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Suggest Treatment For Foot Infection In A Diabetic Patient
Question: My husband's little toe left foot is infected and I cannot get it well. We are soaking in epson salt and putting antibiotic and bandaid on it at night. He is a diabetic and does not comply with diet or checking his sugar. He says he does not have it but 2 doctors tried to get him to take meds and keep check on his sugar level. He will not and he will not see any doctor for any thing. He also has high blood pressure. He takes cinnamon for sugar and some kind of health store blood pressure meds. There are some red streaks running up his foot and I cannot get him to go to doctor. What else can I do to heal tha that toe? It has been infected and swollen for at least several months perhaps a year. Is there an antibiotic medicine I can get at health food store ?
Brief Answer:
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
Noted your case history. He has diabetes and doesn't take medicines except cinnamon. How's his recent blood sugar test like?
If this is going on for long time, the first thing I would like to rule out is underlying bone infection called osteomyelitis. This is serious and if proven , need several week's treatment. We need to assesd his blood supply in legs and need to look at neuropathy status. Treatment is based on all these.
He need to offload. Which means, he shouldn't walk putting stress on the affected area. Next agenda would be to take an X ray to see if bone is infected. If bone is not infected then it is good news. We need to take a sample from the affected toe for bacterial culture, so that he can be on proper antibiotics.
Please convince him to go to a hospital. Without that, this wouldn't heal just by taking some antibiotics.
Regards XXXXXXX
.
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
Noted your case history. He has diabetes and doesn't take medicines except cinnamon. How's his recent blood sugar test like?
If this is going on for long time, the first thing I would like to rule out is underlying bone infection called osteomyelitis. This is serious and if proven , need several week's treatment. We need to assesd his blood supply in legs and need to look at neuropathy status. Treatment is based on all these.
He need to offload. Which means, he shouldn't walk putting stress on the affected area. Next agenda would be to take an X ray to see if bone is infected. If bone is not infected then it is good news. We need to take a sample from the affected toe for bacterial culture, so that he can be on proper antibiotics.
Please convince him to go to a hospital. Without that, this wouldn't heal just by taking some antibiotics.
Regards XXXXXXX
.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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