Crying!

[Charl flo]

I was diagnosed type 2 on Monday. I had very bad gestational diabetes x 2 and was on 110 units of insulin a day by the end. So I should have seen this coming and done something. We can’t change our past choices but I can change the future.

I’m 35 and have a HbAc1 of 51. So I know I can put this into remission. I’m also a hefty weight so dropping pounds will be so helpful too!

I had that gut feeling of sick when the nurse told me, but since then I’ve been positive to put into action what I know.

My diet when I was pregnant was strict LCHF. I kept my babies both safe. So I know what to do. But obviously tolerances for things are completely different now rather than during pregnancy. I have a meter and strips, been testing. But thought I would do a month with a freestyle libre to get me used to foods, trial and error ect.

Purchased one online which will not be here till next week. So popped into Asda to get one from the pharmacy. The woman next to me in the queue asked me why I didn’t get it on prescription because I should do if I need one. I just said that I can’t. Then she asked me why again so I told her that I was type 2 diabetic. And the ‘oh...’ I got was a stab in the stomach. I just wanted the world to swallow me up. First time I’d said out loud that I had type 2 and that reaction killed me. I was so upset.

I struggle days anyway as I’m on antidepressants for postnatal depression (my baby is 15 months old).

I just wanted a vent. Hope you don’t mind.

I know I can do this.

Plan is to control the sugars with some intermittent fasting and LCHF and hopefully the weight will follow too.

 

[Antje77]

Then she asked me why again so I told her that I was type 2 diabetic. And the ‘oh...’ I got was a stab in the stomach.

Screw them!
Well done for you for taking this bull by the horns!

 

[OB87]

Hi. I know how you feel, I had to say I was type 2 the other week and I felt like I was being judged (maybe it was just in my mind though). I'm 33 and was diagnosed in September. My blood sugars are more controlled now but I hate this so much sometimes. It does get easier though and I'm healthier than I was as I eat better and exercise . X

 

[Jaylee]

I was diagnosed type 2 on Monday. I had very bad gestational diabetes x 2 and was on 110 units of insulin a day by the end. So I should have seen this coming and done something. We can’t change our past choices but I can change the future.

I’m 35 and have a HbAc1 of 51. So I know I can put this into remission. I’m also a hefty weight so dropping pounds will be so helpful too!

I had that gut feeling of sick when the nurse told me, but since then I’ve been positive to put into action what I know.

My diet when I was pregnant was strict LCHF. I kept my babies both safe. So I know what to do. But obviously tolerances for things are completely different now rather than during pregnancy. I have a meter and strips, been testing. But thought I would do a month with a freestyle libre to get me used to foods, trial and error ect.

Purchased one online which will not be here till next week. So popped into Asda to get one from the pharmacy. The woman next to me in the queue asked me why I didn’t get it on prescription because I should do if I need one. I just said that I can’t. Then she asked me why again so I told her that I was type 2 diabetic. And the ‘oh...’ I got was a stab in the stomach. I just wanted the world to swallow me up. First time I’d said out loud that I had type 2 and that reaction killed me. I was so upset.

I struggle days anyway as I’m on antidepressants for postnatal depression (my baby is 15 months old).

I just wanted a vent. Hope you don’t mind.

I know I can do this.

Plan is to control the sugars with some intermittent fasting and LCHF and hopefully the weight will follow too.

Hi,

I fund my own sensors too.. I also get asked by the pharmacist at ASDA why don't I get them on prescription.
I had put it to my endo a year ago..
Simple truth of it. I don't fit their criteria, even as a type one.

No one will judge you here. If you need any help getting the benefit with the Libre? Just ask.

 

[xfieldok]

Well done you.
I use a libre and found it very helpful. You do need to know about its little foibles though.

 

[dani96xx]

Hi,

I fund my own sensors too.. I also get asked by the pharmacist at ASDA why don't I get them on prescription.
I had put it to my endo a year ago..
Simple truth of it. I don't fit their criteria, even as a type one.

No one will judge you here. If you need any help getting the benefit with the Libre? Just ask.

Sorry to ask, but why can't you have it on prescription?

 

[Andydragon]

Sorry to ask, but why can't you have it on prescription?

postcode lottery and:

“You must meet certain criteria to get it on prescription, such as testing your blood glucose more than 8 times a day and having disabling hypos.”

