Newbie again? Very confused things not improving, need your thoughts please :-)

[localgirl0909]

Hi Everybody, i really need your thoughts on how to manage my T2 Diabetes (diagnosed abt 2005).
I am 70 soon and really depressed at the moment, my health seems to have gone down the pan, even more so since my gallbladder removal in Aug 2022. I shall try and shorten things. I suffer from a few (HAHA!) health conditions which are:-

Depression/PTSD ( long term)
Fibromyalgia (exceptionally painful since 1998) take Sertraline and painkillers
T2 Diabetes (diagnosed abt 2005). Bydureon, Atorvastatin, Forixa
Spinal Stenosis (about 6years ago) Painkillers mainly Paracetamol or an odd ibuprofen
Gallbladder removed Aug 2022 ( swollen upper belly since then) Take nothing as Doctor seemed uninterested.
Mild Heart disease/Hypertension ( diagnosed about 2 years ago, family history of heart troubles but mainly men) Ramipril, Bisoprolol and Felodipine.

I go to sleep about 1am, up at about 8.30am, take my time due to pain levels. Come downstairs and take my bloods. If i take them at 9am the bloods say 10.0 If i take my bloods at 10am , without food my numbers are 11+ . This has been going on for years and never changes.

I DONT UNDERSTAND THIS MORNING SYNDROME. However i did have gestational diabetes (although they didnt exactly treat me for it back in1976 -1979 )
I have plenty of hobbies if people would leave me alone , they keep dropping in unannounced!!!! I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
I cant exercise much as walking is very painful, and need my walking stick and somewhere to sit, and it take me ages to walk say 500 yards, so going to the gym is out of the question. Contemplating an e-scooter soon.

about 10 years or more ago my AC1 was about 70 ….. the latest test show ….. 70 . So are no drugs working or or what, as its seems like it to me.
Now I have been using supplements for years
I make my nutty porridge nearly everyday with milk, Organic Ceylon Cinnamon (not from supermarkets as they only sell the rubbish Cinnamon, Blueberries and no sugar/sweetener (cut that out) Also a banana a day which i am think of cutting it out for a whil
I stopped Metformin and use Berberine from British Supplements , No nasty fillers and told the Doctor. Also take Vit B12, Magnesium and Probiotics.

Any thoughts would be appreciated please as i don't have a lot of faith in my new Diabetic Nurse as she's young and has a lot to learn.
I watch Dr Ahmed (SugarMD) on YouTube a qualified Diabetic doctor …. he is amazing i wish he was my doctor. He's funny and down to earth and also believes in Natural products too. Give him a try. Ive had more sensible advice through him and I told my Diabetic nurse too.

Sorry its so long but I'm really at the end of my tether dealing with all this and not much follow up from my doctors ( i am thinking of changing later this year.
Wendy

 

[Drummer]

@localgirl0909 I am rather concerned that you are eating bananas, and every day too - are you eating other high carb foods on top of that? I found the way to control type 2 is by not eating the foods which cause problems for me.
When I was taking Atorvastatin and Metformin I became suicidal, and it took only a few weeks to have a drastic effect on me mentally and physically. I just could not cope.
I use a mobility scooter these days as it is so convenient to get around my area, shopping, visiting and going out to play music, and I can go down to the beach whenever I like.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @localgirl0909 and welcome to the forum

The rising Blood Glucose levels in a morning is extremely common. Depending upon exactly when that start to rise it s either called Dawn Phenomenon (DP) or Foot On the Floor Syndrome. It is cause by our liver still thinking we are living in the stone age. So it helpfully gives us an energy boost (glucose in the bloodstream) to help us hunt/gather our breakfast like a cave dweller.

I too am disappointed to see that you eat banana every day - like fruit juice is almost guaranteed to make your blood glucose rise.
The 'nutty porridge' - what is in that? Because ordinary (whole oats with milk) porridge used to spike my blood glucose as my BG Meter showed - and it was something I thought was 'healthy' so I used to have it every morning!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

Really sorry to hear you have so many health issues.

When you say "nutty porridge", what do you mean by that? I am hoping that it means you make your porridge with ground almonds instead of oats but wondering if you possibly just add chopped nuts to normal oatmeal porridge. As mentioned by @Drummer bananas are something we would not recommend as a daily treat but perhaps kept for the odd special occasion, as they are high carb. If I am going to treat myself to one, I have half one day and the other half the next and usually with full fat Greek yoghurt or cream to slow the release of the glucose from the banana. If you are eating oats and bananas then I wonder what other high carb foods you may be eating?

As regards your levels increasing on a morning before you eat this is normal and is due to Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor Syndrome where the liver pumps out extra glucose to give us energy for the day ahead. It is beleived to hark back to prehistoric days when we needed that surge of energy to help us go and hunt down a wooly mammoth for our first meal of the day. Walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge really doesn't require anything like that sort glucose surge and with a compromised insulin response, we diabetics see our BG levels rise. Mine can rise 3-6mmols within the first 45mins of getting out of bed unless I inject insulin before I get up to counteract it. Obviously, without insulin, you can't do that, but is can help to eat something as soon as you wake up and eating causes the liver to stop releasing glucose..... Of course if you eat something high carb like porridge or banana, then the glucose from the food will push your levels up, so it is important to find something which stops the liver from releasing glucose without releasing too much glucose itself.

