hi - stressed and overwhelmed

[heptagonalpeg]

Hi, all.

I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes about 6 years ago. Initially I low-carbed really successfully for about a year or two and got really good control, then life happened etc. Every attempt to get my sugars in line since then have seemed pretty hopeless, especially since after my pregnancy. When I low carbed initially things went really fast, falling into place after a month as I saw a steady decline. Now it seems like no matter what I do, no matter what I eat, no matter how much I walk, my numbers are 11-18. I've been trying to eat controlled carbs, no more than 15-20 per meal, so a total of 45 or 60 a day, but often MUCH less than that. I figured that would be more long term maintainable and realistic than going ultra low carb...which is what I did before but eventually I feel it put me in a mental health crisis. I stopped eating altogether because I was so tired of meat and eggs and cheese (for a month I only had chicken broth). I literally have an aversion to eggs now. They make me sick. It made me so obsessive about food going that low on carbs (20 or below). But I don't know, maybe it's just what I have to do and get used to it. It doesn't help that I moved from the US to the UK a few years ago, where I feel there is much less available in terms of low carb alternatives Almond four here is just another beast altogether and recipes don't turn out how they once did.

Right now I am on 2000 mg of metformin and taking Levemir (which I honestly feel doesn't do anything for me) and Novorapid before meals). IDK. I just came here because I'm isolated and lonely and scared I'm going to die of complications. My eyesight is already terrible. I think the last straw is I randomly took 60 units of insulin last night just to see what would happen...I woke up at 6.9, then had a very low carb breakfast of "granola" (actually just nuts, p.b. (no sugar added), and sukrin gold), and got spiked to 11.9. Part of me wonders if I just took too much insulin (5 units?) which caused a liver dump. IDK. I never know!!! I feel like unless I'm checking my glucose ever 15 minutes the data is incomprehensible.

I'm so depressed. Sorry to be such a downer.

 

[urbanracer]

Welcome to the forums @heptagonalpeg

I'll be surprised if some more T2's don't stop by later to offer advice.

Compared to your random 60unit experiment, what would you normally inject? And what were your glucose levels like when you only ate 20g of carbs per day?

 

[heptagonalpeg]

Welcome to the forums @heptagonalpeg

I'll be surprised if some more T2's don't stop by later to offer advice.

Compared to your random 60unit experiment, what would you normally inject? And what were your glucose levels like when you only ate 20g of carbs per day?

Thanks for the welcome!

Back when I was really low carb, my numbers were consistently under 6.0, with A1Cs at 5.7 at their lowest (I don't know what that is in the new configuration). I feel every time I've tried again, though, it's as if my insulin resistance has increased substantially. During that time, I was also on 500mg of Metformin.

As far as insulin (which I've been on for about a year now, super inconsistently, which may be the heart of my problem) I don't really have a normal. I was instructed to do 5 units before meals (almost a year ago now), so that's my default. If I'm having more than just the few amount of carbs in vegetables etc, then that I'll take more...I haven't been able to figure out some magic ratio, though. Sometimes I Take 10...sometimes I take 20? Because I'll have a meal and when I see it spiked me a lot, I'll try more insulin next time. But often, then I'll get spiked even more!!! So I wonder if I've had too much insulin? But it's like, less insulin, more insulin...neither works.

There was a period where I was having 30 grams of porridge (as measured dry, pre-cooked) for breakfast with 5 units of insulin and cycling to work, and my numbers were consistently below 7.0. I'm not able to cycle at the moment, though, but I'm looking for ways to increase exercise.

 

[There is no Spoon]

"Sorry to be such a downer." Don't worry your not.

Hi Peg,
Sorry to hear you're struggling, but you are not alone.
I know there will be some friendly, helpfully, knowledgeable people on here who will be along in a minute to help you with real advice, support and encouragement.

We all need help, we all feel vulnerable and alone at times. Don't give up hope and "Live long and prosper".

 

[daisyduck]

Hi @heptagonalpeg and welcome to the forum.
I'm not qualified or knowledgeable enough to comment on your insulin. I really think you need to get in touch with your GP or DN and ask for some help.

