Body healing and diabetes

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Honeywell

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I have been noticing that when my body (skin) get broken in open sores they weep. but when i eat low amount of carbs and sugar the sore heal up. but yet my Hb1c test stays high! I don't do regular blood testing due to me skin picking regularly hence the open sores i have to deal with. nurses are never happy with my Hb1c tests!
But i want to know what is the relationship between open sores and high carb/sugars?
 
Hi

High BG levels create an environment where bacteria and fungal infections thrive because the glucose feeds them. This means that any cuts or sores take longer to heal. I also find that my skin is more supple and less prone to cracking when I follow a low carb higher fat way of eating, so less prone to cracking in the first place.
You need to eat low carb for a prolonged period in order for it to improve your HbA1c results because that test is an indication of your BG levels over the previous 3 months whereas your finger prick test is a moment in time and will vary from one minute to the next depending upon a whole host of factors.... food, exercise and medication being the main 3 but something like 42 factors in total can influence your BG levels. So if you just eat low carb for a few days or a week and then revert to normal it isn't going to make a huge difference to your HbA1c, it really needs to be a sustained and sustainable change to your way of eating to help manage your diabetes.

What sort of HbA1c results are you getting that your nurses are not happy with and what are they doing to help you reduce them??
 
been type 2 for last ten yrs and lost 30kg in last 3yrs! if i understood food and its relationship to diabetes may be i would make more effort to eat right. hope i have joined the right group
 
Was the weight loss intentional and/or was it perhaps easier than you expected?
What sort of HbA1c results have you been getting?
The reason I ask is that unintentional weight loss is a symptom of Type 1 diabetes and not Type 2 and if you have been lowering your carbs but your HbA1c has not been reflecting your efforts then it is possible that you may be a slow onset Type 1 rather than Type 2.
Diabetes is diagnosed by the HbA1c blood test and a reading of 48 or more gets you a diabetes label. The Type of diabetes is often more of a guess based on clinical factors. Some nurses and GPs often assume you must be Type 2 if you are a mature adult especially if you are carrying a bit of excess weight but there are no specific tests which indicate you are Type 2. There are tests which might indicate you are Type 1 (GAD and C-peptide) but they are not routinely done, so many of us more mature Type 1s were initially assumed to be Type 2. My symptoms came on very suddenly, so there was an element of doubt about my Type 2 diagnosis and the weight started dropping off me very fast although I did drastically change my diet once I suspected I was diabetic and then my HbA1c came back as 112 so that also pointed to me not being a run of the mill Type 2 especially as I am quite active and after a few weeks of oral type 2 meds it was realised that I needed insulin and referred to a consultant who authorized those Type 1 tests. Other members here have not been so fortunate and taken many months or even many years to get the correct diagnosis and treatment and for some their Type 1 came on much more slowly....sometimes referred to as LADA Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) or Type 1.5.

Anyway, if you can give us a bit more background history about how you came to be diagnosed and the sort of HbA1c results you are getting and any medication you are taking it will give us a better idea of what may be going on.
 
i often get "its high" but dont actually tell me a number or explain. helping me to understand the factors of relationship with food (not that i remember) not just telling me to eat low carb /sugars will help me to choose the right foods in the shop. and intentions too.
 
Honeywell said:
i often get "its high" but dont actually tell me a number or explain. helping me to understand the factors of relationship with food (not that i remember) not just telling me to eat low carb /sugars will help me to choose the right foods in the shop. and intentions too.
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It sounds as if you need some more focussed help with understanding the role carbohydrates have in blood glucose management.
Have a look at this link as it explains what it is all about, has some do's and dont's and has some menu ideas for following a low carbohydrate approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It is a good idea to ask your GP for the actual result of your HbA1C as that will give you a good idea of how much work you need to do. Anything over 47mmol/mol is diabetic. So it's high doesn't tell you anything useful.
 
What if any medication are you on for your diabetes?
Was the weight loss a hard slog or has it happened easier than you expected?

Sadly, you need to be quite proactive about your diabetes management to get the best out of the system. It is therefore great that you have found the forum and introduced yourself so that we can help to point you in the right direction and answer any questions you have.

Firstly, do you have access to your medical records online? If not, ring the doctor's surgery and ask for the date and result of your last 2 or 3 HbA1c blood tests. Have a pen and paper handy and write them down. Don't let them fob you off with it was high or OK or whatever. Ask for actual numbers and politely say that they are your results and you are entitled to know them, as you want to start improving things and you need knowledge to do that.

Once you have that information come back to us with it and what medication you are taking and we can tackle the next step.
 
weight loss
when the pandemic started i panicked and started a 1p sweet shop! so for the first 6 months nothing happened but then needed the loo more often and then got sores on the legs. then others noticed i had lost weight on my face but i had done all over! so yes unintentionally lost the weight but then my dad had plagued me 20+ years ago with weight gain and denying me food! so i have food comfort issues. not good i know but now i have the chance to start anew.
hopefully with your support i can gain weight a little but learn the right food to eat and plan and focus my future. thank you for your understanding.
 
Honeywell said:
weight loss
when the pandemic started i panicked and started a 1p sweet shop! so for the first 6 months nothing happened but then needed the loo more often and then got sores on the legs. then others noticed i had lost weight on my face but i had done all over! so yes unintentionally lost the weight but then my dad had plagued me 20+ years ago with weight gain and denying me food! so i have food comfort issues. not good i know but now i have the chance to start anew.
hopefully with your support i can gain weight a little but learn the right food to eat and plan and focus my future. thank you for your understanding.
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What you have just said sends a red flag that you may be Type1 or LADA not Type 2.
 
my mum was an alcoholic. i might have FASD which can have lifestyle impact but drs not noticing the struggles i have.
 
Ah yes and can affect impulse control so making it more difficult for you to follow the steps you intend to do in order to make changes.

Did your doctor or nurse prescribe any medication?
 
High blood sugar stops white blood cells from working, so wounds take longer to heal.
 
Type 2 diabetes can also cause weight loss, as the body will start to burn fat for energy if it cannot get any from blood sugar due to IR/dysfunctional pancreas.
 
Leadinglights said:
It sounds as if you need some more focussed help with understanding the role carbohydrates have in blood glucose management.
Have a look at this link as it explains what it is all about, has some do's and dont's and has some menu ideas for following a low carbohydrate approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
It is a good idea to ask your GP for the actual result of your HbA1C as that will give you a good idea of how much work you need to do. Anything over 47mmol/mol is diabetic. So it's high doesn't tell you anything useful.
Click to expand...
thank you for the link very useful.
 
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