ETMC held a free seminar today to educate the public on living with diabetes and caring for your feet.
"I was diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago, and now I don't have feeling in the bottom of my feet," Jerry Smith, a diabetic at the seminar, said.
The numbness he's experiencing led him to change a few things. "I changed my eating habits, needed to lose weight, take pills, stuff like that," Smith said.
He also learned to protect his feet.
"You can't go barefoot, you can't wear sandals, and you have to wear loose fitting socks,"Smith said.
The issue with diabetics like Smith is that sometimes problems fly under the radar. "They're not able to feel pain like most people would. And diabetics do tend to ignore feet," Dr. Karen Weis, internal medicine doctor at ETMC, said.
Burning pain in your feet could mean damage to your nerves, and ulcers lead to bigger complications down the road.
"Sometimes an infection can go to their bloodstream and they'll get poisoned from it," Dr. Weis said.
Her message is to avoid the worst-case scenario, an amputation, by exercising, losing weight, and eating right. "Starches are the worst food group overall for diabetics, but processed sugars are also bad. Portion-control is very important and certainly eat more fruits and vegetables," Weis said.
The consequences are real. "I know of people who have had their foot amputated," Smith said.
He's just glad for now, he's not one of them.
