My patience just ran out.

[Kristin251]

Diabetes. 80% emotional/ mental. 15% medication. 5% winging it.

So true!!!

 

[GrantGam]

@Guzzler.

I'm just over three years in and I feel completely and utterly burnt out... I jumped on the diabetes like a ninja and got super tight control within the first few months. So much so, that the doctors said they'd "never seen a diabetic like me". I became (and I'm still) compulsively obsessed with my management of the condition. My control has slipped a little, but the funny thing is - I'm so much more relaxed now than I had been the 3 years prior.

To cut a long story short, and minimise on my ramblings - I'll advise this (as a relatively new diabetic):

-Don't get obsessed; you'll die faster from the stress vs the ailment.
-Live every day with your best foot forward and diabetes in the back of your mind rather than the front.
-Only go hook, line and sinker into a military diet/lifestyle if you want to - there's more to life than that, honest.
-Don't stop smiling and remember that you're not going to drop dead instantly just because a few results may be creeping out of bounds.

I'm going to mention the stress bit again as I want to stress it Seriously though, I think the woe and worry will do you more harm than the diabetes. Relax, chill and live life - you only get one shot and the body is a very resilient machine.

Hope you're feeling better soon pal.
Grant

 

[luceeloo]

From someone who is coming out of the other side of a major burn out - It gets us like that. The thing about our disease is that we are constantly told by various sources that "Type 2 diabetes is reversible"... and every person spouting that has their own way of preaching how to cure us.
We have negativity shoved down our throats by the media, who with every mention of the words "type 2 diabetes" must immediately provide an accompanying photograph of the mid-section of a badly dressed fat person.
We are card carrying members of a club where every Tom, **** or Harry feels the right to have an opinion because they "read something in the Daily Mail once".
Do Asthmatics get judged by society? Do epileptics? Nope, just us Type 2's.
You have to learn quickly to gloss over it, otherwise it really gets to you.

As Diabetics there are two options. Diabetes can own us, can kick our ar$e, and can eventually kill us. Or, we can find our own ways of dealing with it, own it, and kick it into touch instead.
The way that you deal with your diabetes is entirely your business... so take bits from what you read, or what people have to say on here,etc, and make your own plan.
Forget about the variables, the ketones, what does and what doesn't work for others. This is about you, and at the end of the day, your job is to keep your blood sugars reasonable... how you do that is entirely up to you.

 

[steb]

Everybody is different. there is no magic formula that will work for everyone - each of us is unique, so what might work for me may not work for you. apart from avoiding sugar there is no one rule that is universal, so my best advice is experiment. try different foods and see what works for you. once you get into it, you may find that you don't have to drastically change your life and eating habits.

 

[ringi]

Remember that “control” is good enough and that a BG of under 10 puts you outside of the worse risks. The rest can be sorted out once you have done the basics.

Everyone agrees that someone with Type2 must limit their sugar and carb intake, the disagreements are just in the details of how and by how much.

 

[Mike d]

It bears repeating ....ask questions, distill the answers and plan with a regime of weight control and diet and above all, forget the c**p and NEVER forget one rule. All your ills (whatever they may be) can't all be due to diabetes. I once thought like that and do not anymore

 

[Indy51]

If you're finding too much conflicting advice on diet and/or an information overload, I'd suggest concentrating on something you can deal with in bite size chunks - the main site's low carb program might be a good place to start:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/

 

[ickihun]

Hope your ok @Guzzler ?

 

[therower]

Every word that @GrantGam spoke is so true. Not always easy for a lot of people but nonetheless the ultimate way to live with diabetes.
Yes diabetes is a condition of the pancreas, but until you have diabetes you never realise it's ability to dwell in so many other places in your body.
Diabetes thrives on negativity and lives in dark places. You have to learn to drag it out of those dark places, put it on display and make it earn a living giving yourself focus,motivation and positivity.
27 yrs and still positive

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

I am just not intelligent enough to sort it out in my head.

How I see Diabetes!

I doubt very much that you're not intelligent enough, there is just too much information and as somebody has already said, information from people who don't have the disease. Too many plates to keep in the air.

In my experience of life I've always liked the "Keep it simple stupid" approach and as far as type II is concerned I almost immediately latched onto the the carbs in glucose out thing, mainly because 20 years ago when I was first diagnosed there were members of my extensive family with type I who were all carb counting and I thought why aren't I as a type II. The advice then really wasn't good for me, don't cut the carbs they said. So I went along with the advice and my type II just got worse and worse for the next 12 or so years.

About 4 years ago I was struggling to lose weight, not because of an eating problem, that was well controlled, but because I had a weight problem. My GP was also preparing me to go onto insulin. I consulted a Nutritional Therapist about my weight problem and she suggested lowering my carbs which I did and guess what?

