It's been a long time....now I'm ready to share my story. Update 9/18

[Thunder]

DaGlob's fight for his health is inspiring to me.   I've been a ghost here for ages.  I'm inspired to tell my health story.

I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic 20 years ago.  For a while, I was on top of things.  But due ti financial concens and pure arrogance on my part, I didn't take care of my disease for 7 years. In the beginning of 2016, I began to care for my condition again.  I was keeping daily logs of my blood sugars. Then, in August 2016, the problems began.

I was walking barefoot at home and stepped on an electrical plug.  I had a small cut on the ball of my right foot.   Due to the diabetes, I sought out a doctor's care.  My podiatrist was wonderful, he gave me a regimen to follow to heal the wound, it was slow going, but it was healing.  I got cocky, and reunitingwith a dear friend,I would start walking a 3 mile stretch for exercise.  That ended up aggravating the wound.  In February, I contracted a flu virus, but felt a lot worse than I ever had before.  My big toe on my right foot started to get extremely red, so I made an appointment with my doctor that week.  It turns out that I was not only fighting the flu, but an infection in the bones of the toe.  The doctor was alarmed and told me to go to the hospital and he would meet me there.   He amputated the toe that night.  However, my body wasstill showing signs of infection.  The doctor cut open the side of my foot to tackle the infection. The hole in my foot was left open with a wound-vac (a pump-like device that pulled any leakage from the wounds to help me heal) and was admitted to a nursing home facility for rehab.  About 8 weeks later, the doctor performed skin grafts to heal the wounds.  He decided to take an MRI to see how things were healing.

It was discovered that the 4 rear bones in my foot were 100% infected.  My doctors told me that they couldn't save my right foot.  The news was really hard to hear.  I told my family and they all rllied by my side.  My mother and stepdad drove from Florida to Connecticut to be with me.  Everyone, in the family, said I should get a second opinion, but I knew it wouldn´t matter.  If I waited, the infection could spread further. In May I had my right foot amputated as well as a portion of the leg below the knee.  I am still in the nursing home doing rehab. The leg is almost healed now. In a few more weeks, I am hoping, I should be getting fitted for a prosthetic.  Then I will be able to go home.

Mine is a cautionary tale.  Take care of your health, you only have one body. 

However, one of the best things about all of this is the fact that I{m much closer to my family.

Thank you for reading my story.

[daglob]

You and I are two of the most fortunate people on this planet, especially where families and friends are concerned.

[BentonGrey]

Wow Thunder, that is quite a tale.  I'm sorry for what you've had to go through and for what you've lost.  My prayers are with you.  Yet, as DG said, it's wonderful that your family has stood by you.  I hope that your recovery will be as smooth as possible.  You're always welcome here, of course.

[Cyber Burn]

Thank you for sharing with us Thunder. I know that there are a lot of trials that many of us go through that we never hear about, but we're always here for support whenever needed. I'm glad to hear that you're on the recovering end, and hope that your health continues to improve.

[Epimethee]

Thanks for sharing, Thunder. It's hard to realize how insidious Diabete is (a friend of my father with type 2 died of something similar—and he used to work in healthcare).

I wish you the best possible recovery from this ordeal. I'm glad you're getting good support from your family through this.

[WyldFyre]

So sorry to hear about this Thunder. As a fellow diabetic, I get arrogant sometimes to and think - "I'm doing fine, I don't need to check my levels every day." Thank goodness my wife keeps me grounded. I'm glad your family is there for you. I have learned that diabetes is an insidious little disease that requires monitoring and a support system. I am so glad that you have family around you.

[Thunder]

Latest news...I see my surgeon tomorrow,  I am hoping there will be a concrete timeline for getting my prosthetic and going home.

[BentonGrey]

Best of luck, Thunder!  I hope things go smoothly!

[daglob]

Sounds good.

[SickAlice]

Me too. Dealing with a host of things though I was born with them. daglob helped me through a bit just by keeping his chin up and now so do you. Always know that you are not alone in your struggles and people are rooting for you. Also that while the battle to reach a point of even stability is a very difficult one it is worth it when it pays off and you get the chance to enjoy the things again many take for granted. On the plus side medical science is moving at an incredible rate these days and while a treatment proper may not be in hand have faith in that it may come sooner than later. I am totally praying for you and proud of you for keeping up the fight as well being so open about this as I am daglob and everyone else dealing with afflictions here. Best to you and those you adore friend.

[UnkoMan]

Oh my gosh! I didn't know diabetes could do so much to you.

My father lost half of a leg, just after I had moved away from home. It was a motorcycle accident, not an illness, but he managed to be alright. He took up swimming to stay strong and actually got pretty fit from it. He's slower now, but a lot of that is old age.
Hopefully you will get a nice prosthetic and not a lot of complications, and things will work out well for you also. You seem to be taking it in stride. ...uhhh, no pun intended.
Seriously though, wish you all the best!

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

Wow, that's quite the tale.  All the very best to you Thunder.

Like Unkoman, my father lost his leg, many years ago (30-ish years or so now) to osteomyelitis, above the knee.  It was initially hard going for him but he's still active and playing golf into his 70's.  I would caution you, if you are at all as handy and DIY-inclined as he is (and sure hiw would you know if you are?), do not attempt to improve the fit of your prosthetic leg by paring it with a knife in those moments where it is uncomfortable.  That was not a wise move on his part.  Hard won knowledge that you need not earn the hard way yourself.