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Expert
- Messages
- 9,780
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
I have a guitar buddy who is T1D and on an insulin pump. He has had a terrible time trying to control his bgl going by NHS advice, amd we have even had him hypo halfway through a song. We have had to pull out of gigs because his bgl was either too high or too low.
Back to Topic. I recently introduced him to LCHF and gave him a copy of my 'rulebook' which he has used. He was reporting needing much less insulin, and was getting stable results at last. However a couple of weeks ago he had his annual checkup wih his consultant who immediately ordered him to stop his nonsense and start eating carbs again. He was recommended to eat a minimum of 250 g of carbs a day, and at least 2000 calories a day. He was told to stop carb counting and go back to bolus by calorie value, else face being dropped by the Consultant and his team.
Since then we have missed 3 rehearsals, and our next gig is this Thursday. He is in a terrible state, but is fearful of having his care being withdrawn, I have pointed out that his Consultant does not need to know how he eats etc, so don't tell him. Do what he now knows works for him. But the seeds of unease have been planted in his mind, and I dread this next gig.
I suggest he gets Think Like A Pancreas and Pumping Insulin. They're both fantastic books for a Type 1 pumper
I'm surprised he was told to,eat a set amount of carbs. Also, I'm very confused that you say he was told to stop carb counting. Do you mean in the general,way that people refer to carb counting here (ie watching how many they eat per day)? Because carb counting in relation to Type 1 means assessing carbs and adjusting bolus insulin. One of the things you have to do before going on a pump is show that you can do that.
As for the NHS diet, I've never had a problem with it or dieticians. I've always been told to adjust it according to my needs and have never been told I have to eat a certain amount of carbs, protein or fat. Type 1s usually have more leeway than many Type 2s due to insulin and the lack of insulin resistance (usually).