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Totally confused

  • Thread starter Thread starter 999sugarbabe
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999sugarbabe

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As a quite newly diagnosed "type 2" everything has still to filter through my dense cranium.
Maybe I'm just stupid, but I'm totally confused (not difficult these days) by conflicting advice. The diabetic clinic nurse at my doctors' tells me one thing, websites another, books, pamphlets, diabetics and even this website all contain so much conflicting advice that I'm tempted not to have diabetes any more!
Nobody seems to agree with anyone else. Eat carbs, don't eat carbs, blah blah. Up until a couple of weeks ago I thought a carb was something that introduced petrol into an internal combustion engine!
Since being diagnosed I have continued with my normal (varied) diet if only in order to use up the contents of my larder/freezer/fridge! - I HATE waste in a world where 50% are starving I think it's criminal to discard edible food. I have started to alter my food intake to a more fruit and vegetable based diet, with pasta and more fishy foods. It's a good job I live alone as my digestive system is in danger of destroying the double glazing!
Luckily, for me, my blood test levels aren't as bad as most diabetics seem to be, and I'm only on Metformin at present. I do have the added bonus of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a variety of other ailments though.
For the first time in my life I have a fear that I may die, totally alone and unnoticed, which is probably bothering me more than I care to admit.
Oddly, my (lifelong) depression has improved since diagnosis of diabetes. I can't quite work that one out yet.
I'm experiencing strange and varying pains about my person, together with weakness and fatigue, nausea, breathlessness, blurred vision (although my new glasses have cured that), localised headache, occasional palputations, chest pain, bleeding gums and a host of other symptoms.
If I told the doctor he'd write me off as a hypochondriac, so I don't tell him...
As for exercise... well I can't really. Apart from being too tired, I'm suffering from metal fatigue in my leg (no, REALLY). The plate and screws from an old accident have disintegrated. This, apart from being painful ,is causing me to limp, which in turn has aggrivated a back injury, AND is making my hip hurt.
Am I falling apart? It feels like it! Thank God I've still a sense of humour (albeit a dark, cynical and sarcastic one). I'd do stand up comedy - if I could stand up!
Anyway, that's me sorted out. How's everyone else?
P.S. Is there a record for the longest posting on this website?
P.P.S. Did I mention my dandruff?
 
I'm fairly new too and it does seem very confusing. All I can say is I have just started eating less carbs and my blood sugar has gone down - which can only be good.

There are loads of people on here who have much more experience and knowledge than me who will be able to advise you. It seems like everything is against you at first and I have periods of feeling down and really fed up but keep you chin up because things can only get better 8) I also have a number of different ailments including high cholesterol - think that goes with the territory. At least you have a good sense of humour and that always helps :lol:

Chris
 
The low carb diet is a never ending argument indeed, and I will admit that I'm not a advocate of a ultra low carb diet unless your are in serious need of lossing excees weight....
Some here would suggest that a low carb diet is the only way to treat diabetes... I would say get Carbs as low as possible to where you are comfortable with the type of meal you are eating...

Keep a eye on your BG levels to see if any carbs such as potatoes, pasta cause them to become unstable or raise to high if this happens you would need to think again to how you are going to deal with this reduce carbs or try a different type of carb complination....

My best advice would be to listen to what different people advise, both us lot and that of the professionals and pick a road that you feel comfortable with and what works for you...

Remember to take one step at a time... Yes there is a hell of a lot to get one's head around and it is a learning curve.... But it's not all doom and gloom as the treatment and monitoring of a diabetic has come on leaps and bounds, the prospect for the diabetic is getting a lot better as time goes on...

Take me for example, I'm T1 and when I first started taking insulin amolst 20 years ago now, it was case of 2 jabs a day which was a balancing act between insulin and carbs being matched as best you could, having to inject 1/2 a hour before you could eat a main meal so that the insulin had a chance to kick in you measured your BG with a BM blood strip using a colour code to get your approx BG hit and miss to now that I've done the Basal/bolus via a pen to using a insulin pump that is the nearest to a pancreas you can get and a meter that will tell me my BG within moments.....
 
I've always felt my body tells me what it needs. I am used to eating what I want when I want. Why should I change?
For example, a pregnant woman might crave chocolate, or a lump of coal, for a reason. That reason is there is some bodily mechanism tells them that they need whatever that foodstuff contains.
Why shouldn't we listen to our bodies? If I fancy something in particular isn't it because my body is telling me it needs topping up on a particular vitamin, or mineral or whatever?
Providing you are sensible, surely there is no harm in following one's instincts? I'm not advocating a glutton living on a diet of McDonalds or some other JUNK food, but if you feel like suddenly having the odd Wall's Magnum or some wine gums (in moderation) does that make you suicidal? Eating the "wrong thing" at the "wrong time" shouldn't be treated as playing Russian roulette should it?
There must be some "pleasure" in eating, otherwise we might all just as well end it all now. I can't face spending the rest of my life (however long or short time that may be) living on lentils and tofu. I have little enough pleasure without being condemmed to a life of being chained to a strict menu of food I don't even like. :?
 
Dear 999 sugarbabe
Lentils and tofu can be made delicious, but lentils are quite high in carbs, about 17%.
Do you visit the dentist regularly? If so I'm surprised, he/she hasn't asked about your BG control. You should have told him/her, that you have diabetes and bleeding gums are a sign of high BGs. Your optician will also notice if your eyesight is being affected by poor control.
Essentially keeping well with diabetes is a matter of what's in your head. If you decide to be well and stick to what makes you that way, you will be well. If you let the diabetes control you, you'll feel rotten. There are some people, whose diabetes is "Brittle" who have a VERY HARD job keeping control, but most of us can if we decide we will.
I was recently told that I'm lucky I'm so well. There probably is an element of luck, but I work at it and don't hesitate to say "No!" to anything I know I can't have. Most of the folk on this forum, who are well, are, to a large extent, responsible for that.
You have choices.
Either: eat what you like and feel rotten
Or: leave out the stuff that makes you fell awful.
there's plenty that tastes good and is good for you.
 
