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Cysts/boils, skin infections

Joandollie

Joandollie

Well-Known Member
Messages
57
Location
Worcester
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My last Hbca1 was 80, up from 50 last year. I've started on Metformin and lchf to remedy this. I had been getting little infections in the skin creases around the top of my legs , under my belly and under my breasts, along with a cyst that healed and then came back again despite keeping myself clean and dry. I know thrush can be as a result of poor control but are these small infections too? TIA
Jo
 
In short, yes.

High BG provides an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria which we can naturally carry on our skin. High BG can also compromise your immune system; so it doesn't fight infection as well as it should. The end result is the cysts and boils that you're unfortunately experiencing.

Getting your HbA1c back down to 50 (but preferably lower if you can) will be the best place to start. You can be as clean and dry as you like, but if your sugars are poorly managed then you're unlikely to notice any improvements with your skin I'm afraid.

I don't mean to instill any panic or fear into you, but an HbA1c of 80 will cause a lot more damage than just a few boils...

Do you test your BG?
 
Have a google for hidradenitis suppurativa.
It is a common skin condition for people with hormone issues, and crops up in diabetics too.

Not that I am trying to diagnose you! You would need a professional to do that.

I am pretty sure I had it in my late teens and early 20s, before I went low carb, although I never saw a doc, and I never got a diagnosis. It completely cleared up once I got my blood glucose under control. If I had needed to describe it, I would have used an identical description to the one you have posted.

Actually, I had no idea it even had a name until very recently when a friend mentioned the symptoms and gave it a name.
:)

I'm delighted to say that I haven't had it back since then, largely due to keeping my blood glucose under better control (I had a LOT of hypers and hypos back then)
 
GrantGam1337 said:
In short, yes.

High BG provides an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria which we can naturally carry on our skin. High BG can also compromise your immune system; so it doesn't fight infection as well as it should. The end result is the cysts and boils that you're unfortunately experiencing.

Getting your HbA1c back down to 50 (but preferably lower if you can) will be the best place to start. You can be as clean and dry as you like, but if your sugars are poorly managed then you're unlikely to notice any improvements with your skin I'm afraid.

I don't mean to instill any panic or fear into you, but an HbA1c of 80 will cause a lot more damage than just a few boils...

Do you test your BG?
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Yes I test. I've been on 1 x500mg Metformin for 2 weeks (double from tomorrow) and lchf for about the same time. My bg is reducing but is obviously not low enough yet. Lowest they've been in the past 2 weeks is 7 before food and 9.2 two hours after. An hour after that, down to between 8 and 8.6. Highest readings are after waking, average 10.4. They were around 14.
 
Joandollie said:
Yes I test. I've been on 1 x500mg Metformin for 2 weeks (double from tomorrow) and lchf for about the same time. My bg is reducing but is obviously not low enough yet. Lowest they've been in the past 2 weeks is 7 before food and 9.2 two hours after. An hour after that, down to between 8 and 8.6. Highest readings are after waking, average 10.4. They were around 14.
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how many grams are your daily amount of carbs ?
 
Joandollie said:
Yes I test. I've been on 1 x500mg Metformin for 2 weeks (double from tomorrow) and lchf for about the same time. My bg is reducing but is obviously not low enough yet. Lowest they've been in the past 2 weeks is 7 before food and 9.2 two hours after. An hour after that, down to between 8 and 8.6. Highest readings are after waking, average 10.4. They were around 14.
Click to expand...
Well it looks like you're making all the right decisions to improve your BG.

It will obviously take a bit of time to improve, but you're testing your BG and following a good diet wrt to successful BG management - so you're making all the right choices.

I don't know if you exercise, but if you were to add that to the mix, then you'd really find it hard to not improve those numbers:)

Good luck to you @Joandollie, the benefits are endless!
 
noblehead said:
I'm afraid so, have a read of the following which explains all:

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.c...-diabetes-information/diabetes-and-your-skin/
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Thank you. Fortunately, other than these little infections from time to time, I don't have any other issues. The cyst/ boil healed a good while ago and hasn't returned. I use hypoallergenic soap etc because I have always had sensitive skin and I don't use creams, potions, lotions or perfume for the same reason. Hopefully once my bg is controlled better, ill not see a reappearance
 
Joandollie said:
Last week, 100g or less. This past week between 20 and 50g
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oh that is low, well a fine job you are doing, maybe also count your grams of protein, not more than 0,8 grams pro kg body-weight , as excess proteins can be changed by the liver into glucose ...

except from that there is only excercise and fasting left.... if you could take like 3 days of fasting like only two small meals of 250 calories each in a eating window of 6 hours those 3 days it would probably also help yoy getting it down.
 
