Prevention

from that, what would be the best ways to prevent the development of a diabetic foot? So early diagnosis of diabetes is essential and we know what the risk factors are especially with type 2 which are lifestyle, we are all sitting there especially at the moment on our bums and not exercising, our diet Western diet contributes to increased risk of diabetes. We therefore find that we're not diagnosing our patients early enough. We know now that by the time we diagnose our patients with type 2 diabetes they will have at least had it sorry they will have at least had diabetes for at least I mean to say for eight years ahead of that so during this period of not knowing you've had diabetes your body will be carrying around those blood cells which are attached to the sugar molecules within our body ready to lead to complications such as in your feet. So damage to the nerves is directly related to these additional blood glucose levels floating around in the body that affect how our nerves are functioning. So you asked me about how to prevent them. So early diagnosis is key. Once you're diagnosed, maintain the advice that we provide as your doctor will provide or your diabetes consultant will provide in terms of managing and monitoring your blood glucose levels. The biggest thing we always say is to look at your feet every day, make sure that there aren't any cuts that have occurred without you noticing, remembering I mentioned earlier that our ability to feel sensation can be impaired so damage can occur without us knowing that it has occurred. So look at your feet every day, use a mirror if you're unable to do that, wash your feet every day, clean in between the toes every day, dry thoroughly and moisturize them.