Every darn day I have to deal with being diabetic. But it’s not how you’d think.
Yes, I have a different diet. I don’t care about this, what I eat suits me just fine (low carb), it’s not a sacrifice. And I don’t take any medication - none. And my blood sugar stays low. (For those of you who know about these things, my A1C is 4.9. I know, I say this a lot.)
In Kaiser’s computer system, however, I am diabetic. Once that’s on your records, there is no escaping it. Because I’m diabetic, I have to wear the shoes. The clompers.
My new clompers are a lot smaller than the originals, but they are still big and unwieldy.
There is the cosmetic aspect. How do you wear a dress, if you were the sort of person who’d want to, with these clompers? You’d look like Elly Mae from the Beverly Hillbillies. This morning I wanted to put on a pair of knee-length pants instead of long pants. When I put the shoes on, I look like a 12-year old boy - puny calves and huge feet.
I wore them anyway. I sit at my desk all day, and I’m not given to worrying about fashion. But there are still consequences.
I have to be very careful on steps. I have to think about where my feet are at all times, I can catch the heel of one shoe with the toe of the other very easily. Stairs are a fright.
Today I discovered a new danger. I started out my office door. It was half closed, so I pulled it open. The door hit the end of my shoe that just sticks out there in space, bounced back and hit me in the head. It looked like something out of the 3 Stooges. Poor Melanie was choking, trying not to laugh. These shoes could have killed both of us. Melanie, who is very stylish and always wears the best, would be mortified if she died because of a totally inelegant shoe.
I wouldn’t be much happier about it. My head hurts.
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4 comments:
I totally understand your frustration. I have two pairs of shoes - one that I ordered online and had rocker soles and custom orthotics installed. The other pair were custom made to my feet at a cost of $1400 - paid by ME. Took 8 weeks to get them and then they didn't fit well. They remade them and about a month or so later I picked them up. After a month of wearing them, I'm going to take them back to be adjusted. The heel is too high, the sole isn't flared as I think it should be, and they're too lose. Frustrating. So I"m back to wearing the first pair. I have trouble with tripping, stubbing, etc. As my doc said, with peripheral neuropathy, I don't know where my feet are. Sounds wierd, but it's true. I have to concentrate when I'm walking, especially in uneven terrain. Sorry to go on and on. You've hit a nerve!
I guess we won't be doing any tap dance duets, will we, cousin? Pisces rules the feet, I've heard. It seems it either does a good job, like with Baryshnikov, or a poor job like it's doing with us.
I wore Arcopedicos for the past 2 years because they were light and didn't slip on my feet. I have 4 different colors. Now I am supposed to wear my prescription shoes, and I have only one pair. (Melanie said she'd shoot herself if she had to deal with this.) You've done this for a while, do you have any advice? It's hard to work in the garden dirt with the same pair of shoes you have to wear to work.
One more thing, I could throw the Arcopedicos in the washing machine and they come out sparkling. These big leather jobbies seem like they'll be looking pretty shabby by the end of the year.
It is a hassle with only one pair of prescription shoes. One piece of advice is to get another pair. I think a podiatrist would agree that the shoes will last longer and be better for your feet if you don't wear the same ones every day. Maybe that's a myth. However, it can be expensive. I have to pay for my own shoes so haven't allowed myself the "extravagance" of two pairs of shoes. After I get my current ones altered so serve me better, I might order another pair in a little different style.
Regarding working in the dirt, or the paint, or whatever, I soon let go of issues of my shoes needing to look good. Actually, I did that as soon as I started wearing my ugly special shoes. I worry less about what they look like and more on the fact that they enable me to walk. I appreciate simple things like walking. I try to keep them somewhat clean, but they're by no means perfect ever. When I go to a dressy event, I always wear long black pants so that my shoes don't attract too much attention. Again, bottom line, I don't care that much about it anymore.
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