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.

I'm also going to add that although I'm usually an advocate for small changes - an approach that has worked for me personally - in the OP's situation she needs to reduce her blood sugar urgently.

A medically supervised 800 cal diet for a short period might be a option to consider and would deal with the blood sugar driven cravings.

I have not read the whole thread.

But death IMO is better than slowly going blind. And the awful pain in your feet as the blood supply is compromised and the nerves get damaged. And then you end up in a wheelchair.

Maybe draw a graph or table and put it on the wall. Write your current weight, blood glucose and HbA1C on it. That’s your starting point. Make simple life changes and watch the figures improve. That would be a great motivator.

Buy some nice exercise wear today. Not for the size you want to be but the size you are now. Get your hair done or some new makeup; whatever makes you feel good.

If you don’t hate yourself you will find it easier to make changes.

You have youth on your side. You can do this.

I think you missed the bit where OP said she has had untreated T2D for 2 years and her hba1c is 9.6 which is way into the danger zone for complications. She needs support to make drastic changes fast, not enabling bollocks.
@hadntbeen if you want to make a go of aiming for diabetic remission and start a support thread I will happily share menus and tips that have helped us.

@hadntbeen The Direct trial protocol is now being rolled out via NHS throughout Scotland and in some areas of England - worth asking if you have access in your area as it gives fairly intensive support. www.directclinicaltrial.org.uk

You are going to die eventually whether you change this or not. What you can make a difference to is the quality and length of life you will have between now and your eventual and inevitable demise.

Did she have to get it through the NHS or can you get them privately/commercially?

Are they the disk things you see people with on their arms; a pharmacist told me they're very expensive.

(though obviously op should get it through the NHS).

Majority of T2 are not required to routinely test apart from hbac1. Therefore few are supplied with kits by nhs, usually only those prescribed insulin. Kits-care available for about £30 although the supply of strips and lancets are £££.

You can get one free direct from freestyle libre (i think) not sure if you have to be on insulin or not. After that they cost about £100 a month

Thank you.

I see there are two main devices for continuous blood glucose monitoring ... Dexcom, the expensive one - but it updates continuously without you having to do anything.

And Abbott freestyle - cheaper and you have to download the data every 8 hours (holds max of 8 hrs data). The NHS seems to have gone with this one.

They both have a tiny filament that sticks into your skin and so no need for finger pricking, test strips etc.

It's not too late to change OP but the fact is if you keep this up then your life is going to be significantly hampered as you get older. At 30 you may not have too many day to day issues but I assure you at 40, 50 and so on you absolutely will.

I'm not beating you with a stick here but you asked for home truths and ultimately you're quality of life will be diminished if you don't do something about this issue. I don't know your circumstances but obesity impacts fertility, and even post that - it certainly impacts your ability to join in activities with kids.

Ultimately your issue is psychological rather than physical, you need to consider therapy or similar to understand the root cause of your unhealthy relationship with food. Yes you need to make changes and yes, you're likely to have more health issues and a lower life expectancy than those who aren't obese, and yes you will be significantly less mobile than many in your peer group which may impact what events/activities you can do with friends and the like - but it's not a lost cause and at 30 you can make a lasting change if you're committed to doing it.

You sound intelligent and clued up about nutrition, however it’s clear you have replaced your alcohol dependency with food/milk dependency. Typical addict behaviour in that you know full well the damage that continuing will/is causing, but you’re carrying on anyway.
A HBA1C of nearly 10 is pretty damn bad, and you will be very lucky if your kidneys haven’t already been damaged. You need to go back to your GP, get help with your addiction. You can turn this around, it’s not too late.

Nope, I didn't miss that, although I think maybe you missed the bit about her actual current situation/ weight/ diet.

Someone who weighs 15 stone and is drinking 2 litres of milk a day, is not going to restrict their diet to the point of starvation. She's just not. She will do it for 3 days, maybe a week, then stop, because it's not sustainable for her body. That's not her fault or her failing - it's just the fact of where her body is at and what it's used to.

One single change of cutting out 2 litres of milk saves OP 800-1000 calories a day. That's all she needs to do as a first step. Just that.

She does not need to starve herself or skip breakfast as some posters are suggesting. That is not healthy, or sustainable, for anyone. Even someone with T2D who, yes, really needs to get things under control.

She needs to reel in her eating, yes, but back to a normal/ healthy level. Not to starvation. It does not need to be that drastic.

Agree @snowlolo , one small change which sustains is better than having ambitions to change which fails after a day or two. One change can lead to another.

You can ask for the slow release Metformin- these are much kinder on the stomach

I know someone who had to have both their legs amputated due to their diabetes.

Not all GPs will give type 2s a glucose monitor you have to fund that yourself unless your on hypo medication in fact it’s in the NICE guidelines not to give T2s a monitor to check if not on the hypo meds and then it’s a hit or Miss for some practices to not give them unless you fight it.

if you don’t like eating till lunch time what are you eating.

