Hello!

[treebee]

Hi!
My name is Tree (yes that is my real name) and im a pierced, dreadlocked, painter, dj, granny and full time carer for my best friend in East Anglia.
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 8 days ago, receiving this info by text from my doctor!
Have had a few particularly dark months of ill health, since trapped nerve and slipped disc left me bed ridden for a month, almost 3 months ago now, am still moving about VERY slowly and cant lift anything so exercise is almost laughable at this point ... 4 sets of blood tests, mri scan, 2 face to face doctors appointments and 3 on the phone oh and an ambulance on the day i pulled my back, all seem like a blurry dream now .... am awaiting diabetes eye and clinic appointments and imminent spinal surgery for 3 bulging vertebre, but hey, some days are sent to try us eh? Thank god for a set of decks, my vinyl collection to keep my spirits up, netflix, a selection of cuddly fur babies and 4 sproingy bantams running around!
Was diagnosed with underactive thyroid 2 weeks ago and have meds for that, but now type 2 diabetes aswell and have 1 metaformin a day this week, 2 next, 3 following ..... been researching both conditons and adjusted to what i read was best for underactive thyroid, then got the diabetes bomb .... food cupboards have been cleared out of anything sugar based, as well as white rice, noodles and flour plus any jams or fruits in syrup in cans ( and all given to the local food bank)
Taste tested 4 types of sweetners and decided on truvia is the best cos going from 2 heaped teaspoons of sugar in cuppas was always gonna be hard. My morning cup of english breakfast is now doable again!
Now my problem is not sugary food as such, i was bad, i could quite easily on stressful days inhale a large mint aero, but i can get over the need to do that by not having anything like that in the house .... am experiementing making homemade smoothies and sugar free energy balls for those need a sweet fix moments. i know my health is important and getting my diabetes in check means quicker surgery on a very painful back
But i LOVE potatoes ..... thats the hardest thing to give up for me, closely followed by rice and noodles as i make alot of oriental food. Carbs are gonna be my downfall ..... The struggle will hopefully become hazy as i form new habits, but am CRAVING spuds ..... must resist!
But lost 4 inches off my waist in a week which has blown my mind and means im doing ok, that shot of baileys in my coffee one night didnt hinder me moving in the right direction. Maybe this is a godsend to get me back to a better healthier , lighter new me ... we shall see!

 

[ColinUK]

Welcome!

Try roasting radishes instead of new potatoes and switch “real” spuds out for swede or celeriac. It doesn’t taste exactly the same of course but they’re all fairly decent alternatives and they’re all much lower carb than the potato.
Also cauliflower rice is ok as long as it’s boosted with lots of flavour. Certainly cauliflower and swede mash works a treat instead of mashed potato.

Can you tell us anything more about your diagnosis? do you know your HbA1C for example?

 

[Colourpurple]

Hi Tree sounds like you have been through the mill recently. On a positive note you are making adjustments to your diet. I too am a newbie here - just diagnosed with type 2. Have started Metheringhamo on 2 a day. I

 

[Colourpurple]

Oh dear not a good start... apologies for typing error that should have read Metformin and I didn't mean to send post before completing!
Can I ask a general question please. How many carbs per day are we supposed to eat. I am cutting down on Carbs. I am using My Fitness pal and based on my weight it calculates the carbs. Not sure how accurate this is? Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks

 

[treebee]

Welcome!

Try roasting radishes instead of new potatoes and switch “real” spuds out for swede or celeriac. It doesn’t taste exactly the same of course but they’re all fairly decent alternatives and they’re all much lower carb than the potato.
Also cauliflower rice is ok as long as it’s boosted with lots of flavour. Certainly cauliflower and swede mash works a treat instead of mashed potato.

Can you tell us anything more about your diagnosis? do you know your HbA1C for example?

Am allergic to all the celery family so thats not an option and cauliflower is a dodgy thyroid veg .... but i can try out the radishs! Have brown basmati rice, buckwheat noodles and brown rice noodles too now so can use those in very small moderation if need be! and yeah not sure what a hba1c is so cant tell you that! And absolutely no idea about carb intake, im just avoiding all the obvious ones and upping my veg eggs fish and meat! plus finding big breakfast works for me and smaller lunchs and teas with olive and nut snacks if need be!

