Newly diagnosed

[ukWill]

Felt unwell - like my body was collapsing and giving up. My dr ordered the HBAc1 test and my score was 90 - apparently high. He told me over the phone I have diabetes - most unkind I thought. I cried as I don’t need yet another health complication. Up to 4 Metformin tablets a day now along with lots of nausea. Any advice for the nausea other than meds? I have been briefly told to reduce my carbs but I am finding it difficult to think of what to eat every day, carbs was what I enjoyed. Feeling a bit down with this sudden change in diet. Which thread can I look at for guidance that is not too overwhelming. Thanks, Will

 

[HSSS]

Welcome. Shock and feeling low after diagnosis is common. As is confusion, resentment but for those of us who come here and follow the advice we get it surprisingly often turns to relief. We make the necessary changes and finally feel healthier than we have in years.
Here’s a great post to start with. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ Have a read and come back and ask lots of questions and get lots of support. You are not alone.

 

[ukWill]

Thank you HSSS. Read the diet thingy. What about high cholesterol eating all the fatty things? I can’t eat dairy so no milk, cheese, cream etc. Seems like it’s all protein. Is there a veg list that is diabetic friendly. I know I could research all this but it is just doing my head in at the moment.

 

[Rachox]

Hi @ukWill and welcome to the club no one wants to join. Diet Dr is a useful website for carb levels of different foods. There’s loads of info available for free, no subscription necessary:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/guides
Here’s a link to their low carb guides of different types of foods including a veggies guide:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

 

[MrsA2]

can’t eat dairy

Can I ask why not? I used to think I was lactose intolerant as I used to get stomach upsets after eating, but since going low carb that's all cleared up and it's turned out it was the wheat and grains and carbs that were upsetting me

 

[ukWill]

MrsA2, thanks for your message. Dairy makes me very ill, I have been on elimination diets many times. It is not the wheat, grains or carbs, they do not make me ill,other than the diabetes now. Glad you found out what is not good for you.

 

[Resurgam]

@ukWill I started off at the same levels of Hba1c and was soon back in normal numbers.
I'd have liked to have had my GP tell me over the phone - he lied and said that the appointment 10 days later was a routine follow up, and then told me I was a 'very bad diabetic'. They really are not used to joined up thinking.
I stick to low carb food, using a blood glucose meter to see how I react to them.
These days I am in normal numbers and just do not eat anything low fat. The essential foods are protein and fat.

 

[ukWill]

Resurgam, thank you for your message. I think many GPs lack a compassionate bedside manner which is not helpful when one is dealing with a new and difficult diagnosis. I am horrified how there is no holistic overview and joined up thinking.
It is encouraging to hear that your numbers have returned to normal numbers.
I just can’t reconcile myself with high protein and fat when I struggle with high cholesterol and NASH. It seems I am left with salad leaves to eat?!

 

[HSSS]

Thank you HSSS. Read the diet thingy. What about high cholesterol eating all the fatty things? I can’t eat dairy so no milk, cheese, cream etc. Seems like it’s all protein. Is there a veg list that is diabetic friendly. I know I could research all this but it is just doing my head in at the moment.

Almost all of us going low carb find our triglycerides fall to really good levels and these are the real baddies of cholesterol. Again most of us find our good cholesterol rises which is also desirable. LDL, known as the bad cholesterol, is more variable. Many find that falls but a noticeable minority see no change or a slight rise. However…..it is the ratios that are more predictive especially hdl/triglycerides, the LDL figure is a calculation not actually a measurement and is reliant on certain assumptions that do not necessarily hold true when eating low carb/keto and do not take account of the fact that LDL itself can be small dense and potentially harmful or large buoyant and potentially protective. That needs a rarely done measurement. Low carb and keto promote the latter good version which goes unseen in the standard tests. Total levels that don’t look at all aspects are like a chocolate teapot. Useless despite the prescribing of (blood glucose raising/muscle aching/brainfog potential side effects) statins like smarties as a result of total figures.

