Surprising Symptoms of Diabetes That Show Up In Your Feet
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If you’ve ever had a friend or family member with diabetes, you understand how scary the condition can be. Those who are diagnosed may spend the rest of their lives seeing medical professionals and taking expensive medicine to help keep their blood sugar levels in check. And failing to keep those levels in check can result in a variety of scary health issues that can affect your quality of life or even kill you outright.
Long story short, you need to always monitor yourself for signs of diabetes, especially as you get older. Unfortunately, many people don’t recognize the warning signs until it’s too late. That’s the bad news…the good news is that some of the most reliable symptoms show up on your feet. And once you know what to look for, you may be able to diagnose yourself just by looking down!
Ready to stay on top of your health? Keep reading to discover the surprising symptoms of diabetes that show up on your feet!
Foot infections
Sometimes, you can tell something is wrong with your foot just by looking at it. For example, fungal infections will make your toenails look thick and yellow. You may just have simple athlete’s foot, but persistent fungal infections may be a sign of diabetes. That’s because the infection feeds on your heightened blood sugar levels.
Diabetes can also lead to nerve damage that ensures you don’t notice an ingrown toenail until it gets infected or otherwise causes pain. Additionally, watch out for other foot infections that don’t go away or take extra effort to treat. Diabetes weakens your immune system, and this condition may keep your body from staving off infections with your usual efficiency.
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Arch collapse and changing foot shape
Be honest: does one or more of your feet look or feel different than before? If you have diabetes, your foot muscles may weaken. This can lead to your arches collapsing or your foot even changing shape entirely.
If you’re not sure if this has happened before, there are a handful of major symptoms to look out for. This includes swollen feet, warm feet, flat arches, and unstable joints. If you have any of these symptoms or just want some peace of mind, be sure to go to your doctor for an official diagnosis!
Cracked and dry skin
Plenty of people suffer from cracked and dry skin. That’s a big part of why there’s such a market for moisturizing lotions and other products designed to deal with this problem. However, most of those who have this skin problem have suffered with it for most of their lives. If you’re someone who has never had this problem and suddenly developed dry and cracking skin, you should consider it as a warning sign of diabetes.
That’s because diabetes causes poor circulation and can even cause nerve damage to your sweat glands. The effect of this is that your body is left with decreased moisture levels which leads to the kind of cracked, dry skin…a real hotbed for infection. Should you be experiencing this kind of skin for the first time, be sure to get an official diagnosis that confirms whether or not you have diabetes.
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Swollen ankles and feet
Do you suffer from swollen ankles and/or feet? There are multiple things that can affect your feet in this way, but it usually comes down to your feet retaining extra water. And one of the most common causes of fluid retention is (you guessed it) diabetes.
Why would diabetes cause fluid retention, though? In short, diabetes negatively affects the flow of blood in your body. Swollen ankles and feet may be caused by infections, bad circulation, or even kidney issues, all of which are also symptoms of diabetes. Therefore, if your own ankles or feet (or both) start swelling, it’s important to get a diagnosis ASAP.
Tingling and numbness
So far, we’ve been focusing more on the physical signs of diabetes…the things you can look down and see on your own feet. But how you feel can also be a major sign. For example, numbness or tingling of the feet is a reliable early indicator of diabetes. That’s because the high blood sugar levels in your body will damage your smaller nerves, minimizing the sensations you feel in your feet and toes.
A side effect of this nerve damage is that you might not notice things like cuts or blisters right away. So if you’re finding “surprises” like those injuries on your feet, you may have diabetes. Additionally, these damaged nerves may eventually send confused signals to your brain that cause sharp, burning pain. Such pain is usually worse at night and serves as another major warning sign that you have diabetes. Remember, if you are experiencing this or any other major health concerns, go see your doctor right away!