Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Your feet will not fail you when you take them to the Maria Holder Diabetes Center. Who are the sponsors of the next five minutes you hear on vob. Welcome to Foot Corner. This is Peter Boys here. You might be diabetic or pre diabetic and you might be having cold feet about going to the podiatrist. And you might be thinking, I really supposed to go, you know, but I ain't got out a gun yet. Remember, by taking your feet to the Maria Holder Diabetes center located in Warren St. Michael, the feet you save may be your own. So let's kick off this Foot Corner by hearing what Dr. Diane Braffitt has to say about your feet.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Hello. Today I just want to say something about the foot in diabetes. So, first of all, there's a term called diabetic foot. And what exactly does that mean? That really refers to the person who has complications in the foot because of diabetes. We may have discussed some of these at some point in time and we'll discuss some other points. But of course, we know about the nerve damage, we know about the case where they may not be in a enough blood going down into the foot or the peripheral arterial arterial disease we've been talking so much about recently. And then people who may have deformities and other issues related to the foot. We simply place the foot at higher risk of injury.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: And that is where you should be taking your feet to the Maria Horler Diabetes center to see the new podiatrist, Foot Dr. Louise Robinson. Let us find out a little bit about Louise.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Well, obviously you can tell I'm English. I've moved to Barbados four months ago. I trained in the UK at the University of Salford in podiatry and recently I'm qualified come to Barbados. Why? Because my parents are from here. I love Barbados, love everything about it. Sea, sunshine and I'm glad to be here.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: So what made you decide to specialise in podiatry?
[00:01:54] Speaker C: Well, my mother was a diabetic and she suffered with her feet. Previous to that, I worked in the UK in the NHS as a nursing assistant. I worked in the gps, so I know the prevalence of diabetes and the problems it's caused. And coming to Barbados, knowing the amputation rate is being so high, I was hoping to be part of a team to reduce that. So that was the reasons why I chose to go into diabetes and podiatry.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: So diabetics who might be at home listening, what would cause them to want to seek out your service and come to the Maria Hola Diabetes Centre?
[00:02:31] Speaker C: Well, diabetes is A huge issue when it comes to dealing with your feet. So people should never forget that. People always think with the diabetes it's my sugar levels, my eyes, my kidneys, my heart. But the feet are really important, so people should be coming to me. I would rather see people before problems occur so they can come to me for basic foot checks. If they've got problems with the nails, ingrown toenails, callous, the hard skin at the bottom of the foot, that's very important for people with diabetes, that they don't leave that because that can build up and underneath it can build into a pressure w and cause an ulcer. Then from there, that's how people then have amputations. So they should be coming to me for foot checks. I can listen to their heartbeat and the heart rate through the feet. Any corns or calluses I could, like I said, I can remove those and just talk about general good footwear and how to be healthy and eat well and keep control of the diabetes and make sure that they don't wear, walk barefoot and just give them tips of checking the feet on a daily basis and what to look for. So that's why they should be coming to see me for prevention. I'm here Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Our doors are always open at the Diabetic Center. Any concerns, any concerns about family members, please, please give us a call and come and see us. I'm always happy to discuss any needs, look at your feet, give you some advice and that's what we do. Just keep well and keep checking your feet.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: And that's the end of Foot Corner for today. Don't forget, remember to take your feet down to the Maria Holler Diabetes center to podiatrist Lou Robinson, call and book 417-0305. Louise is also doing foot screenings on the 14th of December. So until next time on Foot Corner. Remember, the foot you save may be your own.
[00:04:29] Speaker D: If you are diabetic or pre diabetic and you need diabetic services, but you need to make your dollar stretch. Stretch no further than the Maria Holder Diabetes center for vascular podiatry and diabetic eye screening services or consultations with diabetes doctors and nurses, call 417-0305. Today, the Maria Holder Diabetes center located in Warren St. Michael. They can save your life and save you money, but members get 10% off.
