Eyesight and Nerve Issues

IronPilgrim said:

Hi,
I’m new here so I’m sorry if this has been covered before.
So I’ve been diagnosed T2 for about nine years but due to my work and lifestyle I haven’t managed it well. I went for my medical recently and my Hba1C was the highest it’s ever been.
Recently I’ve also noticed a kind of burning sensation around my lower legs, blurry vision and patches in my vision similar to when you look at a bright light and then retain the “image” of the light for a while in your eyes.
Checked my blood sugar level this morning before eating and it’s 14.7, this is probably quite low for me.
So I think I really need some major lifestyle changes. Dietary and exercise/weight loss etc.
I just don’t know where to start. I can’t seem to keep the levels down and if I even look at some food it seems to spike.
The only advice I get from my diabetic nurse is “you need to get your levels under control”.
Does anybody have any really useful tips to help me turn this around? I thank you in advance for any help!

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It is really common for people to get no good advice about how to eat after diagnosis with type 2.
I was lucky in that I had done Atkins before and found that it suited me well, got the types of food sorted out, but there was such animosity about it.
I find that meat, fish, cheese, eggs, full fat dairy, salad and berries are all OK even though my tolerance of carbs is quite low if I am to achieve normal levels. I drink coffee with cream or various teas with no additives, or flavoured fizzy water.
I found that all I needed to do was eat low carb and I have been fine - no need for any exercise plan, but I do far more these days now that I have the energy again.

Hi @IronPilgrim.
No doubt experts will reply with their thoughts, but meanwhile, welcome to the forum. Please don't beat yourself up. I had diabetes for more than 15 years without taking it seriously. I thought I was doing my best by taking my prescribed meds, avoiding sweets and sort of eating a diet which was high in complex carbs. I had a wake-up call last October and have taken control with a low carb diet. In my case, I didn't need to lose much weight, but lost some anyway, without restricting calories, but most diabetics do benefit from weight loss.

I would think a fasting glucose level of 14.7mmol/L is very high and you need to see your doctor and get your eyes checked, also for peripheral nephropathy in your lower legs and feet. It's good that you've been monitoring your glucose levels with a meter. Maybe add a continuous glucose monitor to see what spikes your glucose. I'm sure looking at food doesn't raise your glucose level, but stress and poor sleep can.

All the best in taking control.

IronPilgrim said:

Hi,
I’m new here so I’m sorry if this has been covered before.
So I’ve been diagnosed T2 for about nine years but due to my work and lifestyle I haven’t managed it well. I went for my medical recently and my Hba1C was the highest it’s ever been.
Recently I’ve also noticed a kind of burning sensation around my lower legs, blurry vision and patches in my vision similar to when you look at a bright light and then retain the “image” of the light for a while in your eyes.
Checked my blood sugar level this morning before eating and it’s 14.7, this is probably quite low for me.
So I think I really need some major lifestyle changes. Dietary and exercise/weight loss etc.
I just don’t know where to start. I can’t seem to keep the levels down and if I even look at some food it seems to spike.
The only advice I get from my diabetic nurse is “you need to get your levels under control”.
Does anybody have any really useful tips to help me turn this around? I thank you in advance for any help!

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Isn't it lovely when people simply tell you to "do better", but then give you no inkling as to how to actually do that? Especially when there is a metabolic condition in the mix that makes all usual dietary advice useless?

Very, very long story somewhat shortened: practically all carbohydrates turn to glucose once ingested. So if I read your profile correctly and you're ONLY on metformin, then just lowering your carbohydrate intake should have an immediate impact on your blood glucose levels, without making you go hypoglycemic in the process. (It is a different matter if you're also on gliclazide or something similar). Like @Resurgam and @Rosie9876 stated, a low carb diet could well be the way to go, and it is relatively simple. As you're already testing, you should see results soon.
( https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help get you started. )

If you want to try and stave off further issues with the burning in your lower legs (did anyone mention diabetic peripheral neuropathy to you?) and your eyesight, it could well help. I do hope you'll see someone for both issues. For the time being I'd also ask your GP to measure your B12 vitamins, as you've been on metformin for a while which makes you absorb less of it from what you eat, and that could add to neuropathic pain in the legs. If you're deficient, a few jabs could get your levels back up, and potentially help your nerve endings heal. Just something to look into and ask after; not diagnosing, just saying you might want to be tested to see whether it is an issue that makes matters worse.

For the time being, take it slow. And if you lower your carb intake (gradually, as a large, sudden change can make your current symptoms worse. Not saying it will, but it's been known to happen), keep in mind that your eyes have been full of glucose for a long time. That distorts vision as well, and the brain compensates for the distortion. So if you change your diet and the amount of glucose in your eyeballs and your tears is reduced, your brain'll have to stop compensating. It'll take a few weeks for it to get used to that, most likely, so if your vision suddenly changes as your diet is altered, do try not to panic, even if it is very scary. Pick up some cheap reading specs to tide you over. It'll pass, and getting new expensive glasses would be a costly affair, with redundant perscriptions by the time the glasses are ready for you. So the cheapo's are the way to go, for a bit.

Good luck with it all. I hope you start feeling better soon!
Jo

IronPilgrim said:

My fasting blood levels were far too far for far too long and I used to binge on sugar as if it was an addiction. This is the wake up call, now I need to sustain the healthier choices but having looked at ingredients, there seems to be sugar in everything!

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Yes, sugar can be addictive. Cutting down will help, but remember all carbohydrates (at least the ones counted in nutritional information labels*) are broken down to sugar in the body so you'll need to watch out for those too.

IronPilgrim said:

I’ll get there but I will need to educate myself in nutrition.

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I'm sure you'll get there. Best of luck!

*I'm trying to be accurate without confusing you. There are carbohydrates we don't digest, often included in "fibre", but you shouldn't need to worry about those.