Peter walked out to his bins. He returned with horrible burns
Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention.
Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours.
"Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said.
What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes.
Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries.
And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down.
La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues".
"One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said.
Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia.
They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy.
Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns
A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated.
It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations.
Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated
"No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said.
And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.
He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity.
Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow.
"I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue.
Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention.
Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours.
"Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said.
What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes.
Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries.
And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down.
La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues".
"One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said.
Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia.
They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy.
Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns
A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated.
It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations.
Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated
"No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said.
And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.
He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity.
Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow.
"I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue.
Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention.
Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours.
"Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said.
What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes.
Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries.
And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down.
La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues".
"One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said.
Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia.
They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy.
Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns
A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated.
It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations.
Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated
"No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said.
And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.
He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity.
Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow.
"I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue.
Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention.
Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours.
"Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said.
What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes.
Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries.
And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down.
La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues".
"One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said.
Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia.
They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy.
Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns
A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated.
It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations.
Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated
"No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said.
And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.
He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity.
Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow.
"I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
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- Perth Now
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7NEWS
16 hours ago
- 7NEWS
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
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"And stroke fatigue: stroke fatigue is a big one. "But it's improving. I have my license back. "Luckily, I have a good support system around me. My immediate family has been great. "I mean, I could have been dead by now because of a stroke, which my mum doesn't like to think about." Ms Bertram said, looking back, some of the early warning signs were headaches and fatigue. "Strokes can happen to anyone at any age," she said. "I had a major mental breakdown. I was like, 'Oh, I'm 20. strokes don't happen', but they do." Ms Bertram is speaking out as part of National Stroke Week, and her message has been echoed by Stroke Foundation CEO Lisa Murphy. "As we saw with Jayme, stroke doesn't discriminate - it affects people of all ages, which is why it's important for all Australians to know the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke," Dr Murphy said. "When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute, so it is critical to receive emergency treatment as soon as possible. "The first important step is recognising the signs of stroke. Knowing the signs can save a life." The F.A.S.T. acronym highlights the three most common signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty) while emphasising the importance of time when it comes to recognising and treating a stroke. It was a strange request at a tea shop that alerted 20-year-old Jayme Bertram's boyfriend that something was wrong and she was suffering a stroke. "It was April this year," Ms Bertram, of Raymond Terrace, said. "I'm very much an avid Tilly's (Matildas) fan, and we had just been to see them play in Newcastle. "The next day, I slept all day, which isn't like me at all. Later, my partner and I went to Green Hills. "We went to Chatime, and apparently I asked for a frozen coke... Chatime doesn't sell frozen cokes, so my partner was like, 'okay, something's wrong'." Ms Bertram's mum also became worried by her daughter's text messages, and then was more alarmed when Jayme arrived home and her speech was slurred. "My texting was bad," Ms Bertram said. "My speech was bad. My communication was bad. That's how my mum figured it out." Her mum called triple-0, and the operator said it sounded like Jayme was having a stroke. Paramedics arrived and took her to Maitland hospital. Ms Bertram said the hospital staff thought she may have been having a mental health episode. "I don't remember any of this," Ms Bertram said. "But my mum was there, and mum's very much a helicopter mother, which is both great and bad. She demanded an MRI." Further tests revealed Ms Bertram has antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune disorder that can increase the risk of blood clots forming in arteries and veins. She said it was a huge shock when she realised she had suffered a stroke. "It was kind of scary, to be honest," Ms Bertram said. "I mean, I'm 20. I like to think I'm pretty healthy. A few broken bones, but nothing serious. "I've had a few people say, 'oh, you're 20. You didn't have a stroke. Only old people have strokes', which sucks. It's hard." Ms Bertram spent two weeks in a rehabilitation