How We Got Diabetic Wound Treatment for FREE and Saved a Lot!

MUST READ for anyone who is diabetic or knows a diabetic.

We were able to lower blood glucose levels from almost 300 to barely above 100 in 3 weeks! We were also able to save my dad’s foot / leg from possible amputation, and we got the treatment for FREE! Legit. FREE! Everything was covered by PhilHealth.

We were given an estimate of 150-200k for a hospital stay, but we were able to save on that, thanks to Hilom Wound Care. Read below where I share our experience.

It’s a long read, here’s a link to Skip to the Summary.

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The past few weeks have been stressful, and I am sorry if I haven’t been able to blog as much.

We had some medical scares at home, and it has been stressful and tiring.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a black area on my dad’s toe. At first, I thought it was just dirt, but when I looked closer, I realized it was a wound that had gotten bad.

We were only able to consult with doctors online (thru Viber / phone), because of the current worldwide situation. After seeing photos and videos of the toe, they already told us that the toe might need to be amputated. Worse case, the whole lower leg might need to be amputated since the major arteries in the legs already have blockages (from the AV Duplex Scan). Some vascular surgery might also need to be done, depending on what the vascular doctor recommends.

Needless to say, this possibility was totally faint-inducing, and made us feel like the whole world was crashing down. A small toe wound had blown into possible leg amputations and lifelong disability.

One doctor provided some hope by telling us that the blocked arteries on each leg was different, and it’s possible that the legs can still use other smaller arteries for blood flow. This was why I am now insisting on more leg exercises for my dad.

The estimated cost might be around P150,000 to P200,000! Yikes! That’s just for a toe amputation / debridement (not really sure what procedure they were talking about when we were given the estimate)! This includes a few days’ hospital stay + all the other fees.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Kind relatives in the medical field advised us to get blood work, 2D Echo, AV Duplex Scans, X-rays, etc… For these, we just went to the nearby Lourdes Hospital, which, to my surprise, had all of them available.

We have lived near Lourdes Hospital for over a decade, and the hospital seems to have improved a lot recently. We did not have a good experience when we brought my grandmother there for pneumonia in the early 2000s (the nurses seemed like newbies and had a lot of trouble finding my grandmother’s vein for injection, which seemed to worsen her condition and caused her wrist to swell).

Their services seemed to have improved since then. Getting these tests done was not as difficult as I had anticipated. It was easy to call them, the people who answered the phone were friendly and helpful. Scheduling the tests was easily done over the phone. Processes seemed to be more streamlined now, and getting the test results was easy because they had a releasing area for all the tests in the parking lot.

The reason we often chose Lourdes in the past was because of the convenience / emergency – not because it had any good reputation or whatever. We can walk to and from Lourdes if we had to. Parking is also easier at Lourdes. Parking at UERM Sta Mesa is such a hassle! One time, a relative was confined there, and we ended up having to park at SM Sta Mesa and then walk all the way to UERM when we visited. But after our recent experience at Lourdes, we are starting to change our minds about the quality of service at Lourdes 🙂

I have no idea if the services are cheap, standard or expensive, since I didn’t bother to canvass other hospitals. The price of the tests ranged from several hundred pesos to P7,000+. They have a senior discount, fortunately.

Low Carb and Intermittent Fasting

My dad has uncontrolled diabetes – meaning to say, we all know he has diabetes, but he says he feels fine so he stopped taking his meds and continued eating everything he wanted (mostly sweets) and there was no stopping him! You know how seniors go on “drama mode” when you don’t give them what they want? Yeah. His test results showed that his HbA1c was 15!

So, first things first, we had to get his blood sugar down.

I had been watching Dr. Berg on YouTube on and off since the pandemic began. He has always recommended going Keto and doing Intermittent Fasting (IF) for reversing Insulin Resistance and Diabetes. After knowing his HbA1C was an alarming 15 (it should be below 5.7), I wanted to get my dad on Keto and IF right away to get his sugar levels down!

But all our doctors warned against it! I watched a few more videos on reversing diabetes / insulin resistance, and discovered Dr. Berry and Dr. Jason Fung. I was in a quandary – should I do as the doctors in Manila recommended, which was DO NOT do intermittent fasting and STILL LET HIM EAT CARBS like lugaw? They also advised frequent meals. But snacking and eating was how we got here in the first place. I am not a medical professional and I don’t want the nice doctors to think that I feel like I know better than they, but I was desperate to get my dad’s blood sugar down.

