Part of foot care is applying the Silver Sulfadiazine twice a day. First I ice the foot with a cold pack for half an hour or so to keep the swelling down. Then I air it for half an hour or so. This morning, bright sunshine, a warm September day, perfection.

I'm airing it in the sun, and the foot says:  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh....

Our family is not terribly medically oriented.

When my mother had her left leg amputated below the knee, and she was in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, I took myself by the shoulders and said I had to look at her truncated leg without flinching. She would have to look at it a lot in the months ahead. The very least I could do was support her with my gaze.

In fact, the healing of the wound took many months and was problematic. Finally an ointment containing blood cells that cost $400 a tube and had to be refrigerated helped bring about the healing. Mom's congestive heart failure and age (87) militated against hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

As this much smaller healing challenge goes forward for me -- I lift my eyes to the hills, whence comes my help...my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth -- a moment in the sun is delicious. Warm, bright, healing. Got to help.

After this lovely sunning and wiggling, back to the rest of the regimen.

Halloween is coming...a problem in the glucose garden. I have a sweet tooth I have to manage. I am a sugarholic.  It's a Sanger thing, my mom's side of the family. They were some great cooks.

Here's a smart mamma who helps her diabetic teen-age son by hiding the candy before Halloween, outa sight, outa mind. And, even better, she buys candy he doesn't like. http://diabetesawarenesssite.com/?p=1298   That is really smart.

You know, flan...I don't really like it. Biscotti...not so much. It's a meh. So if either of them are around, I don't go nuts...no resist, resist, resist, snap! Followed by trouble.

One thing I'm doing is calling on the good offices of my next door neighbor, Katie, who is two years out of college and runs all the time.  She is my sweet-taker...she'll take the goodies that get into my home if I ask her.

I asked Mark at work if he'd be my sweet-gorgon. He's within the sightline of the candy bowl outside the conference room. Because I don't eat 1, but 8 or 12, I asked him, if he sees me tip-toeing around the bowl, to please call me on it.

He's very gracious about it. No value judgments or heavy-handed harrassment.

There was some sweet on the table one morning.  I remember, lemon slices. Real downfall potential for me. He came in silently, moved the goodies out of my sight-line, and went out.

Good folks!

Finding diversions is a good way to put the sweets of Halloween outa sight, outa mind. Something better to do. You could get married.

That's what my cousin Kasia did two years ago on Halloween. She and her groom Jason -- in the orange vest, of course -- said their vows on Oct. 31.

Here they are with sister Gosia and cousins Justin and Jessica.

Another smart move!

 

 

 

9/26/12 Wednesday

 

 

 

 
Progress on physical therapy, almost done.

As of Sept. 13, a 0.6 in. reduction in the swelling at the base of the toes, and a 0.15 in. reduction mid-foot. 15 degree improvement in my ability to move my toes up.


Detail alert: If you are uncomfortable, don't read. The end of the 2nd toe auto-amputated on Sept. 18. It happened in the doctor's office.


I offered it to the Lord, who graciously accepted it, along with the good care that the doctors, nurses, therapists, and I have been giving the foot.

I saw vascular Dr. Kozloff on Sept. 20, and he thought the healing work may well complete on its own, without requiring an out-patient procedure of suturing -- which carries its own risk of abcess. That would be wonderful! Thank you, Lord, for all blessings.

Gangrene is a bitch.

The feet are vulnerable for the diabetic and pre-diabetic. The healing of a small ulcer on the left of the third toe continues but it not yet complete.

Applying Silver Sulfadiazine 2x/day. Icing the foot to keep the swelling down.

Wearing the old lady compression stocking.  Every time I struggle to put it on (2x/day) I pray for my sister-in-stocking, Cecilia Braveboy, who similarly struggles to get the tight thing on.

I have to admit that I'd been experiencing recovery fatigue. That's the time to redouble efforts, set new goals, make new plans, aim at new horizons.

Keep doing the exercises, work to overcome the fatigue of the stalwart leg that carried the day while the right was off duty. Use the cane when necessary.

Don't overdo things.        
                                   

I'd hoped to re-start tai chi today, but it's better to wait until the November session.

Today I asked Dr. Polun: What possible evolutionary advantage could bunions have been on the west coast of Ireland? Absolutely none, he said, never an advantage.

I thought it might have been were we Italian amid vineyards where stamping out the grapes to wine might have been aided by a larger foot.

So the Lanes must have had other qualities that provided survival advantage to offset the bunion deficit.

Photos: Gardens and monarch butterflies at the Freer Gallery, Washington DC, mid-September 2012. Cecilia Braveboy, June 2011. Tai chi class, Jewish Community Center, Rockville, MD, summer 2011, Jeff Robbins, far right, instructor.