Time for some more help from my doctor

[pavlosn]

Seeing my doctor tomorrow, already spoke to him on the phone today and explained that I am struggling to get my levels under control.

To be fair I have made good progress but it is clear to me that to achieve it has been much more of a struggle than it has been in the past. I have had to cut down on my food intake and particularly carb intake very drastically.

I do not believe I can sustain this. Ever since diagnosis i have been on nothing other than metformin. I may now need to accept that i need something more.

I know that to many reading this on this forum the idea of increasing medication in order to be able to eat more may be anathema but at this point i feel that it may be the right answer for me.

I have already lost 4 kilograms of body weight over the last 2 weeks and find that i am becoming more and more obsessive about what i did and the effect on my glucose level. I need to restore a balance back in my life, particularly a mental balance.

Don't get me wrong. I do not wish to be given medication so that I can indulge my sweet tooth. But it would be nice to be able to the odd fruit without having to worry too much.

This is a time when I have other health issues to worry about so i would rather diabetes control was slightly less of a struggle.

 

[wiflib]

Good grief you’ve made amazing progress, that’s impressive. How low carb are you?

 

[catinahat]

We all have to do what ever it takes to keep ourselves healthy, if more medication will make your life easier then that's what you need to do.

 

[Rachox]

There is only so much compromise you can bear I agree. Maybe it’s the retired nurse in me but I’m not scared of meds when they are necessary. I really hope your GP can help you out x

 

[pavlosn]

Good grief you’ve made amazing progress, that’s impressive. How low carb are you?

Have not really been counting but no bread, rice, pasta etc at all. No snacks between meals. No sweets other than zero sugar jelly. No more than one fruit serving a day, most days none.

In the past I used to be able to have small quantities of the above. It seems no longer.

The problem is I seem to have lowered my glucose levels but this has become an all encasing effort leaving no room for ordinary work/life routines.

I feel that mentally I am off balance at a time when for a variety of reasons there is a lot of stress for me to content with.

I have managed to successfully come off medication in the past, I no longer require blood pressure medication. So perhaps if i do take extra medication now for diabetes i may be able to come off it in the future when/if circumstances allow.

For now though i feel that i need all the help i can get

 

[HSSS]

I feel that mentally I am off balance at a time when for a variety of reasons there is a lot of stress for me to content with.

Perhaps this extra stress is the reason for the increasing struggles. And if remaining this low carb adds to the stress then as you say, at least for now, it’s worth exploring options.

 

[zand]

Hey pavlos, that's nothing to be ashamed of. If you now need drugs, you need drugs, simple as that. There are a few on here who have managed good control on diet only for years but now find they need extra help. I know at least one person has said he wishes he had been on insulin sooner. Do what you need to do to get where you need to get.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can I ask what your BMI is just to eliminate the possibility you are late onset T1 and not T2?

 

[Bluetit1802]

I am sorry you find yourself in this position. You have been missing from the forum for what seems like a long time, and many of us "old timers" have missed you. I know I have.

You do what you feel is right for you. No-one here will judge you or criticise your decision. Stick around and keep us up to date with your progress.

 

[Mike d]

You are and always were a pillar of control and incredibly sage advice @pavlosn

One of the bravest guys I've ever had the fortune to meet. You know it's only you who can sort through this stuff. Fight on my brother

 

[pavlosn]

Hi. Can I ask what your BMI is just to eliminate the possibility you are late onset T1 and not T2?

As of this morning my BMI is 23.8 having just weighed myself at 80,5 kg. That is a loss of 5kg in about 2 weeks. I am simply not taking in enough calories it seems. Truth be told my diet has probably not been low carb but low everything.

I need to find a way of becoming more relaxed about what I eat, that is why i am considering extra oral medication.

I don't think there is much chance of being late onset t1. I have been t2 for about ten years now and I do appear able to lower my glucose levels through metformin and diet just not to the same extent that I used and not with the same ease.

 

[pavlosn]

Hey pavlos, that's nothing to be ashamed of. If you now need drugs, you need drugs, simple as that. There are a few on here who have managed good control on diet only for years but now find they need extra help. I know at least one person has said he wishes he had been on insulin sooner. Do what you need to do to get where you need to get.

Zand I have never managed on diet only. I have been on metformin since diagnosis. This was changed to Januvia for a very brief period by my doctor but then I switched back to just metformin at my request since at the time I felt that I could manage on just that and diet control and preferred to be on something that long history had demonstrated to be "safe".

I do not think there is any shame in taking any kind of medication if one needs it to be healthy.

Even if I am given a new oral medication I know that this will not mean an end to diet control, far from it.

I just need to find a way to become more relaxed about the whole thing, have the issue of my health become more of a background of the main business of living rather as it have been over the last few weeks the centrepoint.

I do not like the effect this is having on me and my relationships with those close to me. I am becoming too self centred and I do not like this. It is a little difficult though to give to others when you feel that you have too little energy to see yourself through.

Suddenly all conversation about the house seems to be about what my next meal will be or what my glucose levels have been.

I feel that my life has been taken over and that I need someone to hit the reset button.

I know most of the issue is in my mind but I guess is that I need some help in getting my mind straight.

 

[pavlosn]

I am sorry you find yourself in this position. You have been missing from the forum for what seems like a long time, and many of us "old timers" have missed you. I know I have.

You do what you feel is right for you. No-one here will judge you or criticise your decision. Stick around and keep us up to date with your progress.

Nice to hear from you my friend and thank you for your kind words

 

[pavlosn]

You are and always were a pillar of control and incredibly sage advice @pavlosn

One of the bravest guys I've ever had the fortune to meet. You know it's only you who can sort through this stuff. Fight on my brother

Hallo Mike

Very kind of you to say the things you do but I am not sure I deserve them.