No offence taken.
You are probably quite correct. My body has received plenty of abuse over the years one way or another. Some of it self-inflicted, some not.
As I originally stated "I am totally confused".
This morning for example... Went to the surgery to drop off a urine sample, had to wait ages for a bus to get home and was feeling more and more unwell. I'm on crutches anyway, so I was able to sit and wait.
As soon as I got home I thought "Test Your Blood etc", so I did. 6.3mmol/L with a B.P. of 127/87 and pulse 102.
The blood test doesn't suggest (to me) anything untoward, the B.P. is a bit high and the pulse quite high. All I've had since waking today was a bowl of cornflakes with milk and sugar and 2 cups of tea with milk and sugar. So why do I feel so unwell? I'm tired, feeling weak, bit of nausea and chest pain. I feel like that quite often these days.
I'm having difficulty translating how I feel into what is my body telling me. I feel much more unwell than I expected the figures to be. The problem I have is what does my boby want?
The only thing I feel right now is, how can I cope when I just don't grasp what is happening?
I'm never going to cope with this illness, on top of everything else. :(
If I was a vet I'd put myself to sleep!
I'm not after sympathy, just plain straightforward information. Until I understand my condition better than I do at present I feel so inadequate. I'm not a youngster any longer, and having to completely change in order to deal with this is far more challenging than I'd imagined it would be. With so much conflicting advice I just feel more confused.
I hope this makes sense to somebody out there. It sure doesn't to me.
 
Cereal and tea with sugar are not going to make you feel good,although 6.3 isn't very high. I had 2 rashrs of bacon and a fried egg for my breakfast. Delicious and low carb.
 
Well said, Ed.

I'd add a couple of points to the discussion. It seems to be a fairly common assumption that a low carbohydrate diet must be very restrictive, possibly dull and unsatisfying if not downright dangerous. I need to say that if any of those things were true, I for one wouldn't be doing it.
Sure, there are lots of 'fun foods' out there that I won't eat, but that's because I don't find diabetic blood sugars to be a lot of fun. I do get enormous pleasure from low carb foods.

The cravings issue is an interesting one. Cravings for sweet and starchy foods seem to be a fairly common experience. Even I, a low carb jihadist, had a daily chocolate addiction for years. Don't even get me started on the subject of cheesecake :shock: . No-one would claim my body ever needed it because clearly it didn't. The addiction was just that - a reliance upon something that was harming me. I guess that's the point - there's a world of difference between giving the body what it needs and giving in to what it wants.

All the best,

fergus
 
That's what I mean. I've been specifically told to avoid food like that (Bacon & eggs). I never even had breakfasts until I was told I was diabetic.
 
Can I apologise on behalf of the so called experts who have told you not to eat bacon and eggs? They won't do it themselves, but they should. Bacon and eggs will give you much that is essential in a healthy diet without impacting you blood sugar levels. Breakfast cereals and sugar will give you nothing, and a huge surge in blood sugars to boot.

All the best,

fergus
 
Can I suggest,Sugarbabe that you get a copy of Collins Gem carb.counter book.Have a good look at all the foods that are low carb,have a look at all the foods you like and see which ones you can live without and which ones you can't and see how much carbs you are eating.This is a great book for putting in your pocket when you go shopping,BTW.
 
Thanks Sue, I'll see if I can pick up a copy.
I've just contacted the hospital (dietician department) and have been told to make an appointment (via my doctor) with the dietician.
I've also made a dental appointment (bleeding gums) to update her on my new medical conditions.
I've a foot clinic appointment at the doctor's surgery later this week.
I'll get to the bottom of this one way or another!
My diabetes is becoming a full time job! :lol:
 
fasteddie said:
I can assure you a low carb. diet should that be necessary, can be interesting, satisfying and in many cases be the only step needed to gain safe and stable blood glucose numbers.
Click to expand...

Competely agreed. You get to replace all those boring carbs with a whole lot of more interesting and tasty foods instead

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/freeveggies.htm

nuts cheese meat and especially fish, mono and polyunsaturated fats, all contain far higher levels of nutrients.

This has been proven over the years in that not many people find it doesn't offer improvements, sometimes spectacular

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm
 
999sugarbabe said:
This morning for example... Went to the surgery to drop off a urine sample, had to wait ages for a bus to get home and was feeling more and more unwell. I'm on crutches anyway, so I was able to sit and wait.
As soon as I got home I thought "Test Your Blood etc", so I did. 6.3mmol/L with a B.P. of 127/87 and pulse 102.
The blood test doesn't suggest (to me) anything untoward, the B.P. is a bit high and the pulse quite high. All I've had since waking today was a bowl of cornflakes with milk and sugar and 2 cups of tea with milk and sugar. So why do I feel so unwell? I'm tired, feeling weak, bit of nausea and chest pain. I feel like that quite often these days.
Click to expand...

Very likely your BG was either on the way back down from a high or on the way back up from a low (which probably followed on from the high that the breakfast almost inevitably gave you) and you missed the extremes.

Your blood only contains around 5g glucose in total and the mechanisms for keeping this level are broken, so it can vary quickly from one extreme to the other.
 
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