Ignore Warning Signs, Lose a Limb

"This is one nasty disease," Steele told ABCNEWS.com. "It's painless and silent."

As a volunteer and board member for the Amputee Coalition of America, he tells diabetics, "If, every time your blood sugar went up it hurt like a toothache, you bet your ass you'd go to the doctor."

'All My Fault'

At the age of 43, after bouts with blood clots and heart bypass surgery, Steele had a leg amputated. After that, Steele said, "I quickly got religion and did the right things."

He changed his diet and lifestyle, losing 60 pounds and working out five times a week.

Steele said doctors and nutritionists should do a better job of persuading diabetics to maintain proper treatment. "They need to get in the face of diabetics and scare them straight," he said.

Meanwhile, Houtz is finally paying attention to her doctors. She has resumed a somewhat normal life after the amputation, though she misses the long walks with her two dogs through the San Diego hills.

"I don't trust my balance anymore," she said.

Her advice to other diabetics is not to do as she did: keep blood sugar in check, take medications and lose weight, a battle she still fights with 110 extra pounds.

"We are seeing more diabetics because people are overweight and eat bad stuff," she said. "I have always been a chocolate freak. My sister and I used to go to the Hometown Buffet [restaurant] and when I am stressed and in an emotional crisis I go for food."

"This is all my fault, and I know it," said Houtz. "I'm not raging and depressed. I accept it."

For more information on amputation, visit Amputee Coalition of America.

Lauren Cox of the ABC News Medical Unit contributed to this story.