Not coping

[CIarebear]

Hiya, I'm fairly newly diagnosed, June this year. I'm massively struggling with food and seem to have fallen into bad habbits. I know it sounds stupid but can you be addicted to chocolate?! Because I'm pretty sure I am, when I wake up in the morning I have to have some, then bits and bobs throughout the day, then more in the evening, sometimes I even wake up in the night and have some. We're not even talking small amounts, probably a 200g sized dairy milk a day at least.

When I was first diagnosed I was slighty better for a while with my food, but I've let it slip massively and I struggled so much with the low/no carbs thing. I initially lost 2.5 stone in weight, its still coming off slowly but obviously Im hindering it.

I am suffering with re-occuring thrush which is the reason I've got so fed up and come on here for advice. I've had it 3 times in the last month and keep taking a fluconazole tablet each time, the thrush is really getting me down.

I feel like I've burried my head in the sand, hoping that if I ingore it its just going to go away, and without the thrush issues I'd probably still be ignoring it.

I used to check my readings often but I havent been recently, and when I do check it ive found convincing myself that its 'not too bad' even if the reading is in the low 20s. I currently take a single 750mg sr metformin and 2 gliclazide each day.

Appologies if this post frustrates anyone, I know I'm not helping myself

 

[Guzzler]

Those of us with T2 and poorly managed bg have a tendency toward fungal infections such as Thrush.

As for chocolate, all carbs at levels of the western diet are addictive and chocolate even more so for a number of reasons. It has the exact fat to sugar ratio that our bodies find almost impossible to deny ourselves and because it can mimick chemicals in the brain that directly affect the 'pleasure centre'.
Chocolate is perhaps one of the hardest of the baddies to give up alongside bread.

If you like dark (over 85% cocoa content) chocolate then an occasional square after a lower carb meal can be acceptable.

 

[catapillar]

I am suffering with re-occuring thrush which is the reason I've got so fed up and come on here for advice. I've had it 3 times in the last month and keep taking a fluconazole tablet each time, the thrush is really getting me down.

Yeast infections feed on sugar. If your blood sugar levels are in the 20s (or really if they are in double figures) you will be peeing out sugar. High blood sugar levels is why you can't get rid of the thrush, it makes you the perfect habitat for a yeast infection. If you want to get rid of the thrush, getting your blood sugars in check will help. That's the immediate consequence of eating a 200g dairy milk as midnight snack. Understanding the immediate consequence might help motivate you to stop ignoring it?

 

[AdamJames]

Hiya, I'm fairly newly diagnosed, June this year. I'm massively struggling with food and seem to have fallen into bad habbits. I know it sounds stupid but can you be addicted to chocolate?! Because I'm pretty sure I am, when I wake up in the morning I have to have some, then bits and bobs throughout the day, then more in the evening, sometimes I even wake up in the night and have some. We're not even talking small amounts, probably a 200g sized dairy milk a day at least.

When I was first diagnosed I was slighty better for a while with my food, but I've let it slip massively and I struggled so much with the low/no carbs thing. I initially lost 2.5 stone in weight, its still coming off slowly but obviously Im hindering it.

I am suffering with re-occuring thrush which is the reason I've got so fed up and come on here for advice. I've had it 3 times in the last month and keep taking a fluconazole tablet each time, the thrush is really getting me down.

I feel like I've burried my head in the sand, hoping that if I ingore it its just going to go away, and without the thrush issues I'd probably still be ignoring it.

I used to check my readings often but I havent been recently, and when I do check it ive found convincing myself that its 'not too bad' even if the reading is in the low 20s. I currently take a single 750mg sr metformin and 2 gliclazide each day.

Appologies if this post frustrates anyone, I know I'm not helping myself

I can relate to that: able to take drastic action and lose a lot of weight, also prone to stopping taking it seriously and getting addicted to food. I'll leave you guessing about whether I can relate to the thrush thing

I find it's best to accept what I am. I am that mouse in a cage who will eat as much sugar as I have access to. I should be a higher life-form able to make sensible decisions and predict future outcomes, but apparently I'm not.

So you have to fight yourself. A lot of it starts in the shop.

I used to convince myself I could "buy this chocolate" and make it last a week. Yes, right. That has proven to be wrong every. single. time. So you need to stop deluding yourself. Give yourself a punch in the face.

Why not try scaring yourself also, if you respond well to that sort of thing (it works for me. I don't really get scared but I swallow hard and think that I should probably take it more seriously). Look at just how high the stats are for diabetes complications such as retinopathy. Look at research which takes a hard-line stance on bg targets to aim for: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php

Conversely if readings in the 20s give you "catastrophic thinking" and make you inclined to give up, take a look at the studies in which quite a few people with readings in the 30s managed to reverse the condition and get some encouragement to do something about it.

