I love getting feedback from the emails that I send out. For one, I know that some people are reading them. But I also get to know that people are helped with the information that are in them. That’s my mission and why I send them out week after week after week.
Last week, I sent out an email entitled 5 Hereditary Foot Conditions You Can Fight and Win. If you didn’t read it yet, click on the link and check it out. BUT BEWARE…there is a graphic picture of a diabetic foot ulcer along with the article on the website. I neglected to mention last week. I’ll try to be mindful of pictures like that and will try to include a warning in the future. Thanks to those of you who touched base with me.
Here’s the thing…I’m a bit desensitized to pictures like that. As bad as they look in a picture, a diabetic foot ulcer is SO MUCH WORSE when you see it in person. And unfortunately I see them all the time. I'm pretty insistent that people with diabetes should come in for preventative care. It has been proven that regular visits to the podiatrist prevent diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetic foot ulcers can lead to infection. Infection spreads to the bone. And it only gets worse from there.
I’ve been using a new treatment to heal diabetic foot ulcers that has been very promising. I’d like to share this information with you. Even if you don’t have diabetes, I’m sure you know someone who does. And knowing treatments like this exist can save their limb or even their life.
There are many products available to treat and heal diabetic foot ulcers. These range from foam dressings to collagen dressings. We even use manufactured skin substitutes. All of these fill in the defect of the diabetic foot ulcer and helps the body heal around it. But what if we didn't have to use something foreign? What if we were able to use factors in your own blood to heal the diabetic foot ulcer.
That is exactly what we have been doing with an innovative system called ActiGraft. We draw two vials of blood in the office and within 15 minutes, a clot is formed. It is this clot that is applied to the wound.
What’s in the clot? It’s more than just blood! It serves as a protective covering for the diabetic foot ulcer. This prevents bacteria from invading. It serves as a scaffold to allow the wound to build healing tissue as it heals. It also creates the perfect environment for the wound to heal. Because it is all derived from your blood, there’s no inflammatory response to deal with.
So far, the results I’ve seen using ActiGraft to heal diabetic foot ulcers have been impressive. All that said, I hope you never need to use this incredible technology. Do you know someone who has been fighting a diabetic foot ulcer? Please consider passing along this information to them. You can help save a limb. It can even save a life.
Of course, if you're diabetic and haven't been in for a while, give us a call to schedule an appointment. If you are concerned that you are developing a diabetic foot ulcer, that's an emergency! When you call, let us know that you're worried about a diabetic foot ulcer. We will get you in for an immediate appointment.