So, praying that I was doing the right thing, I started my dad on low carb and IF, in conjunction with his diabetics med (metformin only) and insulin injection, closely monitoring his blood sugar. If the keto & IF make his blood sugar too low, I can always give him food if he feels faint, or stop if it looks like it’s harmful. I thought it was worth a try.

Intermittent Fasting itself shouldn’t be too hard, since we’re all used to skipping breakfast. The thing is, we usually make up for it by eating midnight snacks. So, no more midnight snacks! No more snacking, period! We only ate lunch & dinner (except for those at home who CAN have breakfast and snacks).

At first, my dad wanted to eat some snacks around midnight, like he used to do. But I asked him if he was really hungry, or if he just wanted to eat out of habit? I also explained intermittent fasting to him and how we needed to reduce his blood sugar to avoid amputation. The thought of amputation scared him enough to stick with IF. I made sure he was full after every meal. I asked him if he was full and he would always confirm that he was full because he ate this and that and was very full. After a few days of low carb, he got used to it and didn’t want snacks anymore. Sometimes I just give him some of the tea (supplements) to drink (see below). On the rare times he asks to eat something, we give him some cheese.

This diet change meant a lot of time spent cooking real, whole food that was also senior-friendly. Someone has to do the cooking and meal planning. No rice, no potatoes, limited fruits. No cookies, no bread, no cakes, no ice cream. My dad had stopped eating rice many years ago, since he was first diagnosed with diabetes. He thought that because he had stopped eating rice, it was okay for him to eat cookies and cakes! We noticed that a banana and some fresh pineapple would spike my dad’s sugar really high, so I limited those to half a banana and only a few chunks of pineapple, for the potassium and phytonutrients.

I don’t think I could do full keto because that’s going to be really hard to find food that has zero carbs and is going to limit the variety of food he can eat. What I can do is drastically reduce his carb intake.

Going low carb doesn’t mean deprived. I still let him eat a healthy, nutrient-rich diet full of whole food. We just took advantage of all the natural, fresh produce that we have available to us locally!

Here are some of the things on the menu:

