I am losing the battle with my health.

What a nightmare for you Lucy. I don’t have anything specific to suggest other than perhaps asking your GP if there are tests that can be done that haven’t yet been done.

I know from my own recent Long Covid diagnosis that standard blood tests often come back ‘normal’ when your own health is far from normal. That seems to be the case for you.

While consulting Dr Google can often conjure up unnecessarily worrying scenarios, checking out your symptoms might throw up some ideas of what other possible tests might be useful. That of course assumes you have a GP who would be willing to listen - hopefully with a decent rationale they would do. Repeated infections with well controlled blood sugars ought to be worthy of being taken seriously.

Hope you’re able to make some progress.

Multiple courses of antibiotics will tend to make you feel low, they kill off soem of the good stuff as well as the bad.

Sounds to me just bad luck rather than a particular thing wrong. The weight loss and bg is brilliant.

If @shelley262 was around I'm sure she'd recommend all sorts of good fermented and prebiotic foods to build you back up again. I'd suggest being kind and gentle on yourself. You've been through the wringer and recovery will take time, and love and care.

A little treat perhaps? A day out,a good chat with a friend, a massage, whatever floats your boat

I'm so sorry to hear your body seems to be betraying you in nasty ways despite you doing all the right things.
No advice from me, just a well meant hug.

lucylocket61 said:

My blood work results are good. My blood sugar levels are between 5-7 nearly all the time as I reduced my carbs to 40-60 a day and eat mostly only once a day. Started doing the lower carb 8 weeks ago, and have lost over a stone. It's my first weight loss for 20+ years.

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Sounds like an enormous success to me.

Yes you have had a few hurdles on the way but to start losing after a 20+ year hiatus is close to miraculous.

Well done.

lucylocket61 said:

I am taking vitamin D, K2 and B12 daily.

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I’m sorry to hear that you are struggling at the moment. I just wanted to add that you might consider adding Vitamin C and zinc to your vitamins. It is said to support your immune system. I started taking it years ago when I was getting 4 or 5 nasty colds every winter. Once I started taking it I got maybe one cold per winter and a very mild one. I’ve never dared stop taking it! I just buy supermarket brand effervescent tablets, so not expensive.
I hope things look up for you soon x

Hey lucy!
I have you in my thoughts and prayers tonight!
I can't believe the punches you are rolling with now!
The ever growing number of knocks one after another.
Often times you just need a break.
The battles we all have to face, it can be so difficult, it can really get you down.
Your latest results are brilliant and that must please you.
Ups and downs.
I'm gonna tag @zand who has the experience with long covid that I don't!
You can win this battle you are more resilient than you know.
You can do this!
Keep safe, my best wishes

lucylocket61 said:

How much vitamin C and zinc do you suggest a day?

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I take 1000mg of Vitamin C with 15mg of Zinc.

How about a few doses of sunshine? The great disinfectant. Any time I feel I’m being attacked, I go lay out in the sun for a half hour. Probably placebo but it always helps me feel better

Sorry to hear your struggling realy bad right now but congratulations on the weight loss as i know you been at this a very long time. My go to supplements are from holland and barret and i try and get them when its buy 1 and get 1 for half price or 1 pence some times. Cod liver oil with multi vits https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/s...vitamins-capsules-500mg-60005405?skuid=046929 and zinc https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/s...5mg-with-copper-tablets-60060051?skuid=060051

A video from Kenberry about recommended vits to take


Hope everything settles down soon and you start feeling better

As well as all the other suggestions above having electrolytes, full thyroid panel (not just tsh) and ferritin checked might be a good idea. Electrolytes due to the change in diet, thyroid because it’s a sneaky ****** and ferritin as it’s one often missed but frequently low.

Covid (and probably other virus’ and infections too) is known to lower a good many vitamins and minerals (including iron) and at least some long covid sufferers are helped by replacing those lost. Ferritin should be over about 70 although the nhs range begins at just 11 ish. Iron deficiency (IDWA) and symptoms begin long before anaemia sets in and feeling tired and low are extremely common with it.

And remember “within range” actually means within the 90-95% of results that lab sees. That does not mean it’s actually what a normal healthy person should optimally have to avoid symptoms depending on the population being sampled. I’ve seen figures that suggest more than a third of women are iron deficient massively lowering ranges for example. Many medical organisations set ideal, non symptomatic levels much much higher than the nhs does. So for any tests, as with diabetes, get the numbers and check them for yourself against standards other than just the nhs’.

and well done indeed on finding the right changes to diet to finally shift some weight I know you’ve wanted to shift. Celebrate the good news in your post.

@lucylocket61 you really are going through the mill.

I don't know about you, but on the times I have needed antibiotics, I find they make me feel worse before I get better, so a handful of courses almost back to back would knock the stuffing out of anyone.

I'd definitely agree on getting your gut flora knocked into shape. We need the good bugs working for us.

Getting a decent blood panel done is also a great idea. I don't think I saw anyone suggest the B vitamins, but worth a look, alongside the usual broad brushstroke stuff.

Stick with it. You are a winner who fights back at every chance.

I really do hope you start to feel better soon.

This piece is from my MS world, but its explanation of why we feel so rubbish when we're ill is a good and general one and not confined to MS. It might not help, but at least it's reassurance that feeling fed up about all this is a perfectly rational response! I hope that things feel brighter for you soon.
https://gavingiovannoni.substack.com/p/do-you-suffer-from-cog-fog-fatigue

Have you tried Kefir.for your stomach after all the antibiotics it's got lots of
live bacterial cultures in it.

And another hug from me too @lucylocket61

I have no real advice except to add that going lower carb may also increase the need for salt. I'm not sure exactly why but it almost killed my original doctor to have to tell me to increase my salt intake.

Like @Lamont D I have you in my thoughts and prayers now.

Take care of yourself and know that you are a very valued member of this community.