This is part of my attempt to avoid having my feet amputated.
Well, we have to start our blogs somewhere, and I thought it would be as well to make that point early. I intend to save my feet by disciplining myself to manage my diabetes as best I can (hence the title).
Boring eh? Never mind! The blog's not really for you, it's for me - and that's not as rude as it may sound, because it's meant to be a sort of therapy.
You see, when I was giving up smoking some twenty-five years back (medical advice - I was on sixty plus a day and had taken to falling over and waking up in hospitals) - as I was saying, when I was giving up smoking I was advised to tell everybody I met what I was doing. The idea was that if I told everybody I was quitting, I would feel an even bigger idiot if I failed, and knowing this would help to keep me honest. It may have helped; who knows?
So you see, I'm hoping that by telling everybody that I'm managing my diabetes, I'll encourage myself to do so.
At this point I should explain my, no doubt exaggerated, worries about amputation. You see, not a lot of people know that amputation is the worst result of diabetes 2 or that the odds against it are not as astronomical as one automatically assumes them to be. Again, the condition runs in families and they amputated both of my uncle's legs to the knee when he'd had it for a few years. For the record, I should mention that my uncle maintained his wonderful friendliness and joie de vivre to the last. If it comes to the crunch, I hope I've got his guts.
Meanwhile, I think I probably already have the beginnings of the diabetes-related problem that leads to amputation. Above all, I'm quite suddenly finding the greatest difficulty in walking. That is to say, I've had some difficulty for a few months, but it's recently ratcheted up a few notches.
For example, I just took a break from writing this blog to take a walk. I managed 300 steps to the village square, where I found a bench and took a breather before walking the 300 steps back. God, I was pleased to get home! In case you're interested, by most standards the pain is quite bearable. That is to say, if a bull were chasing me, I'm quite sure I could run. On the other hand . . . well . . . imagine that your shoes are two or three sizes too small and filled with broken glass, and that your big toes have just been hit by hammers. It's something like that - but more complicated. If you see old men hobbling along looking as if they're limping on both feet, I reckon you might be looking at a guy with this condition.
Yes, as I said, it's bearable, but it doesn't encourage you to get out and about. Now, for no good reason, I'm assuming that I should try to do as much walking as I can; I'm aiming at the magical and mythical ten thousand steps a day. At present, I'm delighted if I get to 4,000 (if you're interested, 3,452 so far).
Well, that's it for today. Think I'll check the net to see if I should be doing as MUCH walking as possible (as I'd assumed) or as LITTLE walking as possible. Just thought of that. Oh dear . . .
Betcha can't wait for episode 2.
Well, we have to start our blogs somewhere, and I thought it would be as well to make that point early. I intend to save my feet by disciplining myself to manage my diabetes as best I can (hence the title).
Boring eh? Never mind! The blog's not really for you, it's for me - and that's not as rude as it may sound, because it's meant to be a sort of therapy.
You see, when I was giving up smoking some twenty-five years back (medical advice - I was on sixty plus a day and had taken to falling over and waking up in hospitals) - as I was saying, when I was giving up smoking I was advised to tell everybody I met what I was doing. The idea was that if I told everybody I was quitting, I would feel an even bigger idiot if I failed, and knowing this would help to keep me honest. It may have helped; who knows?
So you see, I'm hoping that by telling everybody that I'm managing my diabetes, I'll encourage myself to do so.
At this point I should explain my, no doubt exaggerated, worries about amputation. You see, not a lot of people know that amputation is the worst result of diabetes 2 or that the odds against it are not as astronomical as one automatically assumes them to be. Again, the condition runs in families and they amputated both of my uncle's legs to the knee when he'd had it for a few years. For the record, I should mention that my uncle maintained his wonderful friendliness and joie de vivre to the last. If it comes to the crunch, I hope I've got his guts.
Meanwhile, I think I probably already have the beginnings of the diabetes-related problem that leads to amputation. Above all, I'm quite suddenly finding the greatest difficulty in walking. That is to say, I've had some difficulty for a few months, but it's recently ratcheted up a few notches.
For example, I just took a break from writing this blog to take a walk. I managed 300 steps to the village square, where I found a bench and took a breather before walking the 300 steps back. God, I was pleased to get home! In case you're interested, by most standards the pain is quite bearable. That is to say, if a bull were chasing me, I'm quite sure I could run. On the other hand . . . well . . . imagine that your shoes are two or three sizes too small and filled with broken glass, and that your big toes have just been hit by hammers. It's something like that - but more complicated. If you see old men hobbling along looking as if they're limping on both feet, I reckon you might be looking at a guy with this condition.
Yes, as I said, it's bearable, but it doesn't encourage you to get out and about. Now, for no good reason, I'm assuming that I should try to do as much walking as I can; I'm aiming at the magical and mythical ten thousand steps a day. At present, I'm delighted if I get to 4,000 (if you're interested, 3,452 so far).
Well, that's it for today. Think I'll check the net to see if I should be doing as MUCH walking as possible (as I'd assumed) or as LITTLE walking as possible. Just thought of that. Oh dear . . .
Betcha can't wait for episode 2.