Left untreated, diabetes can. damage your nervous system so that your sense of feeling diabetes or vascular disease? The early signs of diabetes include …
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DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE
DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE
surviving limb loss
surviving limb loss
Amputations are sometimes necessary to save the life of a person with diabetes or vascular disease If you have either of these diseases, there are some steps you can take to improve your health, live a long and active life, and avoid the need for amputation
SURVIVING LIMB LOSS
Amputation Surgery Pain After Amputation Wrapping Your Residual Limb Infection Prevention Emotions After Limb Loss Prosthetics Physical Rehabilitation
Getting Back to Work Rights and Responsibilities Information for Families Arm Amputation Children with Limb Loss Diabetes and Vascular Disease
1420 K Street, NW 650 Washington, DC 20005 USA phone: 202-464-0007 fax: 202-464-0011 wwwlandminesurvivorsorg
DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE
Learning all you can about your illness and taking care of yourself are keys to living a long, healthy life with diabetes or vascular disease You are in charge of your body Dont let diabetes or vascular disease take a limb away from you
SPECIAL CONCERNS FOR PEOPLE WITH LIMB LOSS AND DIABETES OR VASCULAR DISEASE
Prevention and early treatment
People with amputations due to diabetes or vascular disease can use artificial limbs prostheses, but they need to be very careful to avoid getting sores or infections
What are diabetes and vascular disease?
TREATMENT FOR DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE
D
iabetes interferes with the bodys ability to digest sweet and starchy food like bread, pasta, rice, and cake The result is that the amount of sugar in your blood can be too high or too low Left untreated, diabetes can damage your nervous system so that your sense of feeling doesnt work in your feet, legs, or hands Untreated diabetes can lead to heart disease and blindness Diabetes can also decrease your bodys ability to heal sores or recover from infections If an infection in your limb becomes so severe that it cannot heal, a doctor may have to perform amputation surgery to save your life Vascular disease happens when blood vessels become partly clogged with cholesterol, a kind of fat, and other materials The blood can therefore no longer move freely through your feet and legs As with diabetes, a doctor may have to perform amputation surgery to save the life of someone with vascular disease Vascular disease can also clog the
blood vessels of the heart and cause someone to have a heart attack Vascular disease usually affects people over age 50 who are overweight, eat a lot of animal fats, or smoke tobacco
Treatment for Diabetes If your blood sugar is too high or too low, you could get very sick or even die There are different kinds of diabetes and different forms of treatment Learning about your illness and taking good care 
of yourself are keys to living a long, healthy life with diabetes Ask a doctor or another health worker to teach you about the kind of diabetes you have, what you can do to avoid serious problems, and how to limit the effects of the disease Ideally, other family members or close friends should also learn about diabetes so they can help you if necessary At the very least, you need to know: how to recognize when your blood sugar is too low or too high what to do if your blood sugar is much too low or much too high how to manage the disease on a daily basis Managing your diet is very important in controlling diabetes This means: eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer sweets and fats eating at the same time each day and spacing your meals out regularly throughout the day
You
may also need: to test your blood sugar level daily and adjust your diet and medicine accordingly
Their sores and infections take much longer to heal, so prevention is important Some people lose the sense of feeling in their legs and feet as a result of a disease If this is true for you, it is very important to take care of the skin of both feet and legs, and especially your residual limb, every day If you find a red area, hot spot, or blister: Try to figure out what is causing it and correct it if you can with padding or by wearing different, better-fitting shoes
to learn to test yourself and give yourself daily injections of insulin, a substance which helps control the amount of sugar in your blood to increase your level of exercise to lose weight Treatment for vascular disease You may need: to take medicine to decrease your blood pressure or cholesterol to stop smoking to exercise more often to lose weight
You may need to rest your feet or stop wearing your prosthesis for a few days until the hot spot goes away You may also need to ask your prosthetist to make changes to your socket If you have an infection, visit your doctor immediately
Look for red areas, hot
spots, and blisters Use a mirror if you cant see your soles Do not go barefoot Wash your feet and dry them carefully every day
How do I know if I have diabetes or vascular disease? The early signs of diabetes include sudden weight loss, sudden increase in hunger and thirst, increased urination, fatigue, and blurred vision The first sign of vascular disease may be severe pain in the legs during exercise The legs may also become darker, red, and swollen If you have any of these signs, you should visit a doctor who will do tests to determine if you have diabetes, vascular disease, or something else
The extra effort needed to take good care of your feet and legs is worth it to prevent the need for an amputation, or a second amputation
Source:mcw.edu
