Edit: title was meant to say "a" not "and"
I'm m 25, and was only diagnosed back in july with an a1c of 9.2 Since then, I've brought it down to a 5.8 with intense food restrictions & metformin 2x daily. But I am absolutely terrified of diabetic ulcers in my feet. I have feeling in my feet, I only
It's not guaranteed or inevitable. Keep your A1C in range, make sure you're testing regularly, and check your feet daily and you'll be fine.
If your diabetes is controlled and you have feeling in your feet, issues like that are unlikely. The people with the horrible foot problems generally have little or no feeling so they don't notice when an injury occurs, then the sugar on their skin and in their blood fuels the growth of yeast, etc. Bad news. But for your peace of mind. If you have someone at home who can, just have them do a quick feet inspection for you daily.
My Grandfather had diabetes for about 40 years, before it was cool. No pump, no CGM, not even a pen for most of the time. Died in the 1990s with 84, all his toes still attached. No ulcers, both eyes working fine.
Granted, he was a very disciplined man. He had a very strict diet and exercise plan, did his morning calisthenics every day from his time in WW2 to 14 days before he died, walked 10km or more in the afternoon no matter the weather. He was the embodiment of the 'both ways uphill' meme.
I'll never have his discipline but with my efforts to mimick at least some of his exercise and the technical support we have today, I'm satisfied with my HbA1C, have no neurological or other issues after 13 years of late onset T1 and hope I can grow old free of surplus body holes.
What's your exercise routine?
I’m not who you were responding to, but my uncle is 76 and diagnosed maybe 35 years ago. His main exercise was walking 5 miles, 5 days a week. He slowed down a bit after he fell last year, but still does 2-3 miles about every other day. Just walking and sticking to his diet like 90% of the time, he’s in better shape than most of us.
I’m 47 and was diagnosed about 10 years ago. I try to follow my uncle’s example, but I have my moments. I had a little numbness and tingling in my feet at first, but it cleared up a few months after starting meds and a healthier lifestyle. I see the podiatrist and get an eye exam every year, see my doctor every 3-6 months for labs, and don’t have many complaints about it anymore.
Mainly the walking part. An hour each day, either in one go or 20 min after each meal, which also helps with the spikes.
It's nothing fancy but that's the point - I can do it no matter what.
I think since you’ve caught it early (your still pretty young) and taking all the correct steps thus far and it appears you have things under control, I would say you should be ok. I feel those who have issues don’t pay attention or pay attention too late.
Don't walk around the house barefooted. I did recently and instantly knew I did something to my foot got blisters that got hard and now I need to call foot doctor.
Oh I stopped doing that years ago 😭 I walked outside to get the mail, stepped on stinging nettle growing by my steps.
I'll tell you, at that moment I WISHED I didn't have feeling in my foot
I wear a cheap pair of wannabe crocs I found at dollar tree after I had a toe amputated in April. The one day I didn't wear them to walk to the kitchen and I end up with a bruise on the side of my foot 🤦🏼
Keep your A1c under control and you can live to 100 without ever having diabetic ulcers or neuropathy.
The worst cases are always people who had an A1c of 11 for 25 years and only got serious when stuff started rotting off. For those, the saying in medicine is “Fem pop, chop chop chop” bc they end up having vascular problems that lead to femoropopliteal bypass surgery. After which they develop ulcers and have a foot amputated, followed by a “below the knee” amputation, and finally an “above the knee amputation” due to poor circulation and infection. It’s gallows humor but accurate gallows humor.
But if you do your part, it’s absolutely not a guarantee.
Please get yourself better socks and boots. Poor circulation due to compression is bad for all people, especially for diabetics
This right here! OP posted about wearing tight socks and boots but you should invest in some better fitting socks and shoes OP. I would also add to think about orthotics. I have them and it makes a world of difference in how my feet feel.
I've been type 1 for 33 years, never had an ulcer. The most important thing is to keep an eye out for injuries, sores, or blisters. Keep your feet clean and dry, and I wouldn't wear tight clothing.
At your age and with your a1c, you really have morning to worry about. Just take care of yourself!
It's been over 10 years since I was diagnosed, never had an issue. FWIW I'm 47.
Control your sugar and stay at least remotely active. Get decent socks and shoes too, and maybe some lotion. I have Amazon Basics lotion and bike a lot, no issues. I don't wear diabetic specific shoes either, my main ones are some old Vans.
