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New and confused

Cirbear89

Active Member
Messages
30
Location
Crawley
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Being ill, my stretch marks, mess, being confused,
Im only 26 and I've recently been diagnosed as diabetic. I haven't been told which type I am. I haven't been given any advice from my gp or nurse other than 'diet and exercise' no advice on how to diet. I've been reading the forums but still completely confused. My mother is also diabetic and seems to think that my gp has hastily diagnosed me two fasting blood tests both results were 8.7 and 9.1. Over the weekend when I saw my mum she was testing my glucose levels with her kit I spiked at 13.9 this was two hours after eating a relatively healthy meal. I'm constantly exhausted or asleep, have near constant pins and needles in my legs, and have very little in the way of an appetite. I'm seeing my gp again on the 30th which is the earliest appointment they could offer me apart from emergency on the day appointments which I have to try and arrange around a hectic shift pattern. I've just ordered myself a glucose testing kit (sd codefree).
Please help shine some light on how to get some of my energy back I was a complete fitness freak before I got depression last June.
Thanks in advance Stacey
 
Hi @Cirbear89

Welcome to the forum - I'm sorry to hear how unwell you've been feeling. I'll tag @daisy1 who will be along shortly with some advice on how to better manage your blood sugars. Getting yourself a monitor is an excellent start.

The good new is if you can get your diet sorted you should soon start to feel more energised & be able to get back to exercising which will in turn make you feel even more energised!

The members here a a very helpful & knowledgeable bunch so stick around and feel free to ask any questions you may have

safi
 
Hey Safi

Thank you for your help. I'm just so fed up with feeling so ill all the time it all started off shortly after my bday last year with a sudden onset of migraines which are still uncontrolled and the depressing I mentioned before. I just about have those under control with various medications when this happens. Even after a really good session at the gym which normally would have me buzzing on endophines I'm ready to crash out and stay there the night I eat relatively healthy anyway as one of the anti mirgrain medications they trailed me on caused me to put on a lot of weight quickly safe to say I got off that quickly! But struggling now to get that weight back off
 
Hello and welcome. If you tell us exactly what your "relatively healthy" diet is I'm sure we can pinpoint a few ways to make you feel better. Getting a meter will be a big help towards showing you the way.
 

You really have been through the ringer Stacey & I can see you are rightfully frustrated! As DeejayR has said if you can give us a good idea of what you're eating we may be able to pinpoint some ways to help you feel better.

A lot of people come here feeling cr*p & confused (myself included) but with a few changes & in a fairly short space of time end up feeling much healthier & a lot more positive.
 
Okay generally
Breakfast-is coffee with unsweetened soya milk, grilled turkey bacon, tomatoes (fresh and gridded) spinach and kale with a home made tomato purée.
Mid morning snack- hand full of nuts (varies between almonds, walnuts and pistachios all unsalted) a hand full of berries (generally blueberries)
Lunch- home made carrot and coriander soup with gluten free rice cakes
Mid afternoon snack- homemade almond butter on rice cakes
Dinner-either chicken or turkey salad
Supper/post evening gym workout- a my protein shake

A minimum of 3 litres of water a day
Only 3 coffees during the day
 
OK that's a pretty good diet, although maybe a bit low on fat to replace carbs, and I'm not sure about the rice cakes. However I'm wondering now about any recent changes to your routine and lifestyle with possible added stress? Is your mum managing her diabetes or are you worried about her? Did you find a cause for the migraines?
 
The first thing that stands out is the rice cakes - rice is a pretty high glycemic carb which will quickly turn to sugar & raise your blood sugar which could also lead to a 'crash' soon after. A lot of us here follow low carb diet which helps to keep the numbers steadier - the milder the fluctuations, the better you'll feel.

The nuts, meats, berries & leafy greens are all excellent choices but without seeing the nutritional breakdown on the protein shake I couldn't comment on that. As to the soup, a lot of people avoid root vegetables as well so it is possible that carrots are not so kind to you - I'm OK with them but everybody reacts differently & testing after eating is the only way to determine what is good for you. You may like to take a look at the Low Carb Diet forum & get an idea of what sorts of things people are eating. You could also check in at the exercise forum for some tips on post workout snacks.

