Type I and Type II Diabetes - What It Means To Your Feet

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)Type I diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, appears early in life and means the body does not have the ability to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts glucose to energy. If glucose remains in the blood stream it can result in cell destruction. Type II diabetes is the inability of the body to produce enough insulin or break it down adequately.

Type I can strike at or before adolescence, where type II is more gradual to develop. While there are differences in the onset of diabetes, if treatment is not started early and pursued, the results can be devastating because both involve neuropathy, or the destruction of nerves in the body. You need to pay close attention to the feet, because this is a common location for nerve damage to first show signs. Early symptoms of neuropathy can include a numbing or tingling in the feet.

If you have diabetes, one of the major areas of concern is your feet. This is because the loss of feeling can allow a sore or break in the skin to go undetected, resulting in infection and possibly leading to amputation. People with diabetes need to make sure they are being evaluated by a podiatrist annually, or more frequently if needed.

Dr. Teichman can thoroughly check your feet, examine for sores, blisters, dry cracked skin, signs of athletes foot or other complications. He can prescribe a treatment program for your feet that will ward off more complicated foot problems. In conjunction to his examination and recommendations, he can educate you to precautions you can take. These include:

    •    Always wear shoes and socks to protect feet.

    •    Bathe feet daily pat dry and apply lotion.

    •    Examine feet daily and have your doctor treat minor problems of the feet and ankles. This includes corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, sores and athletes foot.

    •    Advise your doctor of sores or breaks in the skin. Seek immediate treatment.

    •    Wear closed toe and heel shoes that fit properly.

    •    Follow the diet and exercise program your doctor recommends.

With over 25 million people in the U.S., more than 8 percent of the population, the risks and complications from diabetes are staggering. If you are a person with diabetes, call Dr. Teichman’s office today at (610) 432-9593 to make sure you are scheduled for your annual exam. Never neglect your feet.

References:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/understanding-diabetes-symptoms
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/

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Peripheral Arterial Disease, not a life sentence

Image via WikipediaAre you one of the many who has noticed pain when you walk, but the pain disappears after a few moments of rest? Ever experience coldness in your leg or foot? You may be showing early signs of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Teichman.

Other symptoms may include:

•    Leg numbness or weakness
•    Sores on foot or leg that will not heal
•    Shiny skin on your legs
•    Loss of hair on legs
•    Change of skin color on legs

Peripheral Arterial Disease is a major complication that can develop from Diabetes. If you are diagnosed with PAD, treatment has two goals. First is to reduce or manage pain so that you may resume your normal activities, and the second is to prevent the buildup of artery blockage, which could cause you a stroke or heart attack.  Dr. Teichman can do a thorough evaluation to determine your risk and educate you on what needs to be done to help you manage your situation. If need be, he can help with the healing of ulcerated skin, advise you in proper footwear, perform treatment on corns and calluses, prescribe medications and also make other recommendations. You may be able to manage PAD by making some lifestyle changes that would include stop smoking as well as changes in diet and exercise, but there are some cases where surgery may have to be performed. This might include a procedure to unblock the arteries.

If you have peripheral arterial disease and it is allowed to go untreated, you could possibly experience pain that is so severe it may affect your very lifestyle. If you continue to ignore the warning signs, you could be placing your life at risk. As with any medical concern, it is best to seek treatment early.  Do not allow the symptoms to become increasingly worse. This is not a disease that will disappear in time if left untreated, and you risk amputation or possibly your life. 

If you experience pain, coldness, numbness or sores or infections that take a long time to heal or do not heal at all, call Dr. Teichman at (610) 432-9593.  He can evaluate you and get you started on an individual treatment plan. Peripheral Arterial does not have to be a life sentence. There are treatments available. 

References:

http://eastpennfoot.com/video-library

www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-arterial-disease/DS00537/

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Diabetes – Harsh Climate Protection

Image via WikipediaPatients who suffer Type I or Type II Diabetes are at greater risk during the cold winter months. This is because they deal with the loss of feeling in their feet, as a result of nerve damage. Therefore, it is necessary that Diabetic patients use extra care to avoid lengthy exposure to the elements, especially during the winter months. Excessive exposure could cause frostbite, damaging skin and other cells.

When it is necessary to be outside, try to plan ahead. A common sense approach and a few items can be very helpful. Move around to stimulate circulation. Take more regular breaks to get inside out of the cold. Make sure your foot wear fits appropriately, is non-restrictive and allows enough room for an extra pair of socks. Keep an extra pair or two of warm, dry socks with you, in case your feet get damp or perspire. Make sure your outer footwear is waterproof, and replace inadequate shoes and boots as soon as possible. If you travel, allow for periodic rest stops to get out and get moving. This will allow for better circulation. Also, it is a good plan to pack along a blanket. Keep the blanket in the automobile passenger compartment with you, not in the trunk.

If you suspect that prolonged exposure to cold, snow, wind or sleet may have caused skin damage or frostbite, use caution and warm up slowly. The affected area should not be rubbed or massaged. This could cause further damage. Instead, wrap in a blanket and allow for gradual re-warming, allowing circulation to slowly improve.

