That’s me 5 years ago at my baby shower celebrating the pending birth of my daughter Clara. I was suffering with gestational diabetes which had been diagnosed in my 36th week of pregnancy. 
The afternoon tea party that my friends had organised for me and the cakes and sandwiches that I was SO looking forward to, were exchanged for vegetable soup, crustless quiche and a side salad as I desperately tried to diet control the diabetes in my final weeks of pregnancy.
My form of diabetes was caused by pregnancy hormones suppressing insulin production which causes an increase in blood sugar, extreme thirst and fatigue, excess amniotic fluid and extra large babies!!!
Luckily, mine and Clara’s blood sugars normalised within a few days of giving birth and the diabetes was short lived, however having a family history of diabetes, coupled with gestational diabetes makes me 7 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in later life, which is quite scary!
My Great Uncle Wally suffered from chronic foot ulcers and infections which were a direct consequence of diabetes and eventually he had to have a below knee amputation. It’s incredible that 1 in 4 people who suffer with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and of those that end up with a lower limb amputation, only 50% will survive beyond 3 years. 
As a Podiatrist, a large part of my training and continued professional development includes learning about the catastrophic long term effects that diabetes can have on peoples’ systemic health and feet and how I can best manage diabetic foot complications in my patients.
I am extremely proud of the depth of knowledge and expertise of diabetes in my team and of the crucial role they play in educating the public and our patients about diabetic foot health.
At Active Step our Podiatrists provide preventative treatment and specialist management of diabetic foot complications and I encourage anyone who suffers with any form of diabetes to seek advice from an HCPC registered Podiatrist about how to keep their feet healthy!
Stay safe and feel free to check our services for our range of treatments that can support you.
