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Help I've been diagnosed with Diabetes

39 replies

ImaDiabetic · 29/11/2019 16:30

Hi. I've NC as I'm very embarrassed but I've been here along time - moldies,cancel the cheque,Maui etc.
I am waiting on my second blood test confirming the diagnosis but DR is pretty sure I have it and has asked me to sign up for Expert program.
I weigh 20 stones 🙈🙈 and know I have to lose weight but I am obviously rubbish at weight loss and now mortified that my inability to lose weight has caused an illness with such serious health implications.
Has anyone managed to reverse type 2 Diabetes or have any tips for me. I am too scared to google at the moment plus I am so pissed off _ I have had a crap year and was finally get back on track to finish year on a high and thought I know I will get blood tests to check everything ok as I am tired all the bloody time and they came back with vit d of 19 !! and Diabetes.
Plus I am so hungry all the time and eating everything- as I'm hungry and tired and some defiance about I can until I have final diagnosis- self sabotage going on here.!!!
Please help with advice. It would be good to hear from real people about how they have tackled it.

OP posts:
LostInTheColonies · 30/11/2019 08:21

DD (10) has T1 diabetes. We've been trying to help stabilise her blood sugars with a low (but not super-low) carb diet with varying success (birthday parties are not easy!). There's a whole school of thought out there about low carb, healthy fat being optimal for diabetics as all carbs break down to sugar, and your body can't deal with this as it should.

Check out the Diet Doctor website which can help you get started with low carb eating (meal plans and so on).

Watch out for low fat products - these are often higher in sugar/carbs than the full fat versions.

Goldenchildsmum · 30/11/2019 08:54

I like the idea of the universe is helping me. Weirdly I asked the universe in helping me deal with family and it worked. Looks like I will be asking for help again. :)

And she'll step up for you. ThanksHalo

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 30/11/2019 10:46

You can definitely reverse and it can be delicious! Agree with something like the Blood Sugar Diet

Yellredder · 30/11/2019 20:01

I was diagnosed last year - it's in our family and I wasn't overweight. I'd recommend Diabetes.co.uk. Low carbing is the way to go. I was out of the Diabetic range three months after low carbing. Good luck.

Becca19962014 · 30/11/2019 21:42

I was diagnosed August 2017. I'll be honest the course I went on I found to be useless BUT I've other conditions which weren't taken into account which I found effect blood sugar control so I never went back. The following year I was told I was considered no longer diabetic. In my case I purchased a monitor, everyone told me not to because it wouldn't make a difference but it does, a huge difference. I was able to check my blood sugars when I wanted to and find out ideal ranges at certain times e.g. 90 minutes after a meal or before a meal/bed. I take merformin as well but not a treatment dose.

Things aren't that good anymore. But at the time when I was considered cured I was having more than one seizure a day and it's suspected I was falling into hypoglaecemia - I've a condition whereby I lose consiousness if my blood sugar falls or rapidly increases so I know about that now and keep it higher but more stable.

I found the diet recommendations were horrendously bad for me I collapsed in pharmacy where they took my blood pressure and blood sugars and they were extremely low, when I explained they told me to do the diet gradually - I wasn't going to suddenly die/lose my limbs, I'd had diabetes probably for awhile so I should adjust my eating habits gradually, that really helped me. They were pretty annoyed at what I'd been told and said it happens quite a lot. The course is no longer run here and the only diabetes course that is run is for type one.

There's a lot of prejudice around type 2 and a lot of assumptions by medics as well as general public this is something that you can just control with a bit of effort and not as dangerous. When last in hospital I had a hypo because I was over six hours without food - being "just" type 2 didn't warrant any food, they gave me sugary tea which did nothing and I ended up very unwell.

Every member of my family that's hit mid 40s has diabetes type 2, regardless of size (I'm big because of my disabilties I wasn't before) so when I was told my GP expected me to go into mental health crisis (also have mh problems) but I just said ok so diet or meds. She spent the appointment looking at me like I had two heads, the following appointment she said no one had ever been so calm before - I knew I'd get it so the shock factor just wasn't there for me. She still says that was the calmest she's seen me!

