My dad has type 2 diabetes. What daily f
For reference only. Not medical advice.
Question
My dad has type 2 diabetes. What daily foot checks can prevent serious problems? Real household: caregiver juggling school week and one elder or sibling nearby. Schedule: Tue; this week. Kitchen/home right now: looking at both feet daily with a mirror. Already tried: treating cuts or calluses himself. Please answer as a practical family-care guide: what to do next tonight/today, what to avoid, and a clear decision tree. Constraints: respect «No diagnosis, no medication changes»; no dosing kids/pets/elders yourself; no mystery powders or buying prescription meds online; keep steps screenshot-friendly under ~25 minutes where cooking/care applies. Structure your help as (1) what I already tried vs better alternatives, (2) constraints/avoid list, (3) red flags—when to stop DIY and get clinical/urgent help. Keep the voice concrete and kind for a tired caregiver; stay inside kitchen/home-care/communication levers only. Name what success looks like in 24 hours without promising cures. Avoid brand shopping lists; focus on routines, food already at home, and communication scripts caregivers can screenshot.
Answer
Now I'll write the draft and validate it.
Dad's foot and his diabetes — this week's plan
Tonight's job, about 20 minutes: put the acid tube away, check both feet with a mirror under a good lamp, write down what you see, and request a foot check (podiatry or the diabetes clinic) this week.
Home care and triage only — this is not a diagnosis, and only a clinician can say what the bump is and how it should be treated.
Any red flag showing now? Call your local emergency number now, or go to the nearest emergency department. Do the checklist below only if none of those signs is there.
1) Tonight's checklist — about 20 minutes
| Minutes | Do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Sit him down in good light with a mirror and a lamp. Wash your hands. | Lamp on, mirror ready |
| 2–10 | Look at both feet: soles, between the toes, the heels, and the bump itself | Both feet checked |
| 10–15 | Write one line: is the skin unbroken? any redness, heat, swelling, smell, discharge? has the bump changed? | One line on paper or phone |
| 15–18 | Measure it the same way every time (same coin, or the ruler) and write the date. If there is redness, mark its edge with a pen and note the time | Size, date, marked edge |
| 18–20 | One photo in daylight with a coin or ruler beside it. Send the clinic request (message in section 7) | Photo taken, request sent |
2) What to look at, every time
Soles, between the toes, the heels, and around the bump. Then go through this list:
- Any break in the skin — blister, cut, sore, split.
- Redness, warmth, swelling, or a new smell.
- Any fluid, pus, or bleeding.
- Black dots under hard skin, dark or dead-looking skin, or the bump changing size.
- Pain, and whether he can still walk and put weight on it.
- Whether he feels well in general — no fever, no flu-like feelings, energy as usual.
Feet can go numb over time with diabetes, so pain is not a reliable alarm. What you can see, and smell, matter more than what he feels.
3) Safer than treating it at home
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Wash the foot with warm water and mild soap, dry carefully, especially between the toes | Don't cut, shave, file or lift the hard skin yourself |
| Protect unbroken skin: roomy shoes, clean socks, a soft pad (a gel pad or a folded clean sock) — check the pad every day | Don't put salicylic acid, wart pads, corn pads or any acid on the spot before a clinician has looked at it |
| Take the weight off if it hurts, rest the foot, and don't walk it through pain | Don't soak the foot in household chemicals, and don't use plasters that pull skin off |
| Keep checking the same spot daily and write down what changed | Don't use a razor blade, a "callus remover" tool, or heat on the spot |
| Bring the acid tube or packet to the appointment | Don't use powders, drops or "metabolic" supplements, and don't buy prescription medicines, meters, strips or sensors online |
If a clinician has told him to use the acid, follow their instructions. The point of this list is only that the acid should not go on a spot nobody has examined.
4) Which door, which day
Green — home care plus a routine appointment this week
- Skin unbroken, no redness, heat, swelling, smell or discharge, no fever, he feels well, and the bump is not changing quickly.
