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Feel like I've been given a death sentence

J

JoeyK

Well-Known Member
I'm 41 and 50 lbs overweight. I just got my fasting blood sugar back and it was 244 (I'm in the US so I'm using US #'s) and my LDL was 210 and it should he under 90 for a diabetic. I was prescribed 500 MG of Metraformin. It says 1 pill daily with food. I haven't had a blood test in over 8 years....I feel like I've probably damaged my heart etc....even though I've exercise pretty regularly for 15 years....how could my cholesterol be so high with constant exercise? My kidneys are OK she said which I thought would be in bad shape....I also have a very enlarged thyroid (I take meds for hypothrodism) and now she wants to do a stress test to check my heart....If I've been walking around with blood sugars probably over 300 for several years am I pretty much done for? Or you think if I lose weight I can fix this? Will I be able to loose weight if I eat right? Do I take the meds in the morning with breakfast? If I don't eat enough will I become hypo from the meds?
 
@JoeyK
If you set your mind to it, there is a good chance that you can turn yourself around (BG, LDL, weight).What I would sugest would be to take a good look at what you eat, and try to cut back on the Carbohydrates (Those little critters are hiding everywhere in processed foods so check carefully) As you are in the USA, what you are looking for are NET CARBS, fibre is OK. The weigt gain may be as a result of the insulin resistance, so as the carbs are cut the weight should fall and hopefully the insulin resistance fall, making the weight loss easier. If you need any questions answered, ask, somreone wil be glad to help!
 

It is natural and common for us to feel that way upon initial diagnosis because of the misconceptions about the condition and the resulting misguide dietary guidelines and treatments options. The impending doom of the expected grim complications seems absolutely overwhelming. That was exactly how I felt when I tested over 400mg/dl with a shiny new Accuchek Nano bought of eBay in Sep and subsequently confirmed the diagnosis with HbA1c @11%. Especially after the amputation of my father's gangrenous toe weeks before.

But it is amazing how remarkably resilient and fault tolerant our body can be if we would allow it heal simply thru diet alone (exercise helps of course, but often over emphasized). Reducing carbs, increasing fats and yes, eating less frequently.

Normalizing our insulin (hormones) and glucose level should be the goal, not weightloss. Once we have succeeded in normalizing and maintaining the right levels, many of the symptoms (bleeding gums, long healing ulcers, thicken skins, chronic fatigue, aching joints etc) of elevated insulin/glucose will start to go away as our body heal itself.

Take heart and explore your options. There is hope for us.
 
Thank you. I worry I've damages my organs though. The Dr said my creatine levels were normal which I was surprised about. I wonder about my heart and if I l'm a ticking time bomb on the verge of having a stroke.
 
Hey Joey
time for you to slow down and think about today --and what this diagnosis has give to you-- it is a wake up call for sure but from everything you have posted you can turn this around and get yourself sorted
you are a long way from a death sentence -- I am tagging the lovely @daisy1 who will provide an excellent starter pack of reading for you to have a look at.

i will just say that the power is all with you -- we can assist but you will need to want to get your bloods under control.

keep posting !!
all the best !
 
I'm just worry I've had this for many years and might have heart disease from it. Also my thyroid being all messed up. Could be cancer. And my husband and I just bought a house and move on 4 weeks....what bad timing.
 
I do realise from your posts that you are worrying .... but ... all you can realistically do is start from today and do your best
and you will have the support of this forum community
 

Hypothyroidism and diabetes often go hand-in-hand, so don't fret about it too much until you find out more. There are many causes, but the most common is Hashimoto's (an autoimmune disease). I hope your doctor is checking for it (it is an antibody test). Also be sure to have them test for vitamin D deficiency (part of a triad of related diagnoses - it can be a trigger for Hashimoto's).

Some of my numbers were similar to yours. I was 67 lbs overweight at diagnosis in October. My LDL was 151. My fasting blood glucose was 162 mg/dl ( 9 mmol/l - just divide the US # by 18)). I'm old enough to be your mother - and also from the US!

I had quite a bit of forewarning for diabetes, so that diagnosis wasn't as much of a shock to my system. I have a very strong genetic predisposition to diabetes (all the descendants of my maternal grandfather who are my age or older have it), so I was expecting that.

The Hashimoto's diagnosis was not expected. I'll wrestle with that once I'm comfortable that my diabetes is under control.

I changed my diet immediately to eliminate most carbs and my blood glucose has been within normal ranges (aside from fasting - thanks to the dawn phenomenon) 97% of the time. By now, fasting BG is nearly normal, as well. I've lost 42 lbs since then - and feel so much better!

On Monday I'll see my cholesterol levels for the first time since diagnosis, as well as my A1C. I'm predicting normal or close to normal cholesterol levels and an A1c of 5.3% or lower (the equivalent of an average blood glucose of 108 mg/dl (6 mmol/l).

I'm managing my diabetes primarily by diet (+ 500 ER Metformin - which, at most, seems to be helping with the dawn phenomenon). I test my blood glucose obsessively (according to my spouse) - before my first bite of something new, at 1, 2, and 3 hours post (the last only if hour 2 is higher than hour 1). If your doctor recommended testing, s/he probably recommended below 180 mg/dl (10 mmol/l) at 2 hours post eating, My personal tolerance is 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/l) - I'm not comfortable with the higher diabetic-normal ranges. I modify my diet (eliminate/cut back on that item) if I happen to eat anything that raises it above where I'm comfortable. You'll have to find your own comfort zone.

