GP surgery no longer carrying out diabetic annual feet checks

[Jo_the_boat]

The other method is to get whoever you live with to blindfold you and tickle your feet with a feather plus gently prick it with drawing pins. You can see why the DSns and docs don't relish foot checks.....Why did it take her 10 minutes to find a pulse!>

Blood supply issues

 

[becca59]

Have had Type 1 8 years. Had one foot exam in all that time. To be fair i regularly check and look after my own feet.

 

[Mr_Pot]

I still have foot checks but to be honest I've never really understood the real need for them. There are far more important checks needed by all of us. If your HBA1C remains in good range the checks aren't needed and waste surgery time.

Unfortunately not all diabetics are well controlled and foot problems are a common and often serious complication.
https://news.sky.com/story/diabetes...ear-in-england-caused-by-the-disease-11944156

 

[hankjam]

If your HBA1C remains in good range the checks aren't needed and waste surgery time.

My 1c has been generally pretty good and each morning before I put my socks on I rub some urea cream onto my heals. If I don't they quickly dry out and some pretty nasty cracks appear.
Need to look after feet.

 

[mo53]

I am very lucky that my GP surgery is very thorough with diabetic checks. I recently had my diabetic review by the diabetic nurse which included my blood test, blood pressure, foot check, urine sample sent away for testing and weight check. As I hadn’t had a full review since last year but frequent blood tests, she congratulated me on a significant weight loss which I was delighted with. Although of course if I had been weighed earlier in the year it would only have been a moderate weight loss.

 

[Riva_Roxaban]

Yes, that's what I got when I lived in Australia (Sydney). But since the podiatrist found no evidence of diabetic neuropathy I just used to go for a single check up per year, no point in using resources that I didn't personally need.

The podiatrist trims my toenails for me as well as I have had problems with ingrowing big toe nails, so no wasted resources.

We also swap list of movies / tv shows to watch on Netflix / Prime Video.

 

[Mr_Pot]

The podiatrist trims my toenails for me as well as I have had problems with ingrowing big toe nails, so no wasted resources.

We also swap list of movies / tv shows to watch on Netflix / Prime Video.

Does he like corny romances, sole searching dramas, toe-tapping musicals or just any sort of feeture film?

 

[Riva_Roxaban]

Does he like corny romances, sole searching dramas, toe-tapping musicals or just any sort of feeture film?

The podiatrist is a she, and she likes shootem ups, sci phi, and Korean period dramas.

 

[JohnEGreen]

It's funny when I was training as a podiatrist I was told over and over you are not here to give a pedicure but of course if a patient was unable to cut their toe nails you had to do it for them simple as that.

 

[pinkjude]

My GP surgery has taken the discussion to no longer carry out the annul feet checks. They now expect patients to check their own feet and to contact them if they self diagnose an issue. This seems to be laziness by the GP surgery to be honest and part of the general avoidance they seem to have in having face to face appointments with patients! Have any other Diabetics experienced a similar approach from their local GP in avoiding carrying out annual feet checks ?

My nurse always checks mine when I go for my HBA1c test.

 

[pinkjude]

It's funny when I was training as a podiatrist I was told over and over you are not here to give a pedicure but of course if a patient was unable to cut their toe nails you had to do it for them simple as that.

I had a podiatrist appointment and she could find nothing wrong with my feet but cut my nails and gave me a nail file and said to file them weekly after a bath. She said as she found no issues they will see me once a year but I have to remember to contact them. She also said if any issues do develop to ring straight away.