Can't control diabetes.

[Beatrice246]

Hi everyone !
I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic 3/4 days before Christmas due to a massive infection in my armpit which wouldn't heal with 4weeks of double dose anti biotics, which led to being tested for diabetes. My fasting reading was 24 and most the time now it's around 12 in the mornings and can go to 7/8 in the day if I basically starve myself. I've seen a nurse once who was dreadful at the doctors, hospital don't seem to want to know.
My metformin I feel isn't doing much, I'm on 2000mg a day and unless I water fast I can't get my levels down. I've cut carbs out minus vegetable, eat fruit maybe 2 twice a week which is apple and I'm fed up now.
I've been wondering if it's worth going homepathical route, any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

There should be no need to starve yourself if you are eating a low carb diet correctly.

Metformin does very little to lower blood sugar levels and you can't rely on it to do so. It does help a bit with insulin resistance, curbs the amount of glucose the liver produces, and is an appetite suppressant.

What sort of foods are you typically eating? We may spot something to help.

Have you had a look at the low carb programme on this website? It is very successful.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/

Meanwhile, I'll tag @daisy1 who will come along with an excellent post containing lots of advice for newcomers.

 

[Geordie_P]

Not sure homeopathy can do much for diabetes; much better to follow Bluetit's advice- good management can really help a lot.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

I've been wondering if it's worth going homeopathic route, any advice greatly appreciated.

I successfully ditched Gliclazide and Januvia after following a low carb diet (40gms a day). Now it isn't enough and it would seem that when your body is short on carbs, it will convert fats and protein into glucose.

I can't comment on homeopathic remedies because I haven't tried them. I am skeptical though, just my opinion.

 

[Resurgam]

I don't eat apples, as they are over the limit of what I allow myself.
I eat melon, grapes and strawberries, but limit the amount, and tend to have them after a meal.
I eat twice a day, as I don't feel that I need to eat more, and would have such things as scrambled eggs with cheese and a small tomato for my first meal, then coffee with cream a bit later, perhaps with some nuts if I felt hungry, then in the evening Ill have roast meat or fish with light veges, perhaps a salad or mushrooms and sweet pepper, or cauliflower, then sugar free jelly, a few berries and cream.
Other alternatives are kippers, perhaps with a lidl protein roll as they are low carb, left over chicken thighs or other meat from dinner the previous evening.
My BG levels actually rise if I fast, so I have a small amount of carbs with my first meal and that seems to sort out the rise.
Eating low carb foods can be very effective in lowering BG levels, though Metformin did not do much for me, other than make me feel dreadful.

 

[Freema]

homepathi is a dangerous road to try, because blood glucose is not helped by that small amount of traceminerals or substances..

have you tried metformin, it helps the blood glucose down a bit , in my case my morning levels would be around 6.5-7.5 mmol if not on metformin where my numbers are usually around 5.5-6-5 ..
try metformin.

of natuaral medications none do really cure diabetes, some herbs do lower blood glucose a bit like the cheap kind of cinamon..
but not substatially...
you need to do something that works for sure and not take hazardous chances if you ask my opinoin... when you have found a more effective medication, Or if you go really low carb like under 30 grams a day or so, then maybe you could try adding all the more natural "experiments" I myself am thinking of trying the Auervedic medication Triphala that is claimed to better diabetes somewhat..

unfortunately there is no real cure yes not in traditional medications but alo not in natural medications like herbal and /or homepathic kinds

 

[Beatrice246]

Thank you all.
Typical day of food would be;
Breakfast- kidney beans and a few mixed seeds.
Snack - 1 or 2 wholegrain ryvitas
Lunch - Either 2 boiled eggs and lettuce or vegetables , just the frozen mixed sruff.
Snack- an apple
Dinner - Vegetables with chicken or sausage or cous cous and veg.

Lowest my blood sugar has been in the morning is 10, lowest in the day which was during a 2 hour walk was 6.8 .
If I eat any rice/pasta , which is rare because I'm not a fan it spikes to around 20.

 

[Beatrice246]

homepathi is a dangerous road to try, because blood glucose is not helped by that small amount of traceminerals or substances..

have you tried metformin, it helps the blood glucose down a bit , in my case my morning levels would be around 6.5-7.5 mmol if not on metformin where my numbers are usually around 5.5-6-5 ..
try metformin.

of natuaral medications none do really cure diabetes, some herbs do lower blood glucose a bit like the cheap kind of cinamon..
but not substatially...
you need to do something that works for sure and not take hazardous chances if you ask my opinoin... when you have found a more effective medication, Or if you go really low carb like under 30 grams a day or so, then maybe you could try adding all the more natural "experiments" I myself am thinking of trying the Auervedic medication Triphala that is claimed to better diabetes somewhat..

unfortunately there is no real cure yes not in traditional medications but alo not in natural medications like herbal and /or homepathic kinds

Yes I'm on 500mg 4 times a day .