• lots of eggs – scrambled eggs, eggs with tomatoes, steamed egg, steamed egg with ground pork, egg cups, quiche, eggs with cheese, eggs and ham, hard-boiled egg, soft-boiled egg, rolled egg omelet with finely chopped vegetables, etc…
• air-fried salmon
• fresh salmon – we order from Salmon HQ
• steamed fish with lots of aromatics (ginger, cilantro, leeks, etc…) and soy sauce
• fried fish (bangus, alumahan / mackerel, etc…)
• shrimp (steamed, sauteed, etc…) – Spice N Pans has a good steamed prawns with garlic recipe
• chicken in garlic cream with button mushrooms
• chicken with 40 cloves of garlic
• chicken curry (I don’t give my dad any potatoes but let him have some carrot)
• steamed chicken (with various sauces, sometimes steamed tausi chicken, sometimes steamed chicken with ginger and garlic paste) – check Spice N Pans YouTube channel for delicious recipes
• air-fried chicken (Sometimes I make the marinade from scratch with rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc… but it’s just easier to use McCormick spice mixes – we have Cajun Seasoning, Old Bay, Lemon & Pepper, Greek Seasoning, Jerk Seasoning, I just add some Himalayan salt and EVOO to the marinade, sometimes a little ACV)
• roasted chicken – cook your own (air fryer), or sometimes we buy whole roast chicken (S&R, Landers, Andok’s, etc…)
• crispy pata / air-fried pork belly / lechon pork belly – MNLFoodCo has this new, frozen crispy bagnet that you can just air fry for 15 minutes for instant crispy pork! We keep one stocked in the freezer.
• unlimited cheese (string cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar slices, etc… we try to avoid processed cheese food for now)
• broccoli and cauliflower rice – chopped finely in a food processor, then cooked with a little ghee, Himalayan salt, black pepper, until soft
• steamed broccoli and cauliflower
• monggo guisado with lots of malunggay (yes, it has carbs, but it’s also high in protein, and we do need the nutrition from monggo & malunggay as well) – we’re currently loving Richard Gomez’s recipe on his YouTube channel, with LOTS of chicharon!
• chicken tinola
• mapo tofu
• samgyupsal (yup, samgyupsal is okay as long as you don’t do any carb-rich, sweet sides or sauces)
• sisig
• nilagang baka with cabbage or pechay or Bulalo – Kuya J’s Bulalo is good! We tried it last week when it was on a 40% OFF promo at https://centraldelivery.ph/ 🙂
• tomatoes farcies – tomatoes stuffed with a mixture made of ground beef, onions, cheese, spices (Italian Seasoning works well), himalayan salt, pepper, drizzled with olive oil, baked or air-fried or turbo’d (we haven’t used the turbo since we got an air fryer); you can also use bell peppers instead of tomatoes
• seaweed soup for the trace minerals (look for simple Korean & Japanese recipes)
• leafy green vegetable soup – quickly boil leafy greens (do not overcook – you can use spinach, watercress, etc…), add some aromatics like onions, etc…, season with salt & pepper, then blend with an immersion blender. Thicken with cornstarch slurry or oatmeal. I figure it’s only a small amount of carbs. Optional: swirl an egg in at the last minute, you can also add some cubed tofu
• tomato and egg soup
• tofu with seaweed – I saw a recipe from tiktok, just don’t make it too sweet, or use a sweetener like stevia or erythritol, they really liked this so we’re making it again next week
• stir-fried vegetables with fried garlic (pechay, kangkong, etc…)
• guisadong sayote
• adobo vegetables (okra, etc…)
• ampalaya with egg
• salted egg with tomatoes and onions
• cucumber salad (it’s kani salad without the kani & mango; sometimes we use Kewpie mayo, some times I make my own mayo using extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a hand blender)
• avocados
• probiotics – Yakult, yogurt, etc…
• calamansi juice (no sugar, or use sweetener)
• for dessert
  • chocolate – I made this chocolate pudding thing using organic cocoa powder and all purpose cream, and only a small amount of honey
  • avocado shake (no sugar or little sugar / sweetener only) – sometimes we order 1 case of avocados; avocados are a good source of potassium, as well
  • papaya shake (no sugar) – just blend some papaya with ice & water – it does spike sugar a little, but it’s for the fiber, and only about once a week
  • small servings of fruit

Here’s some very easy and quick Sisig I made yesterday with ground pork, using Sisig mix and lots of onions. We didn’t have any green chilies so I just used some leeks for some “greenery”. I also added boiled quail eggs.

The other members of the family who don’t have any sugar-related health issues still eat rice, fruits, bread, dessert, etc… although in moderation now. I still eat rice but in much reduced quantities.

We order our veggies from Ms. Gulayan (through FB / Viber) and pay using GCash. Big price difference compared to the supermarket. The veggies are very fresh when delivered to us, and the tofu (tokwa) is really good for palengke level! The tofu arrives warm, as in bagong gawa lang. But the tofu store is closed sometimes, so coordinate first if you want to order tofu. Highly recommend the tofu, it’s P40-45 for a big block of fresh tofu, around 4-5 inches per side 🙂 The shiitake mushrooms we order from her are also very fragrant! It’s the most fragrant fresh shiitake mushrooms I’ve ever cooked with. Amoy na amoy talaga, unlike the fresh shiitake from supermarkets that almost don’t have any mushroom scent at all. Service of Ms. Gulayan is also very good – we asked her to send us the veggie price list every Thursday and she does. On the rare occasions that some of the vegetables delivered are not that good, we tell her and she replaces them on our next order. Sadly, she doesn’t handle fish/ seafood/ meat so we have to get these somewhere else or from the supermarket.

I switched to pink Himalayan salt for additional trace minerals. Sometimes, I also use  McCormick Sea Salt – this one looks good for topping / decor. Dr. Berg recommends Celtic Sea Salt, but that’s harder to find and more expensive.

We started buying trays (30’s) of eggs at a time. Eggs are a cheap, but complete, protein, and a source of Omega 3’s. It’s cheaper than meat or fish (salmon is expensive). My dad’s cholesterol levels are fine – everything is fine, except for his sugar, so I’m not too worried about his cholesterol.