- Do: the daily mirror check, padding, sensible shoes, and book the foot check this week.
Amber — same day: the diabetes clinic, the GP, or podiatry
- Any break in the skin, or a blister or sore that is not healing in the normal time.
- A new mark that nobody has looked at and nobody is sure what it is.
- The bump growing, or heat, swelling, increasing redness, a new smell, or fluid.
- He cannot walk or put weight on the foot.
- Ask for: a podiatry or foot-clinic referral, and whether the acid should continue for now.
Red — emergency now: call your local emergency number now, or go to the nearest emergency department
- Black or dead-looking skin or tissue.
- Redness spreading up the foot or leg, with fever, chills, or him feeling generally unwell.
- A hot, swollen, painful foot with blood, pus or discharge from an open wound.
- Severe pain, or pain that is rapidly getting worse.
- Bleeding that does not stop with firm pressure.
- Vomiting that will not stop, deep laboured breathing, drowsiness, new confusion, or a fruity smell on the breath — these are diabetes emergencies, not foot problems.
Podiatry guidance for diabetic feet (checked 3 November 2026) asks for referral rather than home treatment in exactly these cases: a new mark you are unsure about, a cut that is not healing in the normal time, or any sign of infection; and a hot, red, swollen or painful foot with blood, pus or discharge should be reported as soon as possible.
5) His medicines — one rule, no exceptions
- Leave every diabetes medicine exactly as prescribed. Don't restart, halve, skip, double or share any of them.
- If he changed or stopped a diabetes medicine on his own, that is a separate item for the same appointment: ask the clinician to review it. Don't restart it on your own.
- A home glucose reading is not permission to stay home, and it is not a reason to change anything by yourself.
- No "metabolic" powders, drops or miracle supplements, and nothing bought online.
6) Handoff message — copy this to whoever checks on him
> Dad, type 2 diabetes. Foot check at [time]. [Right/left] foot, [sole / between toes / other]: a hard bump, [size], skin unbroken/broken, no redness, heat, swelling, smell or discharge. He is well, no fever, walking normally. Medicines: [names] — all taken as prescribed, nothing changed. Photo taken and saved.
> If you see redness spreading, heat, swelling, a new smell, fluid, black colour, or he cannot walk — call the diabetes clinic today and tell me. If he cannot keep fluids down, is breathing deep and fast, is drowsy or confused, call the local emergency number now.
7) Message to the clinic — copy, fill in the brackets
> Hello — my dad has type 2 diabetes. He has a hard bump on his foot since [date] and has been treating it at home with [what he used]. The skin is [intact / broken], and there is [no redness / redness and swelling / discharge]. He [has / has not] changed any diabetes medicine. We would like the foot checked, and to know whether he needs podiatry or a foot clinic, and what to do with the acid in the meantime. Photos and the one-pager attached.
8) What to bring to the appointment
- The foot-bump one-pager, filled in, with the photo and the marked redness edge.
- The acid tube or packet, and the padding he has been using.
- Every medicine box, the glucose meter and its log.
- The shoes and socks he normally wears.
9) What "done" looks like within 24 hours
- Both feet checked and written down tonight; one photo taken.
- No more home treatment on the spot; the acid tube is in the bag for the appointment.
- The foot check requested — a date in the calendar, or the message sent — and the medicine question written on the list.
- The person nearby knows the red flags and who to call.
- Nothing about his diabetes medicine changed.
Not covered here: which foot clinic or podiatry service covers you, and the local emergency number. Tell me your country and city and I will point you to the right ones.
Sources (checked 3 November 2026):
Source: who-core https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes
Source: merck-pro https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/diabetes-mellitus-and-hypoglycemia/long-term-complications-of-diabetes-mellitus
Source: merck-pro https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/diabetes-mellitus-and-hypoglycemia/acute-complications-of-diabetes-mellitus