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Spiralling Health Problems

svalentine60

Active Member
Messages
25
Hi,

Have finally decided to get involved with the forum because i seem to making a mess of everything while trying to do it alone and have felt embarrassed and a bit ashamed of my spiralling diabetes type 2 and other health problems due to my own actions. I'm 57, divorced and live with my student son whose 22. I was told i had pre-diabetes a few years ago. Maybe around 5 or 6. Doctor just said i was prediabetic and he'd test me again in a year. Didn't say anything else. What i could do etc to stop becoming diabetic and i knew nothing so off i went and continued to have 4 sugars in my tea and high sugar content junk food on a daily basis. Was then diagnosed diabetic a few months later and again not given much info but given 500mg of Metformin to take a day which kept my sugars at a normal level for quite a while. I have had other health and mental health problems for a few years. I have a severe anxiety disorder, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc. My sugars just kept getting higher. I told my diabetic nurse and doctor many times i was struggling. That i felt constantly hungry even directly after i had eaten. That for some reason i couldn't stop eating sweets, chocolate, white bread etc daily. Nothing much was said so each time i came away feeling alone and on a downward spiral. It got worse and worse. My daughter died at xmas 2015 suddenly and my world collapsed and i feel just as bereft today, every minute of every day. My sugars continue to spiral and i would call myself an emotional eater. My sugars are often on average 12 and upwards when i wake up and haven't eaten since dinner the night before. I now take 9 tablets a day consisting of Metformin, Levothyroxine, Ramipril, Beta blockers, Avarstatin, sitagliptin, Amlodipine. I'm only 5ft 3 and should weigh around 9.5 stone. I weight 12st 7. I have tried every diet known to man and last a whole day sometimes. I've been in a lot of pain lately and my doctor thinks it is likely gallstones but of course my anxiety makes it worse. I have pain in the abdomen, swollen stomach and sore stomach a lot, upper back pain etc and am waiting for a scan which is frightening me because my anxiety makes me think it is something far worse (How can gallstones cause so much constant pain in lots of places etc). I decided yesterday to start intermittent fasting after watching a documentary. Lasted all day yesterday until the evening when i had four slices of high fat pizza. Started again today and at 11am went and had pate on two pieces of white toast. So you can see my struggle. I have no idea how to improve my health, how to lower my sugars. Healthy foods that i enjoy are in the main too expensive for me and everyday I am aware that with all my health problems already at my age, that i am unlikely to see old age unless i do something now. Sorry for the ramble but I do feel a bit better having said it all out loud even if it is online x
 
Hi there @svalentine60

I'll start by tagging @daisy1 to give you some info.
Sounds like your doctors let you down and you have had too much to cope with.
Lots of people have had similar experiences (without the loss of a child, condolences). Also tagging @Resurgam As she may have good ideas for you.
 
Hi welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the welcome pack.

Most of us do low carb. Once you get over carb withdrawal you find your not hungry all the time.

Read around the forum and ask lots of questions.

Lookup fat head dough for yummy pizza. It also makes great garlic bread.
 
Your main aim should be to control your diabetes, don't worry about your weight as that is often resolved once blood glucose normalizes.
Start your day with a satisfying breakfast, but with only a small amount of carbohydrate. Plan your meals and get rid of the things high in carbohydrate as they cause hunger.
Once you can stop the roller-coaster ride of high carb, high insulin response, low blood sugar, hunger and more carbs you should find it a lot easier - but bread potatoes rice and all things sugary are not your friends and should not be trusted in your diet.
 
Welcome.
My personal view is that you have nothing to be ashamed off. You are just an involuntary carbohydrate addict.
It is a hard habit to break, and you won't manage that by being hungry.

As @xfieldok says, replacing the carbohydrates with fats and protein can allow you to eat until you are full and also control your blood glucose levels.

The first step is realising that it isn't a diet but a different way of eating.

The second step is forgetting much of what you have been told about what is healthy and what is bad for you.

A good start to the day is a Full English (Irish, whatever) breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushroom, tomato. Sausages (90%+ pork) if you fancy. Just don't have the toast, hash browns, whatever carbohydrates.

That should set you up for the rest of the day and you won't be hanging on like grim death trying not to eat until you crack and then stuff yourself full of comfort food.

Eat cheese, ham, avocado, nuts. Keeps you full and away from those bad, bad carbohydrates.

There are vast amounts of information on this forum. Dig in and enjoy.
 
Hi, welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear about your problems.

I agree with what has been said so far. I would start by reducing carbs and keep intermittent fasting on the back burner for a while. If you feel hungry have some cheese or nuts, as someone else said this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change, so you shouldn't have to put up with feeling hungry, the hunger gets less when you have fewer carbs.

