TeddyTottie
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, I just wanted to document my experience with T2 so far, mostly for my own benefit. It maybe of interest to some but it’s a bit lengthy, feel free to skim or skip!
At the beginning of Dec 2019 I developed extreme thirst and appallingly blurry vision virtually overnight - I recognised the symptoms immediately, as a work colleague had suffered the same and been diagnosed as T2. So I presented myself to the GP the next working day in a fasting state and went off to get my bloods done. They phoned me back in the evening with the diagnosis, I was indeed now T2 and my HB1AC was 87.
Frankly this was no real surprise, my diet had been appalling for years, many ready meals and processed food, and cake... really quite a lot of cake! So I immediately stopped eating carbs and sugar, and started a lot of googling, which brought me here almost immediately. I have been lurking for a while! You have all been most helpful without realising it, thank you.
Since then I have slowly settled into a better understanding of what this is, and I am starting to find a way of eating which will be sustainable. I am low carb, high-ish fat. I am not trying for ketogenesis but may be there anyway, because my mental position is, to eat no carbs. But I am not slavish about it, I am generally aware but don’t formally count carbs and don’t worry too much about those in above-ground veg, so of course I do consume carbs in limited amounts which I monitor with a BG meter.
I have found that my appetite and relationship with hunger has changed completely - whether because of the changed diet or because of the metformin in (1g twice a day), I am often not hungry, or perhaps a little hungry but not interested in eating - if I ignore it, it goes away. More a suggestion than an imperative.
I seem to be slipping into a mode of eating twice a day, lunchtime and dinner, which works just fine - at those times I am genuinely hungry and ready to eat, and it feels good to experience the justifiable physical prompt to eat, and satisfy it with just enough food to reach satiety. I can’t remember the last time, in my pre-T2 existence, when I let myself be genuinely hungry. I ate A LOT. All the time.
In fact, yesterday I decided to miss lunch and go for a 24 hr fast - it seemed natural and easy. But I was ready for my dinner by the evening, which also felt appropriate. I was previously appalled by the notion of fasting when a friend embraced the 5:2 fast, now apparently, it feels right.
I have lost over 9kg in 6 weeks, and by BG meter tells me that my readings range from around 4.5 to under 7 almost all the time, variable by time of day and interval after eating. I do still spike sometimes as I try new things, and like many people I find some things really hard to give up completely - for me, that’s bread and the occasional Latte. I used to love a Latte with home-made wholemeal toast and Meridian peanut butter. I am slowly working out that I can have one small slice of toast with a little PB, and a black coffee. Or a Latte on its own. But not both together, and not every day.
I have had 2 appointments with a DN, one the day after diagnosis and a follow-up a couple of weeks later for foot checks. In neither appointment did she explain about causes, effects, expectations, prognosis or indeed anything at all about diabetes. She did not discuss diet, or even comment on the BG figures I showed her where I had reduced my BG from around 17 on my first reading to consistently under 10, and decreasing, in 2 weeks. She did not explain about what the foot tests were or why she was doing them, or why I should go for a diabetic eye exam.
In effect, she appears to be all about the admin, ticking off the required activities and booking me in for ‘education’ (which won’t be happening, since despite us agreeing that I would be signed up for an online resource, I received an invite to multiple lengthy sessions in another town. Sigh...).
Thankfully I have the interest, motivation and resources to take responsibility for my own health so actually, I am ok with this disinterested attitude. I have recently gained online access to my full blood results and my lipid profile was shocking - at least she didn’t suggest statins!
This is my kick up the butt - it’s been overdue for years and I am actually quite enjoying building a better relationship with food and taking control of my body and weight, with the realisation that this is sustainable, unlike the low fat, eat less mantra I had previously believed.
I hope to achieve remission and come off the metformin in time, but I know that I am in this for life. It is not easy, and I fully anticipate some reversals along the way, but I have found there are unexpected silver linings and some satisfaction to be had in terms of achievements and new experiences. It doesn’t have to be all bad!
