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Worried- type 3C and been put on antibiotics for an infection in my toe.

Relationship to Diabetes
Type 3c
Hello everyone, I was diagnosed with type 3C diabetes (Essentially treated exactly the same way and is type 1 diabetes, just from external damage to the pancreas) on the 7th October 2024 so am still pretty new to this.

Around about 7 days ago the toe next to my little toe on my left foot was very itchy in the night, so I itched it, but when I looked in the morning I had somehow torn a pretty big hole across the toe in the skin.

I left it for 5 days to see how it healed, but my toe turned purple and the little toe next to it also started to go purple.

My GP was great and told me to come straight along for an emergency appointment. Long story short I have been put on the highest dose of flucloxacillin and have to go back on Friday for the nurse to see if it is healing.

I am quite worried as this is the first thing to do with my feet that has happened since my diagnosis, and I saw and old school friend the other month who had to have his toe amputated due to his diabetes.

With the antibiotics should my toe heal normally? I am really frightened something bad will happen so any support is much appreciated.
 
Flucloxacillin is an effective antibiotic @conanthewarrior Take the full course as directed and just keep an eye on your toes. Any concerns, seek medical advice. You might find the Flucloxacillin messes with your blood sugars a bit so you should also keep an eye on that and adjust your insulin if needed. Keeping good control of your diabetes will aid healing.
 
Flucloxacillin is an effective antibiotic @conanthewarrior Take the full course as directed and just keep an eye on your toes. Any concerns, seek medical advice. You might find the Flucloxacillin messes with your blood sugars a bit so you should also keep an eye on that and adjust your insulin if needed. Keeping good control of your diabetes will aid healing.
I will make sure to take the full course.
It is strange you mention it effecting blood sugar as I had my worst hypo yet yesterday, I had two hypos in one day. I will make sure to keep good control of it.
 
Hi. Sorry to hear you have a poorly foot. Did you treat the injury with anything when you first discovered it? Having a first aid kit at home to treat any cuts, wounds or blisters is important, to preventing things getting to the stage of needing antibiotics. It doesn't have to be anything terribly expensive or complex, but I always have a roll of surgical tape (Micropore) and a tube of Germolene and a few blister plasters and cotton wool pads and some gauze and some Betadine/Dettol/Hibiscrub to clean and treat any injuries, particularly my hands and feet, although I also use the Germolene on any developing facial spots I discover and they are usually gone by the next day or the day after if I catch them before they break the surface. Worth putting one together if you don't already have one, because we really need to be very proactive in looking after our hands and feet particularly, as diabetics.

I hope the Antibiotics are effective and you see an improvement soon. Stimulating blood flow is also important because the blood cleans the infection site from the inside, so walking if you are able without causing extra abrasion to the skin or any other exercises to stimulate the blood flow to your feet will be helpful in keeping them healthier and enable them to heal quicker.
 
Hello and welcome (to the forum not diabetes). I wad going to say you have had diabetes for such a short time there was no chance of a circulation problem but then read your back story. Both alcohol abuse and smoking (no idea if you ever did) can cause circulation issues over time. so I would suggest you are checked for PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease) with a Doppler and doing an ABPI (Ankle-Brachial Pressure Index).

Flucloxacillin is an efective antibiotic buit can have side effects. Besides afeecrting BGs I find the 1000mg dose caused a very muggy head that 500mg did not. It also kills off the good bacteria in the stomach so after finishing the course try and include some probiotic foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, et. The jury is out about taking them with antibiotics as some may affect absorption.

You mention blue toes. This was a sign of Covid Toe which was the start of my current and ongoing issues so a quick Covid test may be worthwhile. If you read my thread do bear in mind I have been Type I since Billy Fury and the Beatles were in the charts, and BG finger prick testing was around 20 years away and then you only got 25 strips for six months!
 
Hi. Sorry to hear you have a poorly foot. Did you treat the injury with anything when you first discovered it? Having a first aid kit at home to treat any cuts, wounds or blisters is important, to preventing things getting to the stage of needing antibiotics. It doesn't have to be anything terribly expensive or complex, but I always have a roll of surgical tape (Micropore) and a tube of Germolene and a few blister plasters and cotton wool pads and some gauze and some Betadine/Dettol/Hibiscrub to clean and treat any injuries, particularly my hands and feet, although I also use the Germolene on any developing facial spots I discover and they are usually gone by the next day or the day after if I catch them before they break the surface. Worth putting one together if you don't already have one, because we really need to be very proactive in looking after our hands and feet particularly, as diabetics.

I hope the Antibiotics are effective and you see an improvement soon. Stimulating blood flow is also important because the blood cleans the infection site from the inside, so walking if you are able without causing extra abrasion to the skin or any other exercises to stimulate the blood flow to your feet will be helpful in keeping them healthier and enable them to heal quicker.
Thank you, yes I did put some cream on that my Mum had that was for wounds, I can't remember the name as she is not in at the moment but it was a prescription one so a strong one.
We also do have a first aid box in a cupboard with plasters, germolene, bandages, tape etc.

I will try walking more to stimulate blood flow and am very thankful for your helpful reply.

Hello and welcome (to the forum not diabetes). I wad going to say you have had diabetes for such a short time there was no chance of a circulation problem but then read your back story. Both alcohol abuse and smoking (no idea if you ever did) can cause circulation issues over time. so I would suggest you are checked for PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease) with a Doppler and doing an ABPI (Ankle-Brachial Pressure Index).