I threw out the Gliclazide and Januvia as I my BG dropped so much, I threw out the statins because my total cholesterol dropped enough to give me the confidence to say I didn't want the side effects any more. What I did adhered to my "KISS" approach, I just stopped eating so much bread/pasta/rice/potato, admittedly almost zero but I'm human, I had treats. You can't eat eggs without toast can you? LOL It has to be emphasised that this was my approach and it worked for me. That's when I found this forum and guess what? Lots of others have found a degree of success in a similar approach.

People arguing over which diet/doctor/excercise regime they follow. People at loggerheads over ketones and lectins what kind of fats they have in their diets. Youtube videos that go right over my head, advice from dn that bears no relationship that I can see to logic and gp nagging about statins.

My opinion (opinion emphasised deliberately) is that we are all different, so different that different approaches work differently. Of the things you mention diet is obviously important and I'm confident that the NICE/NHS Eatwell plate advice isn't the best for people with type II. It great for people who don't have diabetes, it's just not for everyone.

As for doctors, if you speak to 5 doctors you'll get 5 opinions, go with what's best for you.

Exercise, of course it's important but not to go mad over. I walk, yesterday my BG in the morning was 13, I'd not eaten for nearly 12 hours so probably a liver dump, walked a mile (round the block) and it came down to 9. That's not to say everyone will experience the same, it just worked for me.

Ketones and lectins? Probably too much information, remember my motto "KISS".

Fats, I know, I've seen the LCHF regiment (that's meant in a nice way), it works for them, it doesn't for me, in fact I have seen what happens when I add more fat, my stomach doesn't behave, I gain weight and my cholesterol goes up. SO for me LCLF is best for me.

As for statins, where do you start, so much has been written, trust me, I read and then forgot most of it. In the end it was because my total cholesterol came down to below 4 just by cutting carbs that I ditched the statins after 17 years of tolerating the side effects. What's so frustrating is that other people don't have the same side effects but on the other hand, a lot do. If you've not taken them it might be an idea to try and if they affect you in any way that you can't put up with you're faced with a difficult decision. I know I was, my mother's family (parents, 4 of her 8 siblings) all died from heart attacks. BTW my TC did go up to 5.4 after I stopped, but did then go down to 4.

Sorry if I've gone on for so long, I can't advice, but can tell you of my experience. You have obviously looked into your diabetes a lot and are now armed with a lot of different "advice". You might have to start with the simple stuff and see what works best for you.

All the best

 

[Phoenix55]

Hi @Guzzler How are you? Are you still feeling bad? I do hope that you soon feel better. May I suggest 2 things to you?
1) Everyone is different and all we can do is give advice. You have to find what works for you, that may be none of the advice you have been given, or bits from various sources.
2) Please continue to use your meter, it will help you to sort out what works for your body.
Those of us who have found something that works for us at the moment can sound a little over confident, but we can only speak from our experience and our relief at finding something that seems to work. T2 takes a long time to develop and it may take a long time to come under control, please don't expect overnight results. This is a long haul so small changes build up. Best wishes.

 

[Daphne917]

Diagnosed less than three months ago and ready to slam the door on any and all thoughts of T2. For weeks I have been reading the advice and information on Diabetes and the more I read the more contradictions I come across. People arguing over which diet/doctor/excercise regime they follow. People at loggerheads over ketones and lectins what kind of fats they have in their diets. Youtube videos that go right over my head, advice from dn that bears no relationship that I can see to logic and gp nagging about statins.
But, and it's a big but, I feel like ****. When I asked about feeling hungry apparently I wasn't eating enough fat or had carb flu. The same goes for protein, how much protein is too much? I have a headache most days and it's not for the want of water. My bowel has never been so upset and I havn't experienced so much lethargy and fatigue for years. If this is a good way to live with Diabetes then you can keep it, I don't want to extend my lifespan by twenty years if it means living like a blummin invalid 'til I'm eighty.
In summing up my little rant I am declaring that I fully understand now why some T2s just give up because trying to get a handle on it when it has so many variables is like trying to knit jelly and I am just not inteligent enough to sort it out in my head.

Hi @Guzzler don't be too hard on yourself it's early days and you're still learning what is best for you. I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and have controlled my T2 by cutting down on carbs like bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and fruit but I do still eat them - approx 130 per day however I don't keep a diary or worry about the carb/fat/protein ratio or how many carbs is in a teaspoon of, for example, ketchup. I have found a couple of low carb breads that I like and doesn't raise my BS for sandwiches or toast, have only a couple of potatoes and if I want pasta or rice I have it but in smaller portions for example on Friday I had home made spaghetti bol with garlic bread and my BS after 1 hour was 7.8 and after 2 hours was 6.1 whereas for someone else it may have been through the roof! I don't like cauliflower or any other rice alternative so I occasionally have the 'real' thing and, although my bs does rise for a couple of hours, I have it as a treat. I also enjoy the odd apple or nectarine and have berries with my yoghurt most mornings.

