Steps Can I do to Take care of My Feet?

Wash your feet in warm water every day:
Make sure the water is not hot by testing the temperature along with your elbow. Do not soak your feet. Dry your feet well, between your toes.

Look at your feet every day to check for cuts, sores, blisters, redness, calluses, or other problems:

Checking every day is even more important in case you have nerve destroy or poor blood flow. In case you cannot bend over or pull your feet up to check them, use a mirror. In case you cannot see well, ask somebody else to check your feet.

If your skin is dry, rub lotion on your feet after you wash and dry them: Do not put lotion between your toes.

File corns and calluses gently with an emery board or pumice stone: Drawing of a nail clipper and an emery board. Do this after your bath or shower.

Cut your toenails once a week or when needed:
Cut toenails when they are soft from washing. Cut them to the shape of the toe & not short. File the edges with an emery board.

Always wear slippers or shoes to protect your feet from injuries.

Always wear socks or stockings to avoid blisters:
Do not wear socks or knee-high stockings that are tight below your knee.

Wear shoes that fit well:
Shop for shoes at the finish of the day when your feet are bigger. Break in shoes slowly. Wear them one to two hours each day for the first few weeks.

Before putting your shoes on, feel the insides to make sure they have no sharp edges or objects that might injure your feet.

How can diabetes damage my feet?

High levels of glucose from diabetes causes two problems that can hurt your feet:

Nerve damage:

One problem is damage to nerves in the legs and feet. The nerves are damaged, can not feel pain, heat or cold in the legs and feet. A sore or wound in the foot may get worse because they know it's there. The lack of sensation is caused by nerve damage, also known as diabetic neuropathy. Nerve damage can lead to an ulcer or infection.

Poor blood flow

The second problem happens when not enough blood to the legs and feet. Poor blood flow makes it difficult for an ulcer or infection to heal. This problem is called peripheral vascular disease, also called peripheral vascular disease. Smoking when you have diabetes makes blood flow problems much worse.

For example, you get a blister from shoes that do not fit. You do not feel the pain of the blister due to damage to nerves in the foot. Next, the blister gets infected. If blood glucose is high, the extra glucose feeds the germs. Germs grow and the infection gets worse. Poor blood circulation in the legs and feet can slow healing. From time to time never heals a severe infection. The infection can cause gangrene. If a person has gangrene, the skin and tissue around painful death. The area becomes black and smelly.

To prevent the spread of gangrene, the doctor may have to do surgery to cut off a toe, foot, or part of a leg. The cutting of a body part is called an amputation.

Healthy Feet Diabetes Problems

Excess glucose in the blood for a long time can cause diabetes problems. This blood glucose, also called blood sugar can damage many body organs such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes and kidneys. Heart and blood vessels can cause heart attacks and strokes. You can do much to prevent or delay diabetes problems.

This information is about feet and skin problems caused by diabetes. You'll learn things you can do each day and during each year to stay healthy and prevent diabetes problems.

High blood glucose can cause feet and skin problems.

What other eye problems that can happen to people with diabetes?

You can have two eyes for other problems, cataracts and glaucoma. People without diabetes can get these eye problems, too. However, people with diabetes get these problems more often and at an earlier age.

Cataracts:

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is normally clear. The lens focuses light onto the retina. A cataract makes everything you look at seem cloudy. You need a surgery to remove the cataract. During surgery your lens is removed and a plastic lens, like a contact lens is placed in. The plastic lens remains in the eye all the time. Cataract surgery helps you see clearly.

Glaucoma:

Glaucoma starts from the pressure builds up in the eye. Over time, this pressure damages the eye's main nerve, optic nerve. The damage first causes you to lose sight of the sides of your eyes. The treatment of glaucoma is usually simple. Your doctor will give you special drops to use every day to lower the pressure in the eye. Or your eye care you may have laser surgery.

About Diabetes Retina Problems and Know Retina Damage

About diabetes retina problems:

Keep blood glucose and blood pressure as normal as possible.
Your doctor may suggest laser treatment, when a beam of light is directed onto the retina of the damaged eye. The beam closes the vessels that bleed. You can stop the blood and fluid in the vitreous. Laser treatment can reduce the loss of sight.

If a large amount of blood that has seeped into your vitreous and your sight is poor, your eye doctor may recommend surgery called a vitrectomy. A vitrectomy removes blood and vitreous fluid of the eye. Then clean fluid is put back into the eye. Surgery can make your eyesight better.

know if I have retina damage from diabetes:

You may not have any signs of diabetes retina damage or you can have one or more signs:

• blurred or double vision
• rings, flashing lights or blind spots
• dark spots or floating
• pain or pressure in one or both eyes
• trouble seeing things out of the corners of your eyes

What happens when problems worsen diabetes retina?

As problems worsen diabetes retina, new blood vessels. These new blood vessels are weak. They break easily and leak blood into the vitreous of the eye. The blood keeps light from reaching the retina.

You may see floating spots or almost total darkness. Sometimes the blood will clear by itself. However, you may need surgery to remove it.

Over the years, the swollen and weak blood vessels can form scar tissue and pull the retina away from the back of the eye. If the retina becomes detached, you may see floating spots or flashing lights.

You may feel as if a curtain has been pulled over part of what he sees. A detached retina can cause vision loss or blindness if not taken care of it immediately.

Call your eye doctor immediately if you have any vision problems or have had a sudden change in vision.

How can Diabetes Hurt Eyes and Retinas

High blood sugar and high blood pressure, diabetes can hurt four parts of the eye:

Retina. The retina is a membrane that covers the back of the eye. Retinal function is to detect the light entering the eye.

Vitreous. The vitreous is a jelly-like fluid that fills the back of the eye.

Lens. The focus is on the front of the eye. The lens focuses light onto the retina.

Optic nerve. The optic nerve is the main nerve of the eye to the brain.

Damage to the retina occurs slowly. The retina is very small blood vessels are easily damaged. Having high blood sugar and high blood pressure for a long time can damage the small blood vessels.

First, these blood vessels swell and weaken. Some blood vessels become clogged and do not let enough blood through. At first, you may not have any loss of sight from these changes. Have a dilated eye exam once a year, but vision problems.