Diabetic foot – amputate or not?
Having diabetes means you’re at much greater risk of developing foot problems. If you don’t get these problems downed, they could lead to foot ulcers, infections and, at worst, amputations. Most foot problems can be prevented with good and regular foot care.
Foot ulcers are a common complication in patients with diabetes
1. What is Diabetic Foot?
There’s a lot of things to be managed if you have diabetes: checking your blood sugar levels, making healthy food, finding time to be active, taking medicines, going to doctor’s appointments. With all that, your feet might be the last thing on your mind. But daily care is one of the best ways to prevent foot complications.
Diabetes can cause two problems that can affect your feet:
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Diabetic neuropathy: Uncontrolled diabetes can damage your nerves. If you have damaged nerves in your legs and feet, you might not feel heat, cold, or pain there. This lack of feeling is called "sensory diabetic neuropathy." If you do not feel a cut or sore on your foot because of neuropathy, the cut could get worse and become infected. The muscles of your foot may not work properly because nerves to the muscles are damaged. This could cause your foot to not align properly and create too much pressure on one part of your foot.
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Peripheral vascular disease: Diabetes also affects the flow of blood. Without good blood flow, it takes longer for a sore or cut to heal. Poor blood flow in the arms and legs is called "peripheral vascular disease." If you have an infection that will not heal because of poor blood flow, you are at risk for developing ulcers or gangrene (the death of tissue due to a lack of blood).
Diabetic foot ulcers
2. How dangerous are diabetic foot ulcers?
Nerve damage, along with poor blood flow—another diabetes complication—puts you at risk of developing a foot ulcer (a sore or wound) that could get infected and not heal well. If an infection doesn’t get better with treatment, your toe, foot, or part of your leg may need to be amputated (removed by surgery) to prevent the infection from spreading and to save your life.
When you check your feet every day, you can catch problems early and get them treated right away. Early treatment greatly reduces your risk of amputation.
3. Tips for Diabetic Foot Care
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Check your feet every day for cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns, calluses, or any other change of the skin or nails. Use a mirror if you can’t see the bottom of your feet, or ask a family member to help.
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Wash your feet every day in warm water. Don’t soak your feet. Then, dry your feet totally and apply lotion to the top and bottom—but not between your toes, which could lead to infection.
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Never outside with barefoot. Always wear shoes and socks or slippers, even inside, to avoid injury. Check that there aren’t any pebbles or other objects inside your shoes and that the lining is smooth.
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Wear shoes that fit well. For the best fit, try on new shoes at the end of the day when your feet tend to be the largest. Break-in your new shoes slowly—wear them for an hour or twice a day at first until they’re completely comfortable. Always wear socks with your shoes.
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Trim your toenails straight across and gently smooth any sharp edges with a nail file. Have your foot doctor (podiatrist) trim your toenails if you can’t see or reach your feet.
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Don’t remove corns or calluses yourself, and especially don’t use over-the-counter products to remove them—they could burn your skin.
Regularly monitor and care for diabetic feet
4. Using Multidex in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers
Multidex is regularly the treatment of choice for diabetic foot ulcers. Multidex is suitable for the cure of ulcers of grades II, III, IV, ulcers with or without infection. Multidex contains maltodextrin and 1% ascorbic acid for natural wound healing, providing topical nutrients to the wound, creating a natural environment for the body's healing process, and forming a protective film to protects ulcers, create and maintain a moist environment favorable for wound healing, Multidex also has the ability to control odors and dissolve pus, cover ulcers, and prevent infection. Especially the drug is non-toxic and does not cause side effects.
Diabetic foot is treated with Multidex after more than 1 month.