Well done for starting this thread. Keep asking for advice when you need it and you won't go far wrong.
 
svalentine60 said:
Sorry for the ramble but I do feel a bit better having said it all out loud even if it is online x
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum and it's great that you have opened up to fellow forum members. There's no need to apologise, that's a lot of horrible stuff to deal with. I think what you eat and the diabetes are the first things to get control of and from my experience you'll be surprised how some of the other things fall into place.

You recognise your problems which is a good things, makes it a lot easier to do something about, however daunting you might feel, it will be manageable. As others have already said, lowering carbs is a very good idea, for lowering BG and you will also find lower total cholesterol. I was taking Gliclazide, Januvia and Atorvastatin as well as the BP meds before I cut the carbs. I'd given up alcohol 10 years ago but it wasn't until I cut out potato, bread, pasta and rice that things improved. I was able to throw away Gliclazide, Januvia and Atorvastatin, lost weight and everything improved, so the low carb approach was a "no brainer" and the best thing I ever did, despite the advice of a previous GP.

Healthy foods don't have to be expensive, although I don't know which ones you like. I now eat a lot of vegetables and we're lucky to have a real greengrocer whose produce, mostly grown locally, is much cheaper than any of the supermarkets. To overcome temptation, and we're all human, I don't buy the bad stuff in the first place. Bread for toast I might eat once a week but I don't miss rice/past/potato, processed foods haven't been in my fridge since the early 1990s because of the weight issues I started to have because of eating "Ready Meals". Cooking from scratch doesn't have to take much more than 30 minutes. I use the steamer a lot, so I don't even have to watch things cook.

Try and concentrate on a change of regime and remove carbs bit by bit if necessary. I'm sure the weight loss will follow eventually. Avoiding food all together is doomed from the start unless you have amazing will power. Look at things like tomatoes and nuts and bits of cheese if tempted.

All the best.
 
svalentine60 said:
Thank you very much for the fast replies and for making me feel welcome. I will look around the forum and take in the advice you've given me.
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome
I can quite understand why you’re struggling - the loss of a close loved one is always hard to bear and even more when they are younger - the stress of this will have had a big impact on you. Whatever you do to move forward being kind to yourself has to be your starting point. Making yourself suffer hunger is definitely not being kind to yourself. As others have said start by eating until you are full but only foods that don’t put up your blood sugars of which there are many delicious things!
Good starting point to learn about the best things to eat is
Www.dietdoctor.com
Try to put weight loss worry to one side it will happen once you get your sugars down. The other huge plus of this way of eating is that once you stop feeling hungry provided that you don’t carb load you won’t get that dreadful after hunger that follows the sugar rush. Keeping that more stable will also help you feel a bit more level.
Take care and keep asking for support or advice as and when you need it.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. My condolences on your loss.

There are a few websites that I can recommend for delicious, healthy meals that will satisfy your hunger and improve your health. Dietdoctor.com and Ditchthecarbs.com are great tools to use. There is also a fantastic array of members own recipes right here on the forum under the Food and Nutrition area.

The very first thing that I would advise you to do is to stop blaming yourself, this condition is not self inflicted.
Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.
 
Sheesh, you've been through way too much, with no support to speak of...! I am so sorry for your loss, health issues and heartache. As others have said, you're simply addicted to carbs. Most people are these days and don't know it, comes with the standard western diet, so it's nothing to be ashamed of. Thing is, as a diabetic you can't process carbs. The good news; you can stop worrying about fat, as that isn't the culprit, and as a T2, it may very well be your best friend. Besides a meter, which can help you find out what foods agree with you and which don't. (Check before a meal and 2 hours after first bite. If it's up more than 2 mmol/l, it was too carby and not repeat-worthy) For one thing, don't go hungry. If you're hungry you won't stick with any diet in the long run, after all. Intermittent fasting is great, but if you're going to load up on carbs after it defeats the purpose. And it's easier to fast if you've gotten used to less carbs, you won't feel hungry much if at all, if you fast then. Want to snack? Or feeling the need for comfort food? Olives, pecans, walnuts, cheese, cold cuts, pork scratchings etc will help you through without spiking your bloodsugars. Go for an english brekkie without the toast and beans, you'll feel full on eggs, bacon and mushrooms for hours and hours. Full fat greek yoghurt with some berries is okay, or strawberries with cream. Salads are good, and meat/fish (without added carbs like breading or sugary marinade) with above-ground veggies will help too, so it's not a rabbit's diet. Extra dark chocolate (82%+) takes some getting used to, but I'm hooked now, as my palate has changed. As yours will. Low carb or even ketogenic diets (keto is less than 20 grams of carbs a day) help with bloodsugarcontrol, and might help with your thyroid too. Bloodpressure may drop as you lose weight, the various pains too. (I hurt more in my joints and back when there was more of me to haul around). I dropped my diabetes meds and statins after 3 months. Could work for you too. Just don't kick yourself around over being a T2; you've been kicked around enough already! The doc left you in the cold here, and you were genetically predisposed to get this, so you're not to blame here. But you can tackle it now. And without having to starve or punish yourself.
You can do this!
 

