Diabetes and fatigue

[Gezariyah]

Hi.

My husband has Type 2 diabetes, which was controlled without medication until a few weeks ago, although he was overweight and, admittedly, didn't eat the best of diets. However, after he suddenly took ill at home with fatigue and aching, blood tests showed his blood sugars were now higher than usual. Consequently, he's been put on Metformin and Atorvastatin for the past weeks weeks, and signed off from work (he had been working from home, which he'd found quite stressful due to one thing and another). He's brightened up a lot, but is still more fatigued than usual and not quite himself . I spoke to his practice nurse, who advised a low carbs diet (easier said than done for him). He's done well with cutting right back on sweet things so far. I'd appreciate some good advice as I'm getting a bit stressed myself, and don't want to pass than on to him or our son. Any tips appreciated.

 

[Ljc]

Hi, welcome to the forum .
it’s only natural to be worried, but you have come to the right place for info and support fro people who know this condition fro the inside.
As your husbands BG (blood glucose) levels come down he should start to feel better and the lethargy should start to ease up.
Yes its the old carbohydrates that are our enemy , they rapidly turn to glucose (sugar) in our blood, but reducing them needn’t be a life of eating lettuce and fresh air .

We all tolerate carbohydrates differently , porridge, it’s really healthy, yes , but some of us dare not eat it as it raises our blood glucose far too high , fruit, very heathy , yes but it’s full of fructose (sugar) esp grapes , and most of us can only tolerate fruit that has berry as part of its name .
The only real way of finding out which carbohydrates we can and can’t tolerate is to self test our BG levels with a glucose meter just before eating then two hours after starting to eat as it’s the difference between the two that’s important.
Sadly unless we’re on medication that can cause hypo’s ( low blood glucose) it’s unlikely he will be provided a meter and test strips .
Many here use Gluco navii as it’s the ongoing cost of the test strips you have to watch , £8 for 50 rather than £15+ for 50. You will also need to buy more test strips , I suggest two pots to start with as you get through a lot at first , and a box of lancets.

As for nice tasty things to eat , we have some great innovative cooks on here, you wouldn’t believe what they can do with some almond flour and a bit of imagination 🙂
Even pizza need not be off the menu (fat head pizza)
Have a look through Members recipes

Ask all the questions you you need to, we’ll do our best to help

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Gezariyah , glad that you have found us.

If glucose levels are high it does make people feel very tired, so getting the levels down will help a lot. Reducing the sugary things is a good start, but an important thing to realise is that it is all carbohydrates that turn into glucose once inside us. So that includes all the more obvious ones like pasta, potatoes, cakes and biscuits and rice, but carbs are also hidden in many preprepared meals and sauces. A good start could be to find out how much carbs he is eating at each meal. To do this you can use the info on packets and weigh the amounts you use. When someone has T2 diabetes their body cannot use/make enough insulin to go with the glucose they have in their blood so the amount of carbs needs to be reduced to match what is available.

I hope that makes sense. Come back with any questions that you have.

 

[Gezariyah]

Thanks very much for your replies so far, your time and advice is much appreciated. I've also just done a few of the Learning Zones courses in food hacks, with hubby joining in towards the end. I don't feel quite as overwhelmed now, but much more empowered and we have some manageable targets, such as starting to reduce portions and make healthier swaps.

 

[Ljc]

I am please to hear you don’t feel quite so overwhelmed.
Rome wasn’t built in a day , all the little steps you make add up and you will soon find you’ve made huge strides.
Also sometimes by making huge changes all at once we just set ourselves up to fail.
An occasional treat is fine and if you celebrate Christmas or special days such as Birthdays and weddings are times when many of us relax our control a bit as well.

Please let us know how you get on ok

When you are ready for some more homework 😉😉 their is a great info forum on here

Useful links for people new to diabetes

These links provide useful information, particularly to those newly-diagnosed. You can also browse the Recommended Books and Links sections for further information :) Contents: Type 1 Section Insulin Pumps Section Type 2 Section General Help and Information Section Complications and screening...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

For future reference it’s at the top of the newbies forum
I suggest you start with Maggie Davies letter, but make yourself a cuppa first as it’s a long read.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. At least your husband has a good nurse who has recommended the right diet (against PHE guidance!). Although some people suffer fatigue with diabetes it's not always true and sometimes it's a mental state of mind and not physical. Note that statins have nothing to do with diabetes and your husband shouldn't just accept them without discussion about his 'lipids' profile with the nurse/GP and the various ratios to see whether he really needs them and what dose level. Sadly surgeries treat them like sweets.

 

[Drummer]

That is what I was prescribed - it was rather disastrous for my physical and mental wellbeing in only a few weeks - do look for your husband being more absent minded or more easily distressed by things which would not have affected then normally.
Not everyone is susceptible, but for me it could have been very serious.
These days I do very well indeed on low carb only.