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Currently being investigated for diabetes

Myristica

Myristica

Member
Messages
16
Location
Scotland
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi, I'm currently being investigated for diabetes. I've got almost all the symptoms, but having severe ME/CFS can make it harder to diagnose additional conditions (though I still blame my GP - honestly, if you're referring a patient to urology for going to the loo 26 times a day, you should be screening for diabetes!).

When I had my gallbladder out three years ago, they did a fingerstick test after I'd been fasting for 26 hours and it was 14. The nurse said, "That's very high, are you diabetic?" but didn't flag it up with anyone. I'm trying to work out just how high that was, considering stress hyperglycaemia.

My FPG should be back in a few days, I'm just impatient to know! How reliable is FPG, by the way?
 
Myristica said:
Hi, I'm currently being investigated for diabetes. I've got almost all the symptoms, but having severe ME/CFS can make it harder to diagnose additional conditions (though I still blame my GP - honestly, if you're referring a patient to urology for going to the loo 26 times a day, you should be screening for diabetes!).

When I had my gallbladder out three years ago, they did a fingerstick test after I'd been fasting for 26 hours and it was 14. The nurse said, "That's very high, are you diabetic?" but didn't flag it up with anyone. I'm trying to work out just how high that was, considering stress hyperglycaemia.

My FPG should be back in a few days, I'm just impatient to know! How reliable is FPG, by the way?
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I'll eat my hat if yore not diabetic. My fating blood was 13 something when diagnosed. Welcome to the club. I low carb and it works fantastically for me but don't know what you can and can't eat without a gall bladder. Am I right in thinking that you can't have fat?
 
I think you might as well give up the carbs now..the results are a formality :)
you will feel so much better when your bloods are down

fats are fine without a gallbladder, you just need to change slowly
 
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I can have fat, but I don't get on well with too much of it.

I was actually trying to get an IV out of them when they tested my blood sugar that night in hospital, because I cannot go that long without food (and had thrown up the three mouthfuls of fruit I'd managed earlier) and was rapidly getting worse. The whole thing was horrible, they messed up the pain meds so badly I haven't been able to take opiates since (I have severe chronic pain), and I got a post-op infection and scarred badly despite its being keyhole surgery.

I'm 37, possibly borderline overweight at most but managing to lose a bit, excellent diet, and my fingers are too cold for the touchscreen to register, so I'll give up now.
 
jack412 said:
you might as well give up the carbs now..the results are a formality :)
you will feel so much better when your bloods are down

fats are fine without a gallbladder, you just need to change slowly
Click to expand...

Agreed. My wife had her gall bladder removed and can eat fat. The liver still produces bile but it is stored in the bloodstream for general use rather than in the gall bladder for specific need. So maybe not as efficient but the process still works.
 
Hi sorry you have had a bad time I hope they can sort you out now, Some medications can make you more predisposed to diabetes As you have other medical issues you should check with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet
 
Really? Which sorts of meds?

I eat a vegan wholefoods diet, the only thing I'm currently changing is to switch back to wholegrains for pasta and rice. I've been careful about sugar for ages.
 
Anyway, does anyone know how much surgery stress is likely to increase hyperglycaemia? A couple of points? Does it make a difference that I'd had three bites of pineapple and promptly thrown them up again? Or that I was on codeine and morphine and a couple of antiemetics?
 
Carbohydrates, wholegrain or not, are the enemy. They metabolise to glucose quickly in the bloodstream, some maybe a little slower than others, but treat them as you would sugar. Have a read of the thread linked in my sig below (first item).
 
Hello and welcome!

I have no gall bladder. I am on moderate low carbs, around 60. I can eat some fat but have to be careful. Aiming to prioritiise good fats (told my good cholesterol too low at time of diagnosis) so eating few nuts, eggs, avocado, olives, nob of butter on veg etc. though lchf. is great if you can do it, lcsf (some fat!) seems to still work as appetite suppressant. Am losing around 1 lb a week so that slower than some achieving on lchf, but learning to be patient!

All the best on your journey.
 
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I'm really not worried about the fat in my diet, folks, sorry if I misled you! I mentioned having my gallbladder out because that surgery is when showed hyperglycaemia. It was three years ago and the only problem I've had since is not being able to tolerate opiates, and limited tolerance of opioids.

