Yesterday, I was sitting in the hospital, awaiting having the staples removed from my leg. Almost two years have gone by since I had a serious compound fracture of my leg due to a vehicle accident. I’m certainly not a kid, or even remotely young, but having much less time going forward than looking back, has made me aware, that I’m in a hurry.
I’m in a hurry for achievement and meaning that satisfies. The impetus for this is not acquisition, money or ‘things’, per se, it’s about experiences. I want to have enough time to, first; know what my bucket list of experiences are, and to then take part in the doing of those acts, – something, – not simply awaiting for disease or accumulated physical damage to overtake my willingness, ability or commitment to ‘experience’.
And I’m impatient for the physical act of doing and of having the resources and the financial and physical capacity to make those experiences real.
I have made some choices and maintained one relationship that wasn’t shall I say, either financially intelligent or emotionally intelligent. One in particular unfortunately shaped my retirement, to my financial detriment. Had I been a more self-interested person, I would, and should have acted to end what would become a personal disaster.
But, to my eternal regret, that wasn’t to be.
As I awaited another x-ray ordered by my doc to assess whether it was wise to remove the hardware, screws and plates in my knee, tibia and fibula, I was struck by the number of people sitting in wheelchairs, or using crutches due to amputations. Yes, amputations. Not broken bones or hip or knee replacements, but amputations.
My orthopaedic surgeon is a reasonably young, active guy who takes part in a lot of activities that hold some level of risk. I know this because we are, I would suggest, kindred spirits of a kind. He, like I, rides a motorcycle, he snowshoes, snowmobiles, cross country skis and, strange for a kid from Manitoba, climbs and loves to trek in the mountains at altitude. Not something easily done for a boy living on the prairies.
He, like I, has had a number of what he calls, “intentionals”, otherwise known as accidents. He subscribes to the school of “use it or lose it” and suggests that when he is old and unable to no longer act with ”intention”, that he will have, no regrets, but a bucket full of experiences and memories.
I have thought about that quite a lot of late, after another rather lengthy conversation, while he was surveying the damage to my bones. And then he said something that, – I can’t say surprised me, but clearly made me aware of how his vocation helped and helps to frame his mindset. He said this;
“Every day I have to consult with other doctors and prosthetists, for patients who have undergone amputation. Most of those patients and most of their amputations, are caused, not by accident, nor by adventure or misadventure, but by abuse and conspicuous consumption. The people I see, choose to consume alcohol, but mostly sugar and foods filled with sugar that leads them to illness, obesity, diabetes, and often and predictably, to amputation. It’s incredibly saddening that our society not only allows, but enables those people to destroy their own bodies”.
He continued,
“ I know it sounds apathetic, but every day I see patients with no resolve, no willingness to fight their cravings, as though they are slaves to a substance, no different than meth addicts. And, I still can’t completely resolve my anger, – if I’m honest, because that’s what it is, that’s what it has become. The people who come through this door every day are, and were, directly responsible for their deteriorating physical condition and illnesses, yet they remain either unwilling or unable to do anything in order to change. But those most responsible are the ones who created the demand for sugar, no different than drug lords, they are responsible.”
I just nodded, – aware of how many amputees I had seen in the waiting room. There were only six patients waiting, yet three were missing either legs or feet. And equally saddening was the fact that these people were, except for one, aboriginal or native.
He went silent as he continued to remove the staples from my leg and knee.
He then said, “So I don’t think you need to see me again, now that you’re back to normal. I laughed, saying, “As much as I like you doc, I think I don’t care to meet like this anymore. I’m good.”
He made a wry smile, “Well, good luck and keep doing what moves you. Besides, you and I know what ails us”, and then he laughed.
We shook hands, and I said, “Thanks for everything doc”, as I walked out of his office, past the orthopaedic waiting room once again, where I couldn’t help but notice that there were two more people with obviously missing appendages.
I caught the eye of one woman, sitting in her wheelchair, heavily overweight, who looked exhausted and sad. I smiled at her, and in return she just looked through me with a vacant stare, blank, focused on nothing.
It made me genuinely sad.
Never, I told myself, in silence, and vowed to avoid sugar to the greatest degree possible. Sugar is simply a toxin. It will kill you if you let it.
We all know the risks, yet we act as though sugar consumption is benign. It isn’t, – and we’re deluding ourselves if we think it’s not responsible for a great deal of what ails us.
My father was mildly diabetic, now a sister and brother as well, so diabetes is and has taken a toll.
Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist, whose books I read and often reference stated the following,
He suggests that for the average person, the easiest and best way to avoid the problems related to sugar intake, (not conspicuous intake), but that which is simply found in refined foods within our western diet, – is to intermittently and with intention, fast.
I’ll write an article about its value in the near future, as I’ve intermittently fasted and been a KETO diet follower, most of my life.
In any event, my hope is that someday, the food industry executives who have become rich, deliberately creating sugar addicts, will, like the Sackler family who created people’s addictions to OxyContin, — be held responsible, sued, found guilty and publicly identified to their shame.
No one should profit from causing people to suffer from diseases they were instrumental in causing.
Ciao…
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