Hormones Diabetes and menopause

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Nayshiftin

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The more I talk about how I feel I am thinking more that not everything is down to Diabetes. I am thinking a lot of my blood sugars could be confused by hormone glitches . Symptoms as in the headaches the hot / cold sweats . With or without high temperatures is not always diabetic /food related .
Anyone with a high temperature notice how low their blood sugar is but not low enough for a hypo? But I think maybe that’s how a diabetic might feel only to eat and it lowers even more. If I sleep instead of eating when I wake my sugar levels are usually higher and then that’s been called a liver dump . I’ve tried testing them giving up testing so often as was all over . I do it daily and even then it’s not really registering with me. It’s high but it’s not food or drink related as it can go down post food. For example 11.5 before breakfast 9.6 after . I would have thought the other way around. I just wondered anyone else had similiar ? I am type 2 . Been seen by DGN next week blood tests tomorrow so should get result . Possibly feel I need to go medication now. I’m not good at sticking to carb free diet. Too fond of bread, rice,pasta and potato meals. Yes tried the cauliflowers and courgette or leek but always return to this diet . Even if I live shorter that's my worry it’s more the other scary things like limb loss etc that scare me. Wish enough to eat the right diet.
 
It is easy to blame other things and yes sometimes it might well be but an important factor is going to be diet and you have pretty well said it yourself, those high carb foods, potatoes, rice, bread, pasta are going to do you no favours. Even with medication those are still going to be the foods to minimise in your diet. The meds do not miraculously remove the carbs from the food you eat.
However there may be other things going on if you are saying your levels are lower after eating.
Between now and when you see the DGN it would be worthwhile keeping a food diary alongside before and 2 hour after meal readings so they can get a better picture.
 
Leadinglights said:
It is easy to blame other things and yes sometimes it might well be but an important factor is going to be diet and you have pretty well said it yourself, those high carb foods, potatoes, rice, bread, pasta are going to do you no favours. Even with medication those are still going to be the foods to minimise in your diet. The meds do not miraculously remove the carbs from the food you eat.
However there may be other things going on if you are saying your levels are lower after eating.
Between now and when you see the DGN it would be worthwhile keeping a food diary alongside before and 2 hour after meal readings so they can get a better picture.
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Can you help me out more. On day off operation my blood sugar before I went to bed was 6.9 on the morning before I went in it was 11.3 then it continued to rise and rise until I ate that evening after op . Unsure what they gave me but it stayed high in hospital . They gave me sandwiches . Croissants , the soup was full of beans and a Roll and the salad had croutons so all I ate in hospital was carbohydrate. Since returning I try sometimes to lower carbs but still prefer a starchy carb diet. I loathe to eat meat and fruit and veg are my staples normally. I understand carbs convert to sugar. Now explain please . Medication will lower sugar levels so why will this not help ? Why if on insulin dependent do people match the carbs with the carbs then why not on medication ? So basically you are saying because I’ve type 2 the only thing that will favour is if I stop all carbohydrate and sugar then I’ll be fine ? Then when my insulin packs in completely I can start to have it again ? They may or may not give medication anyway. I just know bm is staying up and whatever I blame it on well ….
 
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are not actually very much like each other. Type 1 diabetes - the body stops producing any insulin and would hence simply die unless insulin was given. The body has no trouble utilising the insulin.

Type 2 diabetes - the body continues to produce insulin but the body can't use it properly. In fact in a lot of cases, the body over produces insulin because it's no longer able to make use of the normal small amounts the pancreas produces - so the equivalent of sitting in your car in neutral with the handbrake on and revving the engine 24/7 then wondering why the car hasn't moved.

Nobody anywhere has ever said you have to entirely give up eating carbohydrate - merely try eating LESS of it.

If that doesn't suit you - don't do it.
 
trophywench said:
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are not actually very much like each other. Type 1 diabetes - the body stops producing any insulin and would hence simply die unless insulin was given. The body has no trouble utilising the insulin.

Type 2 diabetes - the body continues to produce insulin but the body can't use it properly. In fact in a lot of cases, the body over produces insulin because it's no longer able to make use of the normal small amounts the pancreas produces - so the equivalent of sitting in your car in neutral with the handbrake on and revving the engine 24/7 then wondering why the car hasn't moved.

Nobody anywhere has ever said you have to entirely give up eating carbohydrate - merely try eating LESS of it.

