Hello all~~ Last November I found myself hospitalized, weighing in at 95 lbs. Normally I weigh 115, a runner, 52-years-old, eat organically, cook at home, healthy (or so I thought). My levels were in 600, this was a shock, my husband and I thought for sure I had cancer. Doctor told me my body was shutting down, and I was lucky I wasn't in a coma. That was my Thanksgiving. Since that time it has been a roller coaster of oral medications, insulin, off insulin and back on. I would like to say today I am great, but I am not. The hospital and doctor call me a unique case, I don't want to be unique! I ordered Dr. Bernstein's book and found so many answers. However, I feel pretty much alone when it comes to dealing with medical field, my doctor actually told me I was driving myself crazy with diet and testing my levels (he believes in the standard ADA diet). How could I not test, was my question when levels go from 40- 200+ (I am on low carb diet) and dealing or trying to catch the Dawn Phenomena which sends me from 75 to 173 in 30 minutes, just drinking a cup of coffee. Finally, doctor gave me a referral for specialist (I see in July). When I try to discuss LADA or the link to Alzheimer's and diabetes again I was dismissed as overly worried. Eye doctor actually called me a brittle diabetic, I went home thinking, "Oh, so now I sound like some type of candy" Dr. Bernstein's book explained it. Today is better than yesterday, and I am trying to get out of my pity party. One person posted that they embrace their diabetes, and I took this to heart, wishing I could. I was glad to read that, and it prompted me to share as I joined this group, but couldn't find the right time or words since all of it seems depressing (my words and thoughts). Thank you for listening.
me and diabetes
- Thread starter kimlala
- Start Date
- Messages
- 18,226
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Arab Horse
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 884
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Sorry you are having a bumpy ride. "Brittle diabetic" is a medical term and not a reflection on you, just an observation. I am not sure what the criteria for it are but I have known others who were. You could google it and see.
I am an atypical T2 diabetic and, like you, struggle with my glucose levels although, to be honest, when I am stressed I do eat the things I shouldn't! I wasn't overweight but am now classed as boderline critcally underweight as I weigh just under 7 stone (height 5' 3")
I too find it depressing and hate having to cook and eat differently from what I used to have and my husband doesn't support me so we now cook and eat separately and he eats a lot of delicious sundaes, puddings etc in front of me. I just have to get used to it as he won't alter what he eats; according to diet he should be the diabetic, not me, but we have to use the hand we are dealt.
For a week I stopped eating an evening meal, just breakfast and lunch. Normally I got up, did the horses and then had breakfast thinking the exercise and no food would decrease my BS but instead it went up. I then started getting up even earlier and having my breakfast before I did the horses and by the end of the week my "dawn phenomena" had gone. I have been eating in the evenings and am now back to square one so I think I will have to stop eating in the evenings but then it is difficult as when we have family get togethers it is usually for an evening meal!
Good luck and hope things improve for you.
I am an atypical T2 diabetic and, like you, struggle with my glucose levels although, to be honest, when I am stressed I do eat the things I shouldn't! I wasn't overweight but am now classed as boderline critcally underweight as I weigh just under 7 stone (height 5' 3")
I too find it depressing and hate having to cook and eat differently from what I used to have and my husband doesn't support me so we now cook and eat separately and he eats a lot of delicious sundaes, puddings etc in front of me. I just have to get used to it as he won't alter what he eats; according to diet he should be the diabetic, not me, but we have to use the hand we are dealt.
For a week I stopped eating an evening meal, just breakfast and lunch. Normally I got up, did the horses and then had breakfast thinking the exercise and no food would decrease my BS but instead it went up. I then started getting up even earlier and having my breakfast before I did the horses and by the end of the week my "dawn phenomena" had gone. I have been eating in the evenings and am now back to square one so I think I will have to stop eating in the evenings but then it is difficult as when we have family get togethers it is usually for an evening meal!
Good luck and hope things improve for you.
therower
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,922
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Hi @kimlala . So sorry to hear of your current situation. I'm a person who has embraced my T1 diabetes, unlike yourself I had a definitive diagnosis from day one, which made things far easier for me.
Until you actually know what it is that you need to embrace then it's going to be difficult. I hope you get a correct and definitive diagnosis so you can move on and hopefully take control of your situation.
Keep us posted and good luck.
Until you actually know what it is that you need to embrace then it's going to be difficult. I hope you get a correct and definitive diagnosis so you can move on and hopefully take control of your situation.
Keep us posted and good luck.
Yes, and I want to thank you for your words. My Nov. trip to the hospital required close to 27 bags of saline solution before I looked normal (or as normal as could be). At that time I was put on insulin, but hypo was uncontrollable. So oral was prescribed and I went with it. April brought a root canal, which sent me spiraling off and losing 10 lbs. in 2 days. That time I went right to doctor and started insulin again. I believe that was the end of my honeymoon. I finally worked up the courage (last week, lol) to insist my doctor order blood work to check GAD-65 and my c-peptides, along with seeing a specialist, he looked at me as though I were crazy, but complied. I am embracing today, and remembering (forcing myself) how grateful I was to be alive last November. Thank you, again!
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@kimlala
Hello Kimlala and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello Kimlala and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
