Hello

[Christine Carl]

I am just newly diagnosed type 2 and have other health problems as well, I think those problems cause much confusion. So I suspect I have had this for a long time but it has been overlooked because I have pernicious anaemia, fibromyalgia, PCOS, goitre and glaucoma. I noticed that the PA and the fibro all have very similar symptoms to diabetes type 2. Anyway I just know I hurt all over, particularly my shoulder and lower back. My feet and hands are always burning or tingling and I get terrible cramps in my legs. These all seem to fit the symptoms for a lot of diseases. Some people have said that all my problems will be thyroid related but I can't get anywhere with trying to get help there.
I feel very fatigued but my main concern at the moment is weight loss as I am so immobile it just piles on.
So I usually have Nairns oat biscuits for breakfast and for lunch and then a normal evening meal. This fits in with work as I don't get any breaks during the day ( as I am so slow I have to just keep going) - so I am wondering if the biscuits are enough to be considered a meal. My doctor has said I have to have proper breakfast and lunch but this isn't at all possible for me and the type of work I do, I just don't have time. I am not going to eat a breakfast at 6.30 in the morning, I think I would be sick. So for me at the moment it is like trying to put things into perspective and see what the greater need is.
May be I should try and get a job with Nairns 😉

 

[trophywench]

Hi Christine - what do you have with the oatcakes? - cos if you're not having anything - no, it doesn't sound enough to me either!

I don't like breakfast either - gave up eating it in my teens when at senior school, as I wanted to look like Twiggy LOL. But by the time I was 40-ish - I had to admit defeat. It is a fact although I still don't like the fact - that if I want to control my BG all day every day - and LAST without dropping off to sleep! - then I need to eat at regular intervals. PITA but there you go.

However - you would do a lot better - and keep going for longer actually!! - if breakfast and lunch both included protein and some fat. This doesn't mean you have to eat masses of anything - eggs for breakfast is ALWAYS the obvious first suggestion but I'm with you here, Yukk! at 6.30 am! (fine on holiday when I can get up at a reasonable time, come back to life gradually - and someone else cooks it!) So - how about buttering the oatcakes and having - at least! - some cheese of some sort with em? - or at least the cheese if not the butter. You can easily do this at night and stick it in a 'Tupperware' type container, or even a sandwich bag, to just grab in the morning and take to work?

A lot of it sounds thyroid related - underactive T slows you down one helluva lot - including your reaction time etc, whereas overactive T usually makes you quicker, I thought? - and I did think that goitres suggested over-active?

What medications are you actually on, and who are you seeing about them - GP or hospital clinics - for any of your probs? And - do any of them actually appear to HELP any of them?

With some more info - we'll put our thinking caps on and try and help a bit more.

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum Christine.
Trophywench has covered some diet ideas, so I'll ask about exercise - you say you are "so immobile" - what exactly does that mean? Walking, cycling etc all count as exercise - it doesn't have to be gym, sports etc. What sort of work do you do?

 

[Christine Carl]

Hello Jenny and Copepods, thank you both for replying. I work as an area manager for the library service. I don't have any medications for my goitre but I did have it drained once. Its a big cyst and they only drained it to examine the contents - it filled up again almost immediately. I don't have any meds for my fibro because I think they just add more burden to the problems with the side effects. I tried amitriptyline but it left me semi concious for about 3 days (which was quite nice actually, like a holiday) but I had to get back to the real world. So that leaves me on Bizafibrate, HRT, AZOPT and Lumigan (for the glaucoma) and I have B12 jabs every 8 weeks, I also have sumatriptan when I need it. My GP has just started me on Metformin. I go to glaucoma clinic every 6 months for a check up.The eyedrops give me constant respiratory tract infection but I have to take them because I started to lose my sight and will go blind if I don't but the constant fever and infection don't help me at all. I don't do any exercise at all now. I used to walk a lot even though this often meant I seized up afterwards which is the fibro - about a year ago I went for my usual walk which was about 5 miles and a comfortable pace and I seized up for about 3 days after and I couldn't get to work. I love swimming but my husband has to help me get dressed and trying to pack my size 22 into a swimming costume in a small changing room defeats both of us. Gradually over the last year I have been able to do less and less, my knees lock, I get very bad cramps. My feet are sore and worst of all my back just gives out and feels very weak. I was off work for all of January because the desk in my office was pressed right up against the wall and I hurt myself getting in and out. I have been trying to get more mobile because recently social services came to put a stair rail in for me and left me a commode for downstairs that I really don't want to start to use so I started online chair yoga - but I can't even keep up with that. I don't consume many calories but I don't use up those I do consume - I have piled on the weight of course and its another step downwards.
I will have to think about the morning breakfast thing. I have to eat very low fat foods so I can't have the cheese option. I am finding it a bit difficult to work something out. The biscuits are very easy as they are all packaged so I just grab two packs and go. If I eat or drink that early I gag. I generally have the first lot at about 10am and then the second at 12. If I eat more I will get fatter so it puts me off even thinking about it. I am sure something will work out though - it may be that the metformin will be able to work okay with the biscuits. I am on day two of taking it 🙂 so will see how it goes.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and advice.