If you are Diabetic and suspect over-exposure, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your foot-care specialist. The freezing of the skin or other tissue could have serious health consequences. Your doctor can advise you.

If you have any questions concerning diabetes and the affects it causes to the feet, contact Dr. Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates on our website.

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The Glucose Tolerance Test

Image by J. Star via FlickrIf you have ever been pregnant, you have probably had to endure the infamous Glucose Tolerance Test.  This test isn’t just for women who are pregnant when they test for gestational diabetes, but this test can be used to check for diabetes in general.  The most common form of this test is done by ingesting a set amount of glucose and then the doctor checking your blood about two hours later. 

In order for this test to work correctly, you’ll have to fast for at least 8 hours prior to the test.  For your comfort and for the best results, have the test done in the morning.  That way, you can eat dinner by 8pm the night before, and then just don’t eat anything before bedtime.  You can get a good nights’ rest and after 7 hours of sleep, go to the doctor first thing in the morning, without eating anything for breakfast of course, and have the test done.  Once you’re out of the test, go get something to eat and get on with your day.  It makes the process really easy and then you don’t have to starve yourself through the day to take the test.  One thing to remember though is that you are going to have to ingest a pretty good dose of glucose, so you might want to drink some water to get your stomach ready.  That way you be able to hopefully keep it down and not have to retake the test on a later date.

Dr. Teichman can point you in the right direction if you need a good doctor to check you out, because if you think you might have diabetes, you need to get checked out by a doctor asap!  If you have this test coming up in your future, though I have never taken the test myself, I have heard good things about the orange flavor of glucose.  Something to think about.

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Diabetes and Charcot Foot

Image via WikipediaWhen you read that title you might wander what charcoal has to do with feet?  Just know that this has nothing to do with charcoal, but Charcot (pronounced “sharko”) foot is a real problem that many, mostly diabetics, face.

Charcot foot is a extreme condition that happens to someone who can’t feel their feet.  The reason Charcot foot is more common with people with diabetes is because of diabetic Neuropathy, where the feeling in the foot is lost because of nerve damage.  Charcot foot is where your foot actually changes shape because of bones fracture and disintegrate.  The fact that you can’t feel the extreme pain because your foot is numb, allows you to continue walking on the foot, thus damaging the bones more.  If the Charcot foot is caught early, the problem can be treated with a total contact cast.  If the problem goes on without being treated, reconstructive surgery or amputation will be needed.

If you do catch it early enough, the cast you’ll get will be molded to fit your foot and will control your foot movement, supporting your foot in all areas.  This allows the foot to heal fully, as long as you stay off the foot, thus not damaging the foot further.  The cast will be changed frequently to continually move the shape of your foot back to normal or as close as possible without reconstructive surgery.  To get the total contact cast though, you must have good blood flow through you foot.

The other route you can go if the Charcot foot is caught early on is a custom walking boot, but this will take longer to heal because you’ll be putting weight on your foot.  The boot helps reduce the swelling in your foot, thus allowing your body’s natural healing processes to get into the injury and fix it.  The fastest way to heal a Charcot foot is to keep your weight off of it though.

If you have any questions on Charcot foot or how diabetes effects your feet, contact Dr. Adam Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates.

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Diabetes Blog - Don’t Let Calluses Slow You Down

Image by Jill A. Brown via FlickrImage via WikipediaWhen a person has diabetes they also can develop neuropathy, which can cause damage to the nerves in the feet and can lead to loss of feeling and sensation, there is the heightened danger of developing ulcers from this loss of sensation or protective threshold.  Since people with diabetes lose the feeling in their feet, ulcers develop easier because they do not feel the discomfort that the ulcers cause. Since calluses are caused by the constant rubbing of a certain part of the shoe on a person’s foot, again – it isn’t felt and so the problem develops into a ulcer. Without neuropathy, this is usually felt and taken care of, but someone with neuropathy can’t feel the constant rubbing. Other issues can arise as a result of this rubbing – the next stage of an ulcer that hasn’t been taken care of can become very dangerous and can possibly lead to infection or even worse loss of limb.  

The danger comes in the next stage as a result of diabetic complications. A callus can be taken care of easily with routine visit to your podiatrist.  But the danger arises when a callus is fully developed and the constant rubbing continues to wear on the callus, the skin can and probably will split open and become an ulcer.  For a diabetic, a wound raises the risk of infections that can lead to that person having to have their foot amputated if it goes untreated or ignored.  This is why it is extremely important to make sure that if you have neuropathy, you need to check your feet daily!  If you catch the developing callus early, you’ll be able to take care of it before it gets worse.  It is highly recommended that you visit your podiatrist to treat the callus rather than getting treatments from the store, because your podiatrist can treat the callus more effectively and the callus will be controlled, rather than continue to develop and your podiatrist can make sure other problems do not arise.  Make sure you check your feet daily!  Getting that callus treated could save your foot from becoming a problem in the future!

If you do not have a podiatrist, Dr. Adam Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates would love to be your podiatrist.  Check out our website at www.eastpennfoot.com or give us a call at 610-432-9593.

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