Don't throw the towel in just yet - your meter is an essential tool as it tells you what effect your food has on your BS - use it to experiment as you may be surprised but it's not the end of the world if you get it wrong and your BS does rise for a while just either ditch that food altogether or, if you really want it, have a smaller portion. In addition as your hba1c decreases you may find, like me, that you can eat them again - Scampi is still my nemesis! I still do test just to see what my BS is up to and my FBS is still between 4.5 to 5.5 and post eating is mostly between 5.5 and 7.5 so I am happy with that. With regard to the stomach issues if you are on Metforim I understand that can cause problems.

Whilst it may seem like I don't watch my diet I do but over the years I have learnt what I can and should not eat. I have what I consider a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of salads, eggs, vegetables, dairy and mainly non processed meat and the occasional ice cream or square of dark chocolate. My last hba1c was 38 so it seems to be working for me.

 

[Nidge247]

Diagnosed less than three months ago and ready to slam the door on any and all thoughts of T2. For weeks I have been reading the advice and information on Diabetes and the more I read the more contradictions I come across. People arguing over which diet/doctor/excercise regime they follow. People at loggerheads over ketones and lectins what kind of fats they have in their diets. Youtube videos that go right over my head, advice from dn that bears no relationship that I can see to logic and gp nagging about statins.
But, and it's a big but, I feel like ****. When I asked about feeling hungry apparently I wasn't eating enough fat or had carb flu. The same goes for protein, how much protein is too much? I have a headache most days and it's not for the want of water. My bowel has never been so upset and I havn't experienced so much lethargy and fatigue for years. If this is a good way to live with Diabetes then you can keep it, I don't want to extend my lifespan by twenty years if it means living like a blummin invalid 'til I'm eighty.
In summing up my little rant I am declaring that I fully understand now why some T2s just give up because trying to get a handle on it when it has so many variables is like trying to knit jelly and I am just not inteligent enough to sort it out in my head.

Hi @Guzzler

Firstly, we all feel for you right now as most of us have 'been there' at least once in our diabetic journey. I too found information overload at the start, and it was a good five months after diagnosis before my levels had steadied enough for me to see through the fog and brain-pain that there had to be more to life than this, and started to sift through all the information available both here and elsewhere.

FOR ME, I have found lchf to be a lifesaver, But it doesn't work for everyone. Take a look at all the different options available but don't hop from one to another - I would suggest you give a good 3 months trial to whichever pathway you choose as your body needs time to repair and adjust.
I started with multiple daily injections of insulin which DID bring my BGs down, but on a high carb regular lifestyle gave huge swings and hypers and hypos. So tried increased exercise; this really wore me out and despite increasing the carbs to cover, the highs and lows continued along with the blurry vision, cramps, and headaches. Next came lchf and wow - next came lchf and wow! almost immediate improvement and I haven't looked back. It's given me my life back and the 'bad days' are firmly behind me.

Keep you chin up, take each day as it comes, and keep in touch.

 

[Chook]

Diagnosed less than three months ago and ready to slam the door on any and all thoughts of T2. For weeks I have been reading the advice and information on Diabetes and the more I read the more contradictions I come across. People arguing over which diet/doctor/excercise regime they follow. People at loggerheads over ketones and lectins what kind of fats they have in their diets. Youtube videos that go right over my head, advice from dn that bears no relationship that I can see to logic and gp nagging about statins.
But, and it's a big but, I feel like ****. When I asked about feeling hungry apparently I wasn't eating enough fat or had carb flu. The same goes for protein, how much protein is too much? I have a headache most days and it's not for the want of water. My bowel has never been so upset and I havn't experienced so much lethargy and fatigue for years. If this is a good way to live with Diabetes then you can keep it, I don't want to extend my lifespan by twenty years if it means living like a blummin invalid 'til I'm eighty.
In summing up my little rant I am declaring that I fully understand now why some T2s just give up because trying to get a handle on it when it has so many variables is like trying to knit jelly and I am just not inteligent enough to sort it out in my head.

I'm so sorry to read your post *hug* - if there's anything I can do to help please let me know. x

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Hi @Guzzler I hope you are feeling more positive today I think Serenity nailed it with her post below. Take baby steps and stabilise before you start tweaking. There is a lot of information available, but most of it goes over my head. I could tear my hair out trying to make sense of it, or I could turn my screen off and go out for some fresh air. You can guess which I do.

You may have noticed many T2 members on here who post that a diagnosis has been a lifesaver . It has motivated them into becoming the healthiest version of themselves possible. Hopefully this will be your story too one day soon.

