Full of anxiety (newly diagnosed)

[Margi83]

Hi all,hope everyone is well x
I was diagnosed in june 2023 with type 2 diabetes,i also had protein leaking from my kidneys. I’m so scared and full of dread and anxiety about my health now. I’m in constant fear of me having a heart attack or a stroke. I know my weight plays a big part and it’s all getting ontop of me. Any advice or help would be much appreciated as i’m really struggling with it all mentally and physically . Thank you xx

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Hi all,hope everyone is well x
I was diagnosed in june 2023 with type 2 diabetes,i also had protein leaking from my kidneys. I’m so scared and full of dread and anxiety about my health now. I’m in constant fear of me having a heart attack or a stroke. I know my weight plays a big part and it’s all getting ontop of me. Any advice or help would be much appreciated as i’m really struggling with it all mentally and physically . Thank you xx

Hi @Margi83 I am not in the best position to advise, as I was Type 1. But several things occur to me. The first is that it all seems an impossible mountain. I can ony suggest focussing on small things at a time. Kidneys leaking protein can obviously be serious, but it would be useful to know what stage this is at. It is possible to have proteinuria for many years (40 in my case) before anything (other than blood glucose control or hypertension is improved) needs to be done. Secondly don't blame yourself. Thirdly, at this time of night, you are less likely to catch the most knowledgeable and experienced in this field. I'm sure tomorrow morning will be a very different story. The other point is not to make drastic changes quickly. If you were to radically alter your diet, you might make matters worse initially. I shall tag @JoKalsbeek who is a goldmine of reassuring information. This is her guide; https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.htm
I hope you overcome your understandable fear.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Apologies to @KennyA who is similarly knowledgeable and experienced!

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Margi83 and welcome to the forum.
You have already been shown a link to the main thing that got me on the path to Type 2 Diabetes remission ( which is JoKalsbeek's 'nutritional thingy' ).
It can take only a few months to:
A) Get your (finger -prick) Blood Glucose levels to (near) normal levels) without drugs. - Hba1C take longer since it's a 3 month average.
B). Lose a few stone in weight ( I lost over 2 stone and I was slim(ish) to start with.
C). Normalise Blood Pressure without drugs.
D). Probably improve Kidney function.

A Low Carb 'way of eating' -without conscious calorie restriction dos all the above for the majority of people!

 

[ianf0ster]

If your HbA1C (or finger prick Blood glucose levels) are very high, then I always suggest reducing carbohydrates in stages for 2 reasons:-
1. If you change Blood Glucose levels too fast (either lower (= good) or higher, then it can make your vision (temporarily) worse until the body adjusts to the new BG levels.
2. If you lose many stones of weight too fast, the skin doesn't adjust fast enough and you can end up with unsightly loose skin.
Neither of these was a problem in my case since my HbA1C was only 53 and I only lost just over 2 stone in weight. But for those starting with an HbA1C above 70 or who have a whole person (in weight) to lose, these can be real problems!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi all,hope everyone is well x
I was diagnosed in june 2023 with type 2 diabetes,i also had protein leaking from my kidneys. I’m so scared and full of dread and anxiety about my health now. I’m in constant fear of me having a heart attack or a stroke. I know my weight plays a big part and it’s all getting ontop of me. Any advice or help would be much appreciated as i’m really struggling with it all mentally and physically . Thank you xx

Hello @Margi83 ,

You've only just been diagnosed a couple of months ago. Breathe. Type two complications don't happen overnight, you're not going to kick the bucket any time soon. I was undiagnosed for years. I was symptomatic too, with chronic fatigue, weeing every 30 minutes, trouble with eyesight, very sweet smelling urine, lots of yeast infections etc etc, and I still got a handle on this thing in time to prevent any permanent damage being done. I have a whole lot of odds that were against me (familial issues with heart disease and blood clots) and still nothing happened in spite of high blood sugars for what i guess must have been almost half a decade, if not longer. I promise you, I was a sugary sweet mess, and I still got to it sorted before anything irreparable occurred. No reason why you couldn't do the same.

