Such a failure

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

You are not the only one. Lots of people are terribly worried about the prospect of going on to insulin. You might find this article helpful. The author, Jenny Ruhl, is a respected writer on diabetes, herself a T2 who has survived to be over 70 without major complications and has found great benefit from insulin, though I'm not sure if she is on it at present.

https://www.bloodsugar101.com/insulin-for-type-2-diabetes

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

I notice you mention Baileys. 7.4g carbs per glass is IMO rather a lot. I found this carb free recipe, but can't vouch for the quality! https://www.thefoodieaffair.com/sugar-free-irish-cream/ Otherwise, there is always red wine or the hard stuff.
I'm sure you can get your bs under 7, you have made such a good start, but it will probably involve sacrificing a few more carbs. Have you looked at the Diet Doctor info. on the carb content of foods?
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides
I am pretty obsessive about low carb, so always read labels and I have discovered that some cheeses are lower carb than others, also some nuts, and vegetables. Even eggs contain some carbs. These days free range chicken legs, Alaskan salmon and tinned mackerel make up the bulk of my diet, together with the lowest carb types of Cheddar, Feta, Wensleydale and Brie cheeses. Thank-goodness for food labelling!

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

Oh dear! I should have responded first to your headline. OF COURSE you are not a failure. Lots of others will soon be along to tell you this. For many, perhaps most of us, managing our diabetes is a work in progress. Away from this Forum there are huge numbers of people who, tragically, are not managing their diabetes well or at all, for all sorts of reasons. You are already light years ahead of them. You are already a winner!

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

You are absolutely not a failure of you have to go on insulin. It looks as though you are doing everything absolutely right. I am in the same position and cannot eat more than 20g carbs a day and if I eat more protein than usual my blood sugars go up. Was able to come off the insulin on this regime but if it stopped working for me I would definitely go back on meds and insulin. I wouldn't consider it a failure - just a necessary step to keep me healthy. I would stay low carb even if I was back on insulin because I found that low carb and insulin was easier to manage than high carb and insulin. Also I feel loads better on low carb.

I don't think I have heard this 'I've lost v I've won' attitude to any other treatment. We do not think in these terms if we need to take antibiotics or chemotherapy or pain medications. We take these treatments because there is a need for them and without them we struggle or die. While I share your concern about insulin use I have come around to thinking that the real concern for me is the fear of the unknown.

You are not a failure. Failure is knowing all you have learned so far then ignoring it. You are doing your best therefore you are a winner in my book. If things continue in this way i.e readings over seven that you are not happy with there are still loads of options open to you. As has been mentioned, you could go lower carb or you might need a different drug or a combination of drugs. Try to focus on the 'now' rather than the 'what if'.

Insulin does not make you a failure, lovely. If you can’t make enough of your own, shop-bought is fine

(1) You are not a failure it is our bodies that don't always do what we want them to do.
(2) Flavoured water ---- here be dragons !!!! What is sold as flavoured water is often loaded with sugars.

I understand how you feel but of course you're not a failure. I have felt similarly when despite all my best efforts my blood glucose would inexplicably spike or I'd go weeks without losing a single pound. Sometimes it feels like our bodies are betrayers. It's so hard not to get discouraged sometimes. When were you diagnosed?

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

How long has it been since you were diagnosed? And how long since you started a LC diet? Do you eat high fat foods at all?
As you know everything impacts your BG - stress, medications, exercise, etc. Don't be too hard on yourself. It is a daily fight that we all share. Just your mention of Baileys made my mouth water, especially knowing there is a bottle in my fridge. However, I have given it up - sort of, I just drink the Irish whiskey part now on occasion, will no ill effect. Hang in there and know there are folks here to give you a boost whenever you need one.

BRITGRAN said:

If I so much as sniff a carb my BS rises, I take one Dapagliflozin daily I cannot take Metformin, I don't eat any obvious carbs, I make a point of researching low carb meals and bakes, I lose no or very little weight, I do eat cheese, nuts, eggs, meat, vegetables , berries , I drink flavoured water and sometimes a glass of Baileys, I walk most days but it's a struggle to get my BS under 7. Am I going to end up on insulin ? For some reason it worries me terribly

Click to expand...

Hello, NotAFailure,

You're skipping the obvious carbs, are you skipping the non-obvious ones? Flavoured water and Baileys might not be doing you any favours, and some veggies are carbier than others. In any case, we're all extra-special snowflakes, with each different levels of insulin resistance and production, liverdump and what have you. While one does fine on 80 grams of carbs a day, another may need no more than 20. And sometimes, meds/insulin really are required. That doesn't say anything about you, just about what your body needs to function. Stop stressing and just do whatever you need to do to feel better, in your head and in your body. Maybe ditch the berries for a few weeks, see if that helps. In any case... Don't beat yourself up so much. You're doing your best. Kudos!