I got overwhelmed at first, so decided to get a meter, and just follow the advice given in the post by @daisy1 for the first month. That got me used to the idea of what I can and cant safely eat. After that I tweaked quantities and types of foods to find my own safe zone.

Rather like joining a gym, and getting the induction and the personal trainer gives you a workout to follow, and then you tweak it to find your own personal regime. What works for one, wont work necessarily for someone else, but suggestions can be helpful in narrowing down the options to try.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

According to my diabetes nurse, most of her type 2 patients don’t change their diet of lifestyle much. They still put sugar in their tea and eat lots of high carb junk food like KFC and chips. They just take the more and more medication hoping for the best and end up getting more obese, especially after they get put on insulin. Their experience is that diabetes is a progressive degenerative disease with lots of diabetic complications leading to an early death.

You can survive for quite some time with high blood sugars before experiencing serious complications. The problem is that once they come, it is extremely hard to reverse. Neuropathy can end up causing excruitiating pain when you walk. Retinopathy can make you blind and high blood sugars are associated with an increased risk of dementia. It is not just that type 2 diabetes can reduce your life expectancy by ten years, but it can also lead to a severe degradation of the quality of your life as you get older.

Just putting your head in the sand and thinking you can’t be bothered with all this conflicting advice on diabetes is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, most GPs and diabetes nurses are not clued up on the benefits of low carb diets for treating type 2 diabetes. They still push low fat, high carb diets and try to get everyone on statins whether they need them or not. The experience of members of this forum is that a low carb diet is the most important thing to treat type 2 diabetes. Intermittent fasting is also incredibly beneficial. You need to take control and get your own blood glucose meter. You can find what food is best for managing your blood sugar. Fasting or very low calorie diets (Newcastle diet) are options you can try to help reverse type 2 diabetes. See what works for you. If you look at the success stories for members of this forum they are in stark contrast to the typical experiences of diabetic patients who don’t change their diet and lifestyle.

 

[Freema]

Remember that “control” is good enough and that a BG of under 10 puts you outside of the worse risks. The rest can be sorted out once you have done the basics.

Everyone agrees that someone with Type2 must limit their sugar and carb intake, the disagreements are just in the details of how and by how much.

well, actually the tipping point is more around a level of 7.5mmol .....

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

According to my diabetes nurse, most of her type 2 patients don’t change their diet of lifestyle much. They still put sugar in their tea and eat lots of high carb junk food like KFC and chips. They just take the more and more medication hoping for the best and end up getting more obese, especially after they get put on insulin. Their experience is that diabetes is a progressive degenerative disease with lots of diabetic complications leading to an early death.

You can survive for quite some time with high blood sugars before experiencing serious complications. The problem is that once they come, it is extremely hard to reverse. Neuropathy can end up causing excruitiating pain when you walk. Retinopathy can make you blind and high blood sugars are associated with an increased risk of dementia. It is not just that type 2 diabetes can reduce your life expectancy by ten years, but it can also lead to a severe degradation of the quality of your life as you get older.

Just putting your head in the sand and thinking you can’t be bothered with all this conflicting advice on diabetes is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, most GPs and diabetes nurses are not clued up on the benefits of low carb diets for treating type 2 diabetes. They still push low fat, high carb diets and try to get everyone on statins whether they need them or not. The experience of members of this forum is that a low carb diet is the most important thing to treat type 2 diabetes. Intermittent fasting is also incredibly beneficial. You need to take control and get your own blood glucose meter. You can find what food is best for managing your blood sugar. Fasting or very low calorie diets (Newcastle diet) are options you can try to help reverse type 2 diabetes. See what works for you. If you look at the success stories for members of this forum they are in stark contrast to the typical experiences of diabetic patients who don’t change their diet and lifestyle.

If ever I needed a reason to do what I do, it's all in there.

I met up with an old chum recently, not overweight, very active even at 70 (builder, still building patios and conservatories), type II, just takes the tablets which he seemed proud of. I wonder what his outcome will be?

 

[Scott-C]

This might sound a bit new age hippy but in recent years I've found that instead of viewing T as an enemy, something I'm constantly fighting, I think of it more as a bit of my body has gone wrong, so I need to help it, or, rather, me out. That way, it just seems more like co-operation than fighting. It's much easier to find peace of mind that way.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Stick in there you are not alone in the way you are feeling at the moment we were all very confused at first. Sometimes there is just to much information and it addles your brain some is good and some is not even on this forum and yes it can be pushy here people thinking what they do must be right for everyone else. Keep it simple do what suits you not because it suits someone else. No one can tell you what to eat or not because we are all different find your own way to tailor a diet to suit your requirements we all have to do that it takes time and error but we get there hope you feel less confused soon

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