My youngest brother, Charlie, is back in the hospital with a very serious stomach infection and has been unable to eat or drink anything
since Monday, 12 December 2005. That was the day he was admitted to hospital. His right leg was cut off in mid thigh last year and now
his left foot is both infected and the infection is resisting the antibodies. He is unemployed and out Mother is paying his bills...
We are quite concerned for his foot and the curing of this infection (again?). My wife thinks I may be a bit over concerned with Charlie's
survival but I'm not sure. I do think he'll survive this episode (I hope and pray) but I think one of these near future years, he won't survive...
There is a rather horrible irony here.
For years, before I was diagnosed, my wife and I talked about "he isn't taking good care of himself". (Even he has admitted to this.) I used to
bitch: "He's not getting his blood sugar under control; how hard can that be?"
Well, having been "officially" a type 2 diabetic since 7 May 2004, I can answer my own question. "It can be damned hard!!!"
My Diabetics Coach changed me from a schedule of checking my blood sugar before dinner to checking it two hours after "taking that last bite". (I still do a fasting blood sugar before breakfast.) The results have been alarming. My AM or fasting blood sugar counts are generally good and in the 105 to 120 range, with a few spikes to around 133. My evening "sugars" suck!
They've been from 156 to 170!
The best I've had was two hours after eating a couple of pork chops, a small potato and about 1.5 cups of over-boiled broccoli flowers. I've also
found that "Lean Cuisine" meals aren't the diabetics best friend but in terms of portion control, they bet the crap out of what I prepare in
terms of portion control if not in terms of value. (i.e. in terms of carbs to blood sugar)
Back to my brother's sad story...
My brother was laid off but this layoff was perverted into a firing; the true reason for the firing was not that he'd screwed up his time sheets (his
immediate supervisor had read and blessed them!). The real reason was he was costing them a lot of money! Imagine a diabetic getting sick and actually using his medical insurance! This can't be allowed to happen! The
employees are supposed to be healthy and management is supposed to get a bonus for medical insurance not used! (This is just a wild ass guess but is probably accurate...)
Well, we can't have this sickly man being sickly so SHIT CAN HIM!
It was done...
Well, my feet are still good but I sure didn't tell our Mother that I'd stubbed the middle toe of my right foot and it has developed a bright red
blister. My wife talked me out of going to the Family MD and that was just as well: the swelling has subsided to what looks like a scratch. For a couple of years before I was officially diagnosed, I noticed that I was healing slower and slower. When I first started blood testing on 11 May 2004, I must have "stabbed" myself in the forearm 8 times. Those "wounds" healed very quickly. Lately, the needle holes have been taking two or three days to heal.
I have noticed a lot more "for diabetics" products.
The "diabetics comfort socks" are US$ 11.50 each and are 2.5 sizes too small. Their highest size is shoe size 12.5 and I wear from size 14 to
size 15.
Diabetics did lead to "erectile dysfunction" but Viagara cured that! I feel like I'm 40 again! (To quote my father-in-law; I'm 54...)
No comments:
Post a Comment