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So living with diabetes in general is just, it’s hard. I can’t even begin to think about how hard it is. You’re told to memorize and think about all these different kinds of problems, probably dozens of times a day. And that doesn’t even count when you’re checking your blood sugar. And sometimes when you think about the foot, this becomes 11th on your 10 most important things to do in your life. And believe me, I understand that and I’d be the same way. And I’d especially be the same way. If what I had to check wasn’t hurting me, trust me when I tell you that what you can’t feel can hurt you and what you can’t feel can even kill you in the diabetic foot. And so if you just put a few little things into play every day, even just one thing, into play every day, you’ll really make a difference. And that one thing is check your feet every day. Like you comb your hair or you brush your teeth. And you would say to me, well, what do I look for? And the answer is you would know if you’re looking at your foot every day or if someone else, maybe a loved one, and if they see something that’s maybe a little different, like a little ingrown nail or some redness or a callous that’s there that wasn’t there or maybe a little bit of swelling, any kind of breakdown in the skin, then you can get in immediately to your foot specialist and call him or her and let me tell you, they will get you in. If you have diabetes, you are part of that family and those little things every day can make the difference between the life and limb. Just getting in to see your foot doctor reduces your risk of getting an amputation, especially a high level amputation by anywhere on the low end, just under 20% to on the high end, over 80% depending on what risk factors you have. Since when do you hear about numbers like that? If we just had a 5% risk reduction, that would be a blockbuster drug. What we’re talking about is blockbuster prevention, and this is something that we can do in the most low tech manner possible.
