Diabetes amputation risk warning

A former ballet dancer who had her heel amputated has showed the devastating consequences for fellow diabetes sufferers if their limbs are not properly checked for infection in hospital. Fiona King, 49, from Canterbury, Kent, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 19, but still pursued a career as a classical ballet dancer. After contracting MRSA in her left foot, she had her heel removed and expects to lose her leg in the future.

She said: "I had a plate in my foot which got MRSA and I watched the bottom of my foot just fall to bits. I lost my heel eventually but they didn't take my leg off. Just before surgery I begged them not to remove my leg. It was so important to me, I'd have done anything to keep my leg. She added: "I think you have an awareness of this but you think it'll never happen to me." She was one of a group of amputees who gathered at the Body Worlds and Mirror of Time exhibition at London's O2 Arena as part of Diabetes Week to raise awareness of the effects of the condition on limbs.

A report published showed that diabetes patients were at risk of having limbs amputated if hospitals do not regularly check them for infection and make them aware of the dangers of the condition...more