Diabetic patients need to take extra care of their feet during the monsoon season and should not walk barefoot since the soil almost turns into a reservoir for all types of germs during the rains
Though people with diabetes require care throughout the year. Diabetic patients must take extra during monsoons. During the monsoon, it is advisable not to eat out or at roadside stalls, mainly because one rarely knows how clean the cook is or where they get the water they use for cooking.
Dr Roshani Gadge, Diabetologist consultant, Gadge Diabetes Centre lists out monsoon care tips for diabetes patients...
- Wash fruits and vegetables before you eat them. Carry some snacks if you are going to stay outdoors for a longer duration.
- Including garlic, pepper, ginger, turmeric, jeera powder and coriander in your diet as it helps in reducing indigestion problems and improves your immune system.
- Diabetic patients need to take extra care of their feet during the monsoon season and should not walk barefoot since the soil almost turns into a reservoir for all types of germs during the rains.
- Do not use hard plastic footwear commonly used for monsoon
- Avoiding walking in puddles and dirty water this monsoon. take a shower once you get home taking care to wash the crevices between your toes thoroughly.
- Diabetics are more prone to catch the infections. Moreover, their feet get numbed and the sensation of pain caused by damage due to infection does not reach them. In monsoon, repeated wetting of shoes the need to wear socks for long periods of time increases the risk of infections. When you wipe your wet feet, make sure that the area between the toes is cleaned with a dry towel.
- After coming from home from rain, wash your feet thoroughly with soap.
- In monsoon, the chances of scrapes, bruises, cuts, calluses and corns increase. Swelling of feet and redness are some of other complications possible during monsoon. So, keep examining your feet for any signs of these. Any sort of itchiness, dryness and scaly feeling should not be taken lightly. Consult a podiatrist in case you notice these symptoms.
- Do not stop your exercise routine in monsoon. Every day minimum 30 minutes of exercise is very important to keep your blood sugar under control.
- Water-borne diseases are quite common during monsoon. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea associated with water-borne diseases lead to loss of appetite and even fluid loss from the body. This leads to dehydration and low caloric intake. In this situation, if the dose of ongoing diabetes medications if continued can lead to hypoglycemia. Consult your doctor if you have any of the above symptoms.
- It is best to wear loose cotton clothes and use anti-fungal talcum powder in areas prone to fungal infections.
- Long-standing diabetic patients or who have very fluctuating blood sugar are more susceptible to infections. So be sure to stick to your meal plan and exercise routine, and monitor sugar levels routinely.
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