Diabetic Foot Treatment - Symptoms, Cost, and Care -----

If you have diabetes and experience numb feet sometimes, it’s not unusual. In this article, we talk about what diabetic foot is, how it’s caused, the treatment cost in India, and GMoney loans for medical treatments, among other things. Read on to know more!

Diabetic foot ulcers affect a whopping 15-25% of diabetic patients. It’s essential for you to be aware of pre-diabetic foot symptoms and the various diabetic foot treatment options so that you can seek medical help in the early stages.

What is diabetic foot?

You might wonder, what does diabetes have to do with the feet?

People with diabetes have an increased blood glucose level, which leads to higher-than-usual blood pressure. Prolonged or uncontrolled diabetes can cause this high blood pressure to damage the nerves and blood vessels of your feet, leading to loss of sensation and injuries, referred to as diabetic foot.

When to see a doctor for diabetic foot?

Diabetic foot presents with symptoms like numbness, tingling, pain, or loss of sensation in the foot that can be hard to catch initially.

  • If you have diabetic neuropathy, that is, nerve damage due to diabetes, you might not realize when you get a foot injury, like a cut, ulcer, shoe bite, or blister.
  • If these injuries are left untreated for a long period, lack of blood flow to your feet and generalized reduced immunity due to diabetes can cause severe infection in the area. If the infection worsens, the tissues and muscles of your feet begin to necrose, turning black.
  • If you’re unaware of or ignore the signs and symptoms of diabetic foot, the condition will likely progress and get more severe, possibly resulting in foot amputation.

Source: mayoclinic

Causes of diabetic foot

The primary cause of diabetic foot pains is long-standing high blood sugar levels due to diabetes. If your blood sugar is high for long periods, you develop chronic high blood pressure, which damages the nerves and vessels of your feet.

However, diabetic foot ulcers or diabetic foot infections can be triggered by other factors in diabetic patients, like:

Experiences of people with diabetic foot

Sonia,

55

It was hard to take my doctor seriously when he initially warned me about all the symptoms and preventative measures of diabetic foot."

Sonia, a 55-year-old female who coped with foot amputation secondary to diabetes.

“After having diabetes for almost 14 years, I was used to my condition. Even when I started experiencing foot numbness and ulcers, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I thought it would go away on its own. When I finally visited the doctor, my diabetic foot infection was already severe, and my foot was turning black.

The doctor took some scans to check the extent of the infection and said that amputation was our only choice. While I was already devastated with the news, I could not even imagine how I would pay the medical costs of the treatment now.

That’s when the doctor suggested using GMoney to pay my medical bills. At first, it seemed too good to be true considering their hassle-free process and no-cost EMI benefit. But the process was genuinely very smooth, and I am grateful that a facility like this exists for healthcare payments now.”

While numbness of feet and small calluses are easy to overlook, there are some other signs you can watch out for to recognize the onset of diabetes-related neuropathy (nerve damage) in your feet.

Soham,

52

I work as a clerk at an office, and by the time I go home at night, I’m too tired to care about most things. My diabetic foot symptoms started with corn on the sole of my big toe, which I would cut out myself.

Soham, a 52-year-old male, shares the symptoms he experienced before he was told that he might need a foot amputation.

“Soon, my big toe lost its hair and started turning slightly dark. There was pain and tingling in my toe, which made it hard for me to do my job well, so I went to see a doctor. He asked me if I could feel heat and cold changes in my feet, and I hadn’t noticed that I no longer could.

I regret not being more aware of these little things I should have looked out for to treat the infection earlier. Lack of awareness has cost me my foot.”

Symptoms of diabetic foot

If you have diabetes, you should look out for one or more of these symptoms of diabetes-related neuropathy or diabetic foot infection:

You should consult your doctor immediately if you notice anything abnormal about your foot health, like changes in the skin or toenails, cuts, bruises, or calluses.

Cost of diabetic foot treatment in India

Naturally, the cost of diabetic foot treatment will vary according to the severity of your infection and your doctor or hospital. However, on average, you can expect to pay anywhere from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakhs for diabetic foot treatment in India. You can expect a similar range of payments in other large cities

CityCost
Pune₹40,000 to ₹70,000
Bengaluru₹40,000 to ₹90,000
Gurgaon/Gurugram₹20,000 to ₹5,00,000
New Delhi₹30,000 to ₹2,00,000
Kolkata₹40,000 to ₹60,000
Chennai₹40,000 to ₹60,000
Indore₹70,000 to ₹5,00,000
Noida₹30,000 to ₹2,00,000
Mumbai₹20,000 to ₹5,00,000

This number is a broad range because it depends on several variables like whether you visit a private or a government hospital and whether or not a hospital stay is required. The cost of care and medication for diabetic patients is already pretty high, and the added amount of this treatment can easily consume your savings.

So, instead, you can consider taking a loan or using no-cost medical EMI options like GMoney to pay for your treatment.

How to pay for diabetic foot treatment with no-cost EMI?

In a medical emergency, the last thing you want to worry about is money. You want to ensure your loved ones are safe and well cared for. With GMoney, you can rest assured as it provides: -

Quality Healthcare

GMoney makes quality healthcare accessible to all individuals. Now, you don’t have to worry about being financially prepared for a medical emergency or a large medical bill.

Instant disbursal

GMoney provides instant disbursals for medical treatments without collaterals and deposits money to the hospital on your behalf even before the treatment.

No-cost EMI

This money can later be repaid by you in a no-cost EMI scheme. This way, you can focus on your health and recovery, or the recovery of your close ones, and repay the medical amount in installments later.

Some other benefits of using GMoney include:

How can I protect my feet if I have diabetes?​

The best thing to do for your feet, and to avoid complications of diabetes, is to control your blood sugar levels as advised by your doctor.

  • You should regularly check your sugar levels and blood pressure and take your prescribed medication responsibly.

Source: cdc.gov

Here are some other things you can do to prevent diabetic foot:

If you’re already experiencing symptoms of diabetic foot, you must visit your doctor as soon as possible.

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