At the beginning of Dec 2019 I developed extreme thirst and appallingly blurry vision virtually overnight - I recognised the symptoms immediately, as a work colleague had suffered the same and been diagnosed as T2. So I presented myself to the GP the next working day in a fasting state and went off to get my bloods done. They phoned me back in the evening with the diagnosis, I was indeed now T2 and my HB1AC was 87.
Frankly this was no real surprise, my diet had been appalling for years, many ready meals and processed food, and cake... really quite a lot of cake! So I immediately stopped eating carbs and sugar, and started a lot of googling, which brought me here almost immediately. I have been lurking for a while! You have all been most helpful without realising it, thank you.
Since then I have slowly settled into a better understanding of what this is, and I am starting to find a way of eating which will be sustainable. I am low carb, high-ish fat. I am not trying for ketogenesis but may be there anyway, because my mental position is, to eat no carbs. But I am not slavish about it, I am generally aware but don’t formally count carbs and don’t worry too much about those in above-ground veg, so of course I do consume carbs in limited amounts which I monitor with a BG meter.
I have found that my appetite and relationship with hunger has changed completely - whether because of the changed diet or because of the metformin in (1g twice a day), I am often not hungry, or perhaps a little hungry but not interested in eating - if I ignore it, it goes away. More a suggestion than an imperative.
I seem to be slipping into a mode of eating twice a day, lunchtime and dinner, which works just fine - at those times I am genuinely hungry and ready to eat, and it feels good to experience the justifiable physical prompt to eat, and satisfy it with just enough food to reach satiety. I can’t remember the last time, in my pre-T2 existence, when I let myself be genuinely hungry. I ate A LOT. All the time.
In fact, yesterday I decided to miss lunch and go for a 24 hr fast - it seemed natural and easy. But I was ready for my dinner by the evening, which also felt appropriate. I was previously appalled by the notion of fasting when a friend embraced the 5:2 fast, now apparently, it feels right.
I have lost over 9kg in 6 weeks, and by BG meter tells me that my readings range from around 4.5 to under 7 almost all the time, variable by time of day and interval after eating. I do still spike sometimes as I try new things, and like many people I find some things really hard to give up completely - for me, that’s bread and the occasional Latte. I used to love a Latte with home-made wholemeal toast and Meridian peanut butter. I am slowly working out that I can have one small slice of toast with a little PB, and a black coffee. Or a Latte on its own. But not both together, and not every day.
I have had 2 appointments with a DN, one the day after diagnosis and a follow-up a couple of weeks later for foot checks. In neither appointment did she explain about causes, effects, expectations, prognosis or indeed anything at all about diabetes. She did not discuss diet, or even comment on the BG figures I showed her where I had reduced my BG from around 17 on my first reading to consistently under 10, and decreasing, in 2 weeks. She did not explain about what the foot tests were or why she was doing them, or why I should go for a diabetic eye exam.
In effect, she appears to be all about the admin, ticking off the required activities and booking me in for ‘education’ (which won’t be happening, since despite us agreeing that I would be signed up for an online resource, I received an invite to multiple lengthy sessions in another town. Sigh...).
Thankfully I have the interest, motivation and resources to take responsibility for my own health so actually, I am ok with this disinterested attitude. I have recently gained online access to my full blood results and my lipid profile was shocking - at least she didn’t suggest statins!
This is my kick up the butt - it’s been overdue for years and I am actually quite enjoying building a better relationship with food and taking control of my body and weight, with the realisation that this is sustainable, unlike the low fat, eat less mantra I had previously believed.
I hope to achieve remission and come off the metformin in time, but I know that I am in this for life. It is not easy, and I fully anticipate some reversals along the way, but I have found there are unexpected silver linings and some satisfaction to be had in terms of achievements and new experiences. It doesn’t have to be all bad!
