Will I die if I don't change?

[hadntbeen]

I'm a 30 year old female. Full disclosure - my eating is out of control. Full of carbs, sugar and I drink a lot, and I mean a lot of semi skimmed milk which is just full of sugar. I am 5 foot 4 and weigh around 15 stone.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes around 2 years ago when I started to become very sleepy throughout the day.

My hba1c results in October were 8.0 so not too bad, however, I hadn't been taking the 2000 mg metformin that was prescribed to me. I was honest with my doctor about this and so she told me to just take 500 mg and we would do another test in January.

I didn't do that - I honestly don't have any other reason for it other than the tablets make me feel sick and I don't like swallowing them. I've noticed over the last month that I have been urinating a lot more. I just got my hba1c results back and they are now 9.6.

I'm quite worried by these results as my diet hasn't changed since my last results in October but still my sugar levels aren't even staying the same they are just rising.

I'm scared to talk to my doctor. My plan from today is to start taking my one tablet 500 mg of metformin and to cut out the milk. I literally drink about 2 litres a day.

Is it reversible still at this point? If I continue the way I am, what can I expect going forward?

Every part of my life is going so well, I just can't quite get a grip of this.

I guess I need some horror stories/cold, hard facts to shock me into action.

Has your GP surgery just abandoned you with the pills and left you to get on with it?

That's awful, they are letting you down, and it isn't your fault. Changing habits is really hard without support.

They should be offering you regular sessions with a diabetes nurse, or a nutritionist, or group sessions every few weeks to help you. Even a local self-help group - there must be something out there. I'm pre-diabetic and am currently attending fortnightly sessions arranged by the NHS. We are taught about healthy eating, but the main emphasis is on gradually developing a different lifestyle and discovering the triggers for our bad habits, and how to break them. That is the sort of help you need.

Maybe I could do a low carb lunch and normal dinner for first few weeks? Cut out the milk whilst doing that? I am very all or nothing and I feel like I'm in panic mode as I'm terrified by not taking extreme measures immediately I will continue adding to the damage that is already done, but when I have tried to do this in the past I do fail.

OP cant get the her tablets changed to the prolonged release metformin that do not have the same side affects as the normal metformin.
The side effects of metformin can be horrible. I refused to have the ordinary metformin after having explosive diarrhea. Apart from a metallic mouth for a couple of weeks i barely get any side effects from the prolonged release metformin.

OP this low carb meal plan may help you.

It was developed by GPs and their patients have had some great results with it.

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

I firmly believe you would benefit from personalised dietetic advice - from a dietician and not a "nutritionist" with a certificate off the Internet. However this meal plan at least has some science behind it, unlike some of the other suggestions on this thread.

They put me in touch with a dietician. The thing is, I know how to eat healthy. When I was late teens/early and mid twenties I stuck to a low carb diet.

Breakfast would be - scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, mushrooms and sometimes a slice of whole meal toast.

Lunch would be - spicy chicken with veg or chicken, leeks, mushrooms, spring onions in a sour cream and cheese sauce that I would make or egg/ ham/ salmon/ chicken salad

Dinner would be - salmon and veg or chicken and veg or a veggie burger and veg

Snacks would be - devilled eggs or apple and peanut butter or carrot sticks and humous.

I'd walk at least three miles every single day.

On top of that I'd be having a bottle and a half of wine each night but I was a functioning alcoholic for a good while...until I wasn't and then I'd just not eat at all.

When I stopped drinking the wine, I started seeking comfort in food and that's how my weight had gradually crept up.

I found the dietician a waste of time, my mum is a dietician, I know how to eat healthily and the things I should eat. I know where the hidden sugars are in things. I've ate well all my life which is why I can't believe I've gotten to this point.

Its a emotional thing for me 100 percent, not lack of knowledge.

You’re right, I meant a dietician, I don’t know why I kept saying nutritionist.

Go back to your GP, and ask for:

• referal to psychological help for addiction treatment
• whether you can try a different medication that makes you less nauseous.

I don’t think you should be skipping breakfast if you are diabetic and if you want to skip a meal it should be dinner when you have less chance to exercise afterwards.

I would keep your diet exactly the same (too much change in one go is more likely to make you fail) but I would focus on the milk.

If you drank less milk you would automatically lose weight/stop gaining weight and it’s such a simple change.

I would swap to a lower calorie alternative like skimmed or almond milk.
You could also try and replace the drinks with squash, zero sugar fizzy, tea and coffee etc - so you are still drinking but the over all calories are lower.
Find out when you want your milk and have a smaller glass and then do something to take your mind off of it.

Once you’ve got a hold of the milk situation then you can deal with the food situation.

Many dieticians are really expert in diabetes care though. They will teach you how to carb count. The last thing you need is a plan based around low cal yoghurts and Diet Coke - which sadly some people consider "healthy eating"
Some posters have even recommended diet drinks on this thread.

