How to Check Your Feet if You Are Diabetic

    Are you diabetic? Either using insulin, taking an oral medication, or controlling it with diet? If so, then you should be performing at least weekly foot checks, if not more.

    Foot problems for a diabetic can be a death sentence. Literally. Which is why you should take good care of your feet if you are diabetic.

    If you are diabetic you are prone to circulatory problems which means that fluid doesn't return from the feet as it should, back through the circulatory system. This includes regular body fluids, as well as blood. When this happens, you might notice fluid pooling in the feet, ankles or lower legs. This is called edema.

    With this poor circulation, if you develop a problem with your feet you could have serious, and as I said, even life threatening, consequences. So, let's go over your feet so that you will understand what you need to do to check them thoroughly.

    First, let's remove your socks and shoes. What? You're not wearing shoes? What about slippers? Those either? No? Okay, let's get one thing straight here, as a diabetic, except when you are either sitting with your legs/feet elevated, or are in bed for the night, you should have some form of foot protection on your feet. A bump against a table leg, a rocker, or the baseboard even, can cause serious injury! So, next time i ask you to check your feet, let's make sure you have to take shoes off first, okay?

    Make sure you are sitting in a place comfortable where you can check your feet. If, for some reason, you can't reach your feet, then get a partner, your spouse, a child, a neighbor, or friend, to check them for you.

    Comfortable? Okay, let's take your left foot first. I want you to run your hands over the top, around the ankle, around the heel, across the sole, and in between each toe. Be sure to check for open, cracked or split skin. Check for heavy callouses, bunions, or corns. Next, look at well hydrated they are. Are they very dry and flaky? Or soft and moist (not wet, but the skin is not overly dry or flaky). Next take a look at your toe nails. Are they in need of being cut? Do you have any ingrown nails?

    If you are diabetic, and you answered yes to any of the anomalies above, you should probably get your feet looked at by a podiatrist so that they can get you on a regular foot check up every few months.

    If your feet are dry, but have no open areas, you can use a good moisturizing lotion. I personally like Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. It will put the moisture back into your feet and legs without leaving you feeling greasy. And it actually works!

    If you have callouses, bunions, or corns, please do NOT try to treat these yourself! Please make an appointment with a podiatrist (again, this message is for diabetics). Only your podiatrist should ever treat these problems.

    If you do not have ingrown nails, you are safe to trim your own nails, if you have a steady hand and do not nick the skin. If you do not have a steady hand, then seek out a podiatrist to trim your nails. If you can cut your nails yourself, do soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes prior to cutting them. This will soften the nail and make it easier to trim without difficulty.

   If you have ingrown nails, do NOT attempt to remove these yourself! If you are diabetic, you can cause an infection that could literally result in losing your toe, your foot, and in some cases an entire leg, or take your life! (Believe me, in my 30-years as a nurse, I have seen this on more than one occasion!)

    If you have no problems, but want to keep your feet soft and comfortable, apply lotion nightly and apply white, loose fitting socks before bed and sleep with them on. This is a wonderful way to moisturize your feet, and repeatedly doing this will keep them in good shape.

    I hope this helps you as you go through your life with diabetes, and having good foot health!