Advice on Tingling please

[carraway]

Hello Everyone

I'm new to the forum. I've known I was diabetic for a couple of years but had my head very firmly in the sand.

Over the last few weeks I have developed tingling in my toes and fingers. It has increased gradually and today I can feel it on the front of my thighs.

So it is out of the sand for me. I'm 44, busy mum of 3, six stones overweight (shh! I'm in denial on that one too).
What I would like, please, is:
Any advice on dealing with tingling, for example does weight loss, lower blood sugar help it go away? Can exercise help on it's own? Any one else experience this?
I love food and cooking so it's my downfall. I keep threatening to apply for Masterchef British Bake Off, It's that important to me.
( except I'm too fat for TV!)
Any Vegetarian meal plan or ideas would also be welcome.

I ate a large slice of carrot cake for elevenses but grapes for snack this afternoon . My head came out of the sand between the two snacks. I have set my alarm clock for an hour earlier so I can exercise before work.
What else? Please, please don't say doctors.

Many thanks

 

[Vern]

Hi there,

I know how you feel! Firstly are you open to locarbing? Locarbing has been shown to reduce and in time reduce your Neuropathy of the extremities. I too, had those symptoms. They are now gone. Are you on medication? Do you have a vitamin B deficiency? Do let us know and keep us updated. Good luck!


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[Squire Fulwood]

Tingling in the extremities suggest nerve damage and if it gets worse the affected parts will become numb. High blood sugar levels over a long period of time is the most likely cause.

According to the NHS diabetes is progressive and cannot be reversed although sometimes people claim an improvement if they lose weight. There is an opportunity to stop it getting worse and that is to maintain your blood sugar levels within certain low levels.

I am not a doctor and I can't offer you a cure but I can wish you luck in arresting your problem if you take the time and trouble to look after yourself.

You don't want anyone to mention doctors but they do have some medication that will help you with the control of your blood sugar levels.

 

[carraway]

Hi,

Sine I posted I have sent for Rose Elliot's Low Carb Vegetarian book. I will take a look at that. I'm open to most things, but would only go to the doctors in an emergency.

I will try to diet and I'm happy to do exercise as much as time allows. Will also start on a multi vitamin and a B complex. Possibly Flax Seed capsules too.

Haven't seen my blood Meter in a few years so will find it/ buy a new one. And keep a diary. Blood pressure also high end of normal.

I really liked it in the sand! There was chocolate!

Any other comments welcome

Thank you

 

[Neil Walters]

Being brutal if you value your eyes and feet get to see your doctor and let him determine what your Hba1c level is and then make a decision as to whether there is or is not an emergency that needs dealing with.


Diagnosed Type II 1998 1 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol

 

[carraway]

hi Neil

Brutal is fine. But I feel really well apart from the tingling. I have no diabetic signs, no thirst, tiredness etc. I'm pretty fit for someone overweight. My fasting glucose was 7 last time I took it (18 months ago)
What could an emergency be?

Surely someone very determined can really help themselves with diet and lots of exercise?

 

[Neil Walters]

But you have no idea what your levels are or have been - the tingling is a sign that damage is not far away but as you wish they are your eyes and feet.


Diagnosed Type II 1998 1 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Surely someone very determined can really help themselves with diet and lots of exercise?

Yes you are correct but Neil's concern is justified and my feeling is that you might be leaving it a little late.

 

[Yorksman]

Any advice on dealing with tingling, for example does weight loss, lower blood sugar help it go away? Can exercise help on it's own? Any one else experience this?

All of those things will help but, it's not quick. It takes time for your body to readjust. I still get these things despite having lost 30 Kg, low BG levels and regular exercise. But, it is an awful lot better after one year.

Keeping things like your feet and legs warm will help quite a bit but it's just helping with the symptoms. To stop it will take time because you don't realise how far you have slipped. Well, I didn't at least.

If you like cooking you can really make yourself excellent low carb/good carb meals and do yourself a lot of good. But, you have to let go of the stuff you're used to and seek out new recipes. Carrot cake is off the menu I'm afraid. I have never eaten better and have still lost 30 Kg. It takes time to learn it all however. You need to ween yourself off cakes, also my downfall, and onto tasty healthier food. It doesn't have to be boring. You'll feel generally better, more active and more energised. You'll still have some tingling but, with the new found you, if you use the extra get up and go to good effect, and not go to the bakers, you can do a lot to help yourself.

