BLOG - REGULAR BLOG BY JANET McGROGGAN - PRINCIPAL PODIATRIST 

Posts from January 2018

People often know that it is important for people with Diabetes not to cut their own toenails but when I ask they rarely know why this is.  
 
If you do not see a podiatrist regularly e.g. every 6-8 weeks, it is important to go for an annual foot check. There are several reasons why. 
 
Increased blood glucose levels 
 
• can affect the circulation to the feet and legs causing cramps, restless legs and poor oxygen levels to the skin and muscles. 
• can cause damage to the long nerves that reach your feet. This can mean a loss of sensation (peripheral neuropathy) or heightened sensation (painful neuropathy). The longer you are Diabetic the more chance you have of developing neuropathy. 
• cause poor healing and increased chance of bacterial infection. In combination with loss of sensation this means that a minor cut can become infected very quickly. 
• create the perfect environment for fungal skin and nail infections. 
The number of people being diagnosed with diabetes is growing and I know from experience that many people feel that it is inevitable because their mother or grandfather or someone had it, but this is not necessarily true.  
 
Unfortunately, with the increases in diagnoses comes an increase in complacency towards the disease and indeed many people have a limited understanding of diabetes. 
 
So, What Exactly is Diabetes? 
For my first blog of 2018 I would love to tell you about what a person has to do to become a podiatrist…. 
 
My career began when I was 25 years old. I had not yet gone to university as I was really unsure what I wanted to do/be….  
 
I had tried many jobs and still felt a bit lost and then I met a Podiatrist!! 
People often ask me if I get sick cutting nails all day, I think they visualise a room of older people with their stockings and slippers off waiting for me to ‘to the rounds’.  
 
Well, no I don’t get sick of cutting toenails, but I certainly do not do it all day. It is not a cosmetic procedure and another people often ask me is ‘can I do their fingernails’. 
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