Add in the fact that if a person is actively losing weight no matter what method they use they will often have a temporary rise in total cholesterol.

there is a huge thread in here posted by Bulkbiker if you want to wade through it. Or the same diet doctor website does a good summary too.

fundementally for those of us metabolically challenged it’s the carbs that raise cholesterol not the fat. It’s a big myth that never did have good quality evidence. Many well informed drs would agree and have published much on the subject

 

[Resurgam]

Resurgam, thank you for your message. I think many GPs lack a compassionate bedside manner which is not helpful when one is dealing with a new and difficult diagnosis. I am horrified how there is no holistic overview and joined up thinking.
It is encouraging to hear that your numbers have returned to normal numbers.
I just can’t reconcile myself with high protein and fat when I struggle with high cholesterol and NASH. It seems I am left with salad leaves to eat?!

We need protein and fat - and not seed oils but naturally occurring lipids - it is a simple fact of nature.
When I abandoned the diet sheets the GP printed out 'to reduce cholesterol' I was hugely fat as low fat high carb doesn't suit me at all. When tested again my cholesterol levels had reduced - a delayed reaction the nurse told me. I laughed.
These days I eat salads in the warm weather, with meat, or fish or seafood, or eggs and cheese. I have a chop or steak with mushrooms and stirfry, curry with cauliflower instead of rice. I buy bags of mixed vegetables, the lowest carb I can find, for the freezer, along with mixed berries, or single types, again low carb. I have coffee with cream.

 

[HSSS]

Thank you HSSS. Read the diet thingy. What about high cholesterol eating all the fatty things? I can’t eat dairy so no milk, cheese, cream etc. Seems like it’s all protein. Is there a veg list that is diabetic friendly. I know I could research all this but it is just doing my head in at the moment.

Fats are for satiety and are flexible. It doesn’t have to be blocks of lard. It’s more not being low fat for many of us, and using a bit extra if we are hungry. It can come from nuts and seeds too, things like avocados or olive oil and just the naturally occurring fats in meat. They are also required for many vitamins and to keep the gallbladder healthy. Protein is important for many biological needs and many people don’t eat enough. It is a goal to meet the minimum levels. It also keeps us full for longer like fat does. Most above ground veg is fine, be more cautious with the below ground starchy ones. Salads are mostly good too. Not being able to eat dairy will make things harder I won’t lie. Despite previous elimination in your shoes once you’ve reduced the carbs a lot I’d very tentatively try a little one last time. It might (and does for many) make a difference once that factor has been removed. NASH is almost always helped by low carb and keto and in fact many people do it for just that reason.

 

[HSSS]

Another place to look might be the success and testimonials sub forum on here. Many people (me included) are/were sceptical initially as what we are saying here goes against all we’ve been told for the last 50yrs or so. But that advice isn’t working so well is it? Huge rates of obesity, diabetes, liver issues, cholesterol issues (although the goal posts have moved enormously here)….

 

[Annio]

My experience is different. Was diagnosed 93 level in October last year, after many years of feeling off. Initially I was bereft as told over phone then given Metformin. When I read I'd have to possibly go keto or no carbs I was in tears as I was not a salad/veg lover and hated eggs, cheese etc. But I knew I had to try. I told doctor I'd leave Metformin and try diet. I cut carbs out but still had some. I found a great low carb bread and a 1% healthy chocolate substitute without sweeteners. And adapted my normal food go more healthier and smaller portions. After 3months my next AC1 was 53 with one half stone loss. Carried on but still eating potatoes which never spike me ( I got a glucose monitor from doctor) I adapted recipes. But for me eating a normal, healthy diet not keto worked. I cut out the junk but do have treats within reason. I cook more from scratch but just normal food. I do eat more veg but have to cook in olive oil and roast it to make it palatable. my last test in April was 42 with nearly 3 stone loss. I have arthritis in spine so can't do much exercise. I hope to lose more and get under 42 next test. Maybe I'm lucky as potatoes, veg and even odd chocolate egg don't spike me I'm about 4/5 mmols before meal and 6/7 after. The first thing is get a blood glucose kit. Eat healthy and see what carbs/foods spike you and pick an eating regime you can stick too and be happy eating. A lot of keto advocates on here will baulk at my advice and how I've managed diabetes but it turned out the best thing for me as I feel great and food is not a compulsion anymore and starving all the time a distant memory.