 

[Yorksman]

Any Vegetarian meal plan or ideas would also be welcome.

Prashad Cookbook: Indian Vegetarian Cooking
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1444734717

Cheap nourishing and very tasty. The many dishes with pulses and gram beans etc are good for diabetics. They contain a lot of indigestible carbs which either pass through (beta carbs) or are not digested but are broken down by bacteria in the intestine. Such dishes are good for diabetics.

And, if you buy and prepare the spices yourself, for god's sake don't buy tins or jars, working from the raw ingredients, you can create wonderful dishes.

Stay away from pre made nans, chappatis, parathas etc. Even though they claim to be wholewheat, they rarely are. Sounas wholewhat is reliable. If you like baking though, but real wholewheat flour and make your own. Mrs Manjula shows you how:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcBR-fa7Lf4

 

[CambridgeLass]

I'm also going to be brutal I'm afraid. You're a mum of 3 so don't you owe it to them to look after yourself? I'm with Neil on this one. You can feel fine but have blood sugars in the 20s. Have you not heard of diabetes being a silent killer - damaging your organs without you realising. If you don't want to go to the doctors at least pop into a Lloyds pharmacy and get tested so you can see what your level really is. Time to get your head out of the sand and take action!


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[carraway]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.
Dug the glucose meter out and current reading is 6.5. About 4 hours after food. And I did and hour of exercise earlier.

There is so much to learn, I am very impatient.

I was quite pleased with the reading. Will see fasting level in the morning.

Still happy to comments from those with more experience.

Thanks

 

[WhitbyJet]

All of the above!!
I am no doctor, but I suspect the tingling is the start of nerve damage, this is your wake up call, your body telling you to take action or else. Diabetes is crafty and sly, it creeps up on you, for ages you feel fine, you are lulled into some sense of security then bang, wallop there you are with complications. You say you dont like doctors, so up to you to try and go it alone, exercise is a good idea, so is lowering your intake of carby/starchy foods, the important thing is that you test your bg levels, to try and stop progression you will need to take this seriously and try to keep to non-diabetic bg levels.
I have been seriously ill with complications following years of uncontrolled diabetes, it took me around 5 years to put things to right and even then I still have some slight issues and they may never ever go away.

You say that you enjoy cooking and baking, so do I, with a passion, but had to learn to rethink, I am very low carb, I have family, husband, 3 children, ,20, 19, 10, they are all carb aware, they dont low carb but are not overdoing it on carbs so for exampple we have a meal, they eat new potatoes as an accompaniment, I will have extra veg or salad. I make up pasta sauce, I eat it with zucchini noodles or shirataki noodles or shredded cabbage, sauteed in butter, seasoned, my family enjoy this as well, but recently had my nieces staying they experimented, they ended up mixing spaghetti with my shredded cabbage, result was a lower carb meal, too high for me of course, but they arent diabetic. Nobody can tell you how many carbs your body can tolerate, remember you want to stick to non-diabetic bg levels, but we dont know how much insulin resistance/pancreatic function you have, chances are that as you lose weight that things can improve.

As a vegetarian who enjoys cooking, get yourself a carb counting booklet from a good bookshop, fruit is best kept in small quantities as its high in fructose and our bodies recognise this as glucose, small quantities are ok, berries are best of all. Vegetables, generally those that grow above ground, root veg is too starchy, but as I have already said you need to find out your own levels.

Baking? Oh boy I love it, all low carb baking of course, have a good look at ewelina's blog to give you ideas, her lemon cake is to die for. There are plenty of low carb cake/muffin recipes online, just google for them, make your own sugar free icecream, there are recipes in the forum, using real cream, sweetener, none of the rubbish that goes into commercial ice cream and best of all your bg wont spike and its got to be better for the family too if they cut down on sugar.
Check out the low carb recipe section, make up aubergine lasagne, bake a low carb flat bread to go with it, mushroom risotto using cauliflower rice, now this is one meal that truly fools everyone who has ever tried it, people seriously think its rice, celeriac fritters, and so on, we arent vegetarian but we had mushroom fritters tonight, instead of thickening with bread we used oatbran, lovely served with a dip and side salad.
My family all enjoy the low carb italian pizza base, toppings are low carb anyway, my son made Scotch eggs the other day using a veggie sausages, covering in grated cheese and ground cashew nuts, or try a low carb quiche either no crust or you can make a nutty crust (recipes and pics here in the forum).

