Type 2 diabetes

[Bakebeansrule]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in May and I’m really struggling recently. I’ve lost nearly 4 stone in weight and started eating a low carb diet which has seen my HbA1c come down from 56 to 38 my diabetic nurse is really happy and told me I’ve reversed the condition and I just need to keep the weight off and carry on doing what I’m doing but I’m scared. I constantly worry have I eaten too many carbs? Is my sugar high? I’m I damaging myself?

I’ve tried to research as much as possible but all I keep seeing is I’ve lowered my life expectancy by 10 years and that because I’ve been diagnosed quite young (34) I’m more likely to die sooner because of complications. I look at my little girl and my heart breaks at the thought of leaving her and my family. I know it’s not healthy thinking like this but it’s never far from my mind.

My HbA1c was 56 and my diet wasn’t good I ate a lot of carbs so I try and be realistic that even now if a meal is a little carb heavier than I think even if I just halved my carbs my HbA1c would still reduce (maybe not as much as it has low carbing) but the odd potato or spoonful
Of rice is probably ok, then I feel awful for even thinking it.

Christmas is on its way and I feel I don’t deserve to enjoy being with my family and having a good time. I’m so ashamed with myself for letting this happen. My nurse said that as both parents are type 2 and it runs in the family i had a 50% chance of developing it anyway but that doesn’t help how I feel

I’m sorry for the long post and I’m not even sure this is the right place to post this. I don’t want to bother my dr and feel like even more of a failure

[BackRoads]

I'm with you man. I got diagnosed 7 months ago. Immediately went low carb, and now I am also back in the normal range. Keep doing what you are doing. If you keep your blood sugars in normal range, there is no reason to expect to have complications. I worry too, but I am starting to look at it logically. If high blood sugars are what causes the damage, then do all you can to stay away from that and chances are you will be fine.....and that is very doable.

[ErinKC]

I totally understand how something like this can become consuming and stress inducing, but you've done an absolutely incredible job!! You've lost nearly 60 pounds (if Google properly converted stones for my American self), changed your diet, and reversed your type 2 diabetes in a matter of six months!! That's remarkable! I'm no expert, but you've reversed the condition, so you are not currently at risk of experiencing any complications of a disease you don't have!

It may be worth speaking with the nurse or even going to a third party dietician to help you put together a plan that is sustainable but will help you avoid becoming totally overwhelmed by maintaining perfection.

[Bakebeansrule]

Thank you for your replies. I’ve tried over the last few days to take a step back and not worry as much as I have been. I think one of the major problems for me is I’ve worked so hard to reverse the condition and now I’ve been left on my own to carry on. I’ve not got another appointment for 6 months and im scared things will change over that time that I’m not aware of.

I’ve got a horrible aching in my chest which I know is anxiety and the only thing I can put it down to is this. It’s real the diabetes isn’t my mind playing tricks on me this time. I’m always going to have to think about it and it’s feeling quite overwhelming

[ankietyjoe]

Diabetes does not run in families, eating habits run in families. People tend to eat the diet they grew up with, and most of us over the last 30-40 years learned to eat a pretty unhealthy diet. Medicine is fond of looking at correlation as proof as much as causation, because correlation is easier (and cheaper) to study.

If you're 34 and have reversed your diabetes, first of all well done, second of all just keep the new lifestyle of eating in mind for the rest of your life, and third of all enjoy a bit of food over Christmas.

And stop researching worst case scenarios on the internet. Deal with where you are today, which is a much better place than you were before. Your body will heal itself fully if you give it the chance.

[Pamplemousse]

Thank you for your replies. I’ve tried over the last few days to take a step back and not worry as much as I have been. I think one of the major problems for me is I’ve worked so hard to reverse the condition and now I’ve been left on my own to carry on. I’ve not got another appointment for 6 months and im scared things will change over that time that I’m not aware of.
Type 2 diabetes simply doesn't work like that. As I've pointed out on other threads, it's a 'slow burner'. Most stuff takes years to happen - the scary things like the retinopathy/nephropathy/neuropathy. I was very surprised yesterday on my six-monthly visit to the clinic to be told that even with a slightly-raised HbA1c of 57 (up from 54 :frown: ) that they are happy enough with all my blood/urine results to say "see you next Christmas" - so I'm now only to be examined annually. This is what we're dealing with; it's slow.

A lot of the scary stuff only happens when you've been undiagnosed for a very long time.

