A tourist had to have his leg amputated after he developed a blister from new sandals which then became infected. Chris Witt, 64, was enjoying a holiday in Tenerife when he spotted a small lump on his big toe, but didn’t think much of it. But just a few days later, the blister became infected and spread to the bone in his foot, causing him to have it amputated. He suffered further complications when the infection continued to spread and surgeons were forced to carry out a second amputation below the knee in 2013.
Chris, who has Type 2 diabetes and is from Cornwall, says he probably should’ve taken his diagnosis seriously. He told the Mirror: ‘I went from a blister on my big toe to losing a leg. You don’t realise how vulnerable you are until something like this happens.’
‘I should’ve taken heed of the advice that was being given.’ He added that he wasn’t ‘fazed’ at all when his doctor rang him on his way to Norway to tell him he had diabetes as he didn’t know much about the implications. Annika Palmer, Diabetes UK south west regional head, said: ‘It is vital people with diabetes receive the right support from their healthcare teams to help them identify any early signs of a complication.