Mental health can be impacted by it as well. I find high and low blood sugars can mimic and even cause panic attacks so bear that in mind as well. For me hypos and hypers are indistinguishable so I carry a monitor to check just in case it's either of those (both can be sorted) or an actual panic attack. I feel no different and have severe PTSD so it's a pain having them triggered by blood sugars.

Becca19962014 · 30/11/2019 21:43

Sorry that was sooooo long!

Yellredder · 01/12/2019 10:24

@Becca19962014, sounds like you have a lot to contend with. Good luck with it all. I'd second what you say about getting a meter - it's really useful to find out what foods adversely affect you!

Becca19962014 · 01/12/2019 10:36

My point was just that really and that diabetes can be unique to each person. But I got carried away! Blush

AnnaMagnani · 01/12/2019 10:55

It really is diet. Also you aren't rubbish at dieting - it isn't that you have no willpower. We exert less choice over our food choices than we think we do.

Eating a lot of carbs and gaining weight causes insulin resistance - which makes you want more carbs. So when you are deciding what to eat, or in the shop, looking at the fridge etc you pick carbs. Your body behaves as if it is on the verge of starvation and needs some carbs despite the obvious evidence on the scales that you are not voice of bitter experience

Robert Lustig's book Fat Chance is v good explaining it (although it is v heavy on the science). I loved it as it is very kind and a revelation about it not being your personal fault.

My own experience is that if you massively cut down you feel like death for about a week as your body claims you are about to starve and then you miraculously can eat 1200 calories a day without being hungry as your insulin levels have plummeted. You also have twice the energy - before your body was claiming it was starving so you were preserving energy by being tired and lethargic, so weirdly once you drop your insulin levels, although you are eating less you are far less tired.

It's getting through the week of death that is the challenge and never falling off the wagon.

Becca19962014 · 01/12/2019 11:44

anna I was put on that in hospital and nearly died due to severe hypoglaecemia. The diabetes dietician kept saying I was fine and blood sugar of 4.0 was fine (it's actually borderline hypoglaecemia and you can feel very unwell at that level) and kept calling me "carb addict" and needing to get to the gym (which is impossible with my other needs). Her maximum blood sugar goal reading of 4.0 was very dangerous and had I not been in hospital would have killed me.

Not saying that would happen to everyone but it's best before doing such things to educate yourself on healthy blood sugars and get a monitor to ensure you are not putting yourself at risk. Low blood sugar can be damaging to the body just as much as high can and sometimes people forget that.

People need a balanced diet. Best advice I was given by a diabetes forum was to get a monitor which would track my blood sugar levels for me and see how foods effected me and do it gradually.

trinity0097 · 01/12/2019 15:36

Reversed mine in 3 months, doing low carb high fat. Google diet doctor.

Gingerkittykat · 01/12/2019 15:51

I've not reversed mine but got my sugars into a healthy range by losing a stone and exercise, I would say the regular exercise made more of a difference than the diet. I was surprised a small weight loss made a difference since I was still overweight at that level.

My sugars have went back up when I fell off the wagon and I have until Jan to get them back down or go onto insulin.

The other thing that helped was intermitent fasting, I didn't lose weight on it but it made a big difference to sugar levels.

I agree with PP about the diabetes uk forums, also agree with buying a meter since the NHS say type 2 on diet or metformin don't need it but it shows where your spikes are and can be a wake up call when a cupcake sends your sugar up to 14 and doesn't come back down for 2 days.

Good luck, make sure you go to your eye and foot testing too since you don't want any of the nasties to happen.

Gingerkittykat · 01/12/2019 15:53

Oh, and don't listen to the NHS advice on diet. They only recommend the eat well plate and tell you low carb, fasting etc are dangerous when I know they make a huge difference to a lot of people.

MatildeHidalgo · 02/12/2019 08:13

I would say the regular exercise made more of a difference than the diet

It really didn't - you didn't address your diet and that's why you haven't reversed your diabetes.

OP - please don't think of this as ending the year on a low. You've done well addressing your emotional problems now you're going to invest in your physical well being. Now's a great time for it because you'll avoid the glutton fest of Xmas and will start 2020 already eating well rather than loading yourself up with ill fated New Year's resolutions. That's what I'm telling myself anyway Grin

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