You have time to fix this. Get that anxious energy working for you rather than against you, and use it to take the bull by the horns. Read up, learn, start testing your blood glucose to see what works for you and what doesn't (because there's a lot of conflicting information out there, and you need to find out what works for you, specifically). And do cut yourself some slack. The diabetes caused weight gain, not the other way around. (Common misconception). And if you don't know why you're gaining weight, and the cause being a metabolic condition you didn't know you had, it's kind of hard to shed it. Get your blood sugars sorted, the weight should follow suit.

You're going to be fine. Don't get me wrong, diabetes is very much to be taken seriously, but... It's also something you can get on top of, rather than it getting on top of you.

Hugs,
Jo

 

[Fenn]

Hi, welcome.

I am way too dumb to offer any advice like the clever folks above, but I can say after having a stroke and heart bypass, they ain’t that bad lol going to the dentist on the other hand makes me anxious

 

[KennyA]

Hi and welcome to the forums. Thanks for the tag @Grant_Vicat .

I think we should have "DON'T PANIC" in large letters at the top of every page.

Try (if you can) to forget what you've read about diabetes in the media. They focus on scare stories about the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes - and they can be bad. The real issue for people like us is having high blood glucose, which if left untreated can do damage to nerves and capillaries. Uncontrolled high levels of blood glucose over time is something to avoid.

The good news is that it's relatively straightforward to lower blood glucose, (some willpower needed) and many of us have found that a low carb way of eating will do that.

Jo Kalsbeek's guide is really good. There is also medication that can help - I have zero experience of medication, though.

The next thing is to try to forget what you think you know about "healthy eating".

I was (eventually) diagnosed in December 2019/ January 2020. By April 2020 my blood glucose was back in low-normal range. The symptoms I'd had (for over ten years in some cases) went very quickly at the same time, although I have a very small amount of permanent nerve damage - a little tingling in my toes. Since then (without really trying) I've lost about 30kg as well - a quarter of my starting body weight - all the weight I'd gained since becoming diabetic.

I found that what worked for me was cutting out carbs almost entirely. Not everybody needs to be as extreme as I am - I aim for around 20g carb a day maximum - that's the equivalent of one apple. So that has meant and means no potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, cereals, fruit (some berries occasionally) or sugar. I also avoid heavily processed, convenience style, prepared foods. I do eat natural fats and proteins - so meat, fish, dairy, and green vegetables. There are some decent low-carb "bread" substitutes, although they tend to be expensive.

So I don't follow what is usually called "healthy eating". The current official advice is to base all meals around "starchy carbohydrates" - which all turn to glucose when digested. The source of the glucose - whether it's coming from bread or pasta or cake - doesn't really make a lot of difference once it's in your blood.

The best advice is to read plenty on this forum - you might have a look at the "Success Stories" part - and to keep asking questions. We have all been exactly where you are. Best of luck.

 

[Margi83]

@JoKalsbeek @KennyA thank you so so much for your replys. All the advice and reassurance has helped me like you wouldn’t believe (i suffer with severe health anxiety) so at times i can’t shift the thoughts out of my head but you really don’t know how much your replys and all the info on here has really helped me,so from the bottom of my heart i thank every 1 of you. I’m going to get threw this and i knowing i have this little safe space to turn to is a real life saver for me. Thank you again to all xx

Hugs,
margi xo

 

[JoKalsbeek]

@JoKalsbeek @KennyA thank you so so much for your replys. All the advice and reassurance has helped me like you wouldn’t believe (i suffer with severe health anxiety) so at times i can’t shift the thoughts out of my head but you really don’t know how much your replys and all the info on here has really helped me,so from the bottom of my heart i thank every 1 of you. I’m going to get threw this and i knowing i have this little safe space to turn to is a real life saver for me. Thank you again to all xx

Hugs,
margi xo

We've got you. You don't have to do this alone, and you will be okay.
Hugs,
Jo

 

[Paul_]

I was in the same position as you in July when I was diagnosed. To list my health condition top 5, I already had high blood pressure, T2 diabetes, fatty liver (diagnosed at same time as diabetes), potential early stage kidney issues (follow up test next week) and a BMI just under 50.

