For our October meeting we had Emily Payne from Gloucestershire Podiatry Services give us a talk on looking after our feet and the issues that can arise if we do not!

She covered the basics of foot care, the most important being regularly, if not daily, checking your feet for any signs of damage.  Emily also explained what should happen at your annual foot check,  amazingly she said that there are still reports of foot checks being carried out without  shoes & socks removed, they must have x-ray vision!

Also covered were what may indicate damage to the nerves or blood supply in your foot.  Emily also covered the best types of shoes that should be worn, that is they should be comfortable, support your foot well whilst being reasonable supple so as not to rub, and for the same reason not tight.  Also for the ladies, not excessive high heels.

Click on this links to the Diabetes UK for more info on what to look for and what your annual foot check should cover: Foot Care or Annual Foot Check

We were also shown some gruesome photos of what can happen when you do not take care of your feet which can lead to amputation being necessary, a sobering thought – on average 100 diabetes related amputations are carried out each week in the UK  –  a sobering thought!

So do not ignore your feet, regularly check them and if any possible problems are seen, see your GP or diabetes nurse.