I’ve also been using Extra Virgin Olive Oil consistently. I used to use EVOO sparingly because it is expensive. The trick, for me, is to have a lot of EVOO at home. We got a case of Doña Elena EVOO, and since I feel like they’re already there, I might as well use them rather than let them expire, I feel freer to use the olive oil. If we buy olive oil one bottle at a time, I feel stingier about it. Is it just me? The price difference between Pure Olive Oil and EVOO was small so I just went with EVOO for better quality. I did notice a big difference since I started using more EVOO! Food feels lighter and not so heavy after eating. I still keep some regular cooking oil for the rare occasions we fry things and use a lot of oil (lumpiang shanghai, fried chicken, etc…), but I use EVOO now for almost everything.

I also bought an oil sprayer thing from Shopee and have been refilling it with EVOO. It’s cheaper and healthier than commercial oil sprays. The spray /mister itself may not be as good as the commercial oil sprays, but I can live with it. I use this when air frying.

I also use ghee. An aunt gave us several bottles of ghee and ghee is delicious! It’s organic, clarified butter but it’s ready to use and so fragrant!

We’ve also been taking Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs). Sometimes mixed in a glass of water before meals, when I remember. At least once a day. I don’t know if it’s psychosomatic, but I really feel better after drinking some ACV if I feel bloated after a carb-y meal.

I recently bought Nutritional Yeast during the last 6.6 Sale, and I’ve been adding it to our food (where it makes sense to), and it also looks pretty as a garnish (for example, I garnish scrambled eggs with nutritional yeast, parsley flakes, and freshly ground black pepper). If you haven’t heard of nutritional yeast, it’s a natural source of B-complex vitamins. It is inactivated yeast (no need to worry about yeast in your body because these are inactivated), and it tastes a bit like cheese. According to the internet doctors, taking meds like Metformin depletes your B1, so they recommend eating nutritional yeast. Anyway, many of us are likely to be deficient in B vitamins, so adding nutritional yeast to your food can’t hurt. I also add it to mashed potatotes (using real potatoes) for our non-diabetic senior. I also add nutritional yeast to quiche, omelets, the seniors’ chocolate shakes – I only add a teaspoon or 2 of nutritional yeast to the food so it doesn’t alter the taste.

Supplements – we’ve also been taking some health supplements. Not all at the same time. It depends on what I think they need that day.

• Duhat Tea – boiled duhat bark (we use Mai Tea brand from Tin Mun Trading)
• Ampalaya Plus
• GrowRich VCO Capsules – virgin coconut oil capsules
• Wheatgrass
• Ginger, Lemongrass & Turmeric Tea

To top all of that, I also give the seniors Berocca and a multivitamin for seniors (Cetrum Silver). They can’t finish an entire tablet’s worth of Berocca, so they share 1 Berocca between them a day. It’s better than nothing, and is insurance in case they didn’t get enough vitamins from food. I take Berocca on days when I feel like I didn’t get enough Vitamins B & C from food sources.

We also have Ensure & Boost & Glucerna to give the seniors extra nutrition when we feel like they need it.

I also make sure my dad gets natural Vitamin D & fresh air by spending 10-30 minutes in the sun every day.

At first, you might think that food is expensive, but think – would you rather spend money now on quality food ingredients or spend that money on surgery later on? It’s still cheaper to buy better quality food now and enjoy it, than to spend millions on surgeries & hospitals later on, not to mention the loss of quality of life after any amputation. Prevention is always cheaper in the long run!

Also, someone has to take the time to cook from scratch. This is probably the biggest hurdle many people will face because this eats up a lot of time. It’s difficult to avoid processed products because sometimes there are just no other practical alternatives, but we limited our processed food and ate “real” food as much as we could. I avoid using packaged mixes as much as possible – I just use up any mixes we already have at home. I use spice blends because we already have them – just check the label to see if they have added any other chemicals (preservatives, anti-caking agents, coloring, etc) aside from the pure spices.

Exercise

The lockdown has affected my dad’s health more than we realized. Since he has just been staying home for a year and a half, he has become sedentary. It is important for him to get exercise to get his blood moving again, especially to force blood to find other blood vessels other than the blocked ones.

He goes up and down the stairs 10x a day, as well as walks around the house many times every day to get his daily exercise.

BLOOD SUGAR RESULTS

It’s been 4 weeks since we started on low carb and IF, with metformin and daily insulin injections (dosage: 16).

When we started monitoring his blood sugar again at the beginning, it was 200+.

