Welcome to my site about tactics you can use to cope with hospitalization. I am Edward Collins. I created this site after a long hospitalization left me feeling uncomfortable and dying to go home. I was ill-prepared for the lengthy stay at that facility. Despite my nurses and doctors’ best efforts, I felt lonely, bored and somewhat isolated during my stay. On this site, I will help you prepare for hospitalization well before you need your next medical procedure. Please come by my site daily to learn the information you need to know. Thank you for visiting my website about preparing for hospitalization.
For young, healthy people, getting a minor wound on the foot, ankle, or leg isn't a big deal. With a little antiseptic and some time, this kind of thing typically heals on its own. Unfortunately, that all changes when you have diabetes. If you have recently suffered a minor injury on your lower extremities and it hasn't closed or healed up the way it should, here's why you definitely shouldn't ignore it.
Nerve Endings
People with diabetes often experience damage to the nerve endings in the body. Nerves are responsible for sending signals to the brain from everywhere in the body, including your limbs. These nerves transmit the sense of touch, heat, cold, and even pain.
When nerve endings are damaged by diabetes, the area with damage often loses sensation. This is a real problem when you're injured. Your body may not be able to adequately determine if the area is painful, swollen, red, etc. While most people get pain warnings when infections develop and spread, diabetics might not. As a result, your injury could be more serious than you realize and an infection could be spreading without your knowledge.
Immune System
If the nerve damage weren't enough, the immune system often takes a hit when you have diabetes. Due to rapid spikes and dips in your blood sugar, the immune system may not work as well as it usually does. This means that your body's defenses against common infectious agents isn't as good, so it's easier to get an infection.
What to Do
If you suspect that your wound isn't healing quickly enough or you're concerned about how it looks, you should get to a podiatrist. Podiatrists are experts at caring for the lower extremities and can detect infections and other damage very easily.
If it turns out that you have an infection, your podiatrist will treat it. This may be done with thorough cleansing and antibiotics, either administered topically, orally, or intravenously depending on the severity of the infection. They may also send you home with stronger antibiotics and antiseptics to keep your wound clean at home while it heals.
Diabetic neuropathy can make it very difficult to determine if you're hurt or if a wound is infected. If you have diabetes, you need to face the fact that your body will need additional care to help manage the side effects of this illness. Seek help from a podiatrist, like those at Laurel Podiatry Associates, LLC, and avoid a life-threatening infection.
Share30 July 2018