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/flash-monitoring-freestyle-libre/

 

[Jaylee]

Sorry to ask, but why can't you have it on prescription?

The reply I had from my endo when I expressed interest & did a little "show & tell" on my CGM set up with the Libre was a non comittal mumble about only 20% T1 get em.. The guy didn't even make eye contact as I was let down..
I got stonewalled on a change of basal too..

 

[Andydragon]

The reply I had from my endo when I expressed interest & did a little "show & tell" on my CGM set up with the Libre was a non comittal mumble about only 20% T1 get em.. The guy didn't even make eye contact as I was let down..
I got stonewalled on a change of basal too..

Can you meet the NICE criteria and argue you need a sensor system? If you do of course, reading the page it sounds like well managed type 1s couldn’t be eligible

 

[Jaylee]

Can you meet the NICE criteria and argue you need a sensor system? If you do of course, reading the page it sounds like well managed type 1s couldn’t be eligible

I appreciate your concern, my friend.
However, I'm seriously just here to support a newly diagnosed T2 member in distress.

 

[Andydragon]

I appreciate your concern, my friend.
However, I'm seriously just here to support a newly diagnosed T2 member in distress.

Yes that's true, I got distracted and detailed so apologies

@Charl flo it can be a lot to take in to start with, it is a change and your 51 is high but not massively so, so hopefully with the changes you are making will pull it down is short time. Lots of help here and having a vent and people to talk to on here hopefully will help

The LCHF may well also help with the weight loss to, so just an added benefit along hopefully better bloods

So welcome and best wishes

 

[EllieM]

And the ‘oh...’ I got was a stab in the stomach. I just wanted the world to swallow me up. First time I’d said out loud that I had type 2 and that reaction killed me. I was so upset.

Remember that T2 diabetes is not your fault. You have a genetic fault that means your body doesn't cope with carbs in the quantities present in a typical modern diet, so blame the big food industry, who add sugar to processed food until it reaches the bliss point (the point at which the food tastes worse if you add more sugar). Weight gain is a symptom of that genetic fault. Would you look down on someone for being lactose or gluten intolerant? The public misconception that T2 is caused by poor diet and some sort of lifestyle failure is false and really harmful.

The good news is that you've low carbed before and are the extreme low end of a T2 diagnosis, so hopefully you won't have to make too many changes in your diet to return to normal bg levels (and as a side effect lose any unwanted weight). Don't blame yourself for getting T2, congratulate yourself for having navigated two GD pregnancies successfully (in many ways much harder than for a T1 because we are used to insulin before we get pregnant).

Good luck. I'm sure you can do this. (I must admit when youngest was 15 months old I was concentrating more on trying to sleep through the night rather than maintain my somewhat tenuous post pregnancy T1 bg control, so kudos on you for taking these steps now. ) Lots of virtual hugs.

 

[dani96xx]

Yes that's true, I got distracted and detailed so apologies

@Charl flo it can be a lot to take in to start with, it is a change and your 51 is high but not massively so, so hopefully with the changes you are making will pull it down is short time. Lots of help here and having a vent and people to talk to on here hopefully will help

The LCHF may well also help with the weight loss to, so just an added benefit along hopefully better bloods

So welcome and best wishes

Oh no, I think where I live there is alot more support regarding the libre. Sorry to deter away from the original post. @charl it will get easier, unfortunately when people make these comments they don't think of how it may affect that person long after its completely gone out of their head.

 

[Charl flo]

Remember that T2 diabetes is not your fault. You have a genetic fault that means your body doesn't cope with carbs in the quantities present in a typical modern diet, so blame the big food industry, who add sugar to processed food until it reaches the bliss point (the point at which the food tastes worse if you add more sugar). Weight gain is a symptom of that genetic fault. Would you look down on someone for being lactose or gluten intolerant? The public misconception that T2 is caused by poor diet and some sort of lifestyle failure is false and really harmful.

The good news is that you've low carbed before and are the extreme low end of a T2 diagnosis, so hopefully you won't have to make too many changes in your diet to return to normal bg levels (and as a side effect lose any unwanted weight). Don't blame yourself for getting T2, congratulate yourself for having navigated two GD pregnancies successfully (in many ways much harder than for a T1 because we are used to insulin before we get pregnant).