As for diet - yes, it has to change and as a hat-tip to @ankietyjoe, the nurse did suggest "low carb good, old methods bad". So I might look into the less outrageous low-carb diets sooner rather than later. Which is a pity, as I do love Indian and Italian cookery (and have just bought a copy of the Italian food bible, Il cucchiaio d'argento)

[ankietyjoe]

There are loads of ways I've found of eating low carb 'bigger picture' diet. I still have pizza sometimes, I still have bread sometimes, but rarely have pasta. I use the alternatives from Explore Cuisine instead and both me and the misses actually prefer their edamame fettuccine to regular pasta now, although we'll still have normal lasagne sheets if I make a lasagne. The thing is, I'll only eat carbs like that once a day, and not every day. Couple of times a week now you're 'fixed' isn't going to hurt. The rest of my meals are low carb, the carbs I do eat are complex carbs (fibre buffers the insulin response) and I also fast 16-18 hours a day (don't even think about it any more) AND...I rarely eat many carbs at all for lunch.

The issue with the 'standard' diets is that they have you eating bad carbs for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacking between meals. This often means high levels of insulin from 7am-midnight and it's this that causes the issues. Not the odd spike here and there.

[Bakebeansrule]

I try to eat low carb. I start the morning with 3 slices of livlife toast (4g of carbs per slice) with peanut butter snack is a almond and pumpkin seed cereal bar (8g) or yogurt and lunch is salad and maybe a packet of popcorn once or twice a week.

I’ve changed rice for cauliflower rice which I quite enjoy and mash is now cauliflower mash or swede and carrot. When I make lasagne I only use 4 sheets of pasta between 2 people and often split the meal into 3 so I’m not eating to much of it.

I’ve started roasting carrots in the oven which I really enjoy but was told on a diabetes forum these were not good as they are high carb.

I slipped up last week and had a McDonald’s wrap and chips I tested my bg 2 hours after and it was 11.4 which worried me I was back down to 7 an hour after I tested,again I was told on a diabetic forum this was not good.

[Pamplemousse]

I slipped up last week and had a McDonald’s wrap and chips I tested my bg 2 hours after and it was 11.4 which worried me I was back down to 7 an hour after I tested,again I was told on a diabetic forum this was not good.

What on Earth are you doing testing yourself?! From what you've told us, you don't need to. Chuck your tester in a WEEE skip - I've been T2 for five years now and not once have I been advised to have a glucose monitoring kit. If you really want to know how you're doing, ask your GP if you can have an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test).

[ankietyjoe]

Yeah you're overthinking it still.

This needs to be a bigger picture observation, not a catastrophic response to one 'slip up'.

Everything you've done has got you to a much better place and there's no need to test your BG every time you eat a meal that WILL spike it. You know it's going to spike it, so just be mindful of how often you spike it.

Have you considered not having breakfast and doing the intermittent fasting thing? That'll make a huge difference overall.

[Bakebeansrule]

I joined a diabetes forum and on there they say you need to test to see what foods suit you and what doesn’t. So many people on there have said they have only got their HbA1c down though testing so I thought that would help. Maybe it’s causing me more problems

[Pamplemousse]

Well, it's certainly not helping your anxiety.

[ankietyjoe]

I joined a diabetes forum and on there they say you need to test to see what foods suit you and what doesn’t. So many people on there have said they have only got their HbA1c down though testing so I thought that would help. Maybe it’s causing me more problems

Personally I think that's nonsense. Refined carbs don't suit anybody. They may affect some a bit more than others, but too many of them will cause issues.

Having a McDonalds a couple of times a month isn't going to be an issue for somebody who's diabetes is reversed though, unless you allow that habit to be in addition to a pizza a week, cake, crisps etc etc.

There has to be a balance between your physical and mental health, and testing yourself after every potentially poor meal choice is going to be more problematic than the meal choice itself I think.

[Bakebeansrule]

Thank you for these replies they really are helping I think maybe I should stay away from the diabetes forum for a little while.

What’s your thoughts on fruit? I mentioned it on there and was practically told I’m giving myself diabetes by eating it. I really miss it and have only had a few strawberries and blueberries since diagnosis. Plus I’m sure all the nutrients would outway the sugar and carbs?

Ive tried not eating breakfast before but I start work at 6.30 am and don’t get another chance to eat until 10 or sometimes later so by then I’m feeling weak and hungry. I have a manual
Job and am on my feet all day

[ankietyjoe]

What’s your thoughts on fruit? I mentioned it on there and was practically told I’m giving myself diabetes by eating it. I really miss it and have only had a few strawberries and blueberries since diagnosis. Plus I’m sure all the nutrients would outway the sugar and carbs?


Jesus these people are idiots.

