I'm really fighting the winter cold this year, and it's only going to get colder in the next couple months, so I don't really plan on going outside unless I have to.

My circulation is really bad these days, so I have a lot of problems with any cold weather. For my hand I had to modify some leather gloves so they were useable, and it helps a bit, but it's still painful.

A couple months back I was at the doctors office (old back injury) and he was checking out my legs and feet, and it took him 15 minutes to find a pulse in my foot (it doesn't help that it's skin grafted), so it seems my circulation in my foot is getting worse all the time, but because I go to the VA they don't really do anything about it (took 3 months just to get an x-ray of my back, and by that time it had healed). so if anything were to go really bad with my foot, I'm afraid the VA would wait long enough that I would end up losing the whole leg (I'm not too trusting of doctors, due to the burn injuries, and amputations)

My mother is a double amputee (diabetes). she was having problems with her foot and the docotrs didn't really do anything but give her pain meds (which don't work on me anyway) and they waited with her in the hospital while her foot started to turn black (couple weeks), then instead of amputating her foot they waited a bit longer and then thought they waited to long and she ended up having the leg amputated below the knee.  after the operation she was never able to be fitted with a pros because the shin bone has little pading, and despite all the refits she could not walk without great pain (I have spent a lot of time in casts and have the same problem as her with the shin bone).

Later (2 years) she had to have the leg revised to above the knee, and 2 weeks later the other leg below the knee. she has never been able to walk since her amputations and thats a bit spooky for me. I know I could handle the lose of my foot alone, but if I were to lose my leg below the knee (because the docs wait to long) then I feel I would be in the same situation and lose my mobility (which would be devistating to me because I'm an active person).

Right now I'm fine other than the cold with my hand, and pain in my foot from reduced blood flow, and I never have considered myself disabled despite the fact that I know there are some things I just cannot do (frankly I don't see any situation where I would really call myself disabled).

I guess the biggest problem I have is not having suitable health insurance (or care), and being self employed I don't see that changing for the better any time soon.  The only thing a person can do is take life one day at a time, and see what the future brings.