Martin is now unable to work and suffers ongoing pain while he cannot walk unaided
A man with severe diabetes had to undergo amputation after wearing wrongly fitted wedding shoes that were too tight for him. According to doctors, 61-year-old Martin Ralph was given a new pair of orthotic footwear for his big day and wore them despite the initial discomfort. However, he went to the doctor since he had pain in his foot. However, Martin says he was told that the shoes just needed “breaking in” and wore them as he tied the knot. Martin, however, had to change out of them after a few hours after they left his feet in agony.
A few weeks later, he had to go to the hospital again with a big abscess on his right big toe, where dead tissue was removed and his toe was washed out. Doctors then also had to make a decision to amputate the infected toe.
But Martin’s ordeal did not just end there. Over the next four years, the father-of-four developed further issues with his foot and ended up losing three more toes. He has now been left unable to work and suffers ongoing pain while he cannot walk unaided.
According to experts, diabetics often require wider-fitted footwear, as tight ones can lead to corns and affect blood and nerve supply to the feet. “I had measurements taken at Amersham Hospital, but they were measured too small. I told them at the time of fitting that they were too small. Three times I went back, but I was told by the lady who did the measurements I just had to wear them in. Halfway through the wedding day, one foot was getting particularly sore. I had to change into my boots,” he told The Mirror.
“When I tried the shoes again, even going out the door, I was struggling. Whenever I came home, it was a relief to take them off; they were that tight,” he added.
Martin now keeps getting blisters, which get infected from time to time and have now spread up his right leg, fearing that it too may need amputation. “The doctor said it was infected, and we got antibiotics, but then this red line started to appear, and it went up my leg,” he said.
How does diabetes affect your feet?
According to doctors, complications due to diabetes include nerve damage and poor blood circulation, which can in the long run cause skin sores or ulcers on the feet that can get worse quickly.
Doctors say when you get a foot ulcer, it is important to get care immediately, as most lower leg and foot removals begin with foot ulcers. An ulcer that does not heal causes severe damage to tissues and bone and may require surgical removal or amputation of a toe, a foot, or part of a leg. Some people with diabetes are at higher risk than others. A few factors that lead to a higher risk of amputation include:
- High blood sugar levels
- Smoking
- Nerve damage in the feet
- Calluses or corns
- Foot deformities
- Poor blood circulation to the arms and legs
- A history of foot ulcers
- A past amputation
- Vision problems
- Kidney disease
- High blood pressure, above 140/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)
Ways to prevent foot ulcers
The best way to prevent complications of diabetes, which include foot ulcers, is to manage your blood sugar levels. Doctors say it includes:
- Check your feet once a day for blisters, cuts, cracks, sores, redness, tenderness, or swelling.
- Washing your feet in lukewarm water once a day and make sure to dry as well
- Put talcum powder or cornstarch between your toes to keep the skin dry
- To avoid hurting your skin, do not use a nail file, nail clipper, or scissors on calluses, corns or warts
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Cut your nails straight across
- Do not walk barefoot, even around your house.
- Wear socks made of material that pulls sweat away from your skin—like cotton and special acrylic fibres
- Buy comfortable shoes that provide support and cushioning for the heel, arch, and ball of the foot.
