Throughout my adult life, I have attempted to follow a simple philosophy: always try to be cheerful & make the most of your talents while not worrying about your deficiencies. If something worries you, either you can do something about it, or you can't. If you CAN, then get on & do it. If you CAN'T, it's a waste of time worrying about it. So, why worry?
Whatever your troubles, you don't have to look very far to find someone worse off than yourself. In my case, I was particularly impressed by reading about Douglas Bader in the book, "Reach for the Sky", & seeing Kenneth More's fine portrayal in the film. From adolescence to my fifties, I continued in employment while tolerating my ataxia, followed by the additional diabetes. However, with the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, I decided that "enough is enough", and took early retirement. In April, 2004, I had a couple of gangrenous toes amputated from my left foot - I couldn'r say I LOST them as I knew where they went! Simlarly,two right toes (then my leg) went in early 2009. In 2010, the doctor told me that it was too risky because of my unsteadiness (thrrough ataxia) for me to have an artificial leg; this ended my hope for greater mobility.

The message which has inspired me most about health matters was contained in a sermon; learning to live with your problems can be almost as good as experiencing a cure. Having been fortunate to be on friendly terms with most of the medical profession I have met (I was even engaged to a nurse!) has followed on my gratitude to those who have looked after me in my many departures from "the norm" healthwise. In some small way of recompense, I  offered myself as a "human guinea pig" for medical students. One examined me before expressing his opinion thus: "He might have a drink problem!" Fortunately, the consultant to whom he was presenting knew me well and said he didn't consider this an accurate diagnosis. Probably as a result of my experiences, my regular TV viewing pattern includes 'Casualty' and 'Holby City'. Close friends know that emails and telephone calls are mainly ignored when these are on!