The grim question of complications

Scott-C

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,474
Type of diabetes
Type 1
as a bus could come along,

I had a few bad hypos in my early days after dx which substantially increased my chances of making a bad crossing the road judgment call and accidentally walking in front of a bus!

My general take on the subject of complications is that if you see an a1c or AGP of a non-T, they're generally quite tight, so, disregarding other factors, it makes sense for me to try to emulate that. The idea of excess sugar putting pressure on the smaller ends of the blood stream just kind of makes sense.

I think we sometimes look at this too much through the lens of T and ignore the other things going on. Complications and other illneses can happen for any number of reasons unrelated to T. There's an awful lot of stuff going on in our bodies apart from the obvious one of, to us, carbs and insulin.

I've frankly given up paying attention to "latest studies". Red wine, chocolate (insert any other foodstuff here) is good, then it's bad. I'm hedging my bets by eating a broad range of food. Generally eat a Med salad type thing at the Spanish run cafe next to my office for lunch, but if I want to have a pork pie every now and then, won't lose any sleep over that.
 

JohnEGreen

Master
Messages
13,188
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Tripe and Onions
I owing to ongoing other conditions had regular check ups at GP's surgery the only test for D was urine strips and that only very occasionally I think many people are missed because doctors are not looking for it except in the most basic of ways.

Even after having a HbA1c showing me to be well into the diabetic range (not called for by my GP but my Neurologist ), I spent two fruitless years trying to convince my GP's practice that I was in fact diabetic.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I am 66 years old and never had an annual health check.
I have a defunct thyroid and went for a test once a year, down at the hospital, but only once was it followed up with a brief instruction to reduce the dosage of Thyroxine.
I did get the impression that my failure to lose weight on their diets made the doctors write things in my notes about my uncooperative attitude.
I went for a visit with the practice nurse today and mentioned the way insulin prevents weightloss when in excess, and she paused just for a spilt second too long before replying.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I went for a visit with the practice nurse today and mentioned the way insulin prevents weightloss when in excess, and she paused just for a spilt second too long before replying.

What was her reply?
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
The electronics at the surgery were down today, no electronic booking in or labels printed out for the blood tests - she had my original paper notes, with comments and she was looking through them when I left.
 

douglas99

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,572
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I'd rather someone thought about an answer, than simply nodded to humour you. A considered opinion is worth a lot more to be honest.
 

douglas99

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,572
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Aga
The electronics at the surgery were down today, no electronic booking in or labels printed out for the blood tests - she had my original paper notes, with comments and she was looking through them when I left.
Again, better than simply dumping them back into the files, thinking next!
 

CaliforniaGal

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
People can have high blood sugars for a long time before they are diagnosed. Some people make the mistake of thinking that taking pills will sort out diabetes, but it usually only has a limited effect. The best course of action to reduce blood sugar is to eat a low carb diet. Many people on here eat a Low Carb High Fat diet to effectively manage their blood sugars. Intermittent fasting is another way to help reduce blood sugars and help regenerate the body through the process of autophagy.

You do get people who are in denial about high blood sugars. My diabetes nurse told me that many of her patients still add sugar to their tea and eat a lot of high carb junk food. Small surprise that such people require more and more medication and may suffer from diabetic complications such as eye problems or nerve damage. In the UK there are about 20 operations a day for amputations as a result of diabetic complications from neuropathy caused by prolonged high blood sugar which causes nerve damage and slow healing. Diabetes can result in about ten years less life expectancy if you don't get it under control. However, if you do get it under control then you should avoid serious complications and have a normal life expectancy.

The important thing is to get a glucose meter and use it to check before and two hours after eating to see which foods spike your blood sugar. If they do raise blood sugars a lot, then stop eating them.


I read Dr. Fung's book on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and followed it to the T. My sugars are finally in the normal range, and my one toe finally stopped tingling. I'm type 2. A1c was 14. Now it is 5.6. I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid and B-Complex. I fast every other day, and the days I don't fast, I eat extremely low carb following Dr. Fung's eating chart. His book on fasting is what saved me, honestly.
 
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