, macrophages are lost in the darkness, just blows all in the hopes of stumbling on some bacteria to kill. Very inefficient and ineffective.

Even if the white blood cells for bacteria, still have a problem. The blood sugar prevented from eating bacteria. The process in which white blood cells engulf the bacteria (called phagocytosis) is essentially with disabilities. So they encounter the bacteria, but can not do anything. Imagine a great white shark with his mouth wired shut trying to eat a smaller fish for dinner. Therefore, the immune system is ineffective, the bacteria continue to grow rapidly and the infection gets out of hand.

So amputation of a diabetic is something like this. If you start a walking program to help control his diabetes, but has some nerve damage, may not be able to field blister beginning to develop. If you keep walking the blister discussed. Like you have an open wound. Your blood flow is a bit slow and takes a long time to heal. Then who become infected while trying to heal. If your blood sugar is high, all sharks are wandering around in the dark, mouth wired shut, and infection spreads.

If it spreads far enough, one of the bones of the foot is infected. And a bone infection is the kiss of death for the diabetic foot. The method consistently effective treatment for diabetic bone infection (Oseomyelits called) is to remove the infected bone. And that is where the amputation.

The moral of this story is to see their blood sugar, and nerve damage never been worse. If you walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week, the blood flow never worse. If you have any diabetic peripheral neuropathy, it is important to follow closely and evaluated by someone who is an expert in the treatment of problems diabetic foot. If you ever open any sore, blister or ingrown toenail is an emergency ... no joke. Get your feet checked out or you might get cut!

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