Discovering the reality of Diabetes

[Magic Turtle]

Hi. My name is Elsdon Ward and I am 77 years of age. I believe that my age comes with many lessons that I can pass on to all others.
Firstly, it is human nature to disregard warning signals, such as weight gain, large midriff, creeping scales and many other signs, especially when you are getting into middle age and beyond.

I was athletic for most of my youth, and it was only from the age of 45 that things began to look wrong. It was then that I tried many diets, convinced that I had the answer each time. Unfortunately I knew little about fatty liver or insulin resistance. To be fair at that time the terms were not really in general use. But the clues were there, people were recovering from heart disease by adopting a plant based diet - this helped them with cholesterol and other cardiovascular problems.

But on I went with my diet of pies, bacon, red meats and sausage sandwiches. When my doctor said that I was nearing pre-diabetes and offered a pill I waved it away. Sure I could take it on myself!

This is a turning point. If you reach this crossroad then grasp the nettle because the writing is on the wall. Because you may start healthily but forgetfulness is the next pitfall.

I completely forgot, then suddenly diagnosed when being taken to hospital for something else - a hernia.

My symptoms were increasing thirst and weight loss which I had put down to intermittent fasting

Diabetes is like a creeping sickness. You can push it back but it takes all of your resources physical and mental.

You must bear in mind that medication will help you, and id you take positive action then eventually you may be able to do without the pills.

You must be able to do without in order to heal yourself. It is not easy.

Look, I will write again in more detail but here are a few musts:

No more alcohol - this just does you no good
No processed foods with sugar.
No breads.
Real fruits and vegetables.

In other words, low carb - because your body has lost the ability to expel excess sugars then dumps it on your midriff.

Also start studying up on liver health so that your self healing organism can expel the fat that has built up within it.

Sure, listen to medical advice but most of this advice is not forced upon you, you have to choose it for yourself.

Anyway, I will write again, realising that I am in the wrong section - I do not take insulin.

But remember, it is just not all about diabetes. It is about your cardiovascular health, the condition of your arteries.
This is of equal importance.

Elsdon

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi. My name is Elsdon Ward and I am 77 years of age. I believe that my age comes with many lessons that I can pass on to all others.
Firstly, it is human nature to disregard warning signals, such as weight gain, large midriff, creeping scales and many other signs, especially when you are getting into middle age and beyond.

I was athletic for most of my youth, and it was only from the age of 45 that things began to look wrong. It was then that I tried many diets, convinced that I had the answer each time. Unfortunately I knew little about fatty liver or insulin resistance. To be fair at that time the terms were not really in general use. But the clues were there, people were recovering from heart disease by adopting a plant based diet - this helped them with cholesterol and other cardiovascular problems.

But on I went with my diet of pies, bacon, red meats and sausage sandwiches. When my doctor said that I was nearing pre-diabetes and offered a pill I waved it away. Sure I could take it on myself!

This is a turning point. If you reach this crossroad then grasp the nettle because the writing is on the wall. Because you may start healthily but forgetfulness is the next pitfall.

You must bear in mind that medication will help you, and id you take positive action then eventually you may be able to do without the pills.

You must be able to do without in order to heal yourself. It is not easy.

Look, I will write again in more detail but here are a few musts:

No more alcohol - this just turns to glucose.
No processed foods with sugar.
No breads.
Real fruits and vegetables.

In other words, low carb - because your body has lost the ability to expel excess sugars then dumps it on your midriff.

Also start studying up on liver health so that your self healing organism can expel the fat that has built up within it.

Sure, listen to medical advice but most of this advice is not forced upon you, you have to choose it for yourself.

Anyway, I will write again, realising that I am in the wrong section - I do not take insulin.

But remember, it is just not all about diabetes. It is about your cardiovascular health, the condition of your arteries.
This is of equal importance.

Elsdon

Hi @Magic Turtle ,

Welcome to the forum, and you'll be glad to know you're pretty much preaching to the choir here... Quite a few T2's on here, follow a low carb way of eating. But you mention a few different diets, and I was wondering, which one(s) do you follow now? Fruits aren't usually low carb (some are, in moderation), alcohol doesn't turn to glucose (does have other very interesting effects on the liver and glucose levels though), meat is zero carb if there are no fillers, coating or marinade, so plenty of us here will have their bacon pried from cold, dead hands... Yours truly included. What works for one doesn't work for another, we're all different, so... If there's something to learn, I'll be interested to learn it, maybe try it out. I've changed from moderate low carb to low carb to keto, did carnivore for a while, which ended up not agreeing with me, alas... So back to keto I went. If there are other things to implement though, I'm interested in hearing another take. I've given up quite a lot due to diabetes and a bunch of other conditions/sensitivities, so if you have foods that could be added in, that'd break the monotony a little.

Also, a little bit of advice... Your profile picture is a screenshot. If that is you with your daughter, her first and last name are on there, which is maybe more personal information than you might wish you share with a bunch of strangers on the internet. You could chop or blur that bit for privacy reasons.