Finally before I stop waffling, we come to chocolate, you dont have to give it up, hell, no, just go to the Chocolate Paradise thread and you will find loads of chocolate based recipes that are actually good for you.

So, come on, wipe the sand from your eyes, life isnt so bad, be inventive, create some recipes yourself and post them.

A few links for you to explore with yet more ideas, two are educational, you need to learn about diabetes.
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/
http://lowcarbhealthyfat.com/2013/05/19 ... -the-****/

http://lowcarbvegetarian.blogspot.co.uk/

http://lowcarbveggie.blogspot.co.uk/

http://easy-vegetarian.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... -diet.html

Good luck and best of health to you and yours and all reading this x

 

[Neil Walters]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.
Dug the glucose meter out and current reading is 6.5. About 4 hours after food. And I did and hour of exercise earlier.

There is so much to learn, I am very impatient.

I was quite pleased with the reading. Will see fasting level in the morning.

Still happy to comments from those with more experience.

Thanks

I thought you said you had not tested for 18 months - are your strips still in date and giving you an accurate reading?

In any event that is no indication as to the Hba1c reading - stop the distraction therapy and get yourself to the doctors.

You said you came here for help but you do not seem to be actually wanting help.


Diagnosed Type II 1998 1 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol

 

[carraway]

Hi

No, I hadn't tested for 18 months. Found the meter last night because I have to take things seriously. I have no idea how accurate it is. It's an Accu Check Aviva, so should be ok. Have sent for some new strips etc as everything is old.

I do need advice and help but I really cannot face going to the doctors. I won't bore you all with the reasons why. I live in a very rural area so there is no alternative practice for me to use either, even if I want paranoid about doctors anyway.

Fasting level 6.2 this morning. I have also done another 30 minutes exercise. Tingling much the same.

Trying to think of things other than diet and exercise. Looking at Newcastle University Fasting Diet.

Thanks again for replying

 

[cott97]

I'm newly diagnosed but have been watched carefully in the run up to diagnosis. I have just had my first diabetic retinopathy test result - background signs of damage with advice to control my blood sugar levels better. My diagnosis was just over the diabetes line and I haven't experienced high levels as others have and my testing results are similar to yours BUT diabetes is still causing damage. I'm afraid I'm with the rest here - you need to see a GP or the practice nurse. If you have a group practice - see them all in rotation until you find one that you like or change practice. I have a list in my head of the GPs I will see in descending order with one I won't see as I really didn't like his attitude.

For me I just cannot imagine losing my sight and the result was a shock as I didn't think there could possibly be any damage yet but I was wrong - don't put yourself in the position where you have to rely on your children in later years.

Good luck

Cath

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[Yorksman]

I have just had my first diabetic retinopathy test result - background signs of damage with advice to control my blood sugar levels better.

That may be nothing like as scary as it sounds. In my case it was just one very small spot. The opthalmologist showed me and explained that I probably got it whilst undiagnosed but it was nothing at all. He explained that I would get a letter from the organisation who analyse the images, it's separate from the opthalmologist who just takes them, and he said they would send a letter with this very vague term, 'there have been some background changes'. He said, that's it. Just the one and it's a lot smaller than that floater that's drifting about. He also showed me a couple of veins which had been half squashed by arteries laid on top of them. 'You've had high blood pressure in the past' he said. He was right.

The good news is that, because there have been some background changes, even if just the one, you get tested again next year and your eyesight test is free too.

 

[cott97]

And to be honest at this point the motivation of fear is a good thing as it will make me change earlier than perhaps I might and hopefully stop me slipping too far when things become routine !

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[Neil Walters]

Unless you are able to take and analyse your bloods in a pathology lab you have to get yourself to the doctors - please just do it - there are no justifiable excuses


Diagnosed Type II 1998 1 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin - HbA1c - 48 mmol/mol

 

[carraway]

Thanks for replying again but I really am adamant that going to the doctors is not for me.

It may be something I HAVE to do in the future but I am content to at least try to help myself for a little while first before I give in.

I got myself into this mess by over eating and I shall have to try to get out of it by dieting and exercising as my first line of attack.