Flucloxacillin is an efective antibiotic buit can have side effects. Besides afeecrting BGs I find the 1000mg dose caused a very muggy head that 500mg did not. It also kills off the good bacteria in the stomach so after finishing the course try and include some probiotic foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, et. The jury is out about taking them with antibiotics as some may affect absorption.

You mention blue toes. This was a sign of Covid Toe which was the start of my current and ongoing issues so a quick Covid test may be worthwhile. If you read my thread do bear in mind I have been Type I since Billy Fury and the Beatles were in the charts, and BG finger prick testing was around 20 years away and then you only got 25 strips for six months!
Hello to you too 🙂 , well my back story is troubled, its not just alcohol I was also a heroin addict- 5 years clean, but have damaged the veins from injecting in my arms so badly, that they could not find a vein in my arms even with an ultrasound machine, so managed to cannulate me in my foot when I was in hospital on the sliding scale/insulin pump.
I did smoke until around the age of 24 when I switched to vaping- I collect mods and have 45 of them and over 100 tanks and drippers.

I will look into PAD and see if I need to be checked for it, thank you for letting me know.

You mention it effecting BG, yesterday I had 3 hypos and so far today have had 2- I usually have them once in a blue moon so it must be effecting it.
Thank you for the recommendation of probiotics, I will make sure to get some natural yoghurt with live bacteria to try and help my gut when I finish this course.

Yes my toe and the toe next to it went purple not blue, but I believe this to be due to the infection and not Covid. Today my toes seem to have calmed down a lot, they are no longer purple but the wound is still there.

You mention before BG finger prick testing, how did you control your blood sugar without being able to know what it is? Genuine question as I am quite intrigued.
 
A little update, I have been back to the Dr's twice for them to review the wound- it is currently dressed but each time I have gone it is not getting better, but it also thankfully is getting no worse.

My Mum bought me some of that expensive Manuka honey, which is meant to be great for wounds, so I will likely apply some later and put a fresh dressing over it.
 
A little update, I have been back to the Dr's twice for them to review the wound- it is currently dressed but each time I have gone it is not getting better, but it also thankfully is getting no worse.

My Mum bought me some of that expensive Manuka honey, which is meant to be great for wounds, so I will likely apply some later and put a fresh dressing over it.
Manuka honey can be very effective so I hope it works for you. Also silver dressings are very good.
Have you found any improvement from taking the antibiotics if not you may need a different one or a more extended course.
 
Evening Conan.Just picked up on your thread and echo Mikey s comments about you getting such a recent diagnosis that unlikely to be circulatory issues but given your back story worthwhile getting checked out like you have.
As a diabetic we have to be careful to investigate any discolouring or pain, numbness, tingling etc in any of our extremities like toes and fingers as there may be a causal link so well done on getting it checked.
Happy to help explain anything about Type 3c and there are a number of us on here who have arrived at this space through pancreatic damage on varying kinds.
ATB
 
Glad things have stabilised @conanthewarrior - and things aren’t getting worse.

Glad you are being seen fairly frequently and they are keeping an eye on things. What have your BG levels been like during the period? Illness and injury can often cause raised glucose levels, and your medication/insulin may need adjusting.
 
Manuka honey can be very effective so I hope it works for you. Also silver dressings are very good.
Have you found any improvement from taking the antibiotics if not you may need a different one or a more extended course.
I am going to keep trying with the Manuka honey, I have some dressings that the nurse gave me for when I shower to dress my toe with, not silver dressings but if it isn't healing I will get some.
There has been no improvement since I finished the course of Flucloxacillin, but the Dr was happy that the toe was not infected and just a normal wound so has not prescribed any more for it.

Evening Conan.Just picked up on your thread and echo Mikey s comments about you getting such a recent diagnosis that unlikely to be circulatory issues but given your back story worthwhile getting checked out like you have.
As a diabetic we have to be careful to investigate any discolouring or pain, numbness, tingling etc in any of our extremities like toes and fingers as there may be a causal link so well done on getting it checked.
Happy to help explain anything about Type 3c and there are a number of us on here who have arrived at this space through pancreatic damage on varying kinds.
ATB
Good morning Wendal, I thought it was best to go to the Dr as it was a wound on my toe even though I was recently diagnosed. As you say with my backstory it was worthwhile getting checked out.
Thank you for being happy to explain anything, I will inbox you if thats OK? I know type 3C is a minority and also often diagnosed as type 1, a hospital letter I received that was a copy of one going to my GP from my local hospital, the consultant had put down "Due to Conan's recent diagnosis of type 1 diabetes"- I thought hang on, I am not type 1 I am type 3C so it seems even some Dr's interchange the use between the two.

Glad things have stabilised @conanthewarrior - and things aren’t getting worse.

Glad you are being seen fairly frequently and they are keeping an eye on things. What have your BG levels been like during the period? Illness and injury can often cause raised glucose levels, and your medication/insulin may need adjusting.
Thank you 🙂

Yeah I am being seen around twice a week which is quite good.
My BG levels have been around 80% in range according to my Libre 2 plus app on my phone. I did find the antibiotics kept giving me hypo's for some reason, I was having about 3 a day at least! This has stopped now I am off of the antibiotics.
My diabetes nurse was pretty cool with me and explained I can adjust my insulin myself, not massively but by say a few units if I need too, and gave me a handy paperwork chart for when you are ill explaining how much extra insulin to give at different BG levels, and also obviously when your ketones are high if BG is high.
My ketones have never gone up when I have a spike after eating, I have checked with the special machine they posted me, although when I was first diagnosed in hospital they was 4.1!
 
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