Sparing the details, a colleague of mine recently had his big toe amputated due to diabetes. I wondered why being diabetic could lead to this as it’s common.
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A short ELI5: one of my diabetes educators explained it as, “sugar is sharp”. High blood sugar damages our circulatory system, and it’s first noticeable in our extremities. In addition our skin is more prone to infection and wounds heal slower. Combine nerve damage (I haven’t felt my toes for 20 years) with issues healing wounds and it’s easy to end up with a seriously infected toe without knowing about it until it’s too late. This is why diabetics are encouraged to examine our feet daily.
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