unit, and has since been recovering, but she is still impacted by the stroke. "My memory is bad, and my speech is bad as well," she said. "And stroke fatigue: stroke fatigue is a big one. "But it's improving. I have my license back. "Luckily, I have a good support system around me. My immediate family has been great. "I mean, I could have been dead by now because of a stroke, which my mum doesn't like to think about." Ms Bertram said, looking back, some of the early warning signs were headaches and fatigue. "Strokes can happen to anyone at any age," she said. "I had a major mental breakdown. I was like, 'Oh, I'm 20. strokes don't happen', but they do." Ms Bertram is speaking out as part of National Stroke Week, and her message has been echoed by Stroke Foundation CEO Lisa Murphy. "As we saw with Jayme, stroke doesn't discriminate - it affects people of all ages, which is why it's important for all Australians to know the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke," Dr Murphy said. "When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute, so it is critical to receive emergency treatment as soon as possible. "The first important step is recognising the signs of stroke. Knowing the signs can save a life." The F.A.S.T. acronym highlights the three most common signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty) while emphasising the importance of time when it comes to recognising and treating a stroke. It was a strange request at a tea shop that alerted 20-year-old Jayme Bertram's boyfriend that something was wrong and she was suffering a stroke. "It was April this year," Ms Bertram, of Raymond Terrace, said. "I'm very much an avid Tilly's (Matildas) fan, and we had just been to see them play in Newcastle. "The next day, I slept all day, which isn't like me at all. Later, my partner and I went to Green Hills. "We went to Chatime, and apparently I asked for a frozen coke... Chatime doesn't sell frozen cokes, so my partner was like, 'okay, something's wrong'." Ms Bertram's mum also became worried by her daughter's text messages, and then was more alarmed when Jayme arrived home and her speech was slurred. "My texting was bad," Ms Bertram said. "My speech was bad. My communication was bad. That's how my mum figured it out." Her mum called triple-0, and the operator said it sounded like Jayme was having a stroke. Paramedics arrived and took her to Maitland hospital. Ms Bertram said the hospital staff thought she may have been having a mental health episode. "I don't remember any of this," Ms Bertram said. "But my mum was there, and mum's very much a helicopter mother, which is both great and bad. She demanded an MRI." Further tests revealed Ms Bertram has antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune disorder that can increase the risk of blood clots forming in arteries and veins. She said it was a huge shock when she realised she had suffered a stroke. "It was kind of scary, to be honest," Ms Bertram said. "I mean, I'm 20. I like to think I'm pretty healthy. A few broken bones, but nothing serious. "I've had a few people say, 'oh, you're 20. You didn't have a stroke. Only old people have strokes', which sucks. It's hard." Ms Bertram spent two weeks in a rehabilitation unit, and has since been recovering, but she is still impacted by the stroke. "My memory is bad, and my speech is bad as well," she said. "And stroke fatigue: stroke fatigue is a big one. "But it's improving. I have my license back. "Luckily, I have a good support system around me. My immediate family has been great. "I mean, I could have been dead by now because of a stroke, which my mum doesn't like to think about." Ms Bertram said, looking back, some of the early warning signs were headaches and fatigue. "Strokes can happen to anyone at any age," she said. "I had a major mental breakdown. I was like, 'Oh, I'm 20. strokes don't happen', but they do." Ms Bertram is speaking out as part of National Stroke Week, and her message has been echoed by Stroke Foundation CEO Lisa Murphy. "As we saw with Jayme, stroke doesn't discriminate - it affects people of all ages, which is why it's important for all Australians to know the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke," Dr Murphy said. "When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute, so it is critical to receive emergency treatment as soon as possible. "The first important step is recognising the signs of stroke. Knowing the signs can save a life." The F.A.S.T. acronym highlights the three most common signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty) while emphasising the importance of time when it comes to recognising and treating a stroke. It was a strange request at a tea shop that alerted 20-year-old Jayme Bertram's boyfriend that something was wrong and she was suffering a stroke. "It was April this year," Ms Bertram, of Raymond Terrace, said. "I'm very much an avid Tilly's (Matildas) fan, and we had just been to see them play in Newcastle. "The next day, I slept all day, which isn't like me at all. Later, my partner and I went to Green Hills. "We went to Chatime, and apparently I asked for a frozen coke... Chatime doesn't sell frozen cokes, so my partner was like, 'okay, something's wrong'." Ms Bertram's mum also became worried by her daughter's text messages, and then was more alarmed when Jayme arrived home and her speech was slurred. "My texting was bad," Ms Bertram said. "My speech was bad. My communication was bad. That's how my mum figured it out." Her mum called triple-0, and the operator said it sounded like Jayme was having a stroke. Paramedics arrived and took her to Maitland hospital. Ms Bertram said the hospital staff thought she may have been having a mental health episode. "I don't remember any of this," Ms Bertram said. "But my mum was there, and mum's very much a helicopter mother, which is both great and bad. She demanded an MRI." Further tests revealed Ms Bertram has antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune disorder that can increase the risk of blood clots forming in arteries and veins. She said it was a huge shock when she realised she had suffered a stroke. "It was kind of scary, to be honest," Ms Bertram said. "I mean, I'm 20. I like to think I'm pretty healthy. A few broken bones, but nothing serious. "I've had a few people say, 'oh, you're 20. You didn't have a stroke. Only old people have strokes', which sucks. It's hard." Ms Bertram spent two weeks in a rehabilitation unit, and has since been recovering, but she is still impacted by the stroke. "My memory is bad, and my speech is bad as well," she said. "And stroke fatigue: stroke fatigue is a big one. "But it's improving. I have my license back. "Luckily, I have a good support system around me. My immediate family has been great. "I mean, I could have been dead by now because of a stroke, which my mum doesn't like to think about." Ms Bertram said, looking back, some of the early warning signs were headaches and fatigue. "Strokes can happen to anyone at any age," she said. "I had a major mental breakdown. I was like, 'Oh, I'm 20. strokes don't happen', but they do." Ms Bertram is speaking out as part of National Stroke Week, and her message has been echoed by Stroke Foundation CEO Lisa Murphy. "As we saw with Jayme, stroke doesn't discriminate - it affects people of all ages, which is why it's important for all Australians to know the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke," Dr Murphy said. "When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute, so it is critical to receive emergency treatment as soon as possible. "The first important step is recognising the signs of stroke. Knowing the signs can save a life." The F.A.S.T. acronym highlights the three most common signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty) while emphasising the importance of time when it comes to recognising and treating a stroke.