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GrantGam1337 said:
Well it looks like you're making all the right decisions to improve your BG.

It will obviously take a bit of time to improve, but you're testing your BG and following a good diet wrt to successful BG management - so you're making all the right choices.

I don't know if you exercise, but if you were to add that to the mix, then you'd really find it hard to not improve those numbers:)

Good luck to you @Joandollie, the benefits are endless!
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Many thanks for your input. I was diagnosed 8 years ago but have only recently had problems. I do a small amount of walking every day but no other exercise due to back problems and osteoarthritis. I work in an office doing a 9 to 5 now, whereas my previous life was running a pub, on my feet 12 -16 hours a day, eating on the run.
 
Freema said:
oh that is low, well a fine job you are doing, maybe also count your grams of protein, not more than 0,8 grams pro kg body-weight , as excess proteins can be changed by the liver into glucose ...

except from that there is only excercise and fasting left.... if you could take like 3 days of fasting like only two smal meals of 250 calories each in a eating window of 6 hours those 3 days it would probably also help yoy getting it down.
Click to expand...
I will certainly bear this in mind. I'm increasing Metformin every 2 weeks until I reach 4 x 500mg a day. Once there, I think I will have a better idea of what I need to do next.
 
Joandollie said:
I will certainly bear this in mind. I'm increasing Metformin every 2 weeks until I reach 4 x 500mg a day. Once there, I think I will have a better idea of what I need to do next.
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yes but metformin doesn´t do much unfortunately maybe only 10% at the highest..
 
Freema said:
yes but metformin doesn´t do much unfortunately maybe only 10% at the highest..
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I did read this on the forum. I've only been low carb for 2 weeks. Hopefully I will continue to see results in both reducing bg and losing weight. Increasing the Metformin just gives me a time scale to work to and then I will reassess
 
Joandollie said:
I did read this on the forum. I've only been low carb for 2 weeks. Hopefully I will continue to see results in both reducing bg and losing weight. Increasing the Metformin just gives me a time scale to work to and then I will reassess
Click to expand...
loosing weight also helps a lot also in my case with my arthritis especially in my feet and legs my pain is almost gone now from low carbing especially but also from loosing a lot of weight.... and it is also much easier on very low carb to lose weight combined with calory counting..
 
Freema said:
loosing weight also helps a lot also in my case with my arthritis especially in my feet and legs my pain is almost gone now from low carbing especially but also from loosing a lot of weight.... and it is also much easier on very low carb to lose weight combined with calory counting..
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I had been on slimming world prior to my last test and lost over a stone, but being carb heavy and eating 3 meals a day made me feel like ****. Stupidly, poor control of diabetes didn't occur to me at first. After 8 years of no issues, I dismissed it. Not so easy to dismiss after a result of 80. On lchf I'm losing a couple of lb a week which I'm happy with
 
Joandollie said:
Many thanks for your input. I was diagnosed 8 years ago but have only recently had problems. I do a small amount of walking every day but no other exercise due to back problems and osteoarthritis. I work in an office doing a 9 to 5 now, whereas my previous life was running a pub, on my feet 12 -16 hours a day, eating on the run.
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That's no problem at all, that's why we're all on the forum - to help each other out if we can:)

Sorry to hear about your arthritis, as if having one chronic condition wasn't enough...

Have you tried any non impact exercise, something like swimming or cycling? I don't know how bad the arthritis is, so even those may be out of the question.
 
GrantGam1337 said:
That's no problem at all, that's why we're all on the forum - to help each other out if we can:)

Sorry to hear about your arthritis, as if having one chronic condition wasn't enough...

Have you tried any non impact exercise, something like swimming or cycling? I don't know how bad the arthritis is, so even those may be out of the question.
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The arthritis is only in my neck - thankfully, but it causes me pain etc in my right shoulder/arm/hand. Add to that sciatica on the same side and it means only my left side is capable of anything strenuous for any length of time. Don't get me wrong - i'm very mobile - but right now even vaccing is painful during and after. I'm hoping weight loss and lowered bg will lead to being able to start swimming
 
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