The shoe thing kills me. I work with animals so I wear heavy duty boots to save my feet from being splashed with God knows what + crushed, but the cuffs are always tight around the ankle for what's in my budget
Keep it controlled and check your feet everyday and you should be ok. I got a bone infection due to bad boots and now I’m probably more anal about my feet than I am anything else
They're not a guarantee but healing would be slower in diabetics even with good control. Damage is cumulative so it might be many years before an issue would arise but checking feet twice a day gives you a routine and a baseline to notice any changes that might begin.
I'm a runner, so i get calluses just like regular people, live in hawaii barfoot and flip flops (slippers as we call them) -- if you have normal blood sugar you don't need to worry. I also have some slight numbness.
As someone extremely well controlled and under 40, I’m telling you to go get your feet checked now by a neurologist and/or podiatrist (preferably podiatrist first then neuro) if you’re having any symptoms of neuropathy - even if you think it’s circulation. I assumed my socks were too tight, my shoes were bad, etc and was very wrong.
I was a rock climber and a dancer, and at 35 out of nowhere I started with numbness in my big toe. Despite never having an A1C over 6.0, and having it as low as 5.3 at times, it spread anyway the last 5 years, and I’ve lost 30-40% of my peripheral nerves in my feet.
They assumed it diabetic neuropathy, and I’m testing still to determine if there’s a cause for it, but when I tell you I WISH I had gone and had it checked out sooner! Most reasons for neuropath
The circulation has been something I've always wondered about because I tend to have alot of weird issues in my limbs, but I also fell off a ladder at work a few years ago and I'm pretty sure I have a pinched nerve, because I have sciatica that kinda comes & goes.
I am currently seeing a cardiologist to check out my heart, due to my family history. So far, everything looks fine. Stress test came back good, EKG's all looked fine, And I am scheduled for an Echo later this month
Sounds like you're ok. IF you are that interested in doing a vascular test, something called an ankle-brachial index, is pretty good at screening. But know that peripheral vascular disease is heavily multifactorial (hypertension, high cholesterol ect).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFYx6JzW8VY
Symptom wise you will see hair loss, shinny shins, and of course the sensory/pain symptoms which are more obvious.
Keep regularly checking up w your docs. good on you for keeping up.
I'm more than 20+ years post-dx and still haven't had any foot ulcers. That said, I do footcare several times a week (pumice, foot lotion, inspection) and stay in treatment.
this is the right approach.
i’m uncontrolled and have no issues
They are NOT guaranteed! I've been diabetic for 37 years, and my neuropathy went away. I don't know why or how, but I've been well-controlled for about 8 years. I had one foot ulcer, when my leg was broken in three places. I had to go to wound care for a while, but it healed well. Keep your sugars controlled as well as you can, ask for help if you can't, and check your feet regularly.
Oh god how did you break your leg like that
I was sleepwalking... My mom heard me hit the floor.
You should also consider your exercise habits. This can help with blood flow, blood sugar control and nerve function, all of which will help prevent ulcers, on top of your diet and meds.
I stay relatively active. I wouldn't say I'm perfectly athletic but I walk & move alot for my job
I'm a thirty year diabetic T1 and no feet problems
With diabetes, or life in general, nothing is guaranteed. Death is inevitable at some point. Take care of yourself the best that you can and hopefully you won't have issues. You're still relatively young and if you stay on track you should be fine.
Diabetic ulcers are the result of lack of control. Keep your blood sugar controlled and you can avoid the negative symptoms.
ulcers are not inevitable.
Control your blood sugars. Start now.
Ulcers take a long time of poor control to develop and worsen into amputations. taking care of your feet is important, but it's more important to control your blood sugar. Keep your blood sugar in the normal range or as close to it as you can manage. That will protect you from ulcers and amputation. And it's possible the numbness may improve or heal.
Those posts you're reading are from people who have not controlled their blood sugars.
I estimate I was diabetic about 10 years before a doctor diagnosed me. I had a numb spot developing on my big toe and, I learned later, I was also developing retina damage. Within several months, I got my act together and began testing regularly, changing my diet, and getting exerc
My dad is 75 and he’s been a diabetic for 20-30 years. He hasn’t had an ulcer yet. He also doesn’t have any neuropathy. He’s very diligent about checking his blood glucose 5 times a day and he’s on insulin. He keeps his A1c below 7 most of the time. There is a time here and there where it’s gone up and meds needed to be adjusted
It can be b12 deficiency due to metformin. I got mine from 8.7 to 5.2 and I was having similar issues on my big toe but I found out I was deficient in b12. I now take b12 supplements and alpha lipoic acid supplements to help with that.