 

[Freema]

Yes I'm on 500mg 4 times a day .

okay .. have you counted your carbs and stayed under like 80 grams of carbs a day and none in the mornings?

in the mornings..like avocado or eggs and bacon or meat with roasted tomatoes coconut most have most trouble of insuline resistance in the mornings, some also eat a little cheese stick or pork scrathings or 4-6 nuts right before sleep to try to block their overproductive liver the next morning, it can be a good idea to eat either right away when getting out of bed if you are the type where the liver stops overproducing glucose when you do eat your breakfast...
or another way to also add a lowering affect of average blood glucose is "intermittent fasting" like NOT eating between 19 o´clock till next midday at 12 o´clock those many hours lower insuline and also give the body a rest from the fatal carbs, and many do get a much lower blood glucose from that strategy added on a low carb diet. where you only eat in a time-window of like 7-8 hours a day

exercise and meditation can also add to a better overall picture of blood levels

berries are a much better choice than fruits as there is much more fibre in and a lower levels of fruit-sugar

 

[Beatrice246]

okay .. have you counted your carbs and stayed under like 80 grams od carbs a day and none in the mornings?

in the mornings..like avocao or eggs and bacon or meat with roasted tomatoes coconut most have most trouble of insuline resistance in the mornings, some also eat a little cheese stick or pork scrathings or 4-6 nuts right before sleep to try to block their overproductive liver the next morning, it can be a good idea to eat either right away when getting out of bed if you are the type where the liver stops overproducing glucose when you do eat your breakfast...

another way to also add a lowering affect of average blood glucose is "intermittent fasting" like NOT eating between 19 o´clock till next midday at 12 o´clock those many hours lower insuline and also give the body a rest from the fatal carbs, and many do get a much lower blood glucose from that strategy added on a low carb diet. where you only eat in a time-wondow of like 7-8 hours a day

exercise and meditation can also add to a better overall picture of blood levels

berries are a much better choice than fruits as there is much more fibre in and a lower levels of fruit-sugar

It's a shame as I can't stand most of what you listed, nuts I can't eat due to my stomach not handling them ( I'm meant to see a gastroenterologist, again hospital seem to be all over the place ) as well as i was meant to see a dietician (still no appointment.)

 

[Freema]

It's a shame as I can't stand most of what you listed, nuts I can't eat due to my stomach not handling them ( I'm meant to see a gastroenterologist, again hospital seem to be all over the place ) as well as i was meant to see a dietician (still no appointment.)

but how about cheese and meat all kinds and fish (without coating) ? and shrimps and mayo

 

[poshtotty]

Thank you all.
Typical day of food would be;
Breakfast- kidney beans and a few mixed seeds.
Snack - 1 or 2 wholegrain ryvitas
Lunch - Either 2 boiled eggs and lettuce or vegetables , just the frozen mixed sruff.
Snack- an apple
Dinner - Vegetables with chicken or sausage or cous cous and veg.

There are quite a few foods in your list which would spike me such as kidney beans, ryvitas and cous cous.

The other thing I would be asking about is your infection. Has it healed? Are you on any medication for it, or other medication at all? These are factors which can affect our blood sugars and if your infection was as bad as it sounds, your body could still be fighting it, which could cause higher than normal bs.

I think possibly a few more tweaks to your diet, and plenty of patience to see if your bs settle down after your infection, could result in an improvement.

Hang in there and don't give up!

 

[Beatrice246]

The herbal pills I was thinking about taking was Berberine .

 

[Beatrice246]

but how about cheese and meat all kinds and fish (without coating) ? and shrimps and mayo

I'm having Tuna salad tomorrow.
Fish I only eat tuna or sometimes cod.
Meat only chicken or gammon sometimes Sausage.
Not a fan of cheese but occasionally I'll have some Halloumi .

