Young, not long a diabetic, still lost half of foot

[sud5nala]

A cautionary tale in the first person. From yesterday's newspaper. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/15/facing-my-fear-losing-right-foot-to-diabetes

 

[Brunneria]

Terrible story. I feel for him.

But do you know what I really appreciate? There is no mention of 'type' leaving it to be an equally valuable lesson to all of us, whatever our type.

 

[Shaydollar811]

This scares me making me more depressed than I already am

Sent from my SPH-L710T using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

 

[penelopa024]

My husband lost his first leg only 3.5 years after being diagnosed. His sugar levels were in control .
Last year he lost remaining leg only 10 years after diagnosis.

 

[himtoo]

Diabetes can be a cruel disease -- this thread should be a reminder to all of us to do our utmost to keep BG's controlled.

 

[pugster75]

I stood on a drawing pin back in October 2016 which got infected, was rushed into hospital for emergency surgery, went to theatre not knowing if they could save my foot, luckily they did. This was my diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. Had ni symptoms, didn't feel unwell but sugar levels were high and out of control. Been a long few months but finally recovering and sugars are becoming controlled.

 

[fletchweb]

I wish there was more research done on this. There's more than just A1C levels at play here - it ticks me off when I see charts showing a correlation between A1C levels and complications. I used to teach stats in University and it's simple to show correlations between different factors but that does not necessarily mean that they are even related when there are so many other variables to account for and in this case researchers don't even know what those variables are. They just seem to present the black and white picture - there's no colour if you understand my analogy. I know people who have done everything right and lost their vision or had to undergo amputations and I know other people, myself included who have much looser control and have no complications - and I know for a fact that people like myself are not accounted for in these studies because we have never been approached by anyone. there are legitimate medical institutions like the Joceyln Diabetes Centre in the USA that have been trying to figure it out and haven;t come to any conclusions as of yet.. Christ almighty - I've crushed my toe, I've stepped on nails, I continually get jabbed or bitten by my cats/dogs, jabbed by barbed hooks when fishing and I've never experienced an infection from these mishaps - I take 4 shots a day - been living with type 1 for more than 50 years - I'm hardcore diabetic and I don't know what it's like to have an infection other than maybe a soar throat once or twice in my life - I had pink eye once too. I feel so bad for those who struggle with complications when the answer may be more simple than A1C levels - unfortunately no one has the answers yet in my opinion.

Sorry for the rant but it has bothered me for years!

 

[mist]

It wouldn't bother me to be honest, things could be way worse, and indeed are for many people. If diabetes is your only medical issue, consider yourself very lucky.

 

[AndBreathe]

I'm rather hoping @mist that you mean you aren't overly troubled by personally needing to fully understanding why some experience complications shortly after diagnosis and others appear side-step everything, rather then being unsympathetic to those who have found themselves in that unfortunate predicament?

 

[mist]

I'm rather hoping @mist that you mean you aren't overly troubled by personally needing to fully understanding why some experience complications shortly after diagnosis and others appear side-step everything, rather then being unsympathetic to those who have found themselves in that unfortunate predicament?

Nope, I'm saying losing my feet wouldn't bother me personally. Why would it?

I'd be more concerned with taking up precious NHS resources away from people with life threatening illnesses like cancer and heart desease.

But that's just me, I'm sure for other people it might be a traumatic experience.

 

[AndBreathe]

Nope, I'm saying losing my feet wouldn't bother me personally. Why would it?

I'd be more concerned with taking up precious NHS resources away from people with life threatening illnesses like cancer and heart desease.

But that's just me, I'm sure for other people it might be a traumatic experience.

Whilst I respect your right to your own viewpoint, I feel you're very much in the minority.

In my view diabetes is also a potentially life threatening condition, if not respected and managed, and therefore worthy of it's place within the NHS priorities. Without good heed, by the vast majority even more of the NHS resources could be forced down the "fire-fighting" route.

 

[mist]

Whilst I respect your right to your own viewpoint, I feel you're very much in the minority.

In my view diabetes is also a potentially life threatening condition, if not respected and managed, and therefore worthy of it's place within the NHS priorities. Without good heed, by the vast majority even more of the NHS resources could be forced down the "fire-fighting" route.

That's ok, i like being in the minority.