Anyway, again, welcome, and looking forward to hearing more.
Jo

 

[Magic Turtle]

Hi Jo pleased to meet you and also impressed to get a message from the mighty Dutch. I am quite sure that you could actually teach me lots of things that I do not know. Really I would be very interested in your diet, actually mine is quite ordinary - basic fruits, tomatoes, some meats, beetroot, lots of green pesto then meals when I have to socially.

I firmly believe in keto plus fasting. Only seem to adhere to it when I am sick with something though. I have been over sensitive to carbs for many years and the realisation took for too long. Forgetfulness is the big enemy and this is what I can impart to others. Personally I am still in the slough of despond but improving. My last chance has come.

Just to mention avocados, walnuts, pesto, hummus and coleslaw - cant go wrong with these then tomatoes, blackberries and unsalted nuts. Very ordinary.

 

[Magic Turtle]

Sorry just to correct my statement on alcohol, here is what I found out:

The chemical name for alcohol is ethanol (CH3CH2OH). The body processes and eliminates ethanol in separate steps. Chemicals called enzymes help to break apart the ethanol molecule into other compounds (or metabolites), which can be processed more easily by the body. Some of these intermediate metabolites can have harmful effects on the body.

Most of the ethanol in the body is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which transforms ethanol into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), a known carcinogen. However, acetaldehyde is generally short-lived; it is quickly broken down to a less toxic compound called acetate (CH3COO-) by another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Acetate then is broken down to carbon dioxide and water, mainly in tissues other than the liver.

So in conclusion wrong information given and now I have had the opportunity to address that.

It may be frightening to read this, but there it is. I have had plenty of alcohol during my lifetime and am still here!

But generally, no more of the stuff passes my lips. Obviously I am preaching to the converted.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi Jo pleased to meet you and also impressed to get a message from the mighty Dutch. I am quite sure that you could actually teach me lots of things that I do not know. Really I would be very interested in your diet, actually mine is quite ordinary - basic fruits, tomatoes, some meats, beetroot, lots of green pesto then meals when I have to socially.

I firmly believe in keto plus fasting. Only seem to adhere to it when I am sick with something though. I have been over sensitive to carbs for many years and the realisation took for too long. Forgetfulness is the big enemy and this is what I can impart to others. Personally I am still in the slough of despond but improving. My last chance has come.

Just to mention avocados, walnuts, pesto, hummus and coleslaw - cant go wrong with these then tomatoes, blackberries and unsalted nuts. Very ordinary.

Good morning!

Oh, I don't know. Like I said, what works for one won't for another. You're good with hummus, and so am I, in moderation, but others can't tolerate pulses at all. That's why people get the advice to use a meter, ("eat to your meter") see what they can handle, since there don't seem to be absolutes. But yes, forgetfulness is an issue... I have quite a few conditions to keep an eye on, and sometimes I just plain forget something's not a good idea...! Or I have an incling, something nagging in the back of my mind, but I don't remember why I should steer clear of something until my joints swell, or something. Oops. Good for diabetes, but not for the joint pain. Excellent for joint pain, bad for IBS. And the kidney stones thrive on animal protein, while that works for my T2 so well. It's a puzzle, so I have a relatively boring diet myself, more narrow than a T2's would need to be. And when I make a mistake, it'll get sorted again soon enough, just hurts for a little while, or needs walking off. (Having a treadmill at home helps!) https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is basically what I did for years, if you're interested, until things got a little more compliated as I got older and developed a few extra issues.

As for realisation coming late, I had so, so many years of a painful belly... It wasn't until I cut out bread due to the T2, that I found out it doesn't agree with me at all, whatever the amount of fibres contained within. Turns out there's such a thing as gluten-sensitivity, a couple of steps away from coeliac. Not as damaging, but enough of an issue. Just found out by accident, really, then tests were done and came up with that, confirming suspicion... The things we take for granted, eh. You don't quickly assume bread is a problem, right? We think we know things, but either we were taught wrong or didn't see something could apply to us.

Anyway, yeah... You're in a good place to start getting a handle on things again. I've had many lightbulb moments here, lots of support and motivation too.

Have an excellent Sunday!
Jo

 

[Magic Turtle]

Good morning!

Oh, I don't know. Like I said, what works for one won't for another. You're good with hummus, and so am I, in moderation, but others can't tolerate pulses at all. That's why people get the advice to use a meter, ("eat to your meter") see what they can handle, since there don't seem to be absolutes. But yes, forgetfulness is an issue... I have quite a few conditions to keep an eye on, and sometimes I just plain forget something's not a good idea...! Or I have an incling, something nagging in the back of my mind, but I don't remember why I should steer clear of something until my joints swell, or something. Oops. Good for diabetes, but not for the joint pain. Excellent for joint pain, bad for IBS. And the kidney stones thrive on animal protein, while that works for my T2 so well. It's a puzzle, so I have a relatively boring diet myself, more narrow than a T2's would need to be. And when I make a mistake, it'll get sorted again soon enough, just hurts for a little while, or needs walking off. (Having a treadmill at home helps!) https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is basically what I did for years, if you're interested, until things got a little more compliated as I got older and developed a few extra issues.

