Focus on My Feet - Diabetes: My Personal Journey: March, 2020

My New Year's Resolution brought a change in my approach to my overall health. and deciding the time had come for me to take positive and concise action in my battle against Diabetes.

It's now March. Time to check my progress for the past two months.

The first step I took was to chart my progress monthly. So here is my chart for January through March. Apologies, I made an error in my calculations:

MONTH	A1C Level	+/- CHANGE IN POINTS	IMPROVEMENT TO DATE (points)
January	163	- 0 [Starting Point]	0
February	137	-26	26
March	96	-41	67

My A1C level on March 1, 2020 was 96. As you can can see below, my level dropped 41 points. But I was alarmed due to the sharp drop in points. My doctor advised that this rapid drop for one month was unusual. She then told me to watch for April, however, not to be surprised if it rises to a higher level to correct itself.

However, I know from experience these past 10 months that any prolonged illness or steroid injection can wipe out any progress I make. So I just have to be careful with minor illness getting in the way and watch my diet more carefully.

After declaring to lower my A1C level, in January I developed my eating and light exercise program. I still like a variety of foods. The plan I'm attempting to follow is to limit those foods and eat less quantities.

Since I deal with a few other health issues that require me to take different types of medicines for my thyroids and heart, I try to be extra careful with my eating habits. My biggest problem is I love desserts. I discovered a diabetic desserts cookbook. Also I copies several great recipes for healthy desserts in blogs from different bloggers. I have yet to prepare them all. I have to compile my ingredients first.

The next nine months will tell whether I'm able to reduce my A1C level. I can only take one day at a time. Smaller quantities seem to fit my diet regime. Drinking herbal tea has helped with digestion. I've been adding more fruit to my diet and have seen a difference in my overall sluggish feeling during the day.

^{Image by diapicard from Pixabay}

As far as my exercise is concerned, I purchased a new pair of Skechers Walking shoes. I've tried them for the past two months, and they perform as advertised.

But my primary focus for the month of March is to focus on the care of my feet when dealing with Diabetes.

I already learned not to leave my manicure on longer than two weeks, to give my toes a breather. People with Diabetes have to be even more vigilant using nail polish too frequently.

Next, people like me with Diabetes are at an increased risk for damage to their feet. I have Type 2 Diabetes, and it can cause numerous foot problems. Some of them are infections, extremely dry skin, and ingrown toenails that can cause serious issues. Even the smallest bruise or injury to the feet can cause severe damage.

A second risk to your feet is nerve damage. It's caused by poor circulation. What nerve damage does it can reduce your ability to feel pain. You may not even know you have an injury until you see physical evidence, such a break in the skin, swollen, or infection. I hurt my toe. I didn't realize it was sprained. It just felt a bit uncomfortable.

Below are warning signs of Diabetic foot problems:

• increase in swelling of your legs or feet;
• changes in the color of the skin on your feet;
• unusual burning or tingling sensation;
• ingrown toenails;
• reduced feeling in your feet;
• numbness in your toes;
• sores that are slow to heal; and
• cracks or sores between your toes.¹

To avoid such foot problems, I follow the recommended guidelines below faithfully because my health depends on it by:

1. Wearing comfortable, closed-toe footwear at all times;
2. Checking for objects inside the shoe, such as sand, tiny rocks;
3. Even at home, not walking barefoot. I wear socks year round at home;
4. Avoiding burning my feet walking on hot pavement in the summer.² I don't wear beach slippers or sandals, but keep my feet protected at all times from sunburn, even after applying my high dose sunscreen lotion.

^{Image by Rune Enstad from Unsplash}

Lets have healthy feet be your priority in 2020, even if you don't have Diabetes.

Thanks for accompanying me on this journey.

See you in April.