You do need a dietician. They can make suggestions based on what you like on what fits in with your lifestyle. Ask for that referral.

Does your practice offer a Wellbeing Advisor or similar, they act as a mentor and sounding board , someone you can check on with to help you make changes and better choices.

Do consider reading Michael Mosley books and watch on TV - he works with the Newcastler doctor mentioned upthread.

His Keto 800 diet has been used by many to reverse diabetes if caught in early stages... including one of may friends.

His theory is lose the first chunk hard and fast - motivation up for first 8-12 weeks, and also best for resetting your system......Then go slow and steady

But dont take my word for it, go and read/watch for yourself.

Always good to hear some real stories. It probably took the shock of your dad's death to spur you on. I say shock, because although you could see he was dieing so there were no practical surprises as such, but the surprise comes later when your real emotions energe. The ones you ignored whilst you were on automatic pilot.
I'm so pleased you are taking control.

Try to figure out what you're afraid of when it comes to making the changes you know you need to make.

8.0 is bad.
You need to change what you're eating, and you need to commit to daily walking.

I think there's a note of panic in your post. You're not sure how you can get past the first difficult change so you've turned into the proverbial deer in the headlights, frozen in place while the lorry bears down on you.

If you can join an online support group, I'd do that. Avoid fat positive groups though.

Maybe even consider starting a T2 remission support thread here? Turn this problem into a chance for you to grow and develop into a leader. A support group will help you overcome shame and get used to gentle accountability.

You're not alone in facing this. You can offer and receive support. Look in your area to see if there's a supportive walking group you could join so you won't feel you're on your own taking exercise, and get discouraged by bad weather, etc.

Open up to your doctor and see if a counseling approach is available.

He also has a podcast with small life change suggestions
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09by3yy/episodes/downloads

I personally don't think it's healthy to demonise any food group (carbs, sugar, fat, etc) It is all food and we need them all, just in moderation.

OP, the point is you need to reduce your food intake a little bit from where you are at at the moment You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to reduce it to 800 calories a day, it doesn't need to be anywhere near that dramatic. You just have to consume a bit less food than you're currently having. That's literally all there is to it! It's easy peasy once you can really take that on board. Just cut down a little at a time. You can do it.

You are aware that everyone knows what a healthy diet looks like in general.

It’s not a lack of knowledge about what healthy eating looks like that gets in the way of people following a healthy diet.

Meeting with a dietitian again could be good for you. They will be aware of motivational, lifestyle and mental health issues that affect people. Tell them what you have said in your OP and where you have problems.

You may not be aware of it, but you have been asking for diet and nutrition advice here, so it could be beneficial for you to meet with someone and talk through your meal plans. It may help you stay motivated if you have a real plan to follow.

Think I must be the only person on here that doesn’t have a problem with Metformin! When I started taking it it reduced my appetite so that I couldn’t face breakfast. So I don’t eat breakfast. And that is absolutely fine. Many diabetics control their condition by only eating one meal a day.

I low carb cos potatoes/rice/bread - even the sainted whole grain variety send my blood sugars sky high. So why would I eat them? I don’t need them. There are alternatives.

@JudgeRudy you can get yourself into remission with diet. Before insulin was discovered that's all they had. I have done this.

Diabetes won't be reversed and you can't merrily start to eat what you like. But you can get to remission. Healthy blood sugars and healthy numbers.

You just have to know what your body can tolerate and calculate the carbs in your meals.

I did this using a blood glucose monitor and over the years I know what spikes me. I know what doesn't. It's broadly the same for everyone but not exactly.

Not asking too much of your pancreatic beta cells mean they get chance to recover. They will not perform well again but they can be less damaged.

It's quite an undertaking to control diabetes without meds. But it can absolutely be achieved.

Whilst l'm pleased this has been your experience this most definitely is not the case for everyonr with diabetes. It's unfair to say everyone can achieve this as it implies those that can't haven't tried hard enough.
If you're carrying excess fat (sub cutaneous or visceral) any decrease will have a positive effect on your diabetes management however you could be a healthy weight with a low carb diet and your blood glucosevlevels can still be too high. As diabetes is a progressive condition it will become harder to manage as you age and dispite a healthy lifestyle you may still need medication including insulin.

This diet you mentioned here sounds a lot better than fasting until lunch. Obviously cut out the wine and increase the exercise.

Why were you worried about 4.3? That's very good - no elevated risk of diabetes at all.

Fasting is actually really good for you and I already do it till afternoon. What is the point in forcing a breakfast down if I'm not hungry? When I eat breakfast I actually feel worse off for the day.

Thanks I didn’t know there were two. I meant the one that’s a charity. Knew I should have looked for a link!

I was referred to a dietician. She kept saying, "I can refer you to Weight Watchers or Slimming World," and didn't listen to my specific questions. I was deeply unimpressed.

But if you are overeating later in the day, it may be better to have something earlier to give you slow released energy until then, curb the urge and avoid nausea. The meds have to be taken with or just before food.