Doctors didn't make the discovery; a nurse did.  For eight years the doctors had been intent on proving I was -- choose one -- 

• Lying about my symptoms

• insane

• overly imaginative

• faking it

• too lazy to work.

One lone nurse worked on her own time to prove I was truly ill.  My sugar was averaging 575 when she came in with the proof even those VA doctors could not ignore.

Suddenly, "Now this all makes sense, Mr. Stone."

Yeah!  Suddenly I was no longer a ragged bum trying to get in out of the cold.  Suddenly my strange complaints were taken seriously. 

But, Diabetic?  I would rather have been shot deadern a door nail than join the ranks of those who live daily with that label. 

In all honesty I should not blame the doctors for their previous lack of sympathy but even in my most forgiving moments I still curse the all-knowing-doctor-god who physically and verbally abused me until the day I pulled out my little tape recorder with the light still on and he fainted.

What does all this have to do with saving your feet?  Just having a GOOD doctor isn't good enough.  Even my good, sympathetic GP ignored my ear pain complaints until they reached emergency proportions and the good Lord shuttled me to an ENT specialist who immediately began lancing the pockets of pus. 

From then on, when my GP did not provide an answer that made sense or appear to be adequately responsive to the intensity I was experiencing, I went to see a specialist.  Oh how appalling it was to learn how frequently what a GP knows to be true has no relationship to what a specialist knows for a fact!

See a SPECIALIST.  

Over the years I have learned that dedicated nurses at hospitals often know more than the good doctors who send patients to them.  It makes sense; nurses are dealing with the problems first hand while GPs see only the results.

Specialists know more than dedicated nurses.  That makes sense too; they see only those patients which GPs aren't able to help.

And lately I have learned that manufacturers of special equipment have specialized knowledge unknown to good GPs.  That makes sense too.  Their equipment deals daily with those patients in the last desperate stages of treatment.

For example:  I was interviewing the CEO of OCMI about a protective boot prescribed for bedridden patients when he casually began listing skin abrasion problems which have tormented me for ages.  "The skin on the feet of a diabetic is far more sensitive to abrasion than the feet of a regular patient."

From that CEO I also learned that the equipment being manufactured by OMCI must have consideration built in to accommodate the sudden swelling of a diabetic's feet and lower legs.  "Ah, so THAT'S why my legs suddenly swell up to about twice their normal size!  So THAT'S why my feet will suddenly reject the shoes I wear and feel like I've roasted them for hours in the microwave! 

Maybe it is only my experience with that VA all-knowing-doctor-god which makes me draw back at the first hint of disbelief when I begin describing strange symptoms.  Until I did that interview with OMCI I would mumble a few words about foot problems, then immediately hush when a frown crossed my beloved physician's belabored brow.

Now I am armed with confidence that my abnormal symptoms are "normal" for the extreme diabetic label attached to me.  Now I can march back to my GP and persist in my lamentations until something is done about it, like the acquisition of diabetic shoes which expand and contract in response to the swelling of my feet. 

I am not a mind reader.  You probably aren't either.  Unless you have the courage to ask out loud, how shall you know if that frown on the face of your doctor was one of deepening concern for you worsening welfare, or if it was a frown of disbelief? 

Expecting your doctor to know everything, do everything and believe everything is totally unrealistic.  Saving your feet is up to you.  

YOU are the one most responsible for the treatment of your health problems.  

Get over it, Get on with it.  

• Arm yourself with knowledge.  

• Monitor your body for changes.  

• Change your physicians until you get ones who will listen to you, 

• and who will make you listen to them.

Following any other course is insane.

Click HERE to read You Can Lead An Old Man To Water -- But Should You Make Him Drink?

Great Shoes for Diabetics  written by Lin Stone.  New Protection for Diabetics -- Just about the first words of advice given to diabetics is to "Watch Your Feet."  These poorly circulated extremities are vulnerable.  Here are some new protection devices which diabetics can count on.  
Save Your Feet, Personal experience of Lin Stone shows just having a GOOD doctor usually isn't good enough.  
For millions of Americans and others worldwide, diabetes is a misunderstood, mistreated disease. Even those who have it don’t always understand how to keep it in check. If you have just been diagnosed, your mind is probably full of thoughts like these. 

Aspartame, the Silent Killer is especially deadly for diabetics.  
New candy for Diabetics.    
New Sweetener for Diabetics, an article of personal observations.  
Diabetes, Cause and Control Discover the latest information guides here. Diabetes is a bummer you can easily afford to miss out on! Diabetes is a bummer you can easily afford to miss out on! Diabetes is a bummer you can easily afford to miss out on!
MORE Health Care Articles found on THIS site.
Click HERE if your insurance costs too much. 
Click HERE if you want to walk with a spring in your step and a sparkle in your eye.  
Back to our front page.