SaskiaKC
Expert
- Messages
- 6,308
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Exactly the conversation I had with my GP PM...got a few tips from a friend then did my research...you're absolutely spot on.@SaskiaKC the one thing re cholesterel that I see here regularly is it isnt the HDL,LDL and Trigs individually that count but “the ratio”. I have been pulled up a couple of times at D reviews but I say with confidence (though far from it and cant understand it all) “but my ratios are good” and then they agree and it is dropped. You might like to research the ratio meaning before you go back. Hugs to you and KC from me and the girls.
Orson it was a classic 'Life of Brian' moment...we had to laugh we all looked at one another in disbelief when she asked that question as of course the DESMOND Course is only for T2's
I'll be discussing that next week, I don't know the breakdown yetDawn have you checked the break down on your cholesterol results...i.e. HDL...LDL...triglycerides...of course we all want lower cholesterol however the break down is so important in any decision whether we take statins or not.
@SaskiaKC the one thing re cholesterel that I see here regularly is it isnt the HDL,LDL and Trigs individually that count but “the ratio”. I have been pulled up a couple of times at D reviews but I say with confidence (though far from it and cant understand it all) “but my ratios are good” and then they agree and it is dropped. You might like to research the ratio meaning before you go back. Hugs to you and KC from me and the girls.
good evening all
was 4.6 this morning
been out volunteering all day, must remember to take more food for lunch (although I did take what I thought was a reasonable amount), had a period where I felt really shaky and had to scrounge a couple of oatcakes
It doesn't happen very often thankfully but my body has days when it really really objects to being hungry, one reason why I don't do lengthy fasting now, do any of you get the same thing?
Could also be related to my anxiety or the virus I've had recently I suppose.
Anyway I hope your day is treating you gently
@SaskiaKC I thnk you have to look in to the ratio of cholesterol measures. Plrase dont fret about it.xxxx
One word, incredible!!!I attended the DESMOND course with a friend who would fit into the group who had been badly advised, she was on ever increasing amounts of insulin, has horrific complications, when her sugars kept rising her surgery brought in a 'trouble shooter' who did nothing except increase her insulin...when we arrived at the course to our dismay the 'trouble shooter' was one of the facilitators...after a morning with her & her colleague I understood why my friend was so misguided in her approach to her diabetes management...the first question we were asked was 'what type of diabetes do you have'...we all tentatively said 'um type 2' we were rewarded with a 'good give yourself a pat on the back' since it was a course specifically designed for T2's it wasn't a difficult question to answer...from then on it got worse...finally after we asked a couple of questions like ' do you recommend a low carb good fat diet' the facilitators felt we were too advanced for the course.
Sometimes it feels like we are moving one step forward and two steps back. Yet when I step back to take a look at the overall picture it's clear things are moving in the right direction. It's a mammoth task. Turning the titanic with your pinky. But the evidence is out there. The science is backing us. The wisdom of the crowds will prevail. I think I expected every diabetic or at least most would want to do what we do ie control bs to put the beast into remission once they were informed it was indeed possible, and how to do it. But not so. Many i have met have been diabetic for years. Over 20. The only advice they have had is from their own DN and we all know what that consists of. Then a little voice like mine pops up to tell my story. But they seem to be past caring and happy to continue with increased meds and eating what they want. Up to now they have only probably had a little telling off from their DNs who at the same time handed them a new prescription. To them this is their solution to controlling it. And the complications just go with the territory.@Debandez that is a fascinating and troubling account of yesterday’s clinic. It just shows how deep rooted the eating of staples (starches) is and how difficult it will be to change that mindset. In some ways they are like truculant teens railing against advice. Of course it is hard for people who have other serious health challenges though the irony is dropping carbs is likely to be beneficial for other conditions too (cancer, PCOS, arthritis). Since my body adapted to LC I havent had a single incidence of gout despite eating more meat and still enjoying G&T. Feel free to quote me if it helps. You are doing an amazing job spreading the word and if one or two go home and think about trying to get control it is worth it. My late mum had coeliac disease and when she was dx T2 she threw a tantrum about giving up rice and GF bread and potatoes (Irish!) and said “No I’ve given up enough already”. My OH has a golf buddy recently dxd and my OH has been dropping hi ts about how I managed remission but the only change he has made is swapping beer for wine. Another friend of a friend is a biochemist and doesnt want to entertain LC and is stilling having dessert daily. It is like scaling the Eiger isnt it?