 

[Freema]

I'm having Tuna salad tomorrow.
Fish I only eat tuna or sometimes cod.
Meat only chicken or gammon sometimes Sausage.
Not a fan of cheese but occasionally I'll have some Halloumi .

yes and Tuna haven´t got the omega 3 fatty acids that are really good for the heart and blood wessels

I would say you need to learn to love other foods... diabetes type 2 is mainly and almost only treated best with the right food choices there just isn´t any way around that fact... if you got really strickt there could be space for a weekly cheat/treat but as your numbers are right now there is not

 

[Beatrice246]

There are quite a few foods in your list which would spike me such as kidney beans, ryvitas and cous cous.

The other thing I would be asking about is your infection. Has it healed? Are you on any medication for it, or other medication at all? These are factors which can affect our blood sugars and if your infection was as bad as it sounds, your body could still be fighting it, which could cause higher than normal bs.

I think possibly a few more tweaks to your diet, and plenty of patience to see if your bs settle down after your infection, could result in an improvement.

Hang in there and don't give up!

Thank you. Yes it has finally healed. It burst a little on Christmas night which started the draining process. It was absolute agony and because I had just been diagnosed diabetic and it wasn't under control they could surgically drain It like they wanted to.
I have just come off amoxicillin double dose again for a mouth of ulcers which hasn't healed .

 

[Freema]

fats are the only macro nutrient that don´t affect blood glucose

even proteins are transformed into glucose by the liver if one eat too many like more than around 1 gram pro kg bodyweight

 

[poshtotty]

T
I have just come off amoxicillin double dose again for a mouth of ulcers which hasn't healed .

My guess is that its the amoxicillin that has affected your numbers. Be patient while things settle down. If you go introducing a new herbal remedy it might just confuse things.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I would steer clear of the herbal remedies, at least until you can sort out your diet.

Kidney beans, ryveta, apple and couscous would raise my levels.

Tuna is good, and so is salmon. They both contain Omega 3 which is essential for heart health and cholesterol. Perhaps dress your salad with either olive oil or Hellman's real mayonnaise. Both these have Omega 3.

Chicken and gammon are also good. In fact any meat is good. Sausages are also good providing you buy the 97% meat ones that are low in carbohydrate. Do you like a nice fry up? Bacon, egg, a tomato and mushrooms?
Salad leaves and some vegetables are good. It is the root veg that contain the most carbs, such as potatoes.
Cheese, butter, cream, plain full fat yogurts are all good.

Use your meter to help you with your food choices. Test before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite. Look at the rise - that is what that meal did to your levels. If you keep a food diary including portion sizes and record your levels alongside, you will soon see which foods are good and which are not so good. If that rise is above 2mmol/l there are too many carbs in the meal that need reducing or eliminating. The 2mmol/l rise target is util you get the hang of things and have found a suitable diet, then the aim is to get it even lower.

 

[Hoping4Cure]

Homeopathy is a scam, bunch of hucksters pushing it. It should be criminal to push these "remedies" without any supporting evidence that they work (in fact all the evidence is that they do nothing, which is of course, expected, since they have no medicine). The only thing that they could achieve is the placebo effect, which isn't nothing, but you can replicate the health benefits of positive thinking with meditation and mindfulness. Indeed mindfulness helps people listen to their bodies.

I'm not up to date on nut allergies, but from what I've read, it's possible to slowly tolerize your body to them, by taking tiny amounts daily and gradually increasing them.

And if you have problems digesting after antibiotics, I suggest following all the literature shared on this website and others, relating to repairing gut dysbiosis, which is a fancy way of saying : "you don't have enough of the good germs in your intestine and too much of that bad ones".

I'm type 1, and following the gut microbe studies closely. I'm currently taking these supplements to help restore a healthy gut microbe population: 6 fish oil pills a day, two 40,000 IU cayenne pepper pills, 2x activated charcoal, 2x resveratrol, 2x Green+ (micronutrients), vitamin C + D, and eating avocados which are a wonder food for healthy gut microbes. Legumes are great too, as is lots of fiber. You can also try taking probiotic pills and/or (full fat) greek yogurt (I'd eat it daily until my digestion was fixed, I know people who've done this and it works. There's also the extreme solution of fecal matter transplants but that's for extreme cases of c.difficile infections). Dietary fat is good for you (within reason), especially for your germ populations.

If you eat consistently well (keto diet with lots of green veggies) with caloric restriction, I think you should do OK. I'm also doing FMD (cyclical pseudo-fasting) which makes me feel wonderful every time.

"Bad" gut germs are fed by simple sugars and carbs (as is cancer). And antibiotics often disrupt digestion due to killing both good and bad gut microbes, so getting probiotic yogurt pills to counteract your recent antibiotics could help.