I’ve had a lot of cuts and scrapes over the years since being diagnosed with diabetes, but this was the ultimate test of my diet, lifestyle and immune system.
Fact: According to the CDC, in this 2017 ADA document 108,000 diabetics in the US were hospitalized due to amputations in 2014! Amputations are an inevitable fact of life facing millions of diabetics worldwide!
Note: Amputations are inevitable for many diabetics … but only because they follow the failed high-carb dietary advice of the Medical Industry (including the American Diabetes Association).
In this post, I prove (yet again) why I follow a low-carb, low inflammatory diet and lifestyle. Though I am clearly still diabetic, I play, eat and live as a healthy, fit, non-diabetic. That fact alone should cause people to pause and think about the high carb dietary recommendations of the Medical Industry and the ADA.
Another Nasty Foot Wound
As a 57 year old diabetic I love to run, play and exercise … barefoot and shirtless whenever possible. I love it for many reasons but one is to show people that if you maintain truly normal blood sugars, as well as eat and live a ‘low inflammatory lifestyle’, you can truly LIVE and enjoy life… even as an ‘old diabetic’. :)
This story revolves around a weekend kayak trip to Cape Island, SC with my son Brad. The fact that I was able to go and keep up with my son, is itself a testament to the benefits of my lifestyle and way of eating.
Round trip was only 20 miles but with the winds and tides against us much of the time it turned into a grueling physical and mental test for both of us.
Father-Son Kayak Trip
Below is a picture of my son. At this point we had visited the lighthouses in the background, but to get to our campsite we still had to traverse a very dangerous inlet that reminded me of a pot of boiling water. I almost capsized numerous times but all ended well.
As we set out to find a suitable campsite to spend the night, we had to carry our kayaks up on the beach, . It had been a full day of paddling and hiking and we were both ready to pitch a tent, cook dinner and fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2009, back then yeah… I was very careful about where I stepped barefoot. Over the years, because I do maintain truly normal blood sugars and because I have had many ‘nasty wounds’ that healed just fine … I’ve grown less and less careful about where I step.
Besides, I could see only pristine beach and sand dunes for hundreds of yards. As we approached our drop point, I kicked off my sandals while we were still carrying a kayak…
The Cut
Almost immediately I felt a sharp pain in my foot.
As I yelled out in pain I looked down to see a sharp, jagged sea shell that was sticking out of the sand. I’d drug my foot across a razor sharp sea shell.
I took a quick look at my foot and all I saw was blood and sand in an open wound.
Here I was, on pristine beach, it would be dark in another hour or two… and we were a good four hours from where we embarked. Going back now was not an option, not that I would have anyway. I was really looking forward to camping out on the beach!
So here’s what I did… I washed the wound in the ocean and packed it with beach sand. I say this jokingly… I did walk out into the surf and rinse it off but even with sandals it was impossible for sand not to enter the wound.
It hurt less without sandals so I eventually took them off and walked around barefoot… but very carefully this time. I limped around as we cooked, pitched tents and readied for sleep.
The Morning After
After making the decision to stay and camp, I knew I had to ‘deal with it’, regardless of how the wound progressed. Therefore I decided not to look at the wound until we were back on the mainland.
When I woke up that morning I didn’t look at the wound but I asked Brad to check it out. I wanted to know if I needed to rush to get back or if we could take our time. He looked and said, ‘It doesn’t look that bad.” Good enough. :)
We packed up and kayaked back, the return trip was only 8 miles… but it still took us all of four hours thanks to the opposing winds and tides. “Grueling” not an exaggeration, once back on land we both admitted to thoughts of quitting and calling in assistance. It was THAT tough.
Below is a picture of the wound on the bottom of my foot, later that night, after we returned to my son’s house. Its not a great picture but we were exhausted and hungry.
Note: No evidence of infection, despite ‘packing it’ with dirty beach sand. :)
Wound Progression
Since my diabetes diagnosis I’ve had numerous cuts and scrapes… at no time have I ever applied any commercial anti-bacterial ointments, lotions or salves. Why? To prove a point that my lifestyle and diet allow my body to defend itself. Once I did apply coconut oil to a large scrape (link below) but that was only once.
I did not apply any lotions, ointments or salves to this wound either. I did rinse with tap water numerous times.
As you look at these progression pictures, keep this in mind.
The cut occurred on 8/18/18, below is a picture from 8/21/18, just three days later.
As you can see from the picture below… I didn’t ‘baby’ the cut. I continued to walk, run and play barefoot. The wound while not ‘pretty’ always remained free from obvious signs of infection.
The picture below was taken 8/26, eight days after the injury.
The scar on the lower left of my foot is an old injury from high school involving a jet ski, oyster bed and a stick that punctured a vein in my foot. I was on crutches for three months. :)
And lastly… this picture below was taken today 10/28. As you can see almost all traces of the cut are gone. The scar from the jet ski accident remains visible. :)
My Diabetic Foot Complications
So while over a million diabetics have appendages removed every year … I run around barefoot and shirtless as much as possible.
I do it because I love it.
I share my stories hoping to wake people up to the truth of ‘real’ diabetes disease treatment.
I’ve been a diabetic since 2009 and I’ve been ‘mostly barefoot’ ever since. I love to run and play (exercise) barefoot and shirtless, weather permitting. It is so much of ‘who I am’ … when I created this website, instead of creating the ‘Diabetes Warrior’ brand, I toyed with being the “Barefoot Diabetic”.
Why? Because for a diabetic, going barefoot was unheard of! What better way to prove the power of a ‘low carb paleo’ diet and lifestyle… than running around half-naked and barefoot!
I am a 57 year old man who has been a diabetic for almost 10 years. Most people approaching sixty who have been diabetic for almost a decade have a host of diabetic complications… I have none, that I am aware of.
Not My First Nor My Last
When my son Brad and I get together, I usually shed blood or obtain an injury of varying degrees.
Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m weird… I know. To me the scars are all badges of honor. If I didn’t attempt to live life to the fullest… I never would have been injured. It’s more difficult to obtain injuries laying on the couch.
The fact that I get injured but come back, time after time is a testament to my determination, my diet and my lifestyle.
Below are more posts … more evidence of what I say is true.
Believe me … or believe your Medical Industry professional. It’s all up to you.
Here is a link to my meal plan… everyone on the planet should give this a try for one month. One month is all it takes to change your life.
A meal plan you can ‘live with’.
Give it a try, I did… and I’m never going back!
Lower Your Blood Sugar Naturally
If your blood sugars are elevated and you cannot achieve truly normal blood sugars with diet alone…
BUY MY BOOK! How to Reduce Blood Sugars.