The next few days, it was around 150-180.

The next few days, it was in the 120s to 130s.

For the past few days, it has been 100-110!

So, whatever it is we’re doing is working! I just don’t know which one or if the combination of everything contributed to this. It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s working.

We hope to eventually get to a point when he doesn’t need the meds and the insulin injection anymore to keep his blood sugar levels in the normal range, although realistically, I know we can’t reverse his diabetes in 3 weeks.

After 3 weeks of low carb and intermittent fasting, he is more energetic than he was before he started. We’ve been observing him every day and he has been doing better than before he started this. In the weeks before we started this, he was sleepy and tired all the time. Now, he is more energetic, not so sleepy, can do moderate walking and exercise, walks better (not shuffling or dragging his feet), and even went back to old habits of watching Netflix (he was too sleepy and tired before to have interest in watching anything).

HILOM WOUND CARE – FREE DIABETIC WOUND TREATMENT! For real. It’s free!

Okay, back to the toe.

Diabetic wounds are different from wounds of normal people. First of all, wounds of people with diabetes heal very slowly. Long-term diabetes also damages the nerves, so the feet do not feel pain when there is an injury, poor circulation, etc… Blood circulation of diabetics are usually also compromised. This is why when diabetics get wounds, especially on the feet, it is a big deal because it can fester, turn into an ulcer, and might lead to amputation.

We were told that aside from an orthopedic surgeon, we also needed an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, as well as a vascular surgeon before we could have any procedure done on the toe. We needed to see those doctors and get clearances from them.

I don’t really know how it works, but apparently, hospitals in Manila don’t recognize other doctors who are not part of their hospital, so our current Internal Medicine doctor doesn’t count if we go to a hospital he is not affiliated with. So we needed to get those clearances from doctors who are with the hospital where we choose to go.

I understood this to be SOP for a hospital procedure, either a debridement (cleaning the wound and removing necrotic tissue) or amputation – it does feel a bit excessive, but then, what do I know. I don’t work at a hospital, I don’t really know how this works.

In the meantime, he was prescribed antibiotics.

So I called whom I needed to call, and got the schedules of the doctors referred to us, ready to set up an appointment.

At the same time, I was searching the internet for alternatives. What was described to me seemed like such a heavy, drastic, scary procedure, and I was wondering if there was any gentler, more natural way (and less expensive way) to deal with the necrotic wound.

I even reached the point where I was searching for maggot debridement therapy in Manila (no, I didn’t find any).

And then I found Hilom Wound Care. It came up on Google. When I read their website and saw a video testimonial, and heard that they didn’t even charge anything because it was covered by PhilHealth, I actually wondered if they were for real. Was this a scam? But if it was a scam, what were they going to get out of it?

Anyway, I took a chance and tried to call them via landline. The person who answered from Health Cube didn’t even know if Hilom was still open. Apparently, Hilom was one clinic inside the bigger Health Cube clinic. I again tried contacting Hilom, this time through the Viber number on their website. Maybe they can do something and we won’t need that scary & expensive hospital procedure. Their location was close enough so they are easy to get to. Hilom is located inside Health Cube along Shaw Blvd – if you frequently pass Shaw Blvd, it’s that new medical complex where that new Starbucks is, before reaching Jollibee Acacia Lane, if coming from the Kalentong side.

Fortunately, someone from Hilom answered my Viber inquiry. For the moment, consultation at Hilom is by appointment only.

The requirements to set up an appointment:

• negative Covid test results for patient & for the companion
• patient’s PhilHealth

We set up an appointment at Hilom. I mean, like, let’s try this first before proceeding to any drastic surgery. It’s free, anyway, and the surgery option is still there if this doesn’t work out. But let’s try this first and give it a chance.

I also had my parents’ PhilHealth information updated just to avoid any issues – this was also very easy! PhilHealth has a branch at the 3rd floor of Shaw 500 (just before S&R Shaw). Check online for the requirements and bring them (bring photocopies of senior IDs) and authorization letters, if needed.

The PhilHealth at Shaw 500 was clean, organized, and very accommodating to seniors. The staff were very helpful and we got the updated IDs and MDRs without hassle. It’s not like how we imagine government offices used to be – where the staff seemed stressed and harassed. The staff here seemed professional and nice (we did not meet any suplado / suplada).