The problem I have is possibly one you have: unless you can see for sure you are about to have something bad happen to you, you can tell yourself it might not - diabetes is just a number, until it's your eyes. Or your foot. Or your heart.

So I try to take a balanced approach: chill out, but take it seriously.

 

[Mr_Pot]

If you can't give up chocolate immediately, don't buy Dairy Milk which is 56% carbs get some Lindt 90% chocolate which is 14% carbs. When you get used to high cocoa chocolate you can nibble a few squares like a gourmet rather than eat a whole bar of Dairy Milk.

 

[ickihun]

@ClareBearJ i feel your pain. I had thrush for 2.5yrs, throughout a pregnancy and thereafter til i met my endocrinologist in Sunderland. As you can imagine, i was going out of my mind with it all. It brought back my childhood horrific memories of night thrush and how demented it had me. Not great memories but did remind me that i had diabetes even at 6yr old (40+yrs).
Even today the build up of sugar effects me more at night if i dont manage it properly.
You have the ability to kick this high sugar into place and keep on top of it. Does the gliclizide help at all? 1 metformin wont do much at all. Why are you only on 750mg total metformin?
How long have you been diagnosed again?

What has turned you off low carb eating? You need this way of eating as much as or if not more than meds.
Even if you just concentrate on diet you will regain control again.
Low carbing has to be forever now. How strict you are is up to you but high carb eating is going to turn you blind or leg/foot or toeless permenantly. Thats if your kidneys can survive.
Start now. Put all your chocolate in the outside bin. Dont buy any more. If you dont buy it, you cannot eat it.
No more chovolate til you have this nasty beast in hand.

You can do it. Definitely. You can.

Go now and throw all high carb food in the bin. At least the chocolate.
If you want to bag the other high carb foods somewhere difficult to access til you can give to food bank, so be it.

No more high carb foods now. Please.
Your too precious to damage with sugary blood coursing through your veins and into your beautiful mind.
I assure you you arent addicted to chocolate, you are just carb craving, constantly. Break the high carb eating circle and the cravings will go. This isnt you being reckless but your hormones reacting to high carb sugary foods.
Take this out of control urges in hand by not buying chocolate, any, for now. Fill up on protein, lean meats and fish with veg. Stir frys and omelettes. Chicken and veg with spices if you like alot of flavour.
Get into tell us on low-carb area of firumwhat you have eaten today. Search for low-carb shopping list on here too.
Take control.
Before its too late!

 

[Caz_B]

I can relate to the being really good at first and then lapsing. Don't beat yourself up....i don't know many diabetics who haven't done that. I just don't keep any sweet nice foods indoors as i have no willpower....therefore no temptation and going to the shop just for something nice is too much effort. Once you get over the initial hard bit of not eating sweet stuff you actually don't crave it anymore. I'm having trouble with my sugar level even though i'm being really strict at the moment....not sure if i have thrush or just imflammed but as the doc said use caneston cream. I have also found that bathing using Dead Sea Salt as opposed to bubble bath or just water really helps.....really calms it down. Xx

 

[ickihun]

Ps. Buy canestan soothing liquip soap. It's £7.99 a bottle out of boots but it works immediately. I have used 2% cream but ended up on 6mths worth of pessaries on prescription whilst i got insulin at the right dosage and far lower bgs.
Let me know once you have thrown those high carbs out which are causing it.

 

[EllieM]

Males please feel free not to read this post. I can also recommend canesten cream (as a Type I I've had thrush after every pregnancy and occasionally when may blood sugars are less than ideal). I'd recommend pessaries as they not only treat the infection but give pretty well instant relief.
As regards chocolate, sugar etc... Sugar is definitely addictive, but if you can keep off it the cravings do go eventually. I used to yearn for maltezers and chocolate covered almonds, but I really don't feel the attraction any more (well, maybe the almonds if it's really good quality chocolate!).
Good luck

 

[blanc71]

Wasn't massive on chocolate before diagnoses.
Now I find it impossible NOT to have some every day.
BUT I only have 85% or 90% chocolate.Don't buy 99%,waste of money and resembles eating charcoal.

 

[Guzzler]

Just an FYI men can develope Thrush and of course we know that we can infect our partners with it.
Another factlet is that in rare cases the fungus can travel upwards causing untold problems.

 

[AdamJames]

Males please feel free not to read this post.

That made me read it twice, and carefully. A bit like a button that says "do not press"!

As if that wasn't enough, I Googled pressary.

Thanks.

For.

That.

Just an FYI men can develope Thrush

What he said. But if I'd ever had it, I wouldn't admit to it. And I've never had it. Since I lowered my bgs.

