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Finding this difficult right now...

M

Maggie75

Well-Known Member
Messages
147
Hi everyone,

I'm a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed in Nov 2020, been trying to reduce carbs and lose weight since then and have managed to lose a stone and a half. Was doing quite well over last couple of weeks, even went back to testing blood glucose again which I hadn't been doing for a while due to my needle phobia. But in the last couple of days I have totally fallen off the wagon, I received news from the hospital on Friday that I have to go in next week for a biopsy on my lymph node under arm, I had a bad breast cancer scare last summer which thankfully ended up benign after lots of biopsies and tests but this has kinda knocked me for six. And my answer has been chocolate and comfort food carbs. I have my 2nd HBA1C next month and really want to have a reduction from the 66 I started at. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get back on track? I hate this disease! And I know I'm the only one who can do anything about it. Sorry, think sometimes you just have to vent.

Maggie x
 
Hi Maggie. The stress of the cancer scare would have impacted on your blood glucose levels in the first place. So let's look at the positives here! You've lost a stone and a half - brilliant - and were testing your blood glucose levels. Chances are you have already reduced your HbA1c considerably. Managing Type 2 requires a lifestyle change and depending on the individual circumstances, takes time. You have only being trying to adjust for a short time and have had other stuff to cope with. Please don't stress about this. Good luck with the biopsy. I reckon your blood glucose control may have improved despite your stress-related eating!
 
Maggie75 said:
Sorry, think sometimes you just have to vent.
Click to expand...
Don't apologise, venting can be very good for your health!
Maggie75 said:
Does anyone have any advice as to how to get back on track?
Click to expand...
Aww, I think you know best yourself.
Have you tried to find alternatives to comfort foods? So not 'healthy foods' per se to substitute carby comfort foods (I mean, who's going to believe a salad is a satisfying substitute for a bar of chocolate, or tomatoes and peppers with hummus will satisfy a craving for a bag of crisps?) but real comfort foods, only lower carb.

I'm currently very happy eating squares of this instead of chocolate: 100 gr. dark chocolate (85% or higher), 60 gr. of nut butter of choice (check the label for unexpected ingredients), 60 gr. butter, 100 gr. nuts of choice.
(I also added some powdered ginger and chilli).
Simply melt everything au bain marie, mix in the nuts and let set for a couple of hours before cutting into squares.



For craving crisps I found pork scratchings are quite good, especially with aioli or cream cheese. Or I make cheese crisps. Just grate a hard cheese and zap in the microwave for a couple of minutes on a baking sheet (with spices if you like).



For me, a comfort food should feel and taste utterly like a comfort food, and sometimes I need that comfort.
 
Thanks so much for your replies and encouragement, and BTW those cheese crisps look amazing! Definitely trying those. I know I have to think positive with this, I've come a long way in a couple of months and just need to get out of this funk. Praying everything will be ok with this biopsy next week and then I can get back to beating this horrible diabetes. One step (and problem) at a time I guess.

Maggie
 
Maggie, deep breath.
There are members here how have had HbA1c's twice your & managed to get into remission in months through low carbing.
Might sound scary now but you've just had your warning shot.
A change of diet now can have a huge impact of your future health.
Fingers crossed for your results.
 
We all fall off the wagon sometimes, some of us get pushed off by bad news.
The key is simply to get back on again
You have our support
 
Sounds as though you're doing amazingly well. I was diagnosed as insulin around the same time as you and likewise, I had an initial complaint burst and lost a few kilos so was spurred on by the changes I saw but like I hit a funk, even without the health scare. I think sometimes it is just so hard and we all decide how we will cope in our own way. I'm an all or nothing kind of person, just a little bit of something nice doesn't cut it. I decide right this day is rubbish so I'm going to right it off and not feel as though high blood sugar today is going to kill me. Then tomorrow or the next day I get back on track. I'm sure you've done fantastically well and good luck with the biopsy. If you have a needle phobia why not try a CGM - I used librestyle and loved the amount of data I got. And being able to see the massive spike after any carb it helped me stay on track. I definitely think they are useful for us newbies. And you don;t need to buy a reader just use your smart phone.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that many cancers cannot use ketones for energy, they need glucose to grow.
Hopefully that will just be something academic for you,.
I used low carb to go from Hba1c of 91 to 41 in six months, so it really is very effective, and now I stick to low carb, as although I will always be unable to eat carbs, I have no need, nor even desire to do so.
 
Hi Maggie, I had a recall for biopsy following a mammogram in the autumn and completely lost the plot for a month. I did nothing at work and was utterly useless, although I did manage to maintain my diet, but only because I am further along in my diabetes journey genuinely enjoy the food I eat now.

Don’t worry about the upcoming HbA1c, if it’s a little higher than you like it’s not the end of the world, you can deal with it later. However from a general health point of view it is good to stay low carb if you can since higher glucose is generally inflammatory within the system. You could perhaps, as others have suggested, look at home-made treats to keep you going.

Edited to add - I did not monitor my BG during this time as I was sticking to my normal diet and did not want the additional anxiety of seeing my BG raised by stress, which I could do nothing about given the circumstances.
 
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to check in and say thanks again for the replies and encouragement. Had my lymph node biopsy on Tuesday and it was horrendous but just trying to put it out of my mind and hope the results are ok, was told at least a 2 week wait for them. I've been in a fair amount of pain since the biopsy and just can't turn this unhealthy eating around, I've gained a pound this week which is my first weight gain since I was diagnosed in November/20. The takeaways and sweet comfort foods seem to be calling me all the time and I'm constantly hungry. I'm determined to get back on track next week, can't exercise for at least another week or two so I need to do something here, due my 2nd HBA1C in another week or two and at this rate it's not going to be good news. I know this self pity party has to stop, think I'm posting again possibly to get myself back on the straight and narrow, need to feel responsible if that makes sense. Also cannot get back into testing blood glucose levels again, think I've officially been put off needles for life after that biopsy! Is a CGM a good move, are they reliable? I know they are super expensive but I would consider trying it if they work.

Maggie x
 
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