What to know about diabetic foot ulcers
A diabetic foot ulcer is an open wound on the foot of a person with diabetes, deep enough that the full thickness of the skin is gone. Common places are the ball of the foot, the tips and tops of the toes, the heel and the outer edge of the foot. It can look like a shallow crater ringed with thick callus, or like a small hole that runs deeper than its opening suggests. Clinicians describe an ulcer by its location, size and depth, the tissue in its base, and whether infection or poor blood flow is present. Those descriptions guide what gets ordered, and they give everyone involved a shared way to tell whether the wound is improving.
What an assessment covers
A care plan for a diabetic foot ulcer usually rests on a few parts that the treating clinician fits to the person. Pressure relief comes first, whether through a removable boot, a cast, a special shoe or limits on standing. Next is preparing the wound bed, which may mean removing callus and dead tissue during visits. A dressing is chosen to match the amount of drainage, and it may change as the wound does. Infection, if present, is addressed with the testing and treatment the clinician orders. Finally, the plan names who changes the dressings, how often visits happen, and what finding at follow-up would prompt a different approach.
Local context: Collinsville
People in Collinsville with a diabetic foot ulcer often split their care between two states: a primary care office and hospital in Illinois, and a vascular surgeon or foot specialist in St. Louis. Records do not always follow across the river. Gateway requests them from both sides so the treating clinician can see the circulation studies, cultures and imaging already done. If a specialist visit in Missouri is ordered, we first check whether your plan and that provider work together, then help with transportation across the bridge so the foot is not walked on more than necessary.
Collinsville sits on the bluffs at the eastern edge of the American Bottom, with Interstate 55/70 along its northwest side and Interstate 255 just beyond. Most of the city is in Madison County, and its southern end reaches into St. Clair County. The highways make it a commuter town, yet plenty of residents have lived here for decades and plan to stay. For someone with a slow-healing wound or several chronic conditions, the ride to an appointment can be the hardest part of the week. Care arranged at home or in a facility removes that trip.
When care happens at home
When dressings need changing more often than visits occur, the treating clinician may order home health nursing, and Gateway helps set that up with an agency that serves your area. The agency nurse follows the wound orders and reports changes back. Supplies are the other piece. Dressings, wraps and offloading devices are ordered by the clinician, and we track each order so the right sizes arrive before the current stock runs out. Store supplies together in one clean, dry place, and tell us early if a box is running low or if the boot or shoe no longer fits well.
For residents of nursing and senior living communities
Rehabilitation stays add a tension to foot ulcer care: therapy wants the person up and walking, and the wound needs pressure kept off it. The treating clinician and the therapy team work out how to do both, for example by setting weight-bearing limits, naming the device to be worn during sessions and deciding how transfers are done. Gateway shares the wound orders with therapy and nursing so the instructions match. Before discharge we help arrange what comes next, including wound visits at home, the supplies that leave with the resident and a clear handoff to whoever will change dressings after the move.
What to report and when to call 911
A foot ulcer can affect the whole body, and sometimes the first warning shows up away from the wound. Tell the treating clinician about:
- Blood sugar readings that run higher than usual for no obvious reason
- Nausea, poor appetite or unusual tiredness
- New pain in a foot that normally feels very little
- A sore, crack or callus appearing on the other foot
- A fall, or an offloading device that is damaged or no longer fits
Call 911 for severe shortness of breath, chest pain, new confusion or a person who cannot be woken.
How primary care fits in
The blood that reaches the foot is what feeds a healing ulcer, and the health of the arteries is largely a primary care matter. Blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function and tobacco use all affect the vessels in the legs. A primary care clinician tracks these, orders the lab work and can coordinate referrals to vascular or kidney specialists when the wound clinician raises a concern. Leg swelling from heart or kidney conditions matters as well, because a swollen foot fits poorly in an offloading device. When Gateway arranges both kinds of care, findings from one visit can inform the other instead of sitting in separate charts.
Arranging diabetic foot ulcer care in Collinsville
You may already have a surgeon, a wound clinic or a home health nurse and still want help with diabetic foot ulcer care closer to home in Collinsville. That is a fine reason to call 314-325-0126. Tell us who is treating the wound now and what is not working, whether that is the travel, the gaps between appointments or unclear instructions. Gateway does not replace your current clinicians. We can arrange for a partner clinician to see the wound where you live and, with your permission, share notes with the offices already involved so the plans agree.
Three hospitals are within reach of Collinsville. Anderson Hospital in Maryville is just north on Route 159, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Illinois is a short drive to the southeast, and Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City lies west across the river bottoms. Gateway Wound Care is not affiliated with any of them. When a discharge is planned, a family member or the hospital’s discharge planner can contact us with the patient’s details. We gather the discharge paperwork and orders, confirm where the patient is going, and arrange follow-up with a partner clinician.
- County: Madison County, Illinois
- ZIP codes: 62234
- Nearby hospitals: Anderson Hospital in Maryville; HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital in O'Fallon, Illinois; Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: Glen Carbon, Fairview Heights, Edwardsville, Granite City, Belleville, Illinois
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
Related care in Collinsville
Read the full guide to diabetic foot ulcers, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Collinsville page.
- Venous leg ulcers
- Pressure injuries and bed sores
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
- Diabetic foot ulcer care in Glen Carbon
- Diabetic foot ulcer care in Fairview Heights
- Diabetic foot ulcer care in Edwardsville
- Diabetic foot ulcer care in Granite City
Common questions
How do I start diabetic foot ulcer care in Collinsville?
Call 314-325-0126 or send the request form with your name and phone number. Please leave medical details out of the form. We will call back to ask where you live, who is involved in your care and what has been tried so far. Then we confirm which partner clinician can see you and set up the first visit.
What is Charcot foot, and is it related to foot ulcers?
Charcot foot is a condition in which the bones and joints of a numb foot weaken and shift, sometimes after a minor injury that was never felt. The foot may become red, warm and swollen with no open wound. As its shape changes, new pressure points form and ulcers can follow. It needs prompt evaluation, so report a suddenly swollen, warm foot to a clinician even if the skin is intact.
Will the clinician remove tissue from the wound during a visit?
Possibly. Removing callus and dead tissue, called debridement, is a common part of diabetic foot ulcer care, because unhealthy tissue hides the true size of the wound and can hold bacteria. Whether it is done, by what method and how often is up to the treating clinician, who considers blood flow first. Ask what to expect afterward, since a freshly cleaned wound can look larger.
Does Gateway arrange care on both the Madison County and St. Clair County sides of Collinsville?
Yes. Collinsville crosses the county line, and requests from either side are handled the same way. You do not need to know which county the home is in. Give us the street address and ZIP code when you call, and we will confirm visit availability for that location and care setting before anything is scheduled.
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.