The Story of Our Patient Valentino: How to Take Care of Your Feet if You Have Diabetes?

The story of our very dear patient Valentino has truly moved us. Moreover, it inspired us to share his experience to help raise awareness about the importance of proper foot care in people with diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious health condition that can severely impact a person’s life. Without regular check-ups and body monitoring, diabetes can lead to dangerous, life-threatening complications.

Among the many effects diabetes has on the body, two present major risk factors:

• Nerve damage – as a result of diabetes, sensory diabetic neuropathy occurs. This condition prevents people from feeling heat, cold, and pain.
• Blood flow inhibition – this impacts the healing process of various cuts, sores, wounds, or body traumas.

When combined, these two diabetes effects prevent people from noticing a health or body problem because they suppress the common symptoms that the body sends. 

Valentino nearly lost his foot, his leg, and possibly his life when, after a boating accident, he sustained a laceration that turned into an abscess. An abscess forms as an inflammatory reaction to a foreign substance. It characterizes with warmth in the affected area, in addition to a collection of pus.

Dr. Benjamin Tehrani, one of the top LA podiatrist, immediately understood the severity of Valentino’s condition when he first met him. After he carefully analyzed his foot state, he took action right away. Dr. Benji performed a series of extensive procedures that included skin grafting and the application of wound vacs.

Dr. Benji performed the skin grafting to cover the wound because the inhibited blood flow to the area prevented the body from doing so. Additionally, he used wound vacs to decrease air pressure and pull fluid from the wound by dressing the wound with foam before sealing it with a film cover. After he covered the wound, he connected a drainage tube under the adhesive to a portable vacuum pump.

Dr. Benji and the team at Kings Point Foot & Ankle can’t stress enough the importance of taking good care of the feet, especially in people with diabetes. As Dr. Tehrani mentions in the video, it’s imperative for people with diabetes to take care of themselves and maintain good habits that prevent them from landing in a similar situation.

To help everyone avoid this painful and traumatic experience, Dr. Benji shared a few tips on how to keep yourself on the right foot:

• Everyday feet check-ups are a must
• Trim the toenails straight across
• Be physically active
• Take medicine on a regular schedule
• Avoid smoking

To find more information on how to maintain healthy feet, please click here.