Long-term consequences of type 2 diabetes resulting from ongoing high blood sugar levels as well as uncontrolled blood pressure and cholesterol levels can result in severe complications, including permanent damage to your feet. Actually it takes a long period of time for complications to develop… as much as ten years. This gives you plenty of time to prevent complications developing. However after a while the changes will be fixed and irreversible.

The most common problems experienced by people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are problems related to their feet. Feet are particularly vulnerable because of the hammering they receive over time. Our feet were made to walk on uneven grass and dirt not on flat hard surfaces such as concrete… this over times breaks down the joints in your feet.

Several things can go wrong due to high blood sugar levels, these include:

• reduced sensation meaning that you no longer receive warning signals when bumping your feet or standing on sharp objects
• reduction in the quality of the sweat secretions and natural body oils that keep the skin on your feet lubricated

If untreated, these factors will result in further uncharacteristic pressure on joints, skin and bones when walking.

As you can no longer feel your feet properly, damage occurs which may lead to a breakdown of the skin on the soles of your feet… typically open sores that will not heal. Because type 2 diabetes erodes your body’s natural healing capabilities these sores may turn gangrenous, which will in turn be difficult to treat because blood flow has become so poor that antibiotics can no longer reach the heart of the problem.

It is one of the great diabetic tragedies that so many sufferers end up with amputated legs, just because they neglected to carry out daily inspection of their feet… daily inspections are the key to heading off foot problems. Keep a watch out for:

• dry skin on your feet
• loss of hair on your feet
• cold feet
• no foot pulse
• redness of your feet when they are hanging down

Using a magnifying glass or a mirror, check the top and bottom of your feet… a thorough examination should only take a minute. If you have difficulty doing this yourself, ask your partner to help you.

Not everyone with type 2 diabetes has small vessel disease in their feet, but this is a common site for problems to appear. Records show an estimated 15 per cent of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes will develop a serious foot problem at some time in their lifetime.

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