Sure diabetes has its place, but in my opinion it shouldn't be as high up on the list of priorities as it currently is, not when there are babies and children dying of cancer and other horrific conditions before they even get a chance at life.

Diabetes is just a case of being sensible, so you have diabetes, so what! It's not the end of the world, it just requires a bit of lifestyle change and education.

Maybe I'm biased after spending my entire childhood on a children's cancer ward and being the last of my circle of friends who is still the right side of ground level.

We all have different thresholds I guess.

 

[zand]

Being sens

That's ok, i like being in the minority.

Sure diabetes has its place, but in my opinion it shouldn't be as high up on the list of priorities as it currently is, not when there are babies and children dying of cancer and other horrific conditions before they even get a chance at life.

Diabetes is just a case of being sensible, so you have diabetes, so what! It's not the end of the world, it just requires a bit of lifestyle change and education.

Maybe I'm biased after spending my entire childhood on a children's cancer ward and being the last of my circle of friends who is still the right side of ground level.

We all have different thresholds I guess.

Being sensible? Didn't I see your BG was something like 16.5 the other day? I thought T1s could bolus for chocolate.

 

[mist]

Being sens

Being sensible? Didn't I see your BG was something like 16.5 the other day? I thought T1s could bolus for chocolate.

I never said I was sensible.

 

[ME_Valentijn]

It wouldn't bother me to be honest, things could be way worse, and indeed are for many people. If diabetes is your only medical issue, consider yourself very lucky.

In my view diabetes is also a potentially life threatening condition, if not respected and managed, and therefore worthy of it's place within the NHS priorities. Without good heed, by the vast majority even more of the NHS resources could be forced down the "fire-fighting" route.

Diabetes is potentially dangerous, and that very much needs to be respected. But it's also manageable, when many diseases are not. My fiance developed Type 1 about a year after I came down with ME/CFS. He manages his diabetes and is able to work full time and live a very normal life. He has appointments and labs drawn twice a year to check for his control and possible complications, and sees a specialist nurse who helps him deal with any problems.

With ME/CFS, we had to pay mostly out-of-pocket for 12 months of appointments at a fatigue clinic, where I was told I could cure myself if I could "get out more," with no suggestion of how to do that. And getting pregnant was also suggested - after all, who has the time to be sick when taking care of a baby? I was scolded for buying a mobility scooter after 6 months of not even being able to go grocery shopping, despite that I was finally able to "get out more". There is no treatment here for ME/CFS, not even for seriously attempting to manage symptoms. At best someone might get an antidepressant "for sleep" that will make them feel 10x worse, along with the advice to stop thinking they're ill and exercise more, despite that the disease is defined by a pathological response to exertion.

It can be a lot worse than diabetes, and we see that every single day. The fiance and I have joked about how much better it would be if I had diabetes instead of ME/CFS. However the universe has one helluva sense of humor, so I ended up with both ... I suppose I should've seen that coming

But it also doesn't make sense to put every case of diabetes onto the same level of suckiness. Obviously diabetes can get quite nasty, and even deadly. And every disease is going to affect people in different ways, with different limitations that are no big deal for some, but fundamentally life-altering for others. Telling them "it could be worse" isn't going to make it easier for them to cope, it's just undercutting their right to mourn what they've lost.

So yes, it could be worse. But there's no point in telling someone that, and there's nothing to be gained by trying to make broad comparisons. We all have our different thresholds and preferences for what we'd rather have instead. If someone is struggling, they deserve compassion, even if it seems like a minor obstacle in the greater scheme of things.

 

[zand]

I wish there was more research done on this. There's more than just A1C levels at play here - it ticks me off when I see charts showing a correlation between A1C levels and complications. I used to teach stats in University and it's simple to show correlations between different factors but that does not necessarily mean that they are even related when there are so many other variables to account for and in this case researchers don't even know what those variables are. They just seem to present the black and white picture - there's no colour if you understand my analogy. I know people who have done everything right and lost their vision or had to undergo amputations and I know other people, myself included who have much looser control and have no complications - and I know for a fact that people like myself are not accounted for in these studies because we have never been approached by anyone. there are legitimate medical institutions like the Joceyln Diabetes Centre in the USA that have been trying to figure it out and haven;t come to any conclusions as of yet.. Christ almighty - I've crushed my toe, I've stepped on nails, I continually get jabbed or bitten by my cats/dogs, jabbed by barbed hooks when fishing and I've never experienced an infection from these mishaps - I take 4 shots a day - been living with type 1 for more than 50 years - I'm hardcore diabetic and I don't know what it's like to have an infection other than maybe a soar throat once or twice in my life - I had pink eye once too. I feel so bad for those who struggle with complications when the answer may be more simple than A1C levels - unfortunately no one has the answers yet in my opinion.

