Type 2 2

[Spirit01]

It’s no wonder there is so much confusion & stress around Diabetes. Diagnosed about 4 years ago (now 63) I was given lots of literature & advice that bits were going to drop off & then what’s left will die early & in pain. I quickly went onto lchf & lost 4 stones and felt good. Very very stupidly I felt I could eat a bit of bread & potatoes occasionally but the weight went back on. I’m researching lchf and Keto and am struggling to see much of a difference other than Keto is a bit stricter. In my research I’ve found that I don’t need to worry about type 2 because lchf or Keto will kill me anyway with heart disease, liver and/or kidney failure. I was told by my former Dr that I should take 1 Metformin a day but the Diabetes Nurse told me to take 2. I took notice of my Dr after I asked him which it was to be and he insisted 1. Do I get testing equipment? No said my Nurse, totally unnecessary. After 6 weeks on lchf my bloods tumbled and I was told that I was within 0.1 of being out of the Diabetes range. I could stop taking Metformin if I wanted to but was told that it’s a great protector for heart, liver, etc. My own stupidity I put a bit of weight on again so am getting today, blood monitor, Keto test strips, and am now back on lchf and will increase my exercise. No wonder there is so much confusion, fear, and the thought that we’ve been given news of a very painful and slow death with no hope, no matter what we do

 

[Rachox]

Unfortunately your experience is all too common to receive conflicting information.
With the help of this forum and unusually supportive HCPs I have found a way of life that has returned me non diabetic HbA1cs for over two years and resulted in a huge weight loss that I now maintain. I eat 30 - 50g carbs per day, take Metformin and continue to self test to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Everyone has to find their own balance that doesn’t make eating and meal planning a chore, and take medication or not depending on their preference, whilst keeping safe blood sugar levels.
Well done on your new determination to keep to LCHF and please feel free to come back to the forum if you have a wobble. There’ll always be some support for you.

 

[Spirit01]

Hi Rachox, I haven’t been on here for a while but knew straight where to come just to let off a bit of steam & anxiety. I can’t understand why the medical services aren’t trying to find “a cure” it seems they just want to point fingers. I get upset seeing so many people on forums in utter despair at what the medical profession has told them. Everything in life has a risk and my own way to treating this is TBH with a bit of contempt. It’s my diabetes, my animal to control & I’m going to give it my very best shot. Yes I should exercise more, yes I should take a lot more carbs out of my diet but I needed to do that Diabetes or not. I have never attended one of those classes & don’t ever intend to. I was recently in a building where 1 was taking place, 1 guy there was so upset because he cycles regularly, works a big allotment & grows lots of fruit & veg, is quite a skinny chap but was told he could have lost a couple of pounds and avoided diabetes. It really made my blood boil . Thank you for your comforting words as always

 

[jjraak]

Hi @Spirit01

sorry to hear the shock in your post.

seems so common as @Rachox says.

saddens me to say it but for now ...many of us, are really on our own out here,

I so agree on the amount of Misinformation out there, it really isn't clear what IS healthy anymore.

So it;s down to us to use due diligence, sieve the reports, get cross references, seek those out who HAVE done X.
and proved it worked
Not those who aren't impacted, know less*, yet tell us in a ten minute window, Y IS the better solution
(*i got this 24/7..so i get skin in this game )

to WHIT..this Glorious, Wonderful Forum.


THIS Forum has been such a great source of information and help,
so stick around this time, if you didn't before,
we all have to sieve out the great, good and not so good in what we read.
HERE or ANYWHERE,
but as the Wisdom of crowds link in my sig, reminds me, good works & ideas float to the surface,
while bad ideas wither a tad on the vine.

For me conventional wisdom seemed to be:

You will get worse, move on to more/other drugs, perhaps/definitely suffer complications.
( basically we rot from within.)
testing will be too much for such a sensitive little soldier like you, so don't test
you'll only worry and die of a heart attack, because you'll become obsessive...
so maybe start taking statins now, rather then wait...

Pure Cow Dung, of the highest order.


Slowly that wildly incorrect advise, does seems to be changing, but it is Glacial in it's speed.

So until then... the Conventional wisdom on here has kept me or placed me in a much safer place with :

It does NOT have to be progressive.
testing SHOWS YOU how carbs are affecting YOU, right now.
Testing gives YOU the power to limit how often those damaging high BG levels are raised.

A change in diet,whether by adopting a LCHF, KETO or One of the
other Vegan/vegetarian/Flexitarian/Carnivore diets many choose to follow.,
could give YOU greater control of this Disease.

My take on it overall.?

Testing doesn't bother me or make me obsessive, any more then checking for danger when i cross the road might.
IF i did nothing...those doom & gloom prophesies of bits dropping off..MIGHT come true...IF i did nothing.

Doing something...helps ME reduce the impact of that damage, which makes sense that some damage limitation,
WOULD push back the beginning of ANY complications much more then if i did nothing..

And to date i believe the damage being done by the disease, i believe is so vastly reduced,
i may never be impacted by those 'unavoidable' complications i was so kindly offered at first DX.

So, for ME.. it's a NO brainer,
take the blue pill, wait to die, bit by suffering bit
OR
Choose life and take responsibility for OUR own destinies.

i chose life.

 

[Spirit01]

Wow that hit the mark and both replies I’ve found to be so encouraging. It’s a very strange condition because I have a friend about 60 (f) who takes quite a few tablets, injections, but is expecting that to keep her able to eat exactly what she wants. She’s just had a toe off, has just had another op on her foot, and it looks like she will lose her leg. She can barely walk. I have a friend (m) who was diagnosed several years ago but really doesn’t care about being here so refused all treatment, annual tests, etc carried on eating his junk food, when he could be bothered to eat, drinks quite heavy, smokes, and at 73 he looks better than me !!! Apart from watching our sugars I think watching our stress an anxiety are just as important. I really love this site & find it a great comfort. No cow dung, just people saying how it is

 

[Spirit01]

Amazon have just delivered my Sinocare Safe AQ Smart monitor & my Ketostix.

 

[Spirit01]

Well I've just used my meter for the very first time and it showed an mmol/L of 6.4 which I'm pleased about (I think). My friend showed me how to use it as he's Type 1 and has been using one all his life. Whilst showing me he told me I had to watch out for Ketone's as they are very dangerous for Diabetics. Oh my days am I ever going to get my head around all of this? I have started a LCHF way of life and WAS EXPECTING my body to go into Ketosis to ensure that I could lose the desired weight. Now I don't know what to think, it's all so confusing. I've started losing weight and feeling a lot better i.e. not lethargic all the time. Any views would be greatly appreciated as normal.

 

[Diakat]

type 1s are told to watch out for ketones as it is a sign of DKA. This is different to nutritional ketosis.
Urine sticks tend not to be that accurate and keep an eye on the use by date.

 

[Rachox]

Here’s how this website explains the difference between nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/nutritional-ketosis-vs-dka/

 

[Spirit01]

Here’s how this website explains the difference between nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/nutritional-ketosis-vs-dka/

Thank you so much, that was very informative and 100% reassuring.