Good advice already offered so I'll just answer on the gallstones. I had my gallbladder removed less than 3 months after giving birth when I had just turned 22. I rolled the floor in pain many a night. They are very painful and can cause pain all over (pain can go up to the shoulder too) - one of the reasons it's hard to diagnose. Greasy food can cause problems in some people. If you find this is the case with you then don't eat them. Simple advice, but it helps a bit. I understand the anxiety too - you are dealing with a lot, you will find lots of helpful advice here. Take care and look after yourself.
 
A huge hug to you for all that you've recently gone through. And it is 'recently' - my mum passed away 20 years ago from diabetes complications and I will always be grieving for her. I had a miscarriage just over a year ago and it exacerbated diabetes in me, as chocolate biscuits and crisps were my comfort food and at the time, comfort food was more important than anything. But then diabetes things got mixed in with depression and being deaf and I didn't know which was which - sleeping a lot, lack of balance, general not feeling good, difficulty driving at night.

As stated above, be kind to yourself. Every day. There will be days that don't work - just hopefully not every day. Many people here do cut out carbs, myself included, and it's hard because carbs are addictive. I'm happy to not eat pasta, potatoes, cereal, but bread, chocolate, biscuits have been a struggle because they are easy to just grab. Changing that habit doesn't necessarily involve eating what some people think of as 'healthy' (salads) - I tend to eat omelettes, fry-ups, lots of meat, bacon (I count bacon as its own food group!), cheese, low-carb jelly with double cream and high-cocoa chocolate grated on top. Make sure you do eat - if you don't, you'll be hungry and more likely to reach for something high carb, as you've found out.
 
Thanks everyone. Amazing advice very quickly after posting. I didn't know about low carbs etc so that is something i will put into practise right away. Thank you very much for the help and i'll let you know how i get on.
 
Hi - You've a lot going on and it takes strength to ask for help. Well done.
This forum is privileged to be part of your team and on your side, but with so much happening in your health and well being it is important that you take whatever you read here in the context of what your health care professionals are saying.
Lots of great practical advice so far so I'll try not to add to the noise but a few things to add:
i) because of your anxiety bear in mind that the Diabetes journey creates lots of opportunity for anxiety. Whenever something concerns you, blood test results, physical events, whatever, share them here and people will help you interpret - chances are someone will have the answer.
ii) you've been in a personal crisis for a long time - try to stay patient. Don't expect instant results. Don't overwhelm yourself with a big plan. Just take this day by day. Make a plan for tomorrow. Then try the next day. Then maybe make a plan for a week. Then two weeks. It gets easier.
iii) there are bumps in the road. If you hit one, come here, rant about it, then hit reset and go again.
iv) there are no stupid questions.

If you feel able to, talk to your son about this forum. It may be helpful for him to set up his own profile, so if you have some difficult moments he can come and ask questions on your behalf and help you get through it. There are quite a lot of people with diabetic relatives who use this site. I'm sure he's hurting too given all you have been through together.
 

Thank you for that I have tried already to stop eating the rubbish i have been. I also have fatty liver but yet again was just told i had it and no info on what it mean't or what i could do. I do feel totally lost and a bit scared to be honest. I feel so unwell all the time. Waiting for a gall bladder scan but no letter yet still. Today i have eaten but just had some chicken breast and some kale. Nothing with sugar in so just hope i can keep that up. Maybe the pain i'm in now has woken me up because i would have just carried on eating anything and everything. Thank you for being so welcoming.
 
Well fatty liver responds well to a low carb diet, it helps if you don't have diet fizzy drinks too. I had a fatty liver for years and wasn't told about it, a fatty liver often comes hand in hand with T2, so the two conditions should improve together.
 
I don't know if anyone has already said (sorry, not got time to read the thread to find out) but it's a good idea to ask for a print out of the actual results of any blood tests you have had so you can watch your progress. Alternatively you can ask to see the results online. Then you can ask us if there's something you don't understand.
 
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