Men with Diabetes Are Required To Take Action

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It’s kind of a social norm: we expect that most men are going to be hesitant to deal with a health problem, even if they’ve been experiencing symptoms for a while. Think of the husband who doesn’t tell his spouse that he’s had some chest pain for a couple of days and then ends up in the hospital with a life-threatening arrhythmia.

Pain in your feet is not usually life-threatening. However, there’s one disease that can show up in your feet that should never be ignored. In honor of Men’s Health Month, observed every year in June, all of us at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center want to focus on getting men to act if they see signs of this dangerous disease or if they’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes.

Act if you have symptoms

Get to your doctor if you notice any of these general symptoms of diabetes:

  • increased need to urinate
  • thirsty all the time
  • feelings of fatigue
  • feeling hungry more often than usual
  • blurry vision.

Symptoms that often appear in your feet include

  • numbness
  • tingling
  • unexplained pain
  • cuts that are slow to heal.

Act if you already know you’ve got it

Men who already know they’ve got diabetes can also be guilty of not making or keeping their doctor appointments. This is nothing less than a recipe for disaster. Take the following actions when you have diabetes:

  • Have your blood sugar levels tested as often as your doctor recommends
  • Get exercise daily - this is a proven way to slow the progress of damage that high blood glucose causes to your nerves and blood vessels
  • Quit smoking
  • Never go barefoot
  • Perform a twice-daily foot check
  • Have your feet professionally evaluated by a podiatrist at least once per year.

Make your health a priority

Guys, we know you have a list of excuses why you put off going to the doctor. But recognizing the symptoms of diabetes and treating them quickly and responsibly really can make the difference between good health and health failure.

Let us help you. If you live in Monmouth County, New Jersey and have diabetes symptoms, make an appointment to have your feet checked by board-certified podiatrists Samantha Boyd, DPM, Hal Ornstein, DPM or Joseph Saka, DPM. We have offices in Howell and Jackson and offer late and Saturday hours for your convenience. Call us at (732) 905-1110.