 

[Vonny]

Hi @treebee and @Colourpurple. Re carbs, there's no such thing as how many carbs you are supposed to eat. Some people can tolerate some and others hardly any. I'm one of the latter and have eschewed spuds, bread, rice and pasta. I've lost 3.5 stone since April and my hba1c has come down from 76 to 37 which is below even pre-diabetic levels. However, I am still on metformin.

@treebee, it sounds like you are doing well on your diet. A 4" loss is fantastic!

Both, are you monitoring your blood sugar before and 2 hours after eating? That's the only way I've been able to identify what I can eat without spiking my sugars. A low carb diet counts as anything under 130g I think, but I get by on 50g per day max.

Welcome to you both btw 🙂

 

[treebee]

Doctor said nothing about measuring my sugars and gave no advice to do so, so cold turkey on sugar and minimal carbs is what ive decided myself after reading alot about it. The number she gave me was 85, so i assume thats the hba1c? Just remembered and found the bit of paper i wrote that on cos life is a bit hazy on strong pain meds!
My spinal care/surgery and pain management is the number 1 priority to her and diabetes is a secondary condition discovered while trying to minimise my back problems. Even though diabetes is an important part of my health now, getting me fit enough for the operation is key.
And with regard to my own point of view, i will take the pills im supposed to (except the amount of painkillers they wanted me on cos 9 gabapentrin and 8 tramadol a day = zombie ... so now on 2 of each a day) to make this happen, researching Berberine at the moment as an alternative to metaformin, which i would like to get off as soon as possible. i had the metabolism of a 75 year old before all this was diagnosed so the thyroid meds are actually giving my body a way to burn off fat. The doctor says ive had low thyroid, but not in need of medication for least 5 years and avoided more tests cos i would rather treat stuff with natural ingredients, herbs and essencial oils.
Her exact words were .. there are some things in this world tree you cannot treat with honey lemon and ginger tea or garlic chicken broth, take the meds! .... i have set my own goal to lose 5 stone and 14 inches off my waiste ( i have already lost 4" so thats helpful) she says i could easily do with losing 8 stone ..... but have never been that thin in my life and dont ever intend to be.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @treebee

Gosh it sounds like you really have been through it!

Well done for the steps you have made so far, and for balancing the different food needs of multiple conditions.

Is your thyroid disorder autoimmune? If so it may be worth keeping a weather eye on your BG progress, especially of you are going quite low carb, in case your diabetes may also be of the slow-onset autoimmune type (LADA).

However your weight loss so far is excellent, and losing weight (expecially visceral fat around the middle) really helps your organs to work as well as they can.

I gather some of our low carbing members like ‘konjac’ noodles which are quite BG friendly

 

[treebee]

Welcome to the forum @treebee

Gosh it sounds like you really have been through it!

Well done for the steps you have made so far, and for balancing the different food needs of multiple conditions.

Is your thyroid disorder autoimmune? If so it may be worth keeping a weather eye on your BG progress, especially of you are going quite low carb, in case your diabetes may also be of the slow-onset autoimmune type (LADA).

However your weight loss so far is excellent, and losing weight (expecially visceral fat around the middle) really helps your organs to work as well as they can.

I gather some of our low carbing members like ‘konjac’ noodles which are quite BG friendly

I have had sjogrens syndrome for almost 6 years ... well diagnosed think i had it a good 2 or 3 before hand so know the joys of an autoimmune disease already, especially a weird multiple symptomed, comes back and then leaves kind of one .... had never even thought the thyroid underactiveness or diabetes could also be related.
Thank you so much for the konjac noodles reccomendation, had never heard of them but looked them up now and shall add them to my pantry! Made a spicy thai dish with buckwheat noodles a friend sent me last night and couldnt tell the difference from my old egg noodles to be honest!
And yep, have been through a bit of a nightmare the last few months , but optimism, sarcasm, creative swearing, music and laughter have kept me seeking answers and trying to do something about it all!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Interesting that you already have an autoimmune condition on board... having one makes a diagnosis with others more likely I believe?

 

[treebee]

Interesting that you already have an autoimmune condition on board... having one makes a diagnosis with others more likely I believe?

yeah have read a few articles on it, since you told me about it and seems that is the case! Mind blown!