I’d be inclined to have more protein in the diet then fats then carbs

Can you do a menu of what you eat and don’t lie on MyFitnessPal just to see where it’s all coming from.

I was shocked at mine thinking oh I don’t eat a lot yeah right I was snacking a lot and I mean a lot. I’d be easily eating 2500-3000 per day. I then decided to be accountable for it so reduced things or replaced like rice and pasta with cauliflower rice and courgette spirals. not just to reduce the calories but the sugar levels too.

by the way both diabetic.org and diabetic.co.Uk are both forums so what if one is doing the low carb menu you don’t have to buy it. I find both helpful in their own ways.

I have contacted a therapist so will see what she says. I am a student just now doing my masters and money is really tight. I could afford around 100 a month which works out at two sessions per month. Not sure that'll be enough, but it's all I can manage.

Hi OP - I have a situation in my personal life which you might find helpful. My dad tested on the line of "pre-diabetic" and "you have diabetes". He was stunned as he rarely eats sweets/chocolate and doesn't drink sugary drinks, but as you've pointed out, a lot of the "healthy" foods we consume such as carbohydrates actually have large amounts of sugar in them. I hope it gives you some encouragement to know that he was able to completely reverse this and get back to normal levels just by changing his diet. His diet is keto based. He is now no longer on a keto diet but has made changes to his regular diet, replacing some things with other things and as a result, has remained in normal levels in his following blood tests.

However, he wasn't dealing with food addiction, he just had poor/uninformed eating habits and was able to change these when faced with the fact that he was diabetic. If you are suffering from food addiction as you say you may be, seeking help in the form of therapy alongside the changing of your diet will allow you to change your lifestyle in a way which benefits your health but addressing the root causes of your addiction to food and as a result, it will help you find ways to address these and ultimately change the unhealthy eating habits.

You've had enough home truths on this thread about the potential dangers of your current diet, so I don't feel the need to add to those. I just want to emphasise that this is fully in your hands, and fully in your control. Only you can engage with the help and make the changes to your diet to improve your health. People can encourage and support you, of course, but you're the one that needs to do the work. This time has the potential to be the start of your new life, with your new diet and new changes, improved health etc. No one can do this for you but by starting this thread and asking for help, it indicates you're already on the right path and if you keep on the right path, you will be able to do this. It is possible and you are able to do it, this random Mumsnetter believes in you 🙂

Is there counselling/therapy at your uni if money is tight as it might be cheaper. Or is there a long waiting list. Just a thought.

It’s not just about diet, either. Lifestyle plays a huge role in weight loss.

I eat so much less when I’m at work than I do when I’m at home with the kids, for example. I’m too busy to take a full lunch most of the time (completely my choice, I don’t like eating a huge lunch in work as it makes me feel sluggish afterwards and I get bored just sitting there with nothing to do). But by the end of my shift, I’ve already got my 10,000 steps in and I haven’t ate a huge amount either.

If you’re sitting in your house every day you’re going to eat too much. If you’re out and about, studying in cafes and libraries, you simply won’t be able to eat constantly or drink 2L of milk. You should also walk as much as possible when you are out of the house every day.

It’s about breaking habits and those include your daily routines.

Yes I've been pretty much stuck at home most of the time due to covid and uni being online, i do youth work in the evening but that still gives me all day around the house laying about and eating. I am doing my masters in social work and my first placement starts next week which is Monday to Friday 9 - 5 and I'll then be working three of those nights till 8.30/9 to do my youth groups.

I'm hoping being in a routine with placement is going to help me a lot as I will be thinking about things other than food and my mind will be busy. I'm hoping that by doing that, eating healthy lunches, and cutting out the milk and taking my med that will help.

It's not healthy to rely on externally imposed order or routine for the long term.

The issue here is addiction, not simply how much time you have on your hands and how much food you're surrounded by.

You need to address the addiction(s) or you will always be vulnerable to whatever substance is available.

For the short term, yes, not having food around you all day and perhaps eating sensibly will have a good effect. But you have to face the element of addiction.

Even if your (bad) diet stays the same, your health won’t. It will get progressively worse. I know from experience.

that said change is hard and most people are moved to do hard changes out of big pain.

I know ppl who have reversed type 2 diabetes with good diet and by losing all extra weight. You can find many articles on internet too. But they were scared when they received the diagnosis, hence they were able to change, they were not complacent about it.

id invest in a good multivitamin too, as you might have some deficiencies. Also search for sugar cravings causes and remedies. I’ve tried a few that didn’t work for me (like chromium etc)until I found smtg that did (to an extent), inositol. I guess it depends what deficiency there is. These are all over the counter supplements. They might help but they won’t do much if you don’t change your diet and pick up some exercise.

I see you”re also looking for scary stories as you might have an intuition it will give you the much needed kick in the bottom, so to speak.

they are plenty of stories out there, but it’s down to you to realise the gravity of the situation. Lots of people won’t and will just adjust to slow progressing bad health. Some wake up at the point where there is a lot of damage to organs, and while that is better than never, the damage won’t heal itself. That’s something else to consider if you think you have time to realise later.