Read. Blood Sugar 101 is an excellent resource. Start cutting back on carbs - my personal limit is around 20 in any 3 hour period (pretty aggressive). Some people have success with weight loss alone (the strain of diabetes I have makes that unlikely for me - which motivates my aggressive changes). Others have success just lowering their carbs to 100-150 grams/day (much easier to manage - but less dramatic impact on blood glucose).

My big guidance is to get a meter (whether your doctor recommended it or not) and start tracking what is going on with your body. Knowledge makes it less scary - and can guide you to the next step forward.

This is not fun, but it is not a death sentence. It's likely reversible (in terms of the cholesterol & heart risk), and manageable (as to the diabetes and hypothyroidism).

Good Luck!
 
JoeyK said:
I'm just worry I've had this for many years and might have heart disease from it. Also my thyroid being all messed up. Could be cancer. And my husband and I just bought a house and move on 4 weeks....what bad timing.
Click to expand...

OK ... those numbers are a little high. Lesson 1. DO NOT distress yourself as you can do a LOT to affect those numbers and don't assume other issues might be connected.

What are you eating? Meal by meal, day by day please. 9 times out of 10, the foods you consume are the culprit. Get that info back to us and we'll help.

It is a cycle .... simple actually. Lose the weight, change the foods AND the portions, drink plenty of water ... oh yes, and stop worrying.

Weight loss means exercise daily and once your mark is hit, it becomes easier to achieve. You aren't sentenced to anything other than your own commitments
 
Thanks. I exercise 30 minutes every day so is it strange my blood sugars are that high? I have been eating like **** for a long time....I only cut out sweets 4 days before the blood test.
 
Who would know? Again, your diet beforehand and now .... we must have those details if we're to help. Breakfast lunch and dinner.

Guarantee it's that which you need to address. If you're eating cereals, below ground veg, takeaways loaded with sugars, pastries, wheats, rices, pasta ..... then you're about to get a lot of advice to change

Cutting out sweets 4 weeks prior will have done nothing to reduce your numbers as they're averaged over your last 3 months bloods.
 
Hi @JoeyK

Welcome
I am from Australia and have been coming to this forum for a couple of months. It is an amazing place and in my opinion you have already had a huge win by posting here so don't worry but use that stress as motivation to make changes to your lifestyle.

The first thing you need to do is to get a meter so you can test your levels. It will give you control and also answer many of the questions you have.

The other thing to do in the short term is to restrict the Carbohydrates in your diet - Sugar, Soft Drink(Soda), Bread, Pasta,Rice,Biscuits and Potato.

Take your Meds as directed by your doctor

Look around the site and ask lots of questions. The support here is amazing

 
@JoeyK

Hello Joey and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helps you. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Hi @JoeyK welcome to the forum and please do not worry. I managed to turn my life around when I was diagnosed with similar levels so I just know you will to. Fear of a lack of a future I found to be the best motivator for me. Hopefully you will find your trigger point.

I followed a rather extreme very low calorie diet to shake off about 80lbs in weight and to reset my liver and pancreas. It worked for me! Since then I have been flitting through low carb/high carb/high ****/fasting diets to test myself and to keep myself trim.

If you are interested you can read my story in the link in my signature and there are also many threads on low calorie and low carb diets. Both will help you bring your blood glucose levels down and hopefully reduce your weight as well (note that with an underactive thyroid this is harder).

@zand and @Brunneria amongst others should be able to assist you with low carb with underactive thyroids
 
Hi and welcome! All good advice above, so I can't really add more, except to ask if you can post the results of your thyroid tests when you get them?

I don't know much about it (@Totto does though and may be able to give info). I know there are several different thyroid tests and they are not all done as standard.
 
Hi, I was diagnosed with blood sugars well over 400, that was just over 10yrs ago and I`m still here! As others have said, cut right down on the carbohydrates. This is very important in two ways, carbs turn to sugar when ingested which obviously is not good, plus cutting down on carbs usually leads to weight loss which in turn will help with glucose levels. Another very important thing is not to get stressed. I know it`s easy for me to say it but stress will raise your bg levels, I don`t understand the chemistry but I think it has something to do with the release of cortisol into the blood. There is nothing you can do about your heart until you have test results and doctors advice so stop worrying about it. Take your metformin with food as it will be kinder on your stomach, and don`t worry about hypo`s, very rare with metformin. One last piece of advice, get a meter and use it to find out which foods you can tolerate and which you can`t. Oh yes, and welcome to the club.
 

Hello Joey

You've already had some great advice on your thread, so I won't add anything there, but I will make a couple of comments.

There is little point worrying about what you may have done in the past. It is exactly that; in the past, and you can't change it. Far better to invest all that mental energy on your future and ensuring it takes a better form that your past.

Secondly, there is a well known cardiologist here on the UK who regularly makes the statement; "You can't out-run a bad diet." My personal interpretation of that statement is that whilst exercise is desirable, and it's great you already do some, but diet is key - particularly with this condition.

Good luck with moving forward in a positive manner.
 
Hi @JoeyK I think you might benefit from LCHF (and by that I mean the proper, high fat version) or a low carb variety of Paleo diet in order to help with your thyroid, BG and weight. You may not believe this but it can, I don't say it will, but it just might lower the inflammation.

High LDL is very common in un/under treated hypothyroidism and is generally a sign of inflammation in your body.
 
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