To”: My Feet bleed, I’m scared sometimes. I hide it really well. I am a heck of an actress = female?
Me: I don’t know if you are a Type 1 Diabetic, however I am a Type 2 Diabetic too. I have been for the last 20 years and I keep my blood sugars around 6.7 where 8.0 is the cut off point and anything over is considered to be dangerous Diabetes – although once I was tested and recorded 25 and was asked why I had not died. Nothing chopped off yet – hope I never do!!
The truth of the matter is that you have to be really careful of what you eat and you must change to a low fat diet – I can buy frozen meals in the shops I go to 300g to 400g and they are for my main meal every day, no sugar, salt, alcohol and all of the enjoyable things in life, you are what you eat.
Let me put that another way: Eat greens only, morning, noon and night, you can eat as many as you like and you can have them cooked, or raw (which is better) or put them in a liquidizer and make them into liquid and drink that instead.
When you have your blood sugars down to around 6.0, then you can experiment with other meals to see what you can eat, without increasing your morning blood sugar test above 8.0, but try to keep it around 7.1.
Medication: Have your doctor prescribe Metformin, 1 to 2 tablets taken twice daily and recently my doctor has put me on Glycade MR – gliclazide 30mg which can be taken up to 3 times daily – if you are a Type 1 Diabetic, there is a stronger version of this tablet for you.
Feet: My feet crack and bleed from time to time, less now than before as they are starting to get better. Get your doctor to prescribe Enstilar 60g Foam Spray and spray a bit on each foot and then rub it in over the whole underside of your foot and wear socks between your feet and whatever you stand on.
I had to go into hospital recently for a Colonoscopy and was given hospital socks to wear and keep and they help me from falling over and keep my feet surprisingly warm, so I wear them with and without shoes.
If you look on eBay you can find these socks in red for about $5 pair – up to $14 a pair.
Alternatively, buy a glue gun and put droplets of hot glue on the outside of socks you will wear, on the underneath, where you stand and walk and when the droplets have dried and gone cold, they should work the same as hospital socks and having a barrier between your feet and wherever you walk, is a great way to avoid any infections and not slip or fall over.
Remember that if your blood sugars go up, then it is only one day in the length of your life and it is up to you to manage what you eat, so that you keep blood sugars low, but not lower ideally the 5.5 and then your Diabetes should be manageable and if you are a Type 1 Diabetic, you might go back to Type 2 or even kick it altogether – depending on what you Diabetes type is.
Diabetes is a lifetime disease and it is insidious and sneaks up on you when you least expect it and all change takes time, so nothing is instantaneous, but a slow walk to a better health regime for you.
Reading some of the scientific blurb recently, it is possible there will be a treatment soon which, with just 2 tablets, will make Diabetes go away for ever – I can’t wait to get mine!!
Best Wishes.
If I can be of any other support or you want to chat here with me, I am always here, you just have to ask.
Richard (MaLE)