Diabetic Sweet Spot 

Oc-TOE-ber – International “Keep your feet” month

That’s right this month sees the arrival of the second International Keep your feet month, chosen for multiple corny reasons, not merely the  play on the months spelling but also because it is the 10^th month symbolising the 10 toes we want you to keep.

Many of you reading that headline are probably thinking thoughts along the lines of “How ridiculous – why do we need it”

Or

“What do you mean keep your feet- I’m hardly going to lose them-am I”

Or

“Surely we don’t need another awareness month”

The simple answer to those thoughts is  “Every 20 seconds somewhere in the world a person is undergoing an amputation because of their Diabetes.”

That’s right – and if you do the maths, it means that since last Oc-TOE- ber over 1.5 million amputations will have taken place.

Stop for a minute and imagine what impact that would have on your life or your loved one’s life.

You may be forgiven for then thinking – “so its shocking

but what good  can it do anyway” or it won’t happen to me -its just people with extreme diabetes”

My answer to that is that most people never thought it would happen to them and most importantly 85% could have been prevented. 

Life is a rollercoaster: we’ve all had experiences that brought us pleasure and happiness and others that have plunged us into despair and misery. One of those big dips could have been finding out that you or someone you love has diabetes. Imagine being told you have to have an amputation. Don’t let your life head off the rails by not looking after your feet

If you have type 2 then it’s usually a gradual onset : we trundle along and discover that we’re pre diabetic (or as it was called previously, borderline). We may not take the threat seriously. That’s one of the huge dangers of type 2 diabetes because you can live with it for many years without being aware you have it and yet all the time the elevated blood glucose will likely be affecting your body, particularly your feet, eyes, kidneys and cardiovascular system. Maybe you were diagnosed from a routine blood test having presented with some of the common symptoms of thirst, tiredness and going to the loo more frequently.

In my job as a podiatrist I’ve seen first hand the devastating effects Diabetes often has on the feet and lower limbs.

I’ll never forget the day when as a relatively newly qualified practitioner I was working in a hospital’s diabetic foot clinic. This day left its mark on me because it was the first occasion that I encountered gangrene – in quite a spectacular way…

My first patient was waiting when I returned from a rushed lunch. I’d already been alerted that this was an interesting case involving gangrene so as I walked past I made a point of checking out the gentleman sitting in the first seat. Probably about my age now (early 50’s) he sported a smart suit and a gleaming oxford brogue on his right foot. His left foot however was encased in a bedroom slipper that looked about four sizes too big. As an extra touch the front of the upper had been cut away.

I settled him on the patients’ couch and began to cleanse his foot making sure I didn’t disturb the big toe on his left foot, which was dry and black. It reminded me of the Egyptian mummies in the British Museum. My patient didn’t seem too bothered by it. I learned that he’d been coming to the clinic twice a week for several months and was far more upset about the amount of time he had to take off work.

As I gently dressed the diseased toe I realised that it was loose and the next thing I knew I was holding half of it in my hand! The gangrene had effectively auto amputated it. I don’t know if it was this that shocked me most or the fact that it could happen to someone in the prime of their working life. Either way that experience made an indelible imprint on my life and career.

Some years later I was diagnosed with Type 2 and then shortly afterwards my 11-year-old daughter, just three days before starting secondary school was diagnosed with Type 1 and put on insulin. It was her diagnosis rather than my own that shook me up so much that it prompted me to create the global Undefeeted campaign, write my book “Undefeeted by diabetes”  and launch “Keep Your Feet “ month.

So I think you’ll now understand why I so desperately want to raise your awareness and educate as many people as possible worldwide on the threat diabetes presents to your lower limbs .

And so Oc-TOE-ber was chosen not just for the corny name play but also for the equally corny but hopefully memorable link for the date of the main day spearheading the whole month. International Keep your feet day is from now on going to be 2/10 or 10/2 (for the Americans) because our goal is for you to keep 2 legs and 10 toes for your whole life.

Talking of life something else hit me like a steam train as I was planning the month.

I realised that another organization also has its awareness month here in the UK –the very needed and worthwhile Breast Cancer Awareness month and whilst I in no way want to belittle the important work they do the facts below do just highlight how much more we should be doing to raise awareness of Diabetes related amputations.

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this one but let me just share a short passage from “Undefeeted by Diabetes”

“The above is not a widely known fact but just compare it to other conditions which have more fatal reputations.

There are three people in a room: one has breast cancer, one has

prostate cancer, and the final one is a person with diabetes who currently has a foot ulcer.

What are their chances of not surviving the next five years? The lady with breast cancer has an 18% chance; the man with prostate cancer has a 40% chance.

The person with Diabetes and with the foot ulcer? They have a shocking 80% chance that they will not survive five years.

Yet if these people shared their problem with you, who would you give the most sympathy to?

Hearing that someone has a foot ulcer and has diabetes is likely to go in one ear and out the other for most people.

It is time the condition was treated with as much respect as cancer; with resources, research and publicity and an AWARENESS MONTH so that in 14 years time we can see a headline like this:

Let me put in perspective what that two thirds reduction looks like by comparing just this month which at the current rate of 1 every 20 seconds will see 134,000 amputations taking place- that’s 134,000 people who probably never expected to lose a part of their body. Now lets look at the picture for KEEP YOUR FEET MONTH – Oc-TOE-ber 2035 . If our Vision is realized then the number of amputations that month will be only 44,000.

Arrrghhh , that is still a horrible number, equating to about 1500 per day but so much better than the 4300 every single day of the month just gone

What can you do for yourself

As part of the campaign last year I committed to do regular Facebook live broadcasts comprising of daily 30 minute live teachings on how to keep safe in the “Diabetic Sweet Spot” and so avoid a diabetes related foot problem and ultimately be able to keep your feet.

It was a real challenge taking at least an hour each day in preparation on top of doing the actual talk. But the good news for you and me is I have the recordings so I can share them again. There is valuable information in each.

What you can do for others..

Secondly please share this article , the radio shows and my face book lives  with all your friends and acquaintances and on social media. The more people we reach the more limbs and lives we save and so the better chance we have of seeing Undefeeted’s vision realised

Please do get in touch if you would like to learn more about Undefeeted and the Diabetes Sweet Spot, if you have a request for a particular topic or even if you have a great story or message to tell. Email me at contact@undefeeted.org