Peter Weir warns of diabetes symptoms after toe amputation

Former Education Minister Peter Weir has warned people not to ignore health symptoms after he had a toe amputated following a diabetes diagnosis.

He said he ignored potential signs that something was wrong and he urged people to take early action.

The DUP MLA sought medical help after a cut on his toe became infected.

However, he said if he had not neglected early symptoms and tried to find "alternative explanations" he could have avoided surgery.

After initially treating his foot infection with antibiotics, medical staff "were not happy" and he was admitted to the Ulster Hospital, before being moved to the Royal Victoria Hospital for surgery.

Speaking to The Nolan Show, the Strangford assembly member said "staff drew a line half-way between my knee and my foot with a felt tip marker".

"The top half of the foot was infected and the further up the infection went, the more action they would have had to have taken," he said.

Last week Mr Weir told colleagues in the assembly chamber about his surgery and said he would be using a wheelchair for a number of weeks.

"I was anxious more than frightened - the surgery was successful and they removed the infection but whenever I woke up after the surgery one concern was: did the surgery go well and what did you have to remove?"

A small further operation will be needed for a skin graft to "cover where the skin was removed" he said.

'Neglected early symptoms'

Mr Weir has been diagnosed with late-onset type one diabetes - a disorder in which the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin.

He said he was trying to raise awareness of the condition because "it can have serious consequences".

"A lot of fellas like myself will be a bit reluctant to go to the doctors and they'll wait until something has gone wrong to do that," Mr Weir said.

"If you get an infection and you're not being treated for diabetes the infection will spread a lot faster."

He said some symptoms of diabetes, which he ignored, included going to the toilet more often at night, which was "easy to dismiss because if you're a middle-aged man you will be going to the toilet more".

"I was taking more fluids but there was nothing particularly sugar based," he said.

"I was more tired at night but had been in a job which involved a lot of activity and had a high level of stress.

"So the idea of coming home and feeling a bit tired - that felt relatively natural."

"Be aware of the risks there are - get these things checked out because it could make the difference between going through a tough experience or trying to get early diagnosis and ultimately saving your life."

Type one diabetes - what to look out for

There are four key symptoms, known as the four Ts, which indicate you or your child may have type one diabetes.

They include:

• going to the toilet more than normal

• being really thirsty

• tiredness

• weight loss

If you notice any of these symptoms doctors say you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.