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Take Care ofYour Feet for a

A Guide for People With Diabetes


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You can take

care of your feet!D

o you want to avoid serious foot problems that

can lead to a toe, foot, or leg amputation?

Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime tells you how. Its allabout taking good care of your feet.

Foot care is very important for every person with

diabetes, but especially if you have:

Loss of feeling in your feet

Changes in the shape of your feet

Foot ulcers or sores that do not heal

Nerve damage can cause you to lose feeling in your

feet. You may not feel a pebble inside your sock that is

causing a sore. You may not feel a blister caused by

poorly fitting shoes. Foot injuries such as these can

cause ulcers, which may lead to amputation.

Keeping your blood glucose (sugar) in good control

and taking care of your feet every day can help you

avoid serious foot problems.

Use this guide to make your own plan for taking care

of your feet. Helpful tips make it easy! Share your

plan with your doctor and health care team and get

their help when you need it.

There is a lot you can do to prevent serious problems

with your feet. Heres how.


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1 Takecareofyourdiabetes.

Makehealthylifestylechoicestohelpkeepyour

bloodglucose(sugar),bloodpressure,and

cholesterollevelsclosetonormal.Doingso

mayhelppreventordelaydiabetes-relatedfoot

problems

as

well

as

heart,

eye,

and

kidney

disease.

Workwithyourhealthcareteamtomakea

diabetesplanthatfitsyourlifestyle.Theteammay

includeyourdoctor,adiabeteseducator,anurse,a

dietitian,

a

foot

care

doctor

called

a

podiatrist

(pah-DI-ah-trist),andotherspecialists.Thisteam

willhelpyouto:

KnowwhentogetyourdiabetesABCs

checked:A1C*(bloodglucose),Blood

pressure,

and

Cholesterol.

Knowhowandwhentotestyourblood

glucose.

Takeyourmedicinesasprescribed.

Eat

regular

meals

that

contain

a

variety

of

healthy,low-fat,high-fiberfoodsincludingfruits

andvegetableseachday.

Getphysicalactivityeachday.

Stop

smoking.

Followyourfootcareplan.

Keepallyourappointmentsandhaveyourfeet,

eyes,andkidneyscheckedatleastonceayear.

Visityourdentisttwiceayear.

*A1Cisanaveragemeasureofyourbloodglucoseovera

3-monthperiod.

1


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2 Checkyourfeeteveryday.

Youmayhaveseriousfootproblems,butfeelno

pain.Checkyourfeetforcuts,sores,redspots,

swelling,andinfectedtoenails. Findatime(evening

isbest)tocheckyourfeeteachday.Makechecking

your

feet

part

of

your

everyday

routine.

Ifyouhavetroublebendingovertoseeyourfeet,

useaplasticmirrortohelp.Youalsocanaska

familymemberorcaregivertohelpyou.

Check

your

feet

every

day.

2

Make

sure

to

call

your

health

care

team

right

awayifacut,sore,blister,orbruiseonyour

footdoesnotbegintohealafteroneday.


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3

3 Washyourfeeteveryday.

Washyourfeetinwarm,nothot,water.Donot

soakyourfeetbecauseyourskinwillgetdry

afterwards.

Before

bathing

or

showering,

test

the

water

to

makesureitisnottoohot.Youcanusea

thermometer(90to95Fissafe)oryourelbow.

Dryyourfeetwell. Besuretodrybetweenyour

toes.

Use

talcum

powder

or

cornstarch

to

keep

theskinbetweenyourtoesdry.

Keep

the

skin

softand

smooth.

Rubathincoatofskinlotion,cream,orpetroleum

jellyonthetopsandbottomsofyourfeet.

Donotputlotionorcreambetweenyourtoes

becausethismightcauseaninfection.

4

Putlotiononthetops

and

bottoms

ofyourfeet.


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5 Smoothcornsandcallusesgently.

Ifyouhavecornsandcalluses,checkwithyour

doctororpodiatristaboutthebestwaytocare

forthem.

If

your

doctor

tells

you

to,

use

a

pumice

stone

to

smoothcornsandcallusesafterbathingor

showering.Apumicestoneisatypeofrock

usedtosmooththeskin. Rubgently,onlyinone

direction,toavoidtearingtheskin.

Donotcutcornsandcalluses.Dontuserazor

blades,cornplasters,orliquidcornandcallus

removerstheycandamageyourskin.

Gentlyrubcalluses

with

a

pumice

stone.

4


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6 Trimyourtoenailseachweekorwhenneeded.

Haveafootcaredoctortrimyourtoenailsifyou

cantseewell,ifyoucannotreachyourfeet,ifyour

toenailsarethickoryellowed,orifyournails

curve

and

grow

into

the

skin.

Ifyoucanseeandreachyourtoenails,trimthem

withclippersafteryouwashanddryyourfeet.

Trim

toenails

straight

across

and

smooth

them

withanemeryboardornailfile.

Donotcutintothecornersofthetoenail.

Trim

your

toenails

straight

across

and

smooth

them

with

a

nail

file.

Make

sure

to

call

your

health

care

team

right




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7Wearshoesandsocksatalltimes.

Wearshoesandsocksatalltimes.Donotwalk

barefootnotevenindoorsbecauseitiseasyto

steponsomethingandhurtyourfeet.

Always

wear

socks,

stockings,

or

nylons

with

your

shoestohelpavoidblistersandsores.

Chooseclean,lightlypaddedsocksthatfitwell.

Socksthathavenoseamsarebest.

Checktheinsidesofyourshoesbeforeyouput

themontobesuretheliningissmoothandthat

therearenoobjectsinthem.

Wear

shoes

that

fit

well

and

protect

your

feet.