 

[HSSS]

My experience is different. Was diagnosed 93 level in October last year, after many years of feeling off. Initially I was bereft as told over phone then given Metformin. When I read I'd have to possibly go keto or no carbs I was in tears as I was not a salad/veg lover and hated eggs, cheese etc. But I knew I had to try. I told doctor I'd leave Metformin and try diet. I cut carbs out but still had some. I found a great low carb bread and a 1% healthy chocolate substitute without sweeteners. And adapted my normal food go more healthier and smaller portions. After 3months my next AC1 was 53 with one half stone loss. Carried on but still eating potatoes which never spike me ( I got a glucose monitor from doctor) I adapted recipes. But for me eating a normal, healthy diet not keto worked. I cut out the junk but do have treats within reason. I cook more from scratch but just normal food. I do eat more veg but have to cook in olive oil and roast it to make it palatable. my last test in April was 42 with nearly 3 stone loss. I have arthritis in spine so can't do much exercise. I hope to lose more and get under 42 next test. Maybe I'm lucky as potatoes, veg and even odd chocolate egg don't spike me I'm about 4/5 mmols before meal and 6/7 after. The first thing is get a blood glucose kit. Eat healthy and see what carbs/foods spike you and pick an eating regime you can stick too and be happy eating. A lot of keto advocates on here will baulk at my advice and how I've managed diabetes but it turned out the best thing for me as I feel great and food is not a compulsion anymore and starving all the time a distant memory.

No balking here. You undoubtedly eat fewer carbs than you did before (maybe lots less depending on what before was like) and lower carb rather than full on keto was sufficient to achieve your results. We are all different in what it takes to get us to this point. A few in here like you can do it on compatibly more carbs than others who can cope with very few. Keto isn’t required by all. A meter is an incredibly useful tool to see how you respond as an individual so much so I’d say close to essential.

 

[RGMjp75]

Will,
When I started with Metformin, I too was nauseous, but as soon as we switched to slow release Metformin, the problem went. Now been taking them for 12 years, now as well as on insulin, for other reasons.

 

[ukWill]

RGMjp75 thank you, that is good to know. The nausea is terrible. I will ask my Dr about the the slow release version. My Dr said to go up to 4 x 500mg a day. Is there a maintenance dose level that is common for most or is it just an individual thing? How long does it take for the Metformin to bring levels down? Mine is something like 10 mmol before food and then up to 15mmol after. It is down from 18mmol before to 30mmol after. What other type of meds do people use in addition to Metformin? At the moment this is all the more difficult because after more than 2 years of hiding from covid it has found me. Feels like a ton of bricks has hit me!

 

[HSSS]

RGMjp75 thank you, that is good to know. The nausea is terrible. I will ask my Dr about the the slow release version. My Dr said to go up to 4 x 500mg a day. Is there a maintenance dose level that is common for most or is it just an individual thing? How long does it take for the Metformin to bring levels down? Mine is something like 10 mmol before food and then up to 15mmol after. It is down from 18mmol before to 30mmol after. What other type of meds do people use in addition to Metformin? At the moment this is all the more difficult because after more than 2 years of hiding from covid it has found me. Feels like a ton of bricks has hit me!

Doses are individual, typically between 1 and 4 tablets a day. It takes a couple of weeks perhaps to get to full benefit it’s never going to be huge. Diet does a LOT more than metformin does. Covid is raising levels for a lot of people, so perhaps that’s making things worse at the moment and without it you may be seeing better numbers. Take care and stick to the low carb foods as best you can.