[RKDinOKC]

Was cruising along 52 moderate exercise and a managed carb diet, 5-10, 180lbs. Keeping below a borderline diabetic and managing my 92 yo mother's hyperglycemia as well (same diet interestingly). LDL was a little high, but nothing the doctor was concerned, said to just add some oat bran to my diet so we added oatmeal with fruits instead of sugar to make it tasty.

Then after recently having the house re-roofed stepped on a rough but brand new roofing nail. And was wearing boots at the time. Cleaned it and put triple antibiotic on the wound. 3 days later it started smelling bad and turning black. Immediately got in to see doc and he sent my to emergency. It was a penicillin resistant or MRSA infection. They operated immediately to remove the dead flesh from around the wound.

The infectious diseases doc could not find anything that would stop the infection. Was told to get my affairs in order. They were taking my blood and giving my different stuff intravenously every few hours. about 12 days in they informed me I had become a full on diabetic and started giving me insulin shots. That and did another operation removing more flesh and the toe closest to where I had stepped on the nail.

On the 14th day the infection diseases doc came in and talked to me for about 2 hours. He had found something to stop the infection. I was going to live, but my life was going to change as the infection had gotten into my blood and I was always going to have worry about it maybe coming back. And that the antibiotic that stopped the infection was going to mess me up as well.

They did a third surgery on my foot to clean it up and get rid of the last of the dead flesh. All total lost 1/3 of my foot including one toe. And they used this new stuff that works like stem cells to regrow the flesh instead of just scaring over. Said I was the 2nd person in the state they were trying it on. Took 6 months of keeping my foot sterile to grow the flesh back, but it didn't grow back the toe. Said I had to keep it sterile because it would grow any living cells it came into contact with.

The antibiotics they had me on completely killed off all my natural defenses. I had to take an immodium with every dosage of antibiotics. Didn't stop the diarrhea, but at least I could make it to the bathroom. The first thing that happened was I got a horrible thrush infection. Then the MRSA started to come back and they put me on more antibiotics.

After a full year I went to a wound care specialist to do the last of getting the foot straightened out. He ended up removing the knuckle of my little toe to keep me from having to wear special shoes and not worry about pressure sores. So my foot was good to go.

What I had left was the diabetes, no intestinal probiotics, and constant diarrhea. Changed to a endocrinologist for my primary care physician, worked with him and a dietitian. It was not normal. My blood sugar seemed to go up an down on it's own. Could sometime not eat anything and no mater how much insulin it would still shoot up. Other times without any insulin at all and eating a lot and way too much sugar would still get too low. And exercise didn't seem to make much difference. Got a handle on it and keep my blood sugar under 200. small meals and little or no carbs, unless my sugar is getting low and then not much becuase it may take a day to have effect.

Then I started getting what are typically diabetic complications. Neuropathy, but good circulation, blood vessels in my legs would pop and start bleeding sores, and retinopathy which is basically the same thing and the legs sores but in the retina of your eye.

My first clue was from the dermitologist that was treating the sores on my legs. She said the normal steroid therapy used to diabetic legs sores weren't working. Told her about the MRSA and she changed the steroid therapy and it is much better. She said it was damage from the MRSA infection and not diabetes causing the problem. Mentioned that to the doctor treating the retinopathy and he said the treatment is the same. The different was that I had more bleeding than other retinopathy patients and have had operations in my eyes to remove the blood from the vitreous fluid (gel inside the eye).

From that, I am assuming the diabetes and digestive problems are also from damage done by the MRSA infection. Especially since nothing seems to respond like it is supposed to or like other diabetics.


One of the things I have found is that the small meals more often help with the meal related spikes, but you run the risk of your blood sugar dropping too low at night while you are asleep. I would wake in the middle of the night sweaty and very foggy and hardly able to get up and around. Take my blood sugar and it would be around 50. So try to have a snack before you go to bed that is a small amount of fruit and something like a couple of graham crackers. Something that is a low glycemic carb. Low glycemic or good carb generally have more fiber and release the sugar slower.