Put feet first, charity urge diabetics
say they had to do something to save my mum because the infection was taking over her whole body.”
By the time Nicola delivered baby Louie, Elizabeth was under the knife in a six-anda-half-hour operation.
A plastic surgeon from Glasgow Royal Infirmary cancelled all his operations to travel to Paisley because his expert help was needed to save her leg and her life.
Skin was removed from her ankle to her knee around the full circumference of her leg. Nicola said: “The surgeons told my dad and my brother Kevin that they could see the infection travelling up the skin as they were taking it off.”
Elizabeth spent seven weeks in hospital, two on dialysis and three in intensive care. She was then transferred to Glasgow Royal Infrmary for skin grafts.
As she recovered, she finally got to meet her second grandchild. Nicola said: “I took my daughter Lucie, who is five, in to see her first and then brought in Louie. It was a very emotional time and one I wondered if I would ever see.
“It is only thanks to the fabulous care at the RAH that my mum is with me now. They really looked after both my mum and me and we are so grateful for everything they did.
“If it hadn’t been for someone at the hospital recognising she had sepsis, she wouldn’t have survived.
“That’s why it is so important that the Government have agreed to have a sepsis awareness campaign. I wrote to Nicola Sturgeon and (Health Secretary) Shona Robison to tell them what happened.
“It was just after Shona said we didn’t need an awareness campaign. I like to think my letter may have helped change her mind.
“But the campaign needs to start soon before lives are lost. If we had recognised the symptoms, we would have got mum to hospital much sooner.” MORE than a third of Scots do not know diabetes can cause foot ulcers, according to a survey.
The research by Diabetes UK was released as the charity launch their Putting Feet First campaign.
It is designed to raise awareness of complications, including the loss of limbs.
The charity’s regional engagement manager Linda McGlynn said: “Diabetesrelated amputations can devastate lives.
“But, with the right support, four out of five amputations can be preventable. That’s why it’s essential people with diabetes in Scotland know how to look after their feet and check them daily.
“It’s also crucial that people know to seek urgent attention if they have problems. A matter of hours can be the difference between losing and keeping a limb.”