It's a lot to take in. I read up on all the conditions and saw varying advice. I tried the suggested NHS diet for diabetics and it didn't help. Eventually though, I found this place and my priorities became clear:

1) Losing weight would help all of the conditions I have, some dramatically so.

2) I had to reduce my blood glucose levels.

I ignored all the niche recommendations for each condition, I prioritised weight loss and I went low carb. The nice thing about a low carb diet, is that done right, it has the convenient benefit of managing blood glucose very effectively and you can lose weight at the same time. In 15 weeks I significantly reduced my hba1c without medication, I've been taken off 2 out of 3 blood pressure medications, my fatty liver is decidedly less fatty according to my blood tests, and I've lost 4.5 stone in weight.

It might seem incredibly overwhelming, but as others have said, it boils down to some relatively straightforward changes to diet and lifestyle. Sure, it can be difficult at first, it's hard work at times, but it gets easier and you can do this - and when you do, even when you just make a start, you'll feel so much better!

 

[Margi83]

Wow! Well done you for the amazing results that you have achieved.. Thank uou for replying,it’s comforting to know that i’m not alone. I’m on 3 diff meds for diabetes/high BP which i hope to come off ASAP. My struggle is getting the right foods and the amounts has i tend to only eat 1 big meal a day so i need to change that. Exercise is also where i lack also as i don’t know where to start. I’m thinking of getting a spin bike to atleast start somewhere. I hope to be at your level soon and i wish you all the luck in your journey.

Hugs

 

[Paul_]

Wow! Well done you for the amazing results that you have achieved.. Thank uou for replying,it’s comforting to know that i’m not alone. I’m on 3 diff meds for diabetes/high BP which i hope to come off ASAP. My struggle is getting the right foods and the amounts has i tend to only eat 1 big meal a day so i need to change that. Exercise is also where i lack also as i don’t know where to start. I’m thinking of getting a spin bike to atleast start somewhere. I hope to be at your level soon and i wish you all the luck in your journey.

Hugs

I took a fairly drastic approach, where in the space of 2-4 weeks I went from a "normal" diet (not particularly well managed) before diagnosis, then to NHS Eat Well, to low carb, then down to keto. Despite the results, I probably made it more difficult than it needed to be in hindsight.

Many people on low carb do one meal a day. The most popular is probably two. I do two meals a day for probably 4-5 days a week, then 3 meals on the other 2-3 days a week. I don't have any religious routine, I just eat according to how I feel. The key is making sure those meals, however many you have, allow you to manage blood glucose levels if you want to reduce medications - however, some diabetes medications mean you'll need to notify your doctor/nurse before starting so medication dosages can be reviewed. Which diabetes medications are you on, if you don't mind me asking? Knowing this will help people here advise with ideas for diet.

When it comes to exercise, I was like you. I was very sedentary before diagnosis. I looked at a number of options, however in the end I had a "stop thinking, just do it" moment and started walking. Started fairly gently, just enough to get myself moving for 15-30 mins, as I could do. As I lost weight, I could do more, so walked further or walked the same distance as the day before but faster. It's still my favourite exercise to do now. Do you live in an area where this would be possible?

 

[catinahat]

i tend to only eat 1 big meal a day so i need to change that.

It's quite a common idea that for some reason we need to eat regularly through the day. When I was first diagnosed the nurse advised three meals a day with snacks in-between.
Now I know more about what T2 is, I realise just how poor that advice was.
Every time we eat our pancreas produces insulin to deal with the carbohydrates in our meal.
The insulin has become less efficient at removing the glucose, because our bodies are resisting it. Our blood sugar levels remain higher than they should, so the pancreas is forced to produce even more insulin.
Eating 3 meals plus snacks virtually guarantees that before our overworked pancreas has managed to produce enough insulin to get the job done, we are sending it more food to deal with. The poor pancreas spends all day working it's socks off trying to keep up with the regular supply of food. Hardly surprising that it eventually gives up .
Not eating means it can take a break, we can use up our glucose stores and maybe burn a little fat. As our glucose levels drop so does our insulin levels, less insulin swishing around gives us a good chance of improving our insulin resistance, or at least not making it worse.
Many of us have one or two meals a day, it's a very effective way of controlling blood sugar.