Your upper abdominal swelling is a concern and it may be worth knowing that gall bladder issues often cause or are linked to pancreatic inflammation and cysts. If your pancreas is inflamed it will be unable to function as well as normal and this may result it it being unable to produce enough insulin and this may indeed be the cause of your diabetes all along if the gall bladder issue has been niggling on for some time. I would be asking for an ultrasound/scan of your pancreas to check for any abnormality. Do you have any issues with your digestion/bowel movements? The pancreas also produces digestive enzymes as well as insulin and sometimes if the enzyme production is also impacted by disease of the pancreas, bowel movements can become unpleasant and perhaps sometimes uncontrollable. I ask because people often don't want to talk about such things on a public forum, but important to know what to look out for.

Anyway, I hope that we can help you gain better control of your diabetes either through making dietary changes or pushing for more testing to figure out what is happening with your body and what treatment might be more appropriate as clearly the medication that you are using at the moment is not working.

 

[localgirl0909]

@localgirl0909 I am rather concerned that you are eating bananas, and every day too - are you eating other high carb foods on top of that? I found the way to control type 2 is by not eating the foods which cause problems for me.
When I was taking Atorvastatin and Metformin I became suicidal, and it took only a few weeks to have a drastic effect on me mentally and physically. I just could not cope.
I use a mobility scooter these days as it is so convenient to get around my area, shopping, visiting and going out to play music, and I can go down to the beach whenever I like.

@localgirl0909 I am rather concerned that you are eating bananas, and every day too - are you eating other high carb foods on top of that? I found the way to control type 2 is by not eating the foods which cause problems for me.
When I was taking Atorvastatin and Metformin I became suicidal, and it took only a few weeks to have a drastic effect on me mentally and physically. I just could not cope.
I use a mobility scooter these days as it is so convenient to get around my area, shopping, visiting and going out to play music, and I can go down to the beach whenever I like.

Hi Drummer, Ive been eating Bananas everyday for years about midday. BUT having just woken up to the fact that i should give them up to reduce my carbs, I'm going to have to do it. Didn't realise they were that bad. The Diabetic nurse and the Doctors NEVER told me to stop eating them. Just one of the many things wrong with my surgery now. The Metformin i moaned about for a long time as neither the 500mg (4 a day) or the 100mg (2 a day) always stuck in my throat so FINALLY the doctors changed it to the powder form . Why couldn't they do that a year or more before!!! I take Berberine from British Supplements now and the doctor and DN know about it.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Wendy

 

[localgirl0909]

Hi @localgirl0909 and welcome to the forum

The rising Blood Glucose levels in a morning is extremely common. Depending upon exactly when that start to rise it s either called Dawn Phenomenon (DP) or Foot On the Floor Syndrome. It is cause by our liver still thinking we are living in the stone age. So it helpfully gives us an energy boost (glucose in the bloodstream) to help us hunt/gather our breakfast like a cave dweller.

I too am disappointed to see that you eat banana every day - like fruit juice is almost guaranteed to make your blood glucose rise.
The 'nutty porridge' - what is in that? Because ordinary (whole oats with milk) porridge used to spike my blood glucose as my BG Meter showed - and it was something I thought was 'healthy' so I used to have it every morning!

Hi ianfOster Thanks for replying. I am going to pack in the bananas and see how i go for that. I'll miss them but i need to get back on track with the T2.
The nutty porridge is 60gm of Porridge Oats, add milk or half milk and water to cover, microwave for 2 mins , stir then another 2 mins or a bit more. Watch it doesn't overflow. take out of MV. Add Blueberries to suit, one teaspoon of Organic Ceylon cinnamon. It lasts a long time and has a long use by date. I then add about 2 desert spoons of mixed nut, mainly brazil and walnut. Mix it all and maybe add a bit more semi skimmed milk. Delicious , i can go for hours on that. Other mornings i have a high protein breakfast.

 

[ianf0ster]

Unfortunately a portion of Porridge Oats is 30gms. So 60gms is a fair bit of carbs. Plus there are more carbs in the nuts - though Brazils and Walnuts are quite low on carbs.
I suggest Full Fat Greek Yogurt instead of milk plus all the rest not too many blueberries as they have one of the highest carbs out of all the berries, just ditch the oats.

 

[localgirl0909]

Unfortunately a portion of Porridge Oats is 30gms. So 60gms is a fair bit of carbs. Plus there are more carbs in the nuts - though Brazils and Walnuts are quite low on carbs.
I suggest Full Fat Greek Yogurt instead of milk plus all the rest not too many blueberries as they have one of the highest carbs out of all the berries, just ditch the oats.

