Are You Diabetic? Need A Filament for Checking Your Feet?

Are you diabetic? I am. In fact, a couple of months back I spent 4 days in the hospital (24 hours of which was in ICU) because of my Type II diabetes. When I checked into the hospital, by blood glucose was 1100. Normal blood glucose, depending on how recently food was consumed, is 70 - 140. Yes. I was way up there. I went even higher than that after I got in the hospital before the insulin drip started bringing me back down. They tell me many people go into a diabetic coma when their blood glucose gets that high and some people do not survive it. I guess it just wasn't my time. Now I take insulin via injection twice a day, exercise 30-45 minutes at least 5 days a week, and am on a very structured low carb, low fat, low sodium diet. Perhaps if I lose enough weight, the diabetes won't be such a prominent factor in my life. Food has become a major event in my life, because I have to watch what and how much I eat and have to eat at regular intervals in order to keep my glucose from getting too low or too high. But, hey, I'm very thankful to be writing this in my blog. My stay at the hospital could have had much worse results.

Anyway, one of the things that is so important to diabetics is nerve damage in the feet. There is a nifty little filament that doctors use to test whether or not you can feel light touches to your feet. Now, thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, you can get one of those nifty little filament kits for use at home - for free! Just visit this website, check the "Order Monofilaments" link, and give them the requested information. http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov/leap/ If you're diabetic, please do what your doctor tells you. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I've been through if it can be avoided. Peace.

dro out.