We arrived for our appointment at Hilom.

Parking is FREE. Our appointment was early in the morning, so there were still many available parking slots.

Hilom is inside Health Cube. We went through the usual Covid check (Manda QR Code, fill up contact form, temp check, etc…).

Since it was our first visit, we also filled up some patient information form. The place was nice! Of course, it was new (only opened a few years ago). It has modern facilities, and it looks like an expensive small hospital / big clinic. They have an elevator. Here is Health Cube’s Facebook Page so you can see photos of their facilities. I don’t think we were allowed to take photos inside for patients’ privacy.

We went up to the second floor, we waited until it was our turn. We were to see Dr. Charles Cabuquit.

After he checked my dad’s toe, he asked us about my dad’s blood sugar. Then one of his people started cleaning the wound, removing the blackened part. No anesthesia was needed and my dad didn’t feel any pain at all. I was the one who was about to faint, LOL.

They used a machine that looked like one of those things in a derma clinic, but sounded like a dentist’s teeth cleaning machine.

And then they gave us some medicine to use to clean the wound, FREE!

They taught me how to clean and wrap the wound with gauze, gave instructions to do this 2x a day, and then come back for our next appointment 2 days later. We signed some PhilHealth-looking forms.

And that’s it! It was all done in less than 20 minutes!

And then we were leaving because there was a next patient. As we were leaving Health Cube, I even asked the guard if I needed to pay anything, half-fearing that someone would be chasing us to pay something at the cashier. I told the guard it was for Hilom, and the guard said no. For real. Ganyan daw talaga sa Hilom. We didn’t need to pay for anything.

Seriously, it is REAL. LEGIT! We didn’t need to pay for anything because it was covered by PhilHealth. Up to now, as I’m writing this, I still can’t believe it, and we’ll be on our fifth visit next week!

Second Visit:

On our second visit, the doctor was able to remove more of the necrotic tissue, and removed the top bone of the toe (first joint). All without anesthesia, my dad fully conscious and watching, not feeling any pain. It was like deboning a chicken wing. No bone saw or anything was needed. Just some medical-looking scissors cutting around the joint, then cleaning the wound, dressed it, and it was done, again, all in less than 30 minutes. Less than 20 minutes, even! My dad can even walk out by himself like nothing happened.

I have photos but I’m not going to post them because it’s not for the faint of heart.

Then we were told to come back again after 2 days for suturing the wound. The doctor gave us a list of things to buy to bring on the next visit (cutting needle, lidocaine, syringe). We were to continue changing the dressing at home 2x a day, using the products he gave us.

That’s it. That’s it! Like, seriously?! Yes. That was it! A procedure that traditionally would have us stay a few days in the hospital, incurring hospital costs as well as doctors’ fees for various specialties, was done in less than 30 minutes, and it was FREE, and we could walk out and go home immediately after. How was this possible? But it happened!

Do you have any idea how expensive a hospital stay is now? I’ve been told it’s very expensive, because aside from the usual, they also charge you for every PPE, gloves, etc… etc… that they use, and they use A LOT due to Covid. If we didn’t really need to go to a hospital, why incur the cost and take up space there that other people might need more?

Third Visit:

The wound was supposed to get sutured, but because there was a small part that darkened, the doc just cleaned the wound again and said he wanted to wait until the wound was only healthy tissue before suturing, so suturing was postponed until the next visit.

We are honestly so grateful for Hilom! It is still so unbelievable that we didn’t have to pay a single cent! (not even parking! Except that we needed to pay for Covid testing, but I’m not going to take that against them, and a hospital stay would have required the tests, anyway).

I asked Dr. Cabuquit why nobody else I knew (doctors or friends with diabetic relatives) had heard of Hilom. I mean, like, it was so awesome! Not only was the whole thing seemingly less invasive than a hospital procedure (at least, how it was described or how I imagined it to be), it was basically FREE (covered by PhilHealth). PhilHealth is awesome, too! All those years of contributions are paying back.

Dr. Cabuquit said that wound care was still a developing field, especially in the Philippines. He said that major hospitals here in Manila already have wound care units, but they were expensive. He said he started Hilom because during one of the conventions he attended, he saw this new machine (see pic) and realized that there could be a better way than recommending amputation to patients agad. Well, thank goodness!