Checktheinsideofyourshoesbeforeyouputthemon.

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77

8 Protectyourfeetfromhotandcold.

Wearshoesatthebeachoronhotpavement.

Putsunscreenonthetopofyourfeettoprevent

sunburn.

Keepyourfeetawayfromradiatorsandopenfires.

Donotputhotwaterbottlesorheatingpadson

yourfeet.

Wearsocksatnightifyourfeetgetcold. Lined

bootsaregoodinwintertokeepyourfeetwarm.

Checkyourfeetoftenincoldweathertoavoid

frostbite.

Protect

your

feet

when

walking

on

hot

surfaces.

Make

sure

to

call

your

health

care

team

right




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9Keep the bloodflowing to your feet.

Putyourfeetupwhenyouaresitting.

Wiggleyourtoesfor5minutes,twoorthree

timesaday. Moveyouranklesupanddownandin

and

out

to

improve

blood

flow

in

your

feet

and

legs.

Donotcrossyourlegsforlongperiodsoftime.

Do

not

wear

tight

socks,

elastic

or

rubber

bands,

orgartersaroundyourlegs.

Donotsmoke. Smokingreducesbloodflowto

yourfeet.Askforhelptostopsmokingorcall

1-800-QUITNOW

(1-800-784-8669).

Workwithyourhealthcareteamtocontrol

yourA1C(bloodglucose),bloodpressure,and

Put your feet upwhen you are

sitting.

8

cholesterol.


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99

10 Bemoreactive.

Askyourhealthcareteamtohelpyouplanadaily

activityprogramthatisrightforyou.

Walking,dancing,swimming,andbicyclingaregood

formsofexercisethatareeasyonthefeet.

Avoidactivitiesthatarehardonthefeet,suchas

runningandjumping.

Alwaysincludeashortwarm-upandcool-down

period.

Wearathleticshoesthatfitwellandthatprovide

goodsupport.

Walkingbriskly isgoodexercise.

Makesuretocallyourhealthcareteamright




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11Besuretoaskyourhealthcareteamto:

Tellyouifyouarelikelytohaveseriousfoot

problems. Ifyouhaveseriousfootproblems,

yourfeetshouldbecheckedateveryvisitto

yourdoctor.

Checkthesenseoffeelingandpulsesinyourfeet

atleastonceayear.

Showyouhowtocareforyourfeet.

Referyoutoapodiatristifneeded.

Decideifspecialshoeswouldhelpyourfeetstay

healthy.

Ask

your

doctor

to

check

the

sense

of

feeling

in

your

feet.

10


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12 Getstartednow.

Begintakinggoodcareofyourfeettoday.

Setatimeeverydaytocheckyourfeet.

Notethedateofyournextvisittothedoctor.

Cutoutthefootcaretipsheetinthisbookletand

putitonyourbathroomorbedroomwallor

nightstandasareminder.

Complete

the

To

Do

list

at

the

back

of

this

booklet.Getstartednow.

Setadateforbuyingthethingsyouneedtotake

careofyourfeet:nailclippers,pumicestone,

emery

board,

skin

lotion,

talcum

powder,

plastic

mirror,socks,athleticshoes,andslippers.

Mostimportant,stickwithyourfootcare

programandgiveyourselfaspecialtreatsuch

as

a

new

pair

of

soft,

lightly

padded

socks.

You

deserveit!

Make

sure

to

call

your

health

care

team

right



11


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TipsforProperFootwear

Proper

footwear

is

very

important

for

preventing

seriousfootproblems.Athleticorwalkingshoes

aregoodfordailywear.Theysupportyourfeet

andallowthemtobreathe.

Never

wear

vinyl

or

plastic

shoes,

because

they

dontstretchorbreathe.

Whenbuyingshoes,makesuretheyarecomfort-

ablefromthestartandhaveenoughroomfor

your

toes.

Dontbuyshoeswithpointedtoesorhighheels.

Theyputtoomuchpressureonyourtoes.

Ask

your

doctor

about

Medicare

or

otherinsurancecoverageforspecialfootwear.

Youmayneedspecialshoesorshoeinsertsto

preventseriousfootproblems. IfyouhaveMedicare

PartBinsurance,youmaybeabletogetsomeofthe

cost

of

special

shoes

or

inserts

paid

for.

Ask

your

doctorwhetheryouqualifyfor

1pairofextradepthshoes*and3pairsof

inserts,or

1pairofcustommoldedshoes(includinginserts)

and

2

additional

pairs

of

inserts.

IfyouqualifyforMedicareorotherinsurance

coverageandwouldbenefitfromtheuseofthe

shoes,yourdoctororpodiatristwilltellyouhowto

getyourspecialshoes.

*Extradepthshoeslooklikeathleticorwalkingshoes,buthavemoreroominthem.Theextraroomallowsfordifferentshapedfeetandtoesorforspecialinsertsmadetofityourfeet.

12


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For more information, please contact:

National Diabetes Education Program

www.YourDiabetesInfo.org800-438-5383

American Association of Diabetes Educators

www.diabeteseducator.org

800-TEAM-UP-4 (800-832-6874)

American Diabetes Association

www.diabetes.org

800-DIABETES (800-342-2383)

American Podiatric Medical Association

www.apma.org

800-FOOTCARE (800-366-8227)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Diabetes Translation

www.cdc.gov/diabetes

877-232-3422

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International

www.jdrf.org

800-533-CURE (800-533-2873)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesNational Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

www.niddk.nih.gov

800-860-8747

NIH PUBLICATION NO. 12-4285, REVISED JULY 2003
http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/http://www.diabeteseducator.org/http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/http://www.diabeteseducator.org/


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