Amputation is a higher risk for those with diabetes, which is reduced by 50 percent by seeking medical attention at a wound center. OSF HealthCare Holy Family Wound Care Clinic Director Audra Baker explains signs and symptoms to watch for:
“If you are a diabetic, first thing is to make sure that you are checking your feet. Those who aren’t diabetic can have all the sensation in our feet. When you’re diabetic, you can develop what is called diabetic neuropathy, and so you don’t know perhaps that you have stepped on something, you don’t know that you have an ulcer that is brewing because you can’t feel it, so that is why foot checks are so important. Sometimes diabetics have other comorbidities, such as cardiovascular issues, so it is so important that you really are proactive with your health and that when you do see a sign of any type of an ulcer, any type of a breakdown, something that doesn’t look right, talk to your primary care doctor, talk to your podiatrist.”
Referrals are not needed to seek care at the wound clinic at OSF Holy Family Medical Center.
