Sulasailor
Newbie
- Messages
- 4
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
I went to the Hospital today for an appointment in the Diabetes And Endocrinology department concerning my very low blood reading a few months ago.
I saw the nurse at first who took my weight, height, blood pressure and my waist measurement. After this, I saw a doctor who works with the Specialist. I had the surprised but complimentary remarks and facial expressions about my weight loss, (8 and a half stone), and how I'd reversed my Diabetes from the doctors and nurses. I've become accustomed to this now. We went through my history concerning the Diabetes and any other conditions that I have.
My hba1c has been 27 for a couple of years now and they prefer it to be between 30 and 40. This began to drop dramatically when I radically changed my diet. I told him that I have no symptoms of Hypoglycemia but because I'm in the Perimenopause too, the symptoms can mimic each other. I have tested my blood if I've felt dizzy, for example, and it's been okay and in the normal range for a non-diabetic. When he asked me how I'd done it, I told him that I had done it by going low carb and cutting out the sugar, etc, by 95%. He made notes and after a while he brought the Specialist to see me. He wanted to know if I'd had surgery or joined a group to lose the weight and I told him no, I'd done it on my own.
The Specialist, like the other doctors and nurses, was pleasantly surprised and said they don't see this very often. I believe that some who have done what I have, have needed help and this is what seems to perplex the medical teams because understandably losing so much weight is no easy task. He reeled off so much that my brain decided to take a mini vacation so I just took note of as much as I could. He was willing to listen to see if someone like me could help them regarding the Diabetes itself. One thing that made me smile was when he said:
"We need to learn from you".
It is so refreshing to have this said to me and have amazing doctors and nurses where we live who don't berate you or your choice of eating low carb. This one sentence meant such a lot and if, like another doctor once asked, he wants to use my case to help them, I'm more than happy to do so.
I have to have my cortisol levels checked within four days of having a mixed meal, (a carb drink), then have my bloods tested. I'm always nervous about anything to do with my health but fingers crossed this will all come back okay. I am asymptomatic because I don't appear to have any symptoms of Hypoglycemia and I haven't been diagnosed as that yet. We'll see what the tests say. I'm very grateful for the service I've received.
I have said to my husband again that I want him to come to my appointments just to see the reactions from the doctors and nurses. I'm sure some people must think I'm exaggerating but I'm not. One bonus for me is that I come out of my appointments rather smug although this isn't reciprocated by others around me. It's more a case of.."oh no..she's here again"
Doctors (GPs) receive very little training on nutrition. My story was of worsening T2 diabetes and cardiac issues with three stents. After a third bout of unstable angina, I was referred to a different Consultant who them upped my cardiac drugs rather than stent. Nutritional advice was standard NHS low fat 40% carbs at each meal. I worked out for myself that as diabetes was the root of my heart problems it had to be dealt with first. It also occurred to me that to eat high levels of carbs, which convert to glucose, was nonsensical for a diabetic. GPs I asked said the typical course for my progressive diabetes was to increase my metformin dosage, their dietary advice amounted to phrases like, ‘be careful with your diet and little more. One GP having confirmed my age said ‘just enjoy yourself ‘. Three years later having adopted a low carb diet I had lost over 30lbs and my a1c was below 40. My next visit to my GP was to stop matformin, my GP shook my hand and said ‘well done’. My DN who was dubious about my low carb diet and placed me on shorter intervals of monitoring now calls me her star patient. The worst blow was to be denied strips to measure my BS due to new health board policy. My protestations went unheeded, but a new GP with more progressive attitude whilst unable to prescribe strips did ask me to act as a low carb diet advocate for the practice and is currently educating herself on LCHF.
The message is slowly getting through but GPs need educating by whatever means. There is irrefutable evidence of the benefits of LCHF diets. I now read relevant medical study reports in subject and follow Zoe Harcomb and Ivor Cummings on YouTube. My conclusion is LCHF combats the epidemic of obesity caused by insulin resistance which is the cause of many chronic diseases not just diabetes. Other issues are that a high proportion of our population are at risk from deficiencies in vital minerals like vitamin D, K2 and magnesium. Official Dietary advice is ruled by dogma and commercial interests.
The world needs too wake up to the dietary damage being done to populations health . It has been said that Curent policy is leading to an extinction event. I won’t go into the poisoning of crops by Monsanto and the use of their product ‘Round Up’ it’s frightening, Just Google Stephanie Sereff on that issue.
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