Good luck. I'm sure you can do this. (I must admit when youngest was 15 months old I was concentrating more on trying to sleep through the night rather than maintain my somewhat tenuous post pregnancy T1 bg control, so kudos on you for taking these steps now. ) Lots of virtual hugs.

Thank you for your lovely messages. I know I can do this, I have to for myself and my family. Can’t wait for lockdown here in Wales to end too so I can leave my little village. That doesn’t help with stress and levels.

That’s what my husband keeps saying is that I’ve done it before when I was pregnant with ever increasing resistance to insulin and at a point where my body just kept dumping sugar.

I’ve had a successful day with libre and finger pricking to check and apart from fasting which was 7.3 I have stayed between 4 and 6.8

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welcome,

I didn't tell anyone in real life for a long time because of the fear of judgement and feeling ashamed. That is one of the reasons I keep active on this forum. You didn't cause this- or at least you were not given enough information to avoid it. I also had gestational diabetes but wasn't given the advice of low carb just calorie control but it was sufficient as I wasn't able to eat much as I was throwing up many times a day during each pregnancy.

Anyway- I like many people here have spent many years counting calories. I joke that if it were an olympic event I could represent Australia. The doctors would not believe me. Since coming here I have learned that genetically I was always more intolerant to carbs than other people. So that meant I developed insulin resistance which in turn meant I put on more weight. Eating more 'healthy' carbs just added to the problem.

I've .lost more than 30 kg and kept my blood sugars in the n normal range by going very low carbs. I aim for less than 10 grams of carbs a day but stick to less than 20 grams of arbs a day. Stress, sickness and sleeplessness also factor into levels.

So don't feel ashamed- understand now that you can't tolerate carbs like other people and make those dietary changes. People who are intolerant to say eggs or peanuts do not feel shame. We are the ones that need to change society's perception of diabetics and we are the ones that need to educate the medical professions and we are the ones who need to educate our children who share some of our genes- that way hopefully there will be a change in the world.

The amazing people here helped me so much- it took me more than 2 weeks before I wasn't crying every day. It was tough for me to change my diet but it would have been tougher for me to go along and let it progress. You have found a great community and you are very welcome to join us.

 

[Resurgam]

I was always being told that if I ate only what I 'admitted to' (now there is a whole attitude in two words) I would not be over weight - but I was told I was overweight when I had a 24 inch waist and could swing across a horizontal ladder hand over hand. With each low calorie high carb diet sheet I became heavier and weaker - and it was not the food I had grown up eating. My mother's family all had the same problem, unable to cope with carbs - and my father's mother was diabetic, so my DMA is to blame, if anything.
When diagnosed I simply went back to eating the Atkins diet which suited me completely but was so decried - but it makes perfect sense.
You don't need to feel any shame about your diagnosis. If someone else is ignorant of the reason for it, you are not - and you can fix it.
I have been asked a couple of times how I lost weight, and when I told them, it was impossible for them to eat like that - I advised them to try it first before telling me it would make them put on weight.
You are half my age, and your Hba1c is much lower than where I started, so hopefully you will benefit from a far earlier diagnosis and a faster metabolism, so you will see your body normalizing quite quickly.

 

[Charl flo]

Hello and welcome,

I didn't tell anyone in real life for a long time because of the fear of judgement and feeling ashamed. That is one of the reasons I keep active on this forum. You didn't cause this- or at least you were not given enough information to avoid it. I also had gestational diabetes but wasn't given the advice of low carb just calorie control but it was sufficient as I wasn't able to eat much as I was throwing up many times a day during each pregnancy.

Anyway- I like many people here have spent many years counting calories. I joke that if it were an olympic event I could represent Australia. The doctors would not believe me. Since coming here I have learned that genetically I was always more intolerant to carbs than other people. So that meant I developed insulin resistance which in turn meant I put on more weight. Eating more 'healthy' carbs just added to the problem.

I've .lost more than 30 kg and kept my blood sugars in the n normal range by going very low carbs. I aim for less than 10 grams of carbs a day but stick to less than 20 grams of arbs a day. Stress, sickness and sleeplessness also factor into levels.

So don't feel ashamed- understand now that you can't tolerate carbs like other people and make those dietary changes. People who are intolerant to say eggs or peanuts do not feel shame. We are the ones that need to change society's perception of diabetics and we are the ones that need to educate the medical professions and we are the ones who need to educate our children who share some of our genes- that way hopefully there will be a change in the world.

