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Dear All,

As a Pod from the UK used to treating Pts in a very cold country i am staggered at the total lack of understanding of Sydneysiders to the very cold Winter we are having.

I have had one pt who was Hypothermic and said it was expensive to heat his house! Up here in my suburb median house price is approx 1.5-2.0 million.

Have had several with Ulcerated chillblains due to the cold in thier homes. One chap insists on wearing sandals with no socks so his ulcerated chillblain is reluctant to heal.

One woman wears EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE BUNIUON CRUSHING SPECIALS and her house is cold and guess what she had both 1st MPJ Bunions Ulcerated Chillblains one of which was infected. Now she is almost as rich as cant be imagined, but was reduced to tears by the pain in her feet due to the ulcerated chillblains.

I did a home visit on one chap and his appartment was colder than outside, i was frozen to death in his home. No wonder he was unwell.

Had 3 pts today with ulcerated chillblains.

Are Sydneysiders this stupid????? or what?????

Now as a Scot used to the cold i wear nice warm clothes Knee length socks and good footwear so i am warm as toast.

But today one old girl with a frost bitten nose and five severe chillblains with extreme chilling of hands and feet said she did not feel cold.

I politely advised her that the wearing of trousers would be more appropriate than her thin skirt and thin hosiery and bunion crushing court shoes. All to no avail. She said to the secretary on leaving that i was quite firm with her and had told her off.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

MAD QUITE MAD.

It wont worry me if she ulcerates and ends up in Hospital having one or more digits amputated, but at her age it would lead to permanent disability.

We have had the longest coldest winter for very very many years and Sydneysiders of the OLDER AGE GROUP are oblivious to the risks.

So how do we convince people to properly heat their homes, wear suitable warm clothing and appropriate footwear for this unusually cold weather we are having.

regards Confused

Hi, perhaps a smidge hard, "stupid"
I know many clients we diagnose with chillblains have not had them for years.
They are shocked when we tell them they have chillblains. " I have not had them for years"
They remember chillblains as being those hot itchy and blanching area's to the ears and back of the legs way back.
Showing them dark red/purple areas that are ulcerating or periwoud is something totally different?
Does take quite a bit of education to get them to realise there are different stages of chillblains and that they are looking at the most severe and risky?!
Most go away happy to start treatment immediately once they understand the risks and we usually see improvement within a few days.
Interestingly we have those who get them every year but here in Melbourne the last 1/2 of August often creates new ones, and they are all generally resolving within the middle of Sept.
Must admit we are seeing more every year, is it colder or the population getting older or perhpas more people seeing pods for sore feet?
You do seem to be your head a lot up there
Roll on spring for you and yours
Cheers

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Heather J Bassett
137 Wheatsheaf Road
Glenroy 3046
Victoria
Australia

So much for global warming. It "feels" colder this year than it has for many years.



LL

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Remember, it's just a foot.

Now where have I heard that before...(100 times a week at the moment)
Cheers

__________________
Heather J Bassett
137 Wheatsheaf Road
Glenroy 3046
Victoria
Australia