heart disease etc

Ming - you have given a perfect example of why I believe that a generally healthy diet should be followed by people with diabetes. I suspect that some people get obessessed with the diabetes part of their lives to the exclusion of taking sensible care in general.

Reduced carbs are necessary for all diabetics - but not to the extent of the extreme low carbers who deny themselves food like fruit. I have even heard that some won't even eat a tomato because of its few carbs!

The mainstream advice -from all reputable sources, including diabetes co uk if you look on the main pages and not just read this forum, is to follow a balanced and controlled diet that includes some carbohydrates. There is a wider picture than just desparately trying to pretend you are not diabetic by simulating non diabetic readings.

I am not a huge fan of the eatwell plate, as I think it is encouraging too many starchy carbs - but to listen to some people you would think there was a conspiracy within the NHS to get everyone onto insulin as soon as possible.

Good luck to you and your husband. He has multiple medical problems and this is where a good GP should be able to give you better advice than those who only know about diabetes.

Hi Ming,

The post by Romola makes a lot of sense.
I had a heart attack prior to diagnosis and am guided by my healthcare team on how to manage my diet. I have had six and a half years since diagnosis and am really well. I do not follow a low carb diet and eat things in moderation. The only way to be sure what your husband can eat is to test frequently. Some people believe that starchy carbs are not essential to manage diabetes but I would say that healthy wholegrains, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta can be eaten in small amounts if you test to see that they are suitable for you. I personally cannot eat potatoes but eat all of the others. Beans and lentils are well worth considering as well.
My plate consists of 25% unrefined starches or beans or lentils, 25% protein and 50% vegetables. I sometimes have a side salad with that as well.
You have to realize that we are all different in our responses to these foods and no one can tell you what will work for your husband. You have to enjoy what you are eating and not feel that you are being punished for having diabetes or there is no joy left in what should be a pleasurable experience.
It might be a good idea to ask your G.P. to refer your husband to a dietitian as they will be able to work out a plan that covers all aspects of his health problems.
Don't get too down about it Ming, you are trying your best for him and that is all that anyone can do.
Ask yourself what you would say to your best friend if she came to you with this dilemma?

Catherine.

Ming, now I don't have a heart condition etc etc, but all my numbers have improved since I significantly reduced my carbs (initially low GI) and since I started low carbing I have started to feel even better, with the elimination of some of my vague and non-specific symptoms like headache, fatigue and indigestion and acid reflux. You only have to read through the success stories in the low carb section to see the general health improvements of the others.

Does he have symptoms that are worrying you, other than the constipation? I suspect that if he had symptoms that were worrying you that you would not be posting on the internet, you'd be talking to a doctor. A a doctor would probably give you the same advice you have been given here about constipation or suggest suppositories or similar.

You could also talk to the pharmacist, there are various over the counter things that could help to losen it up and make it easier.

If you are worried talk to NHS Direct who will tell you to get down the surgery/hospital/ring the ambulance for you if required. Or are you simply worrying because you have made decisions about your husbands diet in the face of conflicting advice? If the latter is the case, talk to him about it because it has to be his decision.

I am a vegetarian, I low carb and don't get constipated, unless I have managed to get dehydrated. Dehydration also affects loads of other things, it makes me fatigued, my skin does not feel right and my eyes are dry too. I think that most people probably don't drink enough.

Ming, you are trying to do your best for your husband but I think that you are trying to follow all sorts of advice, some probably good , a lot definitely controversial and some (in my opinion) very dubious. Everyday someone is making a different suggestion. I don't know how you can follow it all.