If that doesn't suit you - don't do it.
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I don’t think people are getting me . Yes Type one totally different as in no insulin . Okay so that bit I understand totally. I am more or less diagnosed as type two due mainly to obesity. So whatever I eat makes me fat. Drink also as milk is also fat and carbohydrate yet cream is just fat . So it’s all difficult with diet. Now when I was morbid obese I did start to lose weight and changed diet n exercise and at thst stage definitely there was eat carbs blood sugar would rise . Now it’s not always the case. My blood sugar rises overnight when I don’t eat and post breakfast it lowers. It does change like a zig zag during the day . So really I don’t want to worry about that . What I need to do is get a safety buffer of highs and lows and have a good mean average . So for example say 5.5 is lowers and 10.5 the highest I’d be happy. So I was thinking meds would lower it thus . Carbs don’t seem to change things or porridge and toast would not drop blood sugar down . I had soup and bread the other night and was delighted with 7.8 the other morning . Then I had fruit muesli abc yoghurt and that dropped . I was Kate back for lunch and it was back up to 12.9 . So yes I have insulin snd I have sugar. All that gone I want rid of headaches mood swings temperatures .
I don’t understand the car in neutral .nor do I understand what type two diabetic meds do. I also don’t understand if I’m diabetic why I don’t lose weight when it’s high. I don’t understand all this myself let alone everyone else. I want take this that happens . Do this that happens . I thought when it lowered last time I had done it now I think it was a mixture of stop change start. Stop the different meds . I don’t even know what they will suggest. Metformin and Sukartto which is slow release metformin just kill my stomach and make life unbearable . Alliogliptin just brought me into a rash and I was miserable on that . Trying without and when I could exercise eat well I was doing brilliant . I’ve had to care for a relative do exercise lowered abc recently had my wonky hip revised so I should move better soon and get the exercise going again . Thst and summer salads will help . But these winter couple of months are really not helping . So yes I blame the lowered exercise . Some of the carb diet but as I say too . I think some of my hormones despite the diabetes might be causing the headaches temps etc.
 
The whole issue of dietary regime, meds, no meds to try to manage blood glucose levels is fraught with having to content not just with an individuals tolerance to meds or their motivation but differing theories about what influences blood glucose levels.
Medication like metformin helps the body use the insulin it produces more effectively to metabolise the glucose from carbohydrates because of something called insulin resistance. But it can only do that if people don't continue to overload the body with too many carbs. Think of it as, you have an overflowing sink which will continue to overflow unless you turn the tap off, bailing out the water will help but only to a certain extent.
Meds such as Allogliptin stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin so in theory ought to enable the body to cope with carbohydrates but again it can only do so much especially if insulin resistance is also a factor.

It is unrealistic to expect that people can cut out all carbohydrates but it is realistic that they can reduce them to a level that the body can cope with either with or without oral meds. However there may be circumstances that despite those meds the pancreas just cannot produce enough insulin and that is when people who are Type 2 may then need insulin. However managing that regime is not without difficulty and the need to be fairly disciplined in food intake.

Fluctuating levels as you seem to be experiencing could be because you are eating high carb foods which makes the pancreas over produce insulin which makes the fat cell store too many calories which leaves insufficient for the rest of the body so a few hours after eating people are hungry so eat more carbs.
Counter intuitively replacing carbs with high fat foods such as nuts, full fat dairy, olive oil, avocado and dark chocolate lowers insulin levels making the calories from the meal available for the rest of the body. Also high fat foods may help shed body fat.
Your hospital experience is similar to mine in the poor choice of low carb foods, I ended up selecting omelette with salad, a lentil curry (horrible) and a cheese salad, even the yoghurts were high carb.. Most other things were very high carbs.
It may take a bit more work and planning but there are plenty of low carb veggie recipes out there if you don't like meat or fish.
You don't need to have zero carbs but just watch the portion sizes and find come lower carb substitutions.
 
Why if on insulin dependent do people match the carbs with the carbs then why not on medication ? So basically you are saying because I’ve type 2 the only thing that will favour is if I stop all carbohydrate and sugar then I’ll be fine ?

Type 1 is an auto-immune condition @Nayshiftin It’s very different from Type 2 so don’t let that confuse you or worry you. Type 1s count carbs and match our insulin because our metabolic systems are not messed up. We’re generally sensitive to insulin and it works fine.

Type 2 however is a condition of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means you’re making enough insulin - perhaps even too much - yet your body can’t use it. The extra circulating insulin can contribute to weight gain. Carbs stimulate even more insulin production, which is not what you need. Reducing carbs can help break this dysfunctional cycle and improve your metabolism.
 
What I was told was . Everyone only has a certain amount of insulin some more than others. You are running out so you need to eat three meals a day to give the pancreas a rest in between . You must eat a balanced Meal with a quarter carbs and must eat protein and veg . Protein is a must at every meal and I must drink and stay hydrated. When my insulin runs out totallly they can then adapt accordingly . For now plan is to have three month checks unless I am unwell. The third month is up. That’s what I was told not that I should go on high fat low carb or anything that I keep reading and not understand . I try to choose wisely but have been naughty at times only to find it’s increasing bad and difficult now to reverse. I also don’t understand how I eat something and it swings but never mind . I’ll keep trying.
 
We don’t ‘have’ insulin. It’s produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. In Type 1, our immune system destroys those cells. In Type 2, they’re there and working, but can sometimes get worn out over time by making lots of insulin that the body can’t use because of insulin resistance. Some Type 2s continue to make insulin until the end of their lives so it’s not a given that you’ll run out. In addition, if you did and still had insulin resistance, your body’s response to injected insulin would probably be quite different to a Type 1, particularly if you’re overweight.

You don’t have to cut all carbs and you don’t have to eat high fat if you choose not to. However, limiting your carbs should help you a lot. There are plenty of lower fat low carb diets you could try, or you could simply devise your own 🙂

If your current diet isn’t working then it would make sense to adjust it. Regular meals are a good idea as is eating first thing to stop your body ‘dumping’ glucose in your bloodstream.
 
Not sure of you will find this blog post interesting @Nayshiftin - it is written by an ex-nurse who lives with diabetes (t1) about the experience of menopause

anniecoops.com

This domain may be for sale!
anniecoops.com
 
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