Alcoholism, pancreatitis, type 2, sweet tooth.......

[tresadern]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum so I hope you will excuse a possibly long first posting.
I'm a 64 year old reformed alcoholic but dry for 3 years now. Excessive drinking caused pancreatic, as well as liver damage, and the former led to type 2 (diagnosed by my dentist! - receding gums). Teatment is insulin, a mix of Novorapide and Levermir. My hba1c averages around 8 but is marked by high spikes and hypos. The reasons for this are a very poor diet and a love of a drink called Shloer. It's a sparkling, non-alcoholic grape juice absolutely packed with sugar. I realise this combination is lethal and a change in lifestyle would be of great benefit to my health and life expectancy.
But given an addictive disposition and a very depressive nature it's very difficult to change. The Shloer, chilled and drunk from an elegant crystal wine glass is obvously a reminder of the 'happier' days when I was drinking and when the alcohol, in the short term at least, nulled the pain of depression.
Of course there are 'easy' solutions to this of which I am fully aware but the real point of the posting Is to ask if an acceptably low hba1c, but constituted by the average of short term high peaks and troughs, is medically the same as the same average, but of continual low readings.
I'm sure I'm clutching at straws but an informed opinion would help!
Tresadern

 

[Grazer]

Hi Tresadern and welcome. You'll get loads of answers on this I reckon! Not all the ones you want.
Some train of thinking says it's the average that counts, don't worry about peaks. Some say any peak above 7.8 starts to cause damage. Some say the peaks affect ONE TYPE of damage but not another.
Fact is of course, ALL high peaks add to that average anyway, so you do need to try and find a way of getting tham down. You can buy no-added-sugar fruit drinks like cranberry, not sure about grape, that won't spike your blood. Couldn't you buy that, add your own diet lemonade or soda, and make your own sparkling drink?

 

[borofergie]

A HbA1c of 8% isn't ideal (especially with spikes and hypos), but in your case it might be the lesser of two evils.

If Shloer is the only thing that keeps you off the booze, then you'll either have to find a low-carb replacement (as Grazer suggests) or keep drinking it and deal with any consequences that might (or might not) occur later.

 

[WhitbyJet]

tresadern - try sugarfree apple squash (Robinsons or supermarket own brand) with chilled sparkling mineral water, serve it in a stemmed glass, sit back, relax and enjoy.
And start eating lots of good healthy fresh food to help your poor body recover from all the battering it had to endure over the years, you can do it!!
All the best to you