I only have a couple of Brazils and Walnuts and by the time ive crushed them they'd be ok as my desert spoons are not massive. But you're right about the porridge, i need to get my brain in gear!. However in the past, with my nutty porridge i loose weight and my numbers did improve. The blueberries are only a medium portion (not even half a cup) so i think I'm also ok on that. Conclusion ….. eat something else or make a smoothie up.
My mental health has not been very good over the last few years , hence losing interest totally in cooking. My husband cooks most of the meals now but I have to remind him about my portions or I just do my own meal. Ive re-joined My fitness pal, they have my records going back to 2014 so I can check some of them as I did lose weight and its brilliant at counting your calories, carbs and all the other nutrients.
In the last few years, about 5 years , since i was diagnosed with spinal stenosis my medications have changed and despite the fact i check them all out for side effects , i don't think some of them have really helped me or have stopped working so i think i need to speak to the Doctor again. As ive said i do not have the greatest faith in the new DN. I dont feel any different on my diabetic meds and nothing has changed over the years and ive been on the same meds for a long time with the introduction of Bydureon the most recent.
Thanks for your reply again, you've made me think more now.

 

[localgirl0909]

Hi and welcome.

Really sorry to hear you have so many health issues.

When you say "nutty porridge", what do you mean by that? I am hoping that it means you make your porridge with ground almonds instead of oats but wondering if you possibly just add chopped nuts to normal oatmeal porridge. As mentioned by @Drummer bananas are something we would not recommend as a daily treat but perhaps kept for the odd special occasion, as they are high carb. If I am going to treat myself to one, I have half one day and the other half the next and usually with full fat Greek yoghurt or cream to slow the release of the glucose from the banana. If you are eating oats and bananas then I wonder what other high carb foods you may be eating?

As regards your levels increasing on a morning before you eat this is normal and is due to Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor Syndrome where the liver pumps out extra glucose to give us energy for the day ahead. It is beleived to hark back to prehistoric days when we needed that surge of energy to help us go and hunt down a wooly mammoth for our first meal of the day. Walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge really doesn't require anything like that sort glucose surge and with a compromised insulin response, we diabetics see our BG levels rise. Mine can rise 3-6mmols within the first 45mins of getting out of bed unless I inject insulin before I get up to counteract it. Obviously, without insulin, you can't do that, but is can help to eat something as soon as you wake up and eating causes the liver to stop releasing glucose..... Of course if you eat something high carb like porridge or banana, then the glucose from the food will push your levels up, so it is important to find something which stops the liver from releasing glucose without releasing too much glucose itself.

Your upper abdominal swelling is a concern and it may be worth knowing that gall bladder issues often cause or are linked to pancreatic inflammation and cysts. If your pancreas is inflamed it will be unable to function as well as normal and this may result it it being unable to produce enough insulin and this may indeed be the cause of your diabetes all along if the gall bladder issue has been niggling on for some time. I would be asking for an ultrasound/scan of your pancreas to check for any abnormality. Do you have any issues with your digestion/bowel movements? The pancreas also produces digestive enzymes as well as insulin and sometimes if the enzyme production is also impacted by disease of the pancreas, bowel movements can become unpleasant and perhaps sometimes uncontrollable. I ask because people often don't want to talk about such things on a public forum, but important to know what to look out for.

Anyway, I hope that we can help you gain better control of your diabetes either through making dietary changes or pushing for more testing to figure out what is happening with your body and what treatment might be more appropriate as clearly the medication that you are using at the moment is not working.

Thank you Barbara for your reply. Ive replied to ianfOster about my nutty porridge recipe as it always worked in the past but my physical and mental health took a turn for the worst over the last few years.
I mostly check my blood of a morning before anything to eat and that's the worry as it has gone up. So thanks to the replies so far it's motivated me to check my carbs again and the fruits I eat. I'm not a great eater, i don't like spicy foods and not a lover of eating bowls of green leafy food. I like some Chinese food and never eat Indian food. I went through a stage of basically I couldn't be bothered cooking as i was so depressed. My husband cooks most of the meals thankfully but i have to remind him not totally take over and make me feel useless and irreverent.

Now, as for the problems after my Gallbladder removal, I'm going to make an appointment, face to face, which will be about a 2 week wait, to discuss the liver and pancreas. I have been getting more niggly pains in those areas just recently too. That could be the reason for some of my problems lately.
Thanks again for your help.
Wendy

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @localgirl0909

Sorry to heat you sounding so exasperated and unsupported, and that you‘ve lost some faith in your new nurse.

Have you ever experimented with your menu checking each meal with a home BG meter? Or when you talk about “numbers coming down” is this more the long-term picture from an HbA1c?

Many T2 members here have found a BG meter immensely helpful in balancing menu and meds (the two need to work side-by-side). You can take a reading immediately before (eg your nutty porridge), and then again 2hrs later.

Initially in a way the numbers themselves are arguably less importance than the before-after difference. If you can modify your portion sizes, and sources of carbs to aim for a ‘meal rise’ of no more than 2-3mmol/L you will gradually be developing a menu that will keep your levels no higher than 8.5mmol/L if you start fairly mid-range.

The benefit of ‘eating to your meter’ is that it helps you find the sources and portion sizes of carbs that suit your bode best, and means you don’t unnecessarily limit your options and choices because those carbs don’t suit other people - responses to food can be surprisingly individual - and almost illogical at times!

Good luck with tweaking your menu, and let us know how you get on 🙂