“Foot ulcer?”
My wife has a painful ulcer on the side of her foot. What can we do to ease her pain?
Female | 77 years old
Complaint duration: 30
Medications: bp heart insulin
Conditions: diabetic
10 Answers
Hello, Thank you for your question. We you have to evaluate you and take foot x-rays if needed. Please call our office 973-817-9577 or on our portal drtotten.com for an appointment.
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Pain associated with an ulcer is not normal, recommend for your wife to be seen at a hospital based wound center near you for consultation.
Keep pressure off it.
See a wound care specialist or podiatrist if you have not already. Ulceration can quickly turn to infection, which can turn to bone infection, abscess (pus pocket), sepsis (bacterial infection in the blood), or worse. Avoid pressure to the area and ask the doctor to give her an offloading pad to assist. The pain could indicate infection or vascular disease.
Foot ulcers in a diabetic patient are very serious and can result in loss of the leg. Your wife needs to go to a podiatrist or a wound care clinic to have the wound managed appropriately.
You must take your wife to a wound care specialist or Podiatrist. If this wound gets infected, and the infection spreads into the bones or joints, she may end up with an amputation. Weekly wound care is essential. See a specialist. Pain can be controlled through medications
What area are you in? I would recommend seeing a podiatrist for wound care. If left untreated, it can lead to an infection.
She needs to be evaluated. More than likely she has diabetes that is causing this ulcer. If this is the case, she needs, first of all, to keep her blood sugar under control and then have some surgical intervention to clean the ulcer.
Curcumin supplements have an anti-inflammatory effect and can significantly reduce pain. Since you are taking medications, it is essential that an interaction check be done prior to starting on a supplement. Curcumin is absorbed best when taken with fats or fatty foods.
Since I am a naturopathic doctor, my main goal would be to identify and treat the cause. Since you mention diabetes, the ulcer may be due to poor circulation and/or poor wound healing related to diabetes. One would need to obtain a thorough history, and possibly do more testing, to determine the cause.
Best wishes for vibrant health,
Dr. Joan Waters
Since I am a naturopathic doctor, my main goal would be to identify and treat the cause. Since you mention diabetes, the ulcer may be due to poor circulation and/or poor wound healing related to diabetes. One would need to obtain a thorough history, and possibly do more testing, to determine the cause.
Best wishes for vibrant health,
Dr. Joan Waters
The pain can have several causes. I recommend you have her evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) for diagnosis and appropriate treatment options