 

[AdamJames]

@ClareBearJ i feel your pain. I had thrush for 2.5yrs, throughout a pregnancy and thereafter til i met my endocrinologist in Sunderland. As you can imagine, i was going out of my mind with it all. It brought back my childhood horrific memories of night thrush and how demented it had me. Not great memories but did remind me that i had diabetes even at 6yr old (40+yrs).
Even today the build up of sugar effects me more at night if i dont manage it properly.
You have the ability to kick this high sugar into place and keep on top of it. Does the gliclizide help at all? 1 metformin wont do much at all. Why are you only on 750mg total metformin?
How long have you been diagnosed again?

What has turned you off low carb eating? You need this way of eating as much as or if not more than meds.
Even if you just concentrate on diet you will regain control again.
Low carbing has to be forever now. How strict you are is up to you but high carb eating is going to turn you blind or leg/foot or toeless permenantly. Thats if your kidneys can survive.
Start now. Put all your chocolate in the outside bin. Dont buy any more. If you dont buy it, you cannot eat it.
No more chovolate til you have this nasty beast in hand.

You can do it. Definitely. You can.

Go now and throw all high carb food in the bin. At least the chocolate.
If you want to bag the other high carb foods somewhere difficult to access til you can give to food bank, so be it.

No more high carb foods now. Please.
Your too precious to damage with sugary blood coursing through your veins and into your beautiful mind.
I assure you you arent addicted to chocolate, you are just carb craving, constantly. Break the high carb eating circle and the cravings will go. This isnt you being reckless but your hormones reacting to high carb sugary foods.
Take this out of control urges in hand by not buying chocolate, any, for now. Fill up on protein, lean meats and fish with veg. Stir frys and omelettes. Chicken and veg with spices if you like alot of flavour.
Get into tell us on low-carb area of firumwhat you have eaten today. Search for low-carb shopping list on here too.
Take control.
Before its too late!

Great post. I have to say, though...

Start now. Put all your chocolate in the outside bin.

I did that quite recently. The problem is, the bin was still accessible, and the stuff I threw out was still there in the morning - briefly! There's not a lot I won't go through for sweet stuff. I know someone who isn't diabetic but struggles with weight, when she feels she's gone out of control she pours washing up liquid on any remaining stuff she has then bins it.

There must be a name for this sort of behaviour, a bit like bulimia. Binimia or something?

 

[Guzzler]

That made me read it twice, and carefully. A bit like a button that says "do not press"!

As if that wasn't enough, I Googled pressary.

Thanks.

For.

That.



What he said. But if I'd ever had it, I wouldn't admit to it. And I've never had it. Since I lowered my bgs.

That's good. It is irritating to the point of distraction!

 

[EllieM]

Just another piece of info you all may not want... A number of inhalers for asthmatics have thrush in the throat as a possible side effect. My son was told to gargle after using his inhaler to prevent this....

 

[AdamJames]

Just another piece of info you all may not want... A number of inhalers for asthmatics have thrush in the throat as a possible side effect. My son was told to gargle after using his inhaler to prevent this....

And this *would* have to be the last post I read before I go to bed.

Nightmares.

Thanks.

For.

That.

Again.

 

[Guzzler]

Erm... not sure if I should say this but you can also contract Thrush from young babies who sometimes develope it in the upper digestive tract including the mouth so be aware about kissing that new baby your cousin just had.

 

[wiflib]

That made me read it twice, and carefully. A bit like a button that says "do not press"!

As if that wasn't enough, I Googled pressary.

Thanks.

For.

That.



What he said. But if I'd ever had it, I wouldn't admit to it. And I've never had it. Since I lowered my bgs.

Why is it something you wouldn’t admit to? It’s just a fungal infection like athletes foot and jock itch. Babies get it.

 

[Daphne917]

Wasn't massive on chocolate before diagnoses.
Now I find it impossible NOT to have some every day.
BUT I only have 85% or 90% chocolate.Don't buy 99%,waste of money and resembles eating charcoal.

Strangely enough neither was I - an open bar of chocolate would sit in the fridge for about 3 weeks before it was eaten and tins of Xmas choccies were finished around Easter but I’ve since discovered Lindt and Green&Blacks dark chocolate and have some most nights so a bar only lasts about a week now!

 

[Ultramum]

It is so difficult to give up on chocolate. I went cold turkey on the low carb high fat route to start.

If you find that changing to high cocoa chocolate doesn't give you the 'fix' you need then try slowly upping the cocoa content to say 60% and then grating it (goes much further) into a bowl of extra thick double cream. Eat it slowly with a very small spoon - I use a coffee spoon.

You can then gradually move onto 70% and a little less chocolate on your cream.

Hope that helps in some way. Well done for wanting to sort he problem out - that is a great first step and you WILL get there.