So I finally sit down today and go through my TIVO coz I have a few minutes to kill and normally I am a huge fan of Dr. H and I had taped last nights episode about the ballerina.

One thing caught my eye that left me shivering in my boots I swear to God, when they wanted to amputate both her arms and legs. To make matters even worse my  next show that Inormally TIVO is the dlife and the first story they were featuring was about the lady who had to have her toe amputated and then her leg a few years later.

To me the biggest scare I have with diabetes complications is not heart disease, going blind or even dying because honestly I believe that we all owe a death and I have accepted that but cutting off my limbs just scares the hell out of me.

So I did a little digging , a few google’s, a little bing and viola’. Here are a few tit bits.

Did you know that  many diabetic foot amputations are preventable.

• 80,000 diabetic amputations are done each year
• Every 7 minutes a person has a limb amputated
• More than 60 percent of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
• Almost 30 percent of people with diabetes ages 40 years or older have impaired sensation in the feet—for example, at least one area that lacks feeling.
• Severe forms of diabetic nerve disease are a major contributing cause of lower-extremity amputations.

Am I just the only one getting freaked here.

While these statistics always tend to be scary, my goal is to never become one by doing everything that I can to prevent it from happening so below are a few tips you can do to prevent limb amputations

1. Check your feet daily for cuts,cracks,sores,redness or swelling
2. Wash your feet in warm water not hot
3. Do not soak your feet in hot water
4. Keep your toe nails even with the nds of your toes
5. Always wear shoes and slippers even inside the house
6. Inspect your shoes before putting them on
7. Make sure you wear the right size shoes
8. change your socks every day
9. dry yourself well after a bath especially between your toes
10. let your doctor know right away if your feet are numb or painful or if a cut or sore doesnt heal within a few days.