Oh, oh here goes. The DESMOND course sounds abysmal and HCPs should offer the best advice they can. For some/most posters on here LC has offered a better route than that offered by the eat well plate and conventional follow up path. We are largely a self selecting group who believe in LC and have had some success in using it for control. We, or certainly I, don't know how many have tried LC properly/strictly and found it doesn't work - there must be some. I am not claiming the status quo advice and support is right or that LC should not be advised as first line approach to all newly diagnosed T2. I am highly sceptical of its effectiveness for everyone, certainly for me personally it is not great IMHO, and we just don't know enough about the long term effectiveness and potential side effects. I can see why HCPs might be hesitant in offering full- throated approval. Now flame away.
I can only speak from my own experience. At diagnosis I had symptoms. Blurry vision, thrush, dry mouth, IBS, constant unrelenting heartburn in the weeks prior to dx. I could have accepted meds which may have helped, for a while, but my hba1c would have gone up due to the eat well advice. My meter confirms that. The higher the carbs, the higher the meter reading, the higher the estimated hba1c goes in the mysugr app. The higher the hba1c the more chance of complications. The evidence for that is well documented. I see it first hand at the diabetic meeting. Also when I did my clinic at the GP surgery (helping other diabetics) the first person I spoke to had just had a lower leg amputation. That really hit home! My symptoms would no doubt have returned and maybe others too, who knows. But using my meter and starting a lc woe my hba1c has gone down to non diabetic levels. My symptoms have ALL disappeared. I've lost 4 stone which has to be beneficial to every aspect of my health and wellbeing. As for long term effects, I see many many people eating this way for 20 years plus. On this forum, internet. And a prime example of someone even longer than that maintaining their health is Dr Bernstein.Oh, oh here goes. The DESMOND course sounds abysmal and HCPs should offer the best advice they can. For some/most posters on here LC has offered a better route than that offered by the eat well plate and conventional follow up path. We are largely a self selecting group who believe in LC and have had some success in using it for control. We, or certainly I, don't know how many have tried LC properly/strictly and found it doesn't work - there must be some. I am not claiming the status quo advice and support is right or that LC should not be advised as first line approach to all newly diagnosed T2. I am highly sceptical of its effectiveness for everyone, certainly for me personally it is not great IMHO, and we just don't know enough about the long term effectiveness and potential side effects. I can see why HCPs might be hesitant in offering full- throated approval. Now flame away.
That's what I thought too. I thought everyone would embrace the chance. Not so. I think.if we were all made of glass and we could see what was going on inside we would help ourselves but I might even be wrong there!Was so sad to read your post. You would have thought that everyone would have jumped at the chance to improve their health.
I agree with everything you have said. I think that the seriousness of diabetes isn't highlighted at dx. Just being offered pills and told you can still eat everything just cut down on sugar is so wrong. I kept my leaflets. I have used them in my presentations to point out what is wrong with current guidelines. Alongside a demo of my blood glucose monitor!!!4.7 this morning.
@Debandez it's hard isn't it? I have a lot of sympathy for Type 2s who've been diabetic for a long time and have multiple conditions and struggle with their numbers. I know I'm very fortunate that my numbers normalized quite quickly, my body responded very well to dietary changes and it's much harder for some people and not everyone will see the results that I have. (The rest of my message is not about people who are trying, it's about those who won't even try. )
However, also there unfortunately are many, many Type 2s who refuse to make any changes in their diet at all and prefer denial. This includes some of the newly diagnosed.
When I've tried to explain the consequences of complications to them, I've gotten replies like "only Type 1s get complications, we've different" "my doctor told me not to worry", "my dietician told me that I have to have 165g carbs per day" (one said my brain "would shrivel up and I'd die!"), "everything in moderation", "I trust my doctor/dietician/assorted professional etc." I recently got reprimanded on another forum for telling someone not to correct false hypos because it would continue to keep their blood glucose high and that "some of us trust our doctors" (by a moderator who follows the Diabetes Canada dietary recommendations and tells people that's OK to occasionally eat sweets etc "because you have to live". ) I explained that although I myself have a supportive doctor, the responsibility for taking care of my body is mine, not hers because I have to live in it for the rest of my life, my doctor doesn't. That went over like a lead balloon.
I've come to the conclusion that denial is more comfortable for them, even though it will hurt them down the road...
I don't feel I have that luxury. I've seen 2 people I know die from complications from poorly controlled Type 2 (one who went blind and died of kidney failure and the other died from a wound infection where she refused amputation). I chose to have preventative surgery for colon cancer (very high risk) rather than doing nothing and letting it turn into cancer inside me (colonscopy removal was no longer an option, fortunately it was caught in time). Having lost my son (not because of diabetes, but to SUDEP) I know terrible things can and do happen to people, none of us are immune Therefore I will do everything I can to control my Type 2 as well as I can and hopefully reduce the risk of complications. Some prefer to think "it can't happen to me" rather than facing reality.