“Had I been Cautious, my Minor Injury would Not have Worsened”: A Case Report on Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Description

Himanshi Nigam¹, Shilpa Kumari², Arvind Pratap³, and Shobhna Joshi⁴ (Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh^1,4, Department of Psychology, Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh², and Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh³)

This case report presents multidimensional experiences of a 68-year-old man diagnosed with a diabetic foot ulcer. The patient, who has a long history of type 2 diabetes, acquired a non-healing ulcer on the dorsum of his right foot. But the ulcer grew worse due to delayed medical attention and underestimation of the severity of the wound. The level of pain and stress was assessed by using Numeric Pain Rating scale and Perceived Stress Scale which were developed by Downie et al. (1978) and Cohen (1988) respectively. The total scores indicated high levels of pain and stress in the patient. A semi-structured interview was conducted, which revealed that the patient experienced psychological stress, helplessness, and frustration, arising from regret for delay in seeking treatment, healing uncertainty, financial burden, dependence and pause in daily activities. Hence, this study highlights the importance of understanding the patient’s lived experience, especially in chronic conditions where recovery depends on the patient’s well-being and social context.