Sunday, August 2, 2009

Barefoot & Happy


There are so many great things that summer brings. Cute sun dresses, beach outings and of course the millions of sandals that you accumulate over the two hot months. There are so many aspects of summer that we look forward too, push through the cold miserable winter just to spend a couple months basking in the sun.

I remember sitting in my hospital bed, reading booklets, pamphlets, papers,books, hand outs, articles etc. etc. all about diabetes. The words bolus, basal, pancreas, insulin and glucose repeated in my mind. I had no idea what some of these words meant, what they were, what they had to do with me. Now these words are beyond familiar. One thing I learned was that taking proper care of my feet was going to be very important. I didn't know why but in every book it stated how important it was to wash, wear shoes, and take care. The reason I have to take care of my feet is because there is an increased risk for a diabetic getting foot infections.

Running around on the beach is something everyone does. Who wears their sandals while walking down the sandy beach or quickly running to the car to grab a couple towels? It's hard for me to all of sudden think, "I should probably where some shoes," when everyone else on the beach is barefoot and happy.

I take care of my diabetes. I check my sugar regularly and with effort I try and keep my blood sugar within range, so I feel like that odd time of being barefoot on the beach, I will hopefully be okay. I know that in a perfect world I should wear shoes but it's hard.

My feet are a bit cracked. They always have been from wearing sandals regularly. As I sunbathed yesterday at the beach my foot began to tingle a bit and I knew not to take that lightly. I told Clinton about it, and he got me a bucket of water. I figured I must have got sand in my cracked feet and it was irritating it. I stuck my foot in water and soon enough the sand washed off and I felt much better. I kept a close eye on my feet and made sure that I didn't leave sand on them for too long. I watched where I stepped and made sure that I was comfortable, as far as my feet go.

As soon as I got home I soaked my feet in epsom salt and applied Polysporin to the area in which it was irritated. All is well, and I know that being cautious will be the number one rule when hitting the beach. For anyone really, you have to be careful where you step. The sand can hide many things such as glass, sharp rocks and sticks and nobody likes cuts on their feet.

Good foot care is what I aim for. Making sure that I scrub my feet in the shower and remove any dead skin. I always make sure I'm aware of blisters, cuts, scrapes and that nothing is irritating me. Although it's hard for me to convince myself to wear better shoes I do try to maintain my feet, the best way that I can.

Kayla

No comments:

Post a Comment