 

[Margi83]

I took a fairly drastic approach, where in the space of 2-4 weeks I went from a "normal" diet (not particularly well managed) before diagnosis, then to NHS Eat Well, to low carb, then down to keto. Despite the results, I probably made it more difficult than it needed to be in hindsight.

Many people on low carb do one meal a day. The most popular is probably two. I do two meals a day for probably 4-5 days a week, then 3 meals on the other 2-3 days a week. I don't have any religious routine, I just eat according to how I feel. The key is making sure those meals, however many you have, allow you to manage blood glucose levels if you want to reduce medications - however, some diabetes medications mean you'll need to notify your doctor/nurse before starting so medication dosages can be reviewed. Which diabetes medications are you on, if you don't mind me asking? Knowing this will help people here advise with ideas for diet.

When it comes to exercise, I was like you. I was very sedentary before diagnosis. I looked at a number of options, however in the end I had a "stop thinking, just do it" moment and started walking. Started fairly gently, just enough to get myself moving for 15-30 mins, as I could do. As I lost weight, I could do more, so walked further or walked the same distance as the day before but faster. It's still my favourite exercise to do now. Do you live in an area where this would be possible?

Hey ,i’m on Dapagliflozin (1 aday) & Metformin (2 twice a day). Thank you for all your advice,helps alot. Do you have any dessert ideas? it’s sweet stuff i crave more than anything.

 

[KennyA]

Hey ,i’m on Dapagliflozin (1 aday) & Metformin (2 twice a day). Thank you for all your advice,helps alot. Do you have any dessert ideas? it’s sweet stuff i crave more than anything.

I make a "trifle" with strawberries and raspberries and sugar-free jelly. Eat with double cream or similar.

 

[Paul_]

Hey ,i’m on Dapagliflozin (1 aday) & Metformin (2 twice a day). Thank you for all your advice,helps alot. Do you have any dessert ideas? it’s sweet stuff i crave more than anything.

My go-to's are 85%+ dark chocolate, sugar free jelly, strawberries, or 5-10 blueberries (portion control is important with blueberries due to carb content). Raspberries are also a good option too. Full fat greek yogurt with the fruit suggestions above also works well.

You can also melt dark chocolate into double cream. If you refrigerate the mix, it forms a sort of ganache. If you're feeling flashy and enjoy washing up, you can use an electric mixer to whip it up into a mousse.

 

[Margi83]

My go-to's are 85%+ dark chocolate, sugar free jelly, strawberries, or 5-10 blueberries (portion control is important with blueberries due to carb content). Raspberries are also a good option too. Full fat greek yogurt with the fruit suggestions above also works well.

You can also melt dark chocolate into double cream. If you refrigerate the mix, it forms a sort of ganache. If you're feeling flashy and enjoy washing up, you can use an electric mixer to whip it up into a mousse.

Brilliant. Thank you

 

[catinahat]

Do you have any dessert ideas?

I found a half decent substitute for ice-cream to be a handful of frozen berries in full fat Greek yogurt, blitzed in one of those nutri bullet thingies or a hand blender. You can throw in a pot of sugar free jelly if you want something sweeter.

 

[MrsA2]

I use quite a few of the cake recipes on here.

Free Recipe Library

Free UK Recipe Library Use the search icon in the top right corner of the page to search for a recipe. We are currently experiencing some issues with the images on this page e.g. the Beef icon won't take you to the Beef menu. Please use the menu at the top of this page (top left on mobile). For...

www.ketofitnessclub.com

I bake them in a 7 " square tin, then cut them into 16 squares and freeze them. That way I take out just one or 2 squares At a time.
As time goes on I find I'm doing this less and less as my tastes change, but they really helped in the early days.
The coffee one is very easy, I bake it square and leave out the filling to make it very simple.