I have never thought of myself as brave, if anything I consider myself exactly the opposite.

What I have always been though is very honest and open both with myself and others in what I post. Perhaps that is what you consider brave.

If I recall right, in some ways my currebt situation seems to be quite similar to your when we first came across each other in this forum. Then you were very stressed about how best to control your levels and probably overdoing it with the diet limitation you were imposing on yourself.

Now I feel somewhat similarly. I need to find a way of restoring a balance again, of both managing my diabetes and getting on with the rest of my life. At the moment I only seem to manage one or the other but not both and that is unacceptable.

 

[Mike d]

You have a good memory mate Yes, those were early days for me and I needed a lot of guidance

Maybe it was a "guy" thing and (along with one particular lady), it was you that I listened to, much like a kid in school.

My time has arrived to offer all I can do in the hand of friendship. Huge respect Pavlos

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Seeing my doctor tomorrow, already spoke to him on the phone today and explained that I am struggling to get my levels under control.

To be fair I have made good progress but it is clear to me that to achieve it has been much more of a struggle than it has been in the past. I have had to cut down on my food intake and particularly carb intake very drastically.

I do not believe I can sustain this. Ever since diagnosis i have been on nothing other than metformin. I may now need to accept that i need something more.

I know that to many reading this on this forum the idea of increasing medication in order to be able to eat more may be anathema but at this point i feel that it may be the right answer for me.

I have already lost 4 kilograms of body weight over the last 2 weeks and find that i am becoming more and more obsessive about what i did and the effect on my glucose level. I need to restore a balance back in my life, particularly a mental balance.

Don't get me wrong. I do not wish to be given medication so that I can indulge my sweet tooth. But it would be nice to be able to the odd fruit without having to worry too much.

This is a time when I have other health issues to worry about so i would rather diabetes control was slightly less of a struggle.

View attachment 33417

I prefer to go without meds where possible. That's the thing: Is it possible? Is it something that works with current issues or not? Sometimes, other things are more important to tackle. How many of us had to just accept high bloodsugars because a course of steroids was called for? Or a flu jab? Sometimes, T2 takes the backseat because it simply has to. You do whatever you feel is right for you, physically and mentally. If that's medication, then so be it.

Be well!
Jo

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi Pavlosn,
I am fairly new here so I don't know your details, but it seems to me that a low everything diet is impossible to maintain long term. I an a similar BMI and I am just on a Low Carb High Fat eat as much as you want 'diet'. By Low carb I mean cutting out fruit (except as a treat about once per week), and cutting out all root vegetables as they too are high in carbs (even if they have a lowish GI). Instead I eat much more eggs, nuts, fatty fish , cheese , full fat yoghut and even a little red meat.

If you do have a sweet tooth, then there are foods things you can make with artificial sweeteners rather than sugar or honey.

Don't give up, just find some sustainable lifestyle - because that is what it will be longterm - a lifestyle not a diet.

 

[pavlosn]

Seeing my doctor tomorrow, already spoke to him on the phone today and explained that I am struggling to get my levels under control.

To be fair I have made good progress but it is clear to me that to achieve it has been much more of a struggle than it has been in the past. I have had to cut down on my food intake and particularly carb intake very drastically.

I do not believe I can sustain this. Ever since diagnosis i have been on nothing other than metformin. I may now need to accept that i need something more.

I know that to many reading this on this forum the idea of increasing medication in order to be able to eat more may be anathema but at this point i feel that it may be the right answer for me.

I have already lost 4 kilograms of body weight over the last 2 weeks and find that i am becoming more and more obsessive about what i did and the effect on my glucose level. I need to restore a balance back in my life, particularly a mental balance.

Don't get me wrong. I do not wish to be given medication so that I can indulge my sweet tooth. But it would be nice to be able to the odd fruit without having to worry too much.

This is a time when I have other health issues to worry about so i would rather diabetes control was slightly less of a struggle.

View attachment 33417

I start on new regime tomorrow Janumet instead of just Glucophage so moving from a combination Sitaglyptin/Metformin medication.
A friend of mine has been on this for years without any complications/side effects, so I will be just as lucky.
I was on such a combination myself briefly for about a month (without experiencing any problems) some years ago, before i asked to be put back on a metformin only treatment on the grounds that i did not need the extra medication (risk of complications)
I am having mixed feelings about this development to be honest. I even changed my mind today and told the doctor that i was going to stay on metformin only. He insisted that i go on the new combination. Maybe it will be for the best for now at least.
My last blood tests revealed low heamoglobin and iron levels (though high iron stores) and worryingly high CRP and ESR levels. Apparently the last are indicator of non specific inflammation somewhere in my body. We are in the process of investigating this, which to me is a big worry. I have already had a colonoscopy (all clear) and gastroscopy (revealed gastritis for which I have been prescribed medication).
My appetite continues to be very poor and I suffer from fatigue.
Doctor said that no more tests for now, until I repeat blood tests in a month's time.
But the whole thing is a worry and part of the reason I am willing to give myself some slack for now.

 

[ianf0ster]

Just a thought, your Blood Lipid numbers are fine. You don't say what does of Statin you are on, so perhaps there is scope to reduce that. Most Statins tend to cause higher Blood Glucose.

 

[pavlosn]

Just a thought, your Blood Lipid numbers are fine. You don't say what does of Statin you are on, so perhaps there is scope to reduce that. Most Statins tend to cause higher Blood Glucose.

Lipid numbers are only fine if I carry on taking statins . I am on combination treatment of 20mg Rosuvastatin (Crestor) and Ezetimibe (Ezetrol).