When you have diabetes, you need to examine your feet every day. Be sure to look at all areas of your feet, including your toes. It may be helpful to use a handheld mirror or a magnifying mirror attached to the bathroom wall near the baseboard to inspect your feet. If you can’t see well, have someone else use this Diabetes Foot Checklist to examine your feet for you. Using this Diabetes Foot Checklist helps you remember to examine all areas of your feet.
Diabetes Foot ChecklistCheck your feet for: Skin color:· Red
· Blue or black
Patches where hair is missing
Blister
Break in your skin
Calluses (hardened areas of skin) and corns (pressure sores, usually found on or between toes)
Peeling skin or tiny blisters between your toes or cracking and oozing of the skin
Moisture between your toes
Feelings of numbness, burning, or “pins and needles”
Sore (ulcer)
Ingrown toenail
What to do if you notice a problem
· Redness could point to irritation from shoes, overheating or other early signs of a problem. Do what you can to discover the cause so you can fix it, such as wearing shoes that fit better.
· Blue or black areas can mean bruising or blood flow problems. Call your doctor to report them.
Bald patches may mean irritation from shoes or a blood flow problem. Show the areas to your doctor during your next visit. · Try to discover the cause of the blister. Friction or rubbing against your skin causes blisters. You may need new shoes.
· Do not break the blister or open it yourself. Leave the skin over the blister intact.
· Cover the blister with a sterile, nonstick dressing and paper tape.
· Call your doctor if any blister becomes red, oozes, or is not healing after 4 days.
· Gently wash the area with mild soap; blot it dry and cover it with a sterile, nonstick dressing.
· Call your doctor if any break in the skin becomes red, oozes, or is not healing after 4 days.
Note: Examine the underside of your toes and the area between the toes for breaks in the skin.
Show the area to your doctor at your next visit. This is very important.
· Do not use products sold in drugstores to remove corns, calluses, or other problems.
· Don’t use a pumice stone on calluses unless your doctor or foot doctor (podiatrist) shows you how to use it properly.
· No cutting, filing, or anything that may break the skin on your feet.
This may be athlete’s foot. Treating athlete’s foot early can prevent serious foot infections. See the topic Athlete’s Foot for more information.
· To prevent athlete’s foot, wear shower shoes or bathing shoes when you use public showers or pools. Otherwise, keep feet dry.
· Keep feet clean. Wear clean socks every day.
· Do not treat athlete’s foot without first seeing your doctor or podiatrist.
Dry between your toes well. Moisture between your toes provides a good place for bacteria and fungi to grow, causing infection. If you have new numbness or tingling in your feet that does not go away after changing position, call your foot doctor.Do not try to treat a foot ulcer at home. Call your foot doctor immediately. If you check your feet regularly, you usually will see a problem before it becomes an ulcer.Do not treat an ingrown toenail at home. Call your foot doctor for an appointment.
With our experience at St. Augustine Foot and Ankle we will do everything we can to help you manage your diabetes and keep your feet healthy. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms in the checklist above or are feeling pain in your foot or lower leg of any kind please come see us as soon as possible. Give us a call to set an appointment at (904) 824-0869 or feel free to email us at info@staugustinefoot.com