so my father has diabetes and a few days ago, he had a fall and his leg got badly scraped. Now its all swollen and the swelling has remained the same for the last few days. and its all red around the scratches. i know it takes longer for diabetic patients to heal but still the swelling hasnt receded a single bit. should i be patient or do we need to see a doctor? also he has liver cirhosis due to hypertension. he is 54
Hi Mum11 Yes I think you should take him to the doctor because it sounds like it might be infected.
Take him to a&e it will be quicker than going to your gp
Any foot problem for a diabetic is serious. See you doctor, or go to A&E if you can't get a quick appointment.
its not life threatening is it?
Hi. I hope not but be on the safe side.
My diabetic friend who is overweight and not very mobile is quite frequently knocking and scraping parts of her body. About eighteen months ago she scratched the front of her leg and this resulted in an ulcer that took nearly a year to heal. She had to have it dressed several times a week and because she didn't do as she was told and keep it raised she was eventually admitted to hospital but, according to her, she came out with a wound that was worse than before she went in due to it not being dressed regularly. She then decided she would do the resting that her doctor had ordered so she spent around 18 hours a day sitting with her leg up and was even provided with a special hospital bed. It was a very long time before she was able to say that it had healed, in fact, there is a small patch that still hasn't quite healed. At the moment she is back and forth to the doctor and hospital because she had a small cut underneath one of her toes that got infected and there was talk of her maybe having to have it amputated. This goes to show that even the slightest wound on a diabetic could mean having a limb removed because infection can spread so quickly. I have had diabetes for 20 years but I am not as accident prone as her (apart from fracturing my femur a year ago!)
Your father should be taken straight to his doctor or to A&E as delaying any treatment is not good.