a plea for help with BG/weight/Cholesterol levels

[macast]

I hate this stupid disease!!! grrrrrrr I get so angry and want to rant. but I won't 😱

but I will ask for help from you lovely, well informed people......

I was diagnosed last new year (2011) and seemed to get my BG levels and Cholesterol levels pretty well near to under control (I was doing fairly well).... and my weight was getting near to my target.

but............. since my gall bladder problems and subsequent operation in October I am struggling big time!! my cholesterol levels went up drastically in the last test I had in November and I've been told to get some control back or it is statins for me!! (DSN was gentle and kind about it ... but it seems inevitable now)... my weight has gone back up by well over a stone and my BG levels are terrible and I can't get them down to previous levels

exercise is a problem as I'm not fully well from the operation yet

help.............................. please 😱

 

[Katieb]

Poor you! It's really frustrating when you aren't very mobile due to an op - I know from one I had a couple of years ago! Can you get any advice from a dietician regarding diet etc? You were obviously doing really well before you were unwell, so is it that your immobility is holding you back or that it's just getting back on track which isn't easy when you've been unwell? Can you do any exercise at all? A gentle stroll, swim etc? I know there are a couple of others on here who are unable to exercise very much but are doing ok, so I hope some of them come along with some support and advice. Other than that, I would go back to the doc and ask them for some help and support as it sounds as if you are already doing all the right things. Love and hugs. Katiex

 

[slipper]

Hi Macast, so sorry you are not doing as well as you wish. I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of exercise, I can do very little but manage my weight ok by the usual reduction in carbs.

There is a school of thought that exercise is only a means of toning the muscles, but of course, we need muscles to burn the glucose. I found some old cast iron irons, and use these as weight lifting devices. Any exercise is better than none.

I am sure the more experienced peeps will advise about your BGs, perhaps its all down to your lower level of health at present and will improve as you get over your op.

 

[trophywench]

Well - certainly any concurrent other illness will increase your BG's but perhaps it's now time to be terribly strict with yourself with the carbs, and only reintroduce them a bit experimentally once you have your BG and chol down.

Are you now able to eat fats again? Because obviously they slow any carbs down, which is good for a T2, and won't increase your chol, whereas excess carbs will and do.

 

[macast]

thanks everyone 🙂

I think that carbs are my biggest problem. I just look at them and they add to my poundage and BG levels 😡 (I'm sure I'm not alone on that one!) I have to get to grips with getting a balance

have started keeping a food diary again so that I can see what is affecting my levels..... but that means I'm back to testing several times a day

I've joined the Weight Loss Group again..... and will report in every week.... that way I will be more motivated.

as to my cholesterol levels...... I started using Benacol products at the end of last year.... and I have to have tests again this month.... so will see if they have made a difference...

 

[trophywench]

You picked the wrong disease then - if you object to testing! LOL

 

[mcdonagh47]

Hi macast ,
nice to see you posting. As you say its back to basics as a first step for bgs. If thst coesn,t work you will probably need to step the medication algorhythm - maxing out on Metformin and adding something like gliclazide.

As for Cholesterol its a particular problem for post-menopausal women. Before the menopause Oestrogen has the effect of raising HDL (good cholesterol that carries bad chol LDL out of the system). After the menopause the oestrogen goes and so does the protective effect of it. So chols rise in post-menopausal women (especially bad LDL ).
There are a few added complications in your case ...
1. Heart disease and heart attacks are generally thought of as being a male thing - in fact older women are slightly more at risk of it than men.
2. Type 2 Diabetes exacerbates the problem - 80% of t2s die of heart disease.
3. Diet alone is not going to do a great deal to bring down chols.

You have to protect hour heart so its probably time ( with chols of 7.1) to bite the bullet and seek the protective benefits of statins.