Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Tips » Tips to Prevent Amputation for Diabetics with Osteomyelitis

Tips to Prevent Amputation for Diabetics with Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a serious infection of the bone that can happen to people with impaired immune systems. People at risk for osteomyelitis are people who have suffered trauma, have had bone surgery, have sickle cell anemia, are diabetic, are on dialysis, or have a disease of the immune system. Sometimes in an injury or even in surgery a bacterial infection can invade the living tissue of the bone. Normally, a person might not be susceptible to a bone infection, like osteomyelitis, but diabetics are sometimes susceptible to other conditions which could put them in danger of having such an infection. If someone with diabetes were to get a septic infection, the infection could invade the joints and bones. People with impaired immune systems are more likely to suffer from osteomyelitis.

If you have acute osteomyelitis, you do have a serious infection, but it is curable. You would most likely be hospitalized and give IV antibiotics for a few days, and then you would be released home on oral antibiotics. If you have a case of osteomyelitis that doesn’t get well, it is probably chronic, and this condition is much more serious.

Being diabetic, you are at risk for an infection, like osteomyelitis if you have had surgery near a bone, which includes oral surgery. You could be vulnerable if you received a dog bite, or if you were involved in an auto accident which caused an an injury that caused a bone fracture to protrude through the skin. You can get osteomyelitis in any part of your skeletal system, such as your jaw, skull, vertebra, and bones of the extremities. Because you are diabetic, you are more at risk of developing gangrene in the area that is infected with osteomyelitis. Some people who have chronic osteomyelitis have had to have their limbs amputated. The following tips may be able to help people who have this bone infection.

You can’t always prevent an infection, like osteomyelitis, but, you may be able to if you wash your hands frequently and don’t touch any open areas with your unwashed hands. It is also important that any care givers wash their hands before touching your, if you have wounds that need treating. In fact, anyone touching any wounds should wear gloves to protect you from infection.

If you have caregivers, who are going to be putting their hands on you, to treat you for osteomyelitis, do not be afraid to ask them to wash their hands, if they approach you without washing. You may have to be proactive to protect yourself from getting a worse infection than you are being treated for.

If you have osteomyelitis, you are likely to be in constant pain in the area of the infection. Your skin may be red and swollen in that area, and there may also be heat from the inflammation. It is important to take your meds as ordered for the infection, and you should also take your pain meds as needed. Don’t try to wait too long for for the pain to get too severe, because the pain medicine may not be enough to help relieve the pain. It is often better to take your pain meds by the time you feel moderate pain, so that the analgesic can be effective to relieve your pain.

Be sure to check your blood glucose levels fairly often while you have an infection such as this, because when you have an infection your blood sugar levels will most likely go very high. Your doctor may ask you to test your glucose level with a glucometer at least every two hours while awake. Thus, if you have a blood glucose level that is 240 mg/dl or higher, be sure to check your urine for the presence of ketones. The presence of ketones in your urine means that your body is breaking down your tissues to provide glucose for your brain and all cells of all your organ systems, and if your urine is positive for ketones, you need to notify your health care professional immediately.

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