As for realisation coming late, I had so, so many years of a painful belly... It wasn't until I cut out bread due to the T2, that I found out it doesn't agree with me at all, whatever the amount of fibres contained within. Turns out there's such a thing as gluten-sensitivity, a couple of steps away from coeliac. Not as damaging, but enough of an issue. Just found out by accident, really, then tests were done and came up with that, confirming suspicion... The things we take for granted, eh. You don't quickly assume bread is a problem, right? We think we know things, but either we were taught wrong or didn't see something could apply to us.

Anyway, yeah... You're in a good place to start getting a handle on things again. I've had many lightbulb moments here, lots of support and motivation too.

Have an excellent Sunday!
Jo

Thank you for going to the trouble of writing this. It makes me realise how complicated and how personal our health is. Also to be very careful not to assume anything for ourselves and for others. Have a nice day too Bless you and keep safe. Elsdon.

 

[Magic Turtle]

Thank you for going to the trouble of writing this. It makes me realise how complicated and how personal our health is. Also to be very careful not to assume anything for ourselves and for others. Have a nice day too Bless you and keep safe. Elsdon.

And thank you for the info - which I have passed to my family on your behalf. I still have fat around my waist an all of my later life condition. I no longer have bread or pastry, I keep dreaming of clean blood cells. I do have high triglycerides though but hoping the spreads from the breads will sort this but probably not. What fats are best? Avocados are part of my daily staple. fish oil etc. Anyway cannot keep going on. You are a wonderful find. Elsdon

 

[TreboroughLiz]

Knowledge is power - really knowing what works for me has made all the difference to my life. I have always loved bread and knowing my beloved slice of marmite on toast made with supermarket wholemeal bread gave me a massive blood sugar spike was a very sad moment for me - however more exploration taught me that proper artisan sourdough (not supermarket bread labelled sourdough) was much more manageable for me - still have to limit it though but I look forward to a slice every weekend as a treat. I actually find red wine plays a really key role in my blood sugar management. A glass (1970s size glasses not current day size) of red wine in the evening significantly lowers my FBS. I try to have 2 days a week when I don't drink alcohol to give my liver a rest but on those days it just really gets busy glucose dumping in the early hours. I try and cut out pretty much all refined carbs (except for that weekend slice of bread) and really limit anything that fits the category of ultra processed foods. Saying goodbye to Pringles was another tough day for me but I haven't looked back. I also had to ignore medical advice that my 'weight was fine' and have now followed the more recent advice to find my personal fat threshold and get back to the weight I was at college (forty years ago)

 

[Magic Turtle]

Knowledge is power - really knowing what works for me has made all the difference to my life. I have always loved bread and knowing my beloved slice of marmite on toast made with supermarket wholemeal bread gave me a massive blood sugar spike was a very sad moment for me - however more exploration taught me that proper artisan sourdough (not supermarket bread labelled sourdough) was much more manageable for me - still have to limit it though but I look forward to a slice every weekend as a treat. I actually find red wine plays a really key role in my blood sugar management. A glass (1970s size glasses not current day size) of red wine in the evening significantly lowers my FBS. I try to have 2 days a week when I don't drink alcohol to give my liver a rest but on those days it just really gets busy glucose dumping in the early hours. I try and cut out pretty much all refined carbs (except for that weekend slice of bread) and really limit anything that fits the category of ultra processed foods. Saying goodbye to Pringles was another tough day for me but I haven't looked back. I also had to ignore medical advice that my 'weight was fine' and have now followed the more recent advice to find my personal fat threshold and get back to the weight I was at college (forty years ago)

It may seem stupid of me but how do find your personal fat threshold?. and what fats do you eat? Yes the bread and crisps thing is very sad for us, the red wine thing will keep in my head. If only I were 21 again - no rules and no worries!

 

[TreboroughLiz]

It is a concept Professor Roy Taylor and some other more up to date diabetes researchers and specialists are talking about - basically it is different for everyone but it is the point at which individuals end up with fat in their liver and pancreas and is strongly linked to fat around the middle. It is often but not always the weight you may have been in your twenties (you mention having been lean and athletic before your mid forties) I have maintained a BMI of between 21 and 24 since my thirties but am feeling the benefits of recently going back to a BMI of 19 (which is what I was in my twenties)

 

[Magic Turtle]

Thanks. I confirm that I am still bracketed with insulin resistance, although I am getting some results at the moment. At my fittest I was 11 stone 7lbs. Now way over that. You are doing so well

 

[TreboroughLiz]

It has taken years to realise that just because I was being told my weight was OK, It wasn't right for me. We are living ina time when there is more and more research coming through, which has got to be positive.