I think type 1's need insulin because they don't produce their own efficiently but it confuses me when type 2 's are prescribed. as I thought that lots of us have too much of our own insulin which isn't able to be utilised by our bodies ? That is probably over simplifying it but I would love some input on this please.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can you let us know what your BMI is? Do you have some excess weight as that can make it very difficult to mange BS even with insulin. Do low-carb as far as you can currently and have enough fats and protein to balance that. You need to ensure your Basal Levemir is balanced. There are a couple of approaches for that which your DN should be helping with but do come back here for more help if needed. Try to aim for a morning BS of between 5-7 mmol. For the Novorapid, most people start on a ratio of 1 unit to 10gm of carbs when carb-counting and then tweak the ratio as they gain experience

 

[heptagonalpeg]

Hi @heptagonalpeg and welcome to the forum.
I'm not qualified or knowledgeable enough to comment on your insulin. I really think you need to get in touch with your GP or DN and ask for some help.

I think type 1's need insulin because they don't produce their own efficiently but it confuses me when type 2 's are prescribed. as I thought that lots of us have too much of our own insulin which isn't able to be utilised by our bodies ? That is probably over simplifying it but I would love some input on this please.

Thank you! You're right. I have an appointment with the diabetes clinic in March, which I've been putting off for 6 months just because I know it will be depressing since nothing has changed...(I keep rescheduling it)...but I just got to get over it.

Many T2 diabetics need insulin when diet, exercise, and oral drugs don't bring the numbers down, especially as they get older and things that worked before no longer work, and more beta cells in their pancreas are destroyed. It's a complex disease with many mechanisms that can affect people differently, but my understanding is that T2s don't necessarily have too much insulin (though that can certainly be the case). For example, many drugs for T2 diabetics work based on making the pancreas produce more insulin.

However, yes, insulin resistance is a big factor! It's not that we have 'too much insulin' always but that what insulin we do have cannot be utilized.

It's worth noting that many people with insulin resistance are not diabetic or even pre-diabetic! They have great numbers simply because their pancreas can keep up. So, when the initial amount of insulin isn't working because of insulin resistance, they produce more. This stops happening in pre-diabetics and diabetics, which is why our numbers rise.

I hope this clarifies why I'm on insulin, but I agree it's confusing, and that's part of why I'm here. It seems like nothing I do/try works. Maybe I should just go ultra low carb and drop the insulin.

 

[daisyduck]

Thank you heptagonalpeg It certainly is complicated. I'm managing with diet and exercise alone at the moment but hubby is a type 2 on insulin. He is on the old regime of Humulin twice a day. He does like his carbs and this seems to work for him. We have noticed that if he does eat the way I do he will have to reduce his insulin amount to avoid going too low..( though normally I will add a few carbs , potatoes, bread etc to his meals)

 

[bulkbiker]

Maybe I should just go ultra low carb and drop the insulin.

In your position that is probably what I would do. After letting your HCP's know that's what you are intending.
Have you thought of some intermittent fasting too.
Have you heard of Dr Jason Fung? Lots of videos on youtube. He is very keen to get Type 2's off insulin through fasting and dietary controls. He has had significant success.

 

[Alexandra100]

I've been trying to eat controlled carbs, no more than 15-20 per meal, so a total of 45 or 60 a day, but often MUCH less than that. I figured that would be more long term maintainable and realistic than going ultra low carb...which is what I did before but eventually I feel it put me in a mental health crisis. I stopped eating altogether because I was so tired of meat and eggs and cheese (for a month I only had chicken broth). I literally have an aversion to eggs now. They make me sick. It made me so obsessive about food going that low on carbs (20 or below). But I don't know, maybe it's just what I have to do and get used to it.

Hello, I really empathise with your problem, as I too have found, to my dismay, that I have to keep carbs under 20g daily if I want my readings to be satisfactory. I started off thinking I could just tweak my diet a little bit, but then had to go lower and lower, and often would have just preferred not to eat at all, food had become so threatening and complicated. I too am scared of coming to feel a revulsion for the foods I can eat. To try and avoid that, I have added in free range chicken to my veg-pescatarian diet but at present I can't envisage beefsteaks! The time may come!

You mention the inferior almond flour on sale here. In a way, things are simplified on under 20g carbs daily, because even almonds are severely rationed and the sort of baking other people post about on this Forum is simply out of the question. A discovery I made recently that has helped me enormously is the imitation pasta and rice made from the zero carb konjac flour. http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/search?query=Eatwater+slim+rice&isSearch=true#anchor=60007572
You can find this discussed at length elsewhere here. It helps me feel more satisfied at the end of a meal, and also to feel the meal is more "normal".

You look very slim in your picture, as am I, and I wonder if your doctors have considered whether you might be LADA rather than T2? Also, it sounds as if you could use some guidance as to your use of insulin. Have you read Dr Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution"? He is THE acknowledged expert on insulin. You can also read a lot by him on his site: http://www.diabetes-book.com/?s=insulin

Good luck!