Your doctor should check your nerves once a year. Part of this exam should include tests to check your sense of feeling and the pulses in your feet. Tell the doctor about any problems with your feet, legs, hands, or arms. Tell the doctor if you have trouble eating, going to the bathroom, having sex, or if you feel dizzy sometimes. Smoking makes poor circulation worse.
Poor circulation can make foot problems worse.
Nerve damage to the feet is a main cause of amputations in people with diabetes. You may not feel pain from injuries or sore spots on your feet. If you have poor circulation because of blood vessel problems in your legs, the sores on your feet can't heal and might become infected. If the infection is not treated, it could lead to amputation. Every time he visits his doctor, he takes off his shoes and socks so that his doctor can check his feet for sores, ulcers, and wounds.