Havant man facing diabetes-related amputation warns others to be aware of symptoms

Regional manager at Diabetes UK Jill Steaton and podiatry patient Yian Jones, who is facing a foot amputation

Yian Jones gave a talk at a recent Diabetes UK workshop which was raising awareness of diabetes-related foot issues.

The charity, together with Solent NHS Trust, organised the event to advise on how diabetes can cause problems for feet.

Figures from Public Health England show in Portsmouth between 2014 and 2017, there were 129 diabetes-related amputations of which 53 were major amputation.

A major amputation is above the ankle.

Meanwhile, the area covered by South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which covers Havant, recorded 161 diabetes-related amputations, of which 42 were major.

Fareham and Gosport CCG recorded 114 diabetes-related amputations, of which 38 were major.

Yian, a podiatry patient from Havant, gave a personal account of the impact that developing a diabetes-related foot complaint has had on his life during the workshop held last month.

He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes aged 21.

He said: ‘I was really pleased to be invited to this important workshop on foot care to tell my story.

‘In 2010 I had a gastric bypass to help me with my weight. I lost half my body weight and started exercising soon after my surgery.

‘Once I became more mobile, however was when my foot problems started.

‘I suffered from foot ulcers and then Charcot, a weakness of the bones, appeared.

‘I have been treated by the excellent foot care team at Solent NHS Trust, but unfortunately, after five years of care, there’s no more they can do.

‘They will need to amputate below the knee in the near future.

‘The impact is devastating but I really want people to know the importance of foot care.

‘Don’t ignore any problems. Please get them checked immediately.’

More than 70 people attended the event at the Marriott Hotel, which focused on prevention and was designed for people with diabetes who currently have healthy feet and are not seeing a podiatrist.

Anna Littlejohn, an advanced practitioner podiatrist at Solent, said: ‘Prevention is better than cure and this is the main message that we want to get across.

‘Portsmouth and the surrounding areas have very high amputation rates and putting on the workshop is about giving people with diabetes the tools and knowledge to look after their feet.’