IF....you ate 4 bananas and half a dozen mangos you are probably hampering your efforts to keep diabetes at bay, but the odd portion of berries and more is not going to be an issue.

The problem (as I see it) with most dietary advice these days is that the internet seems to be favouring a single way of eating. So you must be keto, or carnivore, or vegan etc etc. There's no common sense to any of it.

Processed food is what we all need to avoid, that is what causes the issues.

I do recall you mentioning the working hours before, but the single biggest thing you can do to improve your insulin response is to reduce your eating window as much as possible. Doesn't even have to be every day. Quite honestly not eating until lunchtime shouldn't even be an issue even starting that early. I rarely eat before 1-2pm and my day starts about an hour after yours. I don't even think about food. Your body is more than capable of carrying on as normal without topping up every 2-3 hours. You might be surprised how easy you find it after a few days.

[scared88]

I've been a terrible eater for few years now due to anxiety and depression making me seek comfort in bad food. Gained a bit of weight and I wonder if my eating has been detrimental and I get diabetes worries from time to time. I'm 31 and it's been going on for few years.
Now I'm trying to get back to healthier ways and just eating normally, not going on any diets or really cutting out any one food group, just regular food and regular portions and limiting sodas as much as I can. I used to have a coke with every meal but now I'm having water instead and just a coke with maybe a movie or something like that.
But this week I have been getting some itching sensation whenever I have a bit of sugar and I worry about it being a symptom of diabetes, right now it's in my scalp but it seems to go all over. It's not an intense itch or anything like that. I've never thought itching to be a symptom of diabetes except for neuropathy but wouldn't other symptoms show up before that? Cause I have NO other symptoms like frequent urination etc...
Despite my weight gain I am active and I move around quite a bit so I dont have any mobility issues either.

Am I being just a worried idiot in wondering if this could be something related to diabetes when I dont have any of the common signs?

[Pamplemousse]

Am I being just a worried idiot in wondering if this could be something related to diabetes when I dont have any of the common signs?

Yes, you are.

Especially as I had none of the so-called tell-tale signs of diabetes but was diagnosed during a routine blood test in relation to my statins. I can point you at a chap of my acquaintance who can knock back over two litres of full-sugar coke a day, weighs in the region of 150 - 200kg and yet isn't even remotely diabetic.

I'm assuming you're not 120kg like myself (that's less than I was) but if you're concerned, ask your doctor for an OGTT.

[Pamplemousse]

Jesus these people are idiots.

IF....you ate 4 bananas and half a dozen mangos you are probably hampering your efforts to keep diabetes at bay, but the odd portion of berries and more is not going to be an issue.

The problem (as I see it) with most dietary advice these days is that the internet seems to be favouring a single way of eating. So you must be keto, or carnivore, or vegan etc etc. There's no common sense to any of it.

For me, that's the biggest problem with the Interwebs: zealotry. And nowhere does it exhibit itself more than in areas of diet.

Advice to @bakebeansrule - bin the blood glucose monitor and bin that forum too. Fruit gives you diabetes, my arse.

[scared88]

Yes, you are.

Especially as I had none of the so-called tell-tale signs of diabetes but was diagnosed during a routine blood test in relation to my statins. I can point you at a chap of my acquaintance who can knock back over two litres of full-sugar coke a day, weighs in the region of 150 - 200kg and yet isn't even remotely diabetic.

I'm assuming you're not 120kg like myself (that's less than I was) but if you're concerned, ask your doctor for an OGTT.

I'm 91kg and actually pretty stable at that weight. No drastic fluctuations. But why am I being a worried idiot about this if you yourself didn't have any of the common symptoms?
But I do guess that I would be having common issues before any of the nerve damage takes place, that seems more like an end stage part of the disease rather than beginning.

[Pamplemousse]

Because I was told at 90kg I wouldn't even have diabetes.

The various -pathys (neuro/nephro/retino) happen late into the disease and even then, only when it's unmanaged. I can remember diabetics forty-odd years ago losing bits of their anatomy (toes, usually) or worse still, their lives because diabetes simply wasn't that well managed or indeed understood back in the 1970s.

If you don't believe me, that's fine. Make an appointment with your doctor and ask your doctor to screen you for diabetes. An OGTT should be a simple starter.