Here's what this site says about wholegrains. Key quotation: "People with diabetes are often advised to eat a good selection of whole grain food." What do you think about that? I find that I feel better with grains in my diet, especially combined with other protein sources. And I make my own bread, which is sourdough (apparently better for diabetes), so I know exactly what goes into that, and don't eat much of it besides. I also noticed, when I was losing some weight a few years ago and was on a busy forum, that the people who had more to lose tended to do better with low-carbing than the people who didn't have far to go. Anyway, assuming I get a diagnosis, I'll talk to the doctor about this, and a dietician if I get one.

Lunch, on the other hand, has just made me a bit wobbly. I'm having soup and a slice of bread for lunch, it's working for weight loss, but I need to start making my own soups in bulk and freezing them. I've been on with most of the ones I've bought, especially lentil soups, but this minestrone must have been too sweet. I was really ill when I placed that Sainsburys order, I just grabbed whatever was marked as vegan in the soup section. Of course, I have severe ME and went out last night, it could just be the crash from that.

I have also been brave and jumped on the scales. 123.4lb, which at 4'11" gives me a BMI of around 25, depending on whether you use the old or the new BMI. About where I thought, and while I lost 1lb/week before, I'd be happy with 0.5lb/week. Then I picked up the cat and got back on, and she turns out to be 6.6lb. I'm glad she's a tiny cat and not a Maine Coon, considering how much she sits on me!

I've got the list of the symptoms I've been experiencing on the laptop, I'll copy it in later.

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!
 
Perhaps it would be best just to wait for your blood results, obtain a print out, then let us know what your HbA1c test was (assuming you had one. This is the normal diagnostic test for diabetes). We can all take it from there, because at the moment you are just guessing.
 
Myristica said:
Really? Which sorts of meds?

I eat a vegan wholefoods diet, the only thing I'm currently changing is to switch back to wholegrains for pasta and rice. I've been careful about sugar for ages.
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Steriods are thought to be to the cause of T2 in a lot of people
If you do go low carb then for you it will be a bit different to those here who eat meat and dairy. There are I think some other Vegans here who would better be able to advise you on diet but as said wait until you have your results then you can decide what to do
 
I am not surprised you felt wobbly after a fe slices of bread and soup. Starchy carbs are as bad if not worse than sugar despite the NHS advice. If you don't believe me, test your bs, then eat bread or rice or pasta and watch your bs rise for probably the next 2 hours.
If you want an alternative try www.dietdoctor.com
This is the way of life I follow - check my stats!
 
Hi, yes your finger-prick test shows that diabetes is likely. If you have been on steroids that can be one cause and stress can push blood sugar up but unlikely to be that much. As others have said, keep all carbs down and have proteins and fat to make up. When you get your test results do let us know what the results are and we may be able to help further.
 
[QUOTE="Myristica, post: 759848, member: 158892"
Here's what this site says about wholegrains. Key quotation: "People with diabetes are often advised to eat a good selection of whole grain food." What do you think about that? [/QUOTE]

Hi & Welcome Myristica, @sanguine is right, although it is said on this site, it's a statement merely stating the facts that "People with diabetes are often advised................." the wholegrains are better than the processed, but for us diabetics they are not always the best recommendation as they contain lots of Carbohydrates they will quickly (maybe not as quick as processed grains) turn to glucose and raise you blood sugar levels, you would need to be testing if having wholegrains in your diet, even if you are making the bread, pasta from them etc yourself. By the way sourdough contains just as many carbs as wholemeal bread and we are all restricted to the amount we can eat.

However, have to agree with @Bluetit1802 is wait for your diagnosis, then we will all be able to help you better.

Neil
 
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Interestingly, I found research somewhere showing that being on a vegetarian or vegan diet improved diabetes, but I can't remember how much of that may have been due to those groups having a lower weight on average. Still, it suggests that it's not impossible to have a diabetic-friendly vegan diet. Focus on proteins and fats, gotcha.

What about my weight? What sort of weight range is best, and what measurements are we going by here? BMI (mine's about 25)? Waist-height ratio (don't know but I do put on fat around my middle)? Whether I'm diabetic or not, it'd be useful to be in a good range for these.
 
Myristica said:
What about my weight? What sort of weight range is best, and what measurements are we going by here? BMI (mine's about 25)? Waist-height ratio (don't know but I do put on fat around my middle)? Whether I'm diabetic or not, it'd be useful to be in a good range for these.
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Hi Go here for a BMI calulator. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/bmi.html

Neil
 
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