Making rapid drastic changes overnight is not usually thought to be a good thing, These changes are very often short term leading to 'cheating' because the person feels deprived . Moreover, most 'experts' do not advocate very rapid weight loss, unless overseen by a doctor, particularly for people with existing medical conditions.
I agree totally with Romala, ( edit: and others, I was slow debating how to answer) our health and therefore eating to be healthy encompasses a lot more than diabetes. I feel that you should look again at sources of general advice such as the British Heart foundation.The advice from diabetes UK (the charity) did unfortunately contain the words to eat 'plenty of starchy carbs at each meal'. (and if you delve far enough the eatwell plate is still there). This has now been partly revised to say eat some at each meal and to favour those with a lower GI. The general guidance (10 steps to healthy eating ) is in line with other European countries. They aren't all trying to kill people off,nor force them onto insulin or expensive medications either (insulins pens are far too expensive)

As to specific advice such as possible problems with medication, he should discuss this with his doctor... no-one on here (Including any medical professionals) has access to his medical history so cannot give competent advice. It may be that he also needs to get advice on his constipation problem , with the doctor, particulalry as it seems to be causing a large amount of discomfort and bleeding.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/constipation1.shtml

You may be encouraged by others to carry on this diet. It should be your husband's decision. If you do decide to continue , please try to introduce far more veg and fruit (most low carbers accept some berries). Fibre is a very important part of any diet.

Bottom line is that medicine is not a precise science. There is lots of conflicting opinion about everything, including what to eat. And even the conventional advice on diet (and how it needs to be adapted for sick people in hospital) seems to be totally disregarded in putting together the patient's hospital menu :? and even then, getting what you ordered is a bit of a challenge.

Whatever diet you eventually adopt, not taking enough fluid is going to cause problems with constipation. It is a really painful and unpleasant symptom. I monitor my intake closely because I work in a hot and stuffy poorly air conditioned building - I have a 1 litre jug on my desk and I aim to drink at least 1 jug a day, plus numerous cups of tea, and more at home. Fluid intake is really important and the impact of not taking in enough is understimated by a lot of people.

Low carb is a healthy diet, but we are all differnet. In the end the decision has to be your husband's.

Hi Ming,
It wouldn't be a good idea to give him a slice of toast or some potatoes on their own and then test. Make sure that these are part of a well balanced meal.

I did put a link in the other thread about constipation,

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150322.php

As you will see there are many things that can cause constipation and it may well be some of his medication is the problem.
An apple followed by a hot drink and then a cold drink was something that I was advised to do for a relative who had this problem and it worked. Might be worth a try?

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Catherine.

Hi, Ming,
I don't have a problem with constipation after changing to a low carb diet, in fact I am more regular now than pre diagnosis. I do consume lots of vegetables, berries and nuts. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned nuts as they are a good source of fibre and studies have shown they are beneficial for the heart and have only a small impact on blood glucose. As others have mentioned the medications could be the root of the problem, it's best to talk this over with your doctor.

After cereals, nuts are the vegetable foods that are richest in fibre, which may partly explain their benefit on the lipid profile and cardiovascular health

Click to expand...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17125533

Cheers
Graham

Ming
there are quite a few well respected doctors who are sure that reduced carb diets are the best for pretty much all of us. After all we didn't evolve eating grains. That came late in our history. Potatoes only came to Europe in the 16th Century( and those first ones were probably sweet potatoes anyway)
So starch isn't a natural food for us
Hana

Ming,you have tried your hardest with this diet.Maybe ,when he is better you may try just adjusting say one meal at a time.This may mean it takes longer for blood sugar control but it will give his system time to acclimatise to the new diet regime. I hope he gets better quickly and that the pair of you can work out a diet that suits him .

Ming,

Evidently, the diet is causing him more problems than it is resolving. I would think that you are better getting your husband back to health and resort back to normal eating. I would imagine he is not getting enough fibre, which can lead to constipation. Although I have cut back on the carbs myself recently, I still eat a bowl of All-bran cereal with a natural low-fat yoghurt for breakfast. All-bran I swear by, eaten every day is sufficient to keep the bowels moving.

Once your husband is back to health it may be worth reducing carbs again (albeit more gradually) but getting him back on his feet for now is more important.

Good luck!

Nigel

Is it the diet? It could well be that his system has been affected by his physical illnesses in other ways and the timing is simply coincedence. Getting him to a doctor was the best thing to do.