Stuggling Pre Diabetic

Bennettwoman said:

Hello, I am hoping that someone here can reassure me that I am doing the right things for my Pre Diabetes. Firstly, the diagnosis came as a complete shock. I am 71, no history of Diabetes in my family, BMI of 24.9. I immediately set upon a LCHF diet and 8 weeks later, feel that I sort of have my sugar intake under control. However, I am still feeling tired (no energy), emotional, anxious with the most terrible brain fog.....I can hardly string two words together, which, for me, is unheard of! My doctor referred me to a Diabetes Prevention Programme and I was contacted by them and made four appointments over four weeks with them. Then last week, I got a phone call the day before my first appointment, cancelling it and all the subsequent appointments, as the programme has now been outsourced by the NHS to a private company and I have to wait for them to contact me to rearrange. I have no idea how I am doing in terms of my blood sugar levels. The doctor said he didn't need to see me again until December, all I have is a very good friend to support me and this amazing website and forum. Any advice or reassurrance would be welcome. Thank you.

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Hi @Bennettwoman , and welcome!

First thing to do: Get yourself a blood glucose monitor. You want to know what your bloods are doing, and knowledge is just a finger prick away. Test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If you see a rise of more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could handle. Can you tell us what an average day looks like for you, food wise? A lot of people follow LCHF and don't realise cereal's high in carbs, or apples, etc... So it's usually worth it to go over the current diet. As for no energy, are you eating enough fats? You could be experiencing carb/keto-flu, but it's lasting a bit long if that is what it is... So here's another question for you: have you been put on statins when diagnosed, or changed to different statins? Because they can really, really mess up your head (Not strange when you know a brain needs cholesterol and even produces its own!) and muscles/joints, cause fatigue and whatnot. So if you got diagnosed and put on statins, that could be the culprit right there. Also, on LCHF your cholesterol can go up for a bit, but that's the cholesterol that was already there, stored in your liver. As you lose weight on the diet that gets released into the bloodstream on the way out. So don't panic if you get a little higher eh, it'll come down again.

In any case, you did the right thing going LCHF... It got me off of all medication in three months, and I've been in the normal range for almost three years now. So it works. Not just for me, but for thousands of members here. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ is my own little quick-start guide, bu if you haven't read Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code yet, that might be a good next stop. Dietdoctor.com too.

You'll be okay. Your first steps in the wondrous world of T2 were the correct ones.
Jo

How are you feeling now @Bennettwoman ?

Bennettwoman said:

Hello, I am hoping that someone here can reassure me that I am doing the right things for my Pre Diabetes. Firstly, the diagnosis came as a complete shock. I am 71, no history of Diabetes in my family, BMI of 24.9. I immediately set upon a LCHF diet and 8 weeks later, feel that I sort of have my sugar intake under control. However, I am still feeling tired (no energy), emotional, anxious with the most terrible brain fog.....I can hardly string two words together, which, for me, is unheard of! My doctor referred me to a Diabetes Prevention Programme and I was contacted by them and made four appointments over four weeks with them. Then last week, I got a phone call the day before my first appointment, cancelling it and all the subsequent appointments, as the programme has now been outsourced by the NHS to a private company and I have to wait for them to contact me to rearrange. I have no idea how I am doing in terms of my blood sugar levels. The doctor said he didn't need to see me again until December, all I have is a very good friend to support me and this amazing website and forum. Any advice or reassurrance would be welcome. Thank you.

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You really should not feel like you are as you are only prediabetic so no reason for it Maybe you went into the LCHF to much to soon which can cause something they call carb flu like withdrawal symptoms. Better to do it slowly cutting down and cutting out things slowly before you stop completely If you go on feeling like you do I think you should see your doctor as something else may be going on to make you feel like you do

@Rachox has good info on meters.
Good to hear you are feeling brighter.

Diakat said:

@Rachox has good info on meters.
Good to hear you are feeling brighter.

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Thanks for the tag @Diakat
Here’s some info on meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned. For a meter with cheap strips go for the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/


With more expensive strips is the Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual


And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free which has the cheapest strips available. However I found it to be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go:

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips

http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833


Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)