Dr. Cabuquit’s staff were also very nice. They remembered us every visit, we didn’t even have to tell them our names anymore. Of course, we all just visited two days ago, but still, they remembered us, remembered our case, we didn’t have to repeat our story / introduction every time. The sad part is, I won’t be able to recognize them if I met them outside because we were all wearing face masks.

Fourth Visit:

The wound and surrounding tissue now looked healthy and was finally sutured (sewn closed)! The wound was bleeding, not a lot, but it was a good sign, according to the doc. This means that blood flow is improving. Again, this visit didn’t take long at all, less than 30 minutes.

We just needed to continue changing the dressing and applying the wound solution and wound gel 2x a day, but we didn’t need to visit anymore until next week for check up. In the meantime, we just needed to send pictures of the wound via Viber so they can check to see if it’s healing as it should.

It sounds too good to be true, but they are LEGIT!

I wouldn’t believe you if you told me, but we experienced it ourselves. If you have a problem with a wound that won’t heal, or are looking for a gentler, less expensive alternative to something drastic, give Hilom a try first.

I think a majority of the patients they see are diabetics, because it’s mostly diabetics who get these kinds of problems.

Thank you

Thank you, Hilom, Dr. Cabuquit and staff, for your care and service! You are a miracle. We were facing a daunting hospital stay and scary surgery. Hilom was literally a straw I was grabbing and by God’s grace, they offered hope for a gentler, less invasive, less intensive, less expensive (literally FREE) solution. I never even imagined that there was this less invasive alternative, and that it would be free!

It was such a relief, and it was like a big weight had been lifted.

I also want to thank our relatives and friends who prayed for us and offered support, we will always remember.

SUMMARY

I am not a medical professional. Please consult with your doctor. I am just sharing our experience and the results of what we did.

To summarize:

1. I put my dad on low carb and intermittent fasting, against the advice of doctors. He was able to do it, and we have seen his blood sugar go down from close to 300 to barely above 100 in just 3 weeks. A few days ago, we missed injecting him with insulin for 2 days (we got confused as to whose turn it was to do the injections), and when we checked his sugar after the 2 days, it was only in the 120s! Looking forward to his HbA1c results after 3 months. I watched a lot of Dr. Berg, Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Jason Fung’s videos on YouTube and followed their advice (as much as was practical for us). Please do your own research before trying this.
2. I got my dad to do more exercise, especially leg exercises, to get more blood moving to his feet.
3. We saw a big improvement in his energy levels. He was more alert and awake vs. before when he was sleepy all the time.
4. We were able to get WOUND TREATMENT for FREE (well, everything was covered by PhilHealth). We went to Hilom Wound Care. This saved us a lot of pesos, but more importantly, it saved us from the stress of a hospital stay, especially during this pandemic, and the hassle and expense of having to get clearances from different specialty doctors we don’t even know. At Hilom, everything was simple and easy. The doctor just looked at the test results, X-rays, etc… Then he himself removed the bone and tissue that needed to be removed. The wound was bandaged and the procedure was done, we walked out of the clinic in less than 30 minutes. No other paperwork, requirements or clearances needed. It was so hassle-free! We did not even need any other medicine aside from the wound solution and the wound gel. 🙂 We only bought some gauze & tape from the drugstore to use for changing the dressing at home. Only the necrotic tissue and bone were removed, and Dr. Cabuquit tried to save as much of the toe as he could. Only the top part of the toe was removed, the rest of the toe is still there. This was a much better outcome than a scary toe amputation or even losing a foot or a leg!

Make sure your diabetic friends / relatives hear about Hilom! It’s better that they are aware that it exists and never have to use it, but if they ever need this kind of service, at least they know about it!

UPDATE 8/20/2021 – The wound is healing nicely. We went from 3x a week doctor’s visit to 2x a week, to once a week.  Now, we’re at every 2 weeks doctor’s visit 🙂 They gave us another bottle of the wound solution & gel when we ran out.

As for keto – unsustainable for us. It really helped get his blood sugar down the first few weeks. Obedient pa kasi when scared. Lately though nakakaawa naman, so we let him eat *some* carbs. For treats, we let him eat some but in small quantities, like 1 small serving lang. Like 1 cookie lang, unlike before na whole pack kaya kainin. For chocolates, 1 square instead of the whole bar. Majority of his food is still meat, eggs & vegetables.