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Feeling like giving up

Clairebear2005

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
i had surgery scheduled to remove what’s left of my teeth (due to another condition) and it’s now been cancelled until I get my HbA1c down to 69 ,at the moment it’s 126; I can’t bite or chew so what the hell am I supposed to eat, I already have a chronic pain condition,I’m a single mum and my 12 yr old daughter is my carer , how can I get my numbers down quickly? Sat here crying my eyes out, it’s just too much to handle and I’m really struggling to cope, nurse has put me on 500mg of metformin twice a day and starting an injection called Trulicity today
 
I’m so sorry you find yourself in this position. I’m not that familiar with Trulicity, is there any risk of hypos with this medication do you know? If not low carb eating maybe a route to try. If you search on Amazon there are several recipe books for low carb soups. I hope you and your daughter can come up with a menu that is suitable for your requirements.
Here’s this websites info on Trulicity in case you haven’t seen it:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/trulicity.html
 

Hi Clairebear - Sorry to hear you're having such a tough time at the moment. Unfortunately, having surgery delayed due to a high HbA1c is something we see relatively regularly for new members.

Like @Rachox , I was wondering if you could manage shakes or soups at all? If you're not able to chew or bite, what are you eating at the moment? The only reason I ask that is to see if there's any way that can be adjusted a bit.

Finally, your post has ended up in the Type 1 area, focusing on eating disorders, so it might not be quite the best place for support for your specific issues. If you'd like me, or any of the other Mods to move it to a Type 2 or more general area, please just let me know.

To tag me or anyone else, just type the @ symbol directly before their name, @Clairebear2005 , like that and they'll receive an alert to your post.

 
@Clairebear2005 you are having a truly tough time at the moment. So sorry you are struggling. Have you read through the information from @daisy1 yet on your other thread? To reduce your HbA1c eating less carbohydrate foods will help.

I often have sores in my mouth and eating solid food is difficult. When this happens to me I have full fat greek yogurt with some ground almonds mixed in for breakfast. Other meals I generally have soups, or egg based. I puree cooked vegetables with some cream or cheese added. The cream and higher fat foods suppress appetite.

If your teeth are too painful, or you feel as though they are infected ask for a review, as you may be able to have the extractions even if your blood glucose hasn't been lowered to the recommended level due to it becoming an acute problem.
 
May I ask, do you get Local Authority care through Social Services? Is your daughter responsible for cooking for you?

Although I wouldn't normally advocate the use of smoothies I think that in your case this might be an alternative. Veggie smoothies, perhaps with some protein powder would you give you a lot of nutritional goodness. I would steer clear of fruit smoothies though as fruit has high carbohydrate levels (fructose) which will not help lower your HbA1c.
 
Hi @Clairebear2005 .... you're in a safe haven. You have friends you're yet to meet and there are amazing caring people here from all corners of the globe. You will be surprised

Mike
 
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Can you tolerate stewed meat? I make a lovely spicy beef stew made with braising steak that is lower in carbs. The meat is cooked on a low heat for a good while and practically disolves in the mouth. If you have a slow cooker this would make it a doddle to prepare. Alternatively, you could use tinned stewed steak. Swede mash is a nice switch from potato mash and goes well with the stew.
 
So sorry to read that things are tough for you at the moment.
There is a recipe for a very tasty and filling soup on the diet doctor website, it’s for a cauliflower soup, I have adapted it slightly by using grated cheese in place of the cream cheese and I don’t bother with the additions or toppings suggested in the recipe. I find that a medium sized cauliflower makes 2 generous servings, it’s very quick and easy to make and in my opinion tastes great. Yoghurt might be another option for you as no chewing needed and @Rachox makes a very simple but tasty coconut porridge that you may be able to eat. As suggested by others purée veg, eggs or braised or slow cooked meats sound like good options.
I hope you can find something from the suggestions? I can only begin to imagine how poorly you must be feeling, I have a small sore on the inside of my lip, the result of biting it when I sneezed, I’ve been suffering with my first cold since eating low carb high fat and that’s caused me enough discomfort to make me choose softer foods so I sympathise with the situation you find yourself in. It must be doubly upsetting to have now had your operation cancelled, however, this temporary delay may buy you a little bit of experimentation time, you may find that your food choices will be limited for a little while once you have had your operation. Discovering some foods that you can prepare in advance might help your recovery and remove a bit of anxiety for you and your daughter.
I hope you find a way forward and wish you lots of luck.
 