It can all seem a bit daunting at first & I can see why you consider your diet healthy - it all fits with what we've been told to eat but it is increasingly clear that the governments dietary advice simply does not suit everyone.

safi
 
Rice cakes are currently my chocolate they are the things that I crave (always are when I'm properly eating clean).
My mum has been diabetic for years and is on medication for it very well controlled. Not to mention my dad does all her cooking and shopping so I know that she's eating clean to.
I'm still working with my neurologist to figure out the underlying cause of the migraines see her next month for results of my mri scan. Lumbar puncture was clear ct scan was clear so currently no further forward although the latest preventative she has me on seen to be working well at a low dose.
There hasn't been a huge amount of change in my routine. I work shifts, go to the gym, see my friends, back and forth from appointments only real change is on a break from my other half. Work is always stressful as I look after 6 disabled children who live in a care home.
 

I didn't even realise that this was the governments dietary advice, it's just some of the foods on my allowed list from my personal trainer which I happen to like.
My protein shake is low in carbs and sugar on of the reasons I picked this brand plus it tastes great!

I know that I don't have my glucose testing kit yet (slow post) but I know when I've eaten something high in carbs or sugar I actually feel better than without them despite knowing its sending my levels high.
 
Stress can play havoc with some peoples blood sugar - it does mine! As you have access to a blood sugar meter I would suggest that you test before & after the rice cakes as a start just to see if they are a problem for you - it may be that you need to find an alternative. For what its worth, if they are your 'chocolate' you might actually (& somewhat surprisingly!) be better off just having a little dark chocoate (70% or more cocoa content) with your nuts/nutbutter. Many here are able to eat a couple of squares with no issue at all & the dark stuff has real health benefits.
 

If your levels have been high for a while then you will feel worse when they drop as the body has got used to the higher levels - once your body gets used to being lower then you'll feel much better in the lower range.
 
I don't live near my parents only saw them over the weekend for a family wedding. My monitor is currently with the Royal Mail but do intend to test before and after when it arrives to figure out what my body tolerates better. Yeah I can't eat dark chocolate have you ever had to try the lactose free stuff it's not pleasant.
 
Safi said:
If your levels have been high for a while then you will feel worse when they drop as the body has got used to the higher levels - once your body gets used to being lower then you'll feel much better in the lower range.
Click to expand...


That actually makes sense in a way
 
Bummer - thought we had a pleasing alternative for you with the chocolate! It sounds as though you have a few food intolerances - gluten & lactose? Have you been tested for autoimmune diseases?
 
I wish Safi. But yes several intolerances gluten, lactose, pork, eggs. If it shows up in blood tests or lumbar fluids then yes. If not then no.
 
The thing about autoimmune diseases is 1) they require quite specific testing ie: a 'standard' set of blood tests won't show them & 2) they frequently come in clusters ie: if you have one you may have others.

I only ask because there is a type of diabetes called LADA which can look like type 2 but is in fact autoimmune. There is a sub-forum a little further down the page.

If your Doctor isn't being very helpful then it may be worth looking for another.

In the meantime I would keep as low carb as you can & see what your (hopefully soon-to-arrive) blood glucose monitor can tell you.

safi
 
That's interesting to know I'll have to have a look into it. (I'm on the app not the actual website) as I very rarely get my laptop out these days I do everything on my phone.

Stacey

I'm currently working my way through all the doctors in my surgery as no other surgeries in my area will take me due to where I live I'm stuck in this surgery until I move which I can't see happening any time soon.

Hopefully my monitor should be here by Friday and I ordered extra lancelets and strips with it.
 
Do stick around Stacey - once you've got some post meal numbers to share with us we can hopefully be a bit more helpful to you. Meantime, try not to stress about it - I know it's easier said than done but just know that there are many ways to manage diabetes & plenty of people here willing to help

safi
 
I will be sticking around so far as much as I'm still confused about which type I am, I'm reassured by what you've said about my current diet. Also I've got more help and advice from using the forums than I have from my doctors.

Not stressing umm not sure how well that will work I'm a natural worrier. But I'll try not to.

Stacey
 
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