Diabetes Legs - For Amputation or Not?

Diabetes causes a lot of amputations all over the world. The statistics are still alarming. For patients with diabetes, amputation is second to hopelessness. And why should not be? Amputation means losing a part of you. Yet, is there a choice?

Many warnings have been given to patients with diabetes in order to avoid complications and amputation. Self-care, maintaining blood glucose levels, eating healthy food, living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of the body parts especially the feet are very important.

Wounds

Wounds for diabetics are dangerous. They have the tendency to be healed slowly or get infected. Slow healing process is a common thing for diabetes. If you have wounds, get immediate medical help as soon as possible. Accept even the most drastic type of treatment. That is important to avoid amputation.

Let your doctor heal even simple corns, bunions and callouses. If you heal them yourself, you might be able to damage a tissue or let bacteria be introduced into the area. Both damaged tissues and presence of bacteria in people with diabetes can lead to infections, especially in wounds, then never damage and eventually amputation.

Foot care

Foot care is very important if you are a diabetic. The presence of diabetes makes it possible to hinder blood flow to your feet and causes damage of the nerves. Even small injuries can develop into an open sore or ulcer and that is difficult to treat.

If the infection damages the bone and tissue severely, amputation becomes necessary. Amputation is one of the worst case scenarios for a lot of diabetes complications.

Your doctor can help

Your doctor can help you heal your wounds, especially those in the feet, to avoid amputation. As much as possible, even if you have diabetes for a long time, you want to preserve your limbs and avoid amputation.

You can talk to your doctor regarding your desire to avoid amputation and he may recommend some tips for you to help them heal your body. Modern medicine now offers new techniques for wound healing technologies.

Even if the wound in the foot has become worse, amputation is impossible especially in cases of older people. Then they have to go into other alternatives like a small operation on the foot to remove the infection and medication for anti-biotics can be needed.

Amputation is the final decision for worst cases. The doctor has to amputate your leg because it is dead and might decay and rot within you. Even with diabetes, you cannot afford to have a decayed and rotten thing attached to you. Amputation can also be important to prevent the infection or bacteria spread to other parts of your legs and body.

As much as possible, you want to save your limbs. Take care of your feet. Be alert when wounds occur even simple ones as ingrown nails. Even if these happen, your doctor can find a way to save your leg. If amputation is the last resort, think that is being done basically to save your life in general. Having no leg does not deprive you of life and normal living anyway.