How about fish with steamed cauliflower? Real custard with defrosted frozen fruit? Slices of cabbage gently roasted with black pepper and olive oil, then when almost done covered with beaten eggs and continue cooking until the eggs are set. Full fat yogurt, or for a change make up a sugar free jelly in only 1/4 pint of water - it might need stirring over hot water to get it to melt completely, allow to cool for a few minutes then stir in the yogurt and beat vigorously so you get a frothy set.
 
I think that if you are wanting to prep for your tooth removal, then nutrition needs to be a priority.

But I completely understand that the pain and inconvenience of having to eat soft/liquid foods, makes that seem like just more aggro!

So I’m going to suggest you look for a liquid multi Vit and Mineral. I know they exist, because I have seen them. As tonic style drinks and as effervescent tablets. Mind you, you may be able to swallow tablets? Maybe you can have anything so long as you don’t have to chew it?

My other suggestion is to get a hand blender. One of those stick like things you lower into a saucepan. There are almost no foods that cannot be blended that way.

I even blended up a ‘roast dinner soup’ once, for a friend with terrible pain in her jaw. That was roast chicken, roasties, stuffing, carrots, cabbage, gravy, peas and a dollop of cranberry. It looked like porridge by the time it was smooth, but she assured me that it tasted just like the meal it had started as.

Hope that helps.
 

Hi @Clairebear2005, I feel for you. Please try LCHF - low carb high fat. It takes a bit of research and (for me) a total change in eating style, but has reduced my numbers pretty quickly. I think I probably do MCHF - wherein I have about 60 to 100 g of carbs per day as I am not as dedicated as I could be but I would guess that very low carb would be even more dramatic- lots of eggs, avocados, cream, cheese, ( all pretty soft) loads of veg (in soups or smoothies for your poor mouth maybe) fats may be a problem for you but u can have avocado oil or coconut oil - look it all up it’s eye opening and good luck sweetie. Xx
 
If you could move my post I would b grateful x
 
Hi, unfortunately I’m having all of what’s left of my teeth removed so quite a big op under general anesthetic so they won’t do it x
 
Hi, my daughter is a registered young carer so she gets support from them, how much help I need from her depends on my pain levels really, my hands swell up sometimes so she has to help me with my meds and sometimes cook for me we have a local place called oak house foods who do a purée meal selection which I use , I can eat soft foods that I can squash on the roof of my mouth with my tongue, trouble I have is I don’t eat regularly, if I’m on morphine I tend to sleep from 9-5 so I miss meals alot
 
How much in grams for carbs should I aim for ?
 
Oh @clairebear, well I have a little trepidation to advise you as I am so new myself but I will tell you what I did and you can see how that feels to you ok? I wanted to aim for zero carbs but soon saw how restrictive it would be so I just aimed to lower as much as I could manage. I use a fit bit Alta and log my food and this has helped me immensely as it does all the sums for me. I have ended up doing approx 60 to 100g carbs a day without actually counting them- they just add up to about this every day on my Fitbit screen. It’s been a process of checking carbs in the carbs and cals book and online (tesco grocery website is extensive and reliable) of everything I eat. I suppose you could start at 100 to 150 a day but if you want it quicker 100 or under per day. Some do under 20g ofcarbs but this needs quite a bit of dedication and attention I think. Mine has sort of naturally evolved to this level I am at and it’s taken me a few months ( I am still in early days and by no means expert or anything like it) but it IS having a good effect on my daily numbers - down from 12’s at the start to regular 5’s 6’s and 7’s during the day before and after meals. I was diagnosed end Feb, started lchf in about April. Any more ?? I will be happy to answer.
 
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