[Bakebeansrule]

Thanks for the replies on here I’m going to take away some good information I will definitely be reading this again next time I have a wobble. This is a condition I know I have to live with forever and sometimes that’s really overwhelming but I understand now it’s totally manageable and there’s no reason for me to have any problems if I take care of myself (as a busy mum with a small family I often forget that) I need to follow the realistic guidelines set by my nurse and not people on the internet telling me I can never eat a carrot or potato again. My nurse told me that my HbA1c was 56 at diagnosis so loosing weight and just cutting out half of the chocolate, biscuits and potatoes etc would make a massive improvement to me but I went full on and cut everything out, while that’s helped me lose weight I don’t think it’s done my mental health any good. that’s really sad to say. Onwards and upwards from today . Thank you

[Pamplemousse]

There's sound advice on this thread; so yes, bookmark this thread in your browser and avoid the zealotry of some forums (!). It'll do you much better in the long run - you can't completely avoid carbohydrates anyway unless you're going to do something dumb like the carnivore diet (see elsewhere on this forum) but as has been the advice long before Internet 'experts' popped up; moderation is the key.

When I was diagnosed in 2014, my HbA1c was 74; it then fell to 55 before steadily climbing to 94 over a period of some 3.5 years and subsequently has fallen to its current 57. It's less than ideal I grant you and I can do something about that (it's just overcoming mental issues here that's the key issue); you've already knocked it back well under the target of <48 so well done, keep it up :noangel:

[ankietyjoe]

I just want to add something else, and that is diabetes is not a condition or disease that happens TO you. You don't catch it like a cold. It's a bodily reaction to exposure to insulin based on what you eat. And the word exposure is the important one.

When you snack all day on high carb processed foods, you are exposing your body to increased insulin for a long time at high levels. If you fast 16 hours a day, only eat very low carb for lunch and then moderate complex carbs for dinner (sweet potato, new potato, lentils, even a bit of rice) then you're going to be fine. Even if you have chips or pizza once or twice a week. It's about how much over how long that causes the problem.

The only thing that really needs watching is sugar (in my opinion). Even then you can buy diabetic friendly chocolate (choco logic from tesco for example) to satisfy that odd craving now and again. My misses does a kick ass keto friendly shortbread for when I tried keto and you really can't tell.

I think psychologically cutting out options causes issues, and the history of diabetes treatment has been backwards. Instead of treating the cause they artificially treated the symptoms without addressing the only reason it happens in the first place (insulin).

[BackRoads]

Some good info here. I do think, however, that continued testing is important. It's the only way to know you are still on the right track. I agree that maybe cutting back though, and not becoming obsessive about it is probably better for mental health.

[feelthelove]

I'm type 2 also, my A1c was 106 in November 2018 and I did keto for 11 weeks and it dropped to 59. I continued with the keto until September last year but became really ill with feeling nauseous all the time. I have lost over three stone in weight since diagnosis . But in September i was that ill I started vomiting after food and one episode was so bad I collapsed and couldn't stand up my husband had to help me to bed . I decided that i had to stop the keto as it was that which was causing my sickness. The very next day I started eating normally but try and keep the carbs under 150 a day . I have small spoon of potato and a few slices of carrots . I even eat ginger nut biscuits and everyday after my evening meal I have two fresh cream eclairs . I have been getting readings of 5.3 in the mornings and during the day nearly always 7 and never over 8 .
I had another A1c in November last year and it was down to 46 , I was very happy with this . I wish i could reverse it but I still love sweet things and when I get really stressed that is when i over eat on the sweet foods .
I do worry constantly that my A1c will rise again but I cannot eat the keto and be ill like i was I felt terrible .
My GP said that at an A1c of 59 I am not at anymore risk of getting health conditions as someone who doesn't have diabetes , that made me feel better for sure .
At the moment I have swelling on my fingers and trigger finger on one finger, my index finger also went white and cold for a few moments but regained the colour , this really worries me and when i wake during the night and in the morning my hands are so stiff i have to massage them to stop the stiffness . I'm going to the doctors tomorrow because my finger is swollen and beginning to bend and is painful. I also have the same pain in my elbows knees and ankles and shoulders, I am suspecting rheumatoid arthritis even though i know I shouldn't self diagnose .
I wanted to contribute to this thread though because my A1c was higher than the OP's and yet my GP encouraged me that i am at no more risk of any conditions related to diabetes so at least OP being reversed the condition you should be really over the moon , I know i would be .

[feelthelove]

Some good info here. I do think, however, that continued testing is important. It's the only way to know you are still on the right track. I agree that maybe cutting back though, and not becoming obsessive about it is probably better for mental health.
In the uk we cannot get testing stips and lancets on the NHS for type 2 , we have to self fund and use private companies so many do not test.
I do test because i worry i am getting high numbers . My husband doesn't test who is also type 2 . It's me that is the worrier I am terrible .