Sorry for the rant but it has bothered me for years!

Thanks for posting this. Until I read your post I was of the belief that complications only happened to those who didn't bother to control their BGs. I suppose it's easier to think that it won't 'happen to me as long as I do everything right' than to think that the worst may happen whatever I do.

It is probably the same when the media keeps going on about obesity and the link with T2. Those who aren't obese think T2 can't happen to them - until it does and then they are shocked because they genuinely thought T2 was just for fatties like me.

The farther we move from the 'blame the patient' mentality the better.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Nope, I'm saying losing my feet wouldn't bother me personally. Why would it?

I'd be more concerned with taking up precious NHS resources away from people with life threatening illnesses like cancer and heart desease.

But that's just me, I'm sure for other people it might be a traumatic experience.

Losing any part of my body would be very unpleasant, both physically and emotionally and that includes my mind too.

 

[StefanR95]

That's ok, i like being in the minority.

Sure diabetes has its place, but in my opinion it shouldn't be as high up on the list of priorities as it currently is, not when there are babies and children dying of cancer and other horrific conditions before they even get a chance at life.

Diabetes is just a case of being sensible, so you have diabetes, so what! It's not the end of the world, it just requires a bit of lifestyle change and education.

Maybe I'm biased after spending my entire childhood on a children's cancer ward and being the last of my circle of friends who is still the right side of ground level.

We all have different thresholds I guess.

I respect your opinion on this, but my experience of diabetes has not been this easy. At first it was just a few lifestyle changes and I could deal with that, but 2-3 weeks after my diagnosis I was crippled with pain and also developed dense cataracts, I never even got a chance to try and maintain good BG control. I was more or less reduced to a 90 year old at the age of 20 (no offense to any 90 year olds in the community). Sure, the cataracts have been removed after nearly a year of having vision which could be compared to looking through a bathroom window.

Now I do agree that there are worse diseases out there, cancer being one of them (bless all those with cancer), I wouldn't wish cancer on even my worst enemy, but that doesn't mean diabetes should be thrown into the back burner. I have needed so much support over the last year which if I didn't have, I probably wouldn't be here, I started having suicidal thoughts as it just seemed pointless living, I still sometimes think that.

 

[Antechinus]

From what I can make out of the original Gautdian article is that it took him a month to seak treatment, and then when it had gotten really bad. Just about anyone would have lost their foot letting an infection rage for so long.

Poor BS control favors infection and depressed immune systems but there was some bad luck as the bacteria was a traveller.

Understanding how feet react to infection may help explain why these simple infections are such a concern. The foot is made up of layers and compartments. The first layer of the sole has skin overlaying a fibrous band called the plantar fascia. At the heel and ball there is thick fat pad between skin and plantare fascia. The third layer is tendons and small plantar muscles and another layer deeper is the plantar ligaments that hold the bones and joints together, all kind of fused together.

Infection has trouble going from one layer to the other, but seems to have less resistance to moving along the layer. The foot seems to cope with infection until it reaches an artery. When it hits an artery, the artery responds by shutting itself off. This causes everything south of the artery to die.

So it is possible to get an infection in the toe that travels along a tendon deep into the midfoot before reaching an artery, and hence causing a lot of tissue death and gangrene.

The important thing, whether diabetic or not is to get help early. The general rule is if the red halo around as sore is greater than 15mm then it is infected and needs antibiotics.

 

[lucylocket61]

him losing so much of his foot is more about him getting a fast moving infection than him being diabetic. And him not seeking treatment fast enough.

but as usual, diabetes gets most of the blame, rather than the infection.

This whole situation could have had nothing to do with diabetes at all. I had blood poisoning last year and was very ill for months, and i had good blood sugar levels and treatment within 24 hours.