The amazing people here helped me so much- it took me more than 2 weeks before I wasn't crying every day. It was tough for me to change my diet but it would have been tougher for me to go along and let it progress. You have found a great community and you are very welcome to join us.

Thank you so much. This forum is amazing and the support is immense.

I like your comparison to the egg or peanut allergy. My body just can’t tolerate carbs/sugar/fructose.

Do you have an example of what you would eat on a day so I can compare what I’ve been having? Thank you.

 

[Charl flo]

I was always being told that if I ate only what I 'admitted to' (now there is a whole attitude in two words) I would not be over weight - but I was told I was overweight when I had a 24 inch waist and could swing across a horizontal ladder hand over hand. With each low calorie high carb diet sheet I became heavier and weaker - and it was not the food I had grown up eating. My mother's family all had the same problem, unable to cope with carbs - and my father's mother was diabetic, so my DMA is to blame, if anything.
When diagnosed I simply went back to eating the Atkins diet which suited me completely but was so decried - but it makes perfect sense.
You don't need to feel any shame about your diagnosis. If someone else is ignorant of the reason for it, you are not - and you can fix it.
I have been asked a couple of times how I lost weight, and when I told them, it was impossible for them to eat like that - I advised them to try it first before telling me it would make them put on weight.
You are half my age, and your Hba1c is much lower than where I started, so hopefully you will benefit from a far earlier diagnosis and a faster metabolism, so you will see your body normalizing quite quickly.

Thank you so much for your reply. So overwhelmed with all the successful people on this forum. It really is an eye opener.
I know what you mean about low calorie high carb, I’ve done every diet in the book and lost short term weight but stalled or put on when I was in deficit. Now reverting back to LCHF. Not counting calories and just making sure my carbs are below 20-30g.

Can I ask what a typical day would be? I’m confident that I can eat to lower my BG, but don’t know if it’s too much for weight loss? Or will that just come when sugars are lower and my body starts functioning better?

 

[Resurgam]

I am really sensitive to carbs, so few people would need to eat as low as I go , particularly if exercise is possible. I live in such a built up area, and although I can see the sea from the back window, I have hesitated to travel any distance just in case I get fined.
When feeling ill from the tablets in the first few weeks after diagnosis I got used to eating twice a day, and afterwards, checking my blood glucose levels showed that eating at 12 hour intervals gave me the most even results. In the warm weather I might have a salad first thing - with some fish or meat. I often cook something extra at dinner time and put it in the fridge for next morning. These cold days I might have a stir fry - sweet pepper, courgette the outer stems of celery, mushrooms, aubergines, with bacon, or sausage, or eggs - or whatever is in the fridge. A couple of times I have chopped up meat and made a stew. I thicken it by taking some of it and blending it (things such as a Bamix food processor are very handy 'toys')
I keep frozen stir fry and veges as well as fresh. I make coffee with cream, and then I am fine until the evening when I might have any meat or fish along with veges. I particularly like roasting swede under a chicken or joint. Another cup of coffee and I am usually fine. Just once in a while I will make sugar free jelly and have it with frozen berries, real custard or thick cream, but I might go several weeks without bothering to make any.

 

[VashtiB]

Thank you so much for your reply. So overwhelmed with all the successful people on this forum. It really is an eye opener.
I know what you mean about low calorie high carb, I’ve done every diet in the book and lost short term weight but stalled or put on when I was in deficit. Now reverting back to LCHF. Not counting calories and just making sure my carbs are below 20-30g.

Can I ask what a typical day would be? I’m confident that I can eat to lower my BG, but don’t know if it’s too much for weight loss? Or will that just come when sugars are lower and my body starts functioning better?

My suggestion and what I did was to decide that the first 6 months (or longer) is just about blood sugars. No stress about weight just working out what I could and couldn't eat for the blood sugars. My belief is that it is the blood sugar levels that are the highest health risk. It took my a while to really get into the swing of it. By about maybe 9 months I was down to 2 or 1 meal a day. These days most days are one meal a day though today so not. I'm a Catholic so deciding what to give up for lent. Last year I didn't give up any food group I felt that I had already lost too much. This year I am giving up artificial sweeteners (except for maybe chewing gum).

Good Luk.