Newbie to DUK. Desperately needing help.

[JackRebus]

I became type 2 diabetic after 13 nights as an inpatient where there wasn’t enough food so was supplementing with toast & jam as well as sugary drinks. This was 6.5 years ago. Was doing well until covid covid hit.
As a result my HBa1C went up from 39 to 86. Daily blood sugars from 10 maximum to 17. I have had to increase my diabetic medication.
Recently I shocked myself when I hit 17 3 hours after eating. I had been speaking to my dietitian to eat a maximum of 150g daily of carbohydrates. I have been trying to do this & as well as doing this I have limited myself to 2 slices of bread daily & even started weighing out my cereal!!!
My questions to you all is 1) I seem to have leg cramps on a daily basis and even drinking low calorie Indian Tonic Water for the quinine but it doesn’t seem to be helping. I keep getting up & down to exercise my legs as well as walking my dog. Have you any ideas of how to cope with this?
2) I’m struggling so much with my eyesight & I think this is retinopathy returning. Apart from using a magnifying glass can anyone suggest anything else to help? I’m not due for my retinopathy scan until mid September but I’m very worried as everything is blurry all the time. Any suggestions gratefully received. Thank you

 

[Leadinglights]

I'm not sure about the cramps as I do get them as well especially at night. Somebody suggested magnesium helps but I have not tried it. Drinking plenty can also help.
As far as your eyes, high blood glucose can affect your vision as the environment in the eye is 'sugary' so the shape of the eye changes altering the focus. However reducing blood glucose quickly can also cause the same issues as the eye environment changes back form being sugary to more normal salty. It should stabilise but it can take some time.
The more you can do to keep blood glucose level well managed will minimise the long term effect.
It sounds as if you have made a good start on dietary changes and reducing your carbs gradually will cause less problems with eyes and nerves.
This link may help you with some ideas for dietary changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Low carb is less that 130g per day total carbs so you may want to reduce what you are having a bit further after a few weeks.
Bread, potatoes, cereals, pastry, rice and pasta are the big hitters where carbs are concerned as well as cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks.

 

[Drummer]

After a few experiments, I found that my night time cramps stopped if I drank plain water. Nothing else helped. It would sometimes require over a pint of water to work, but I think it was due to dehydration when eating a diet high in carbs.
I was diagnosed with a Hba1c of 91 and BG at 17.1, but I went low carb and in 6 months was at the top end of normal. I was eating no more than 50 gm of carbs a day to do that. I reduced down to no more than 40 gm to try to get into the 30s but my Hba1c remained the same. I am simply very sensitive to carbs and can't cope with high carb foods.
I don't eat any grains as they cause my BG to spike.
One thing which might help is checking BG 2 hours after starting to eat to see what foods cause you to spike the highest, then reducing them.
I had background retinopathy at the first eyesight check, but a year later it had gone.
Many people seem to find similar results from getting normal BG after altering their diet.

 

[Gwynn]

Checking on the internet it seems that a deficiency of manganese and or phosphorus can cause muscle cramps. Maybe a good multivitamin/mineral supplement might help.

Also mentioned are:- dehydration, depletion of electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, calcium), stress, blood supply restriction.

However, if you do decide to try any supplement then check things out first and consult your doctor.

If your diet is restricted trying to reduce carbs then that might be the link to a possible vitamin/mineral deficiency/imbalance.

But to be honest, best to try simple first....drink more water....and see if that helps.

 

[Felinia]

I too suffered with night cramps and lethargy. My diabetic nurse suggested Magnesium Citrate which she takes. I have been taking it for 2 weeks and touch wood, no night cramps. Also in this very hot summer I have found I need to drink lots of water (6-8 pints), as it was the days I did not that I got cramps.
You have been given some good advice about reducing carbs. I monitor mine daily with an app, and I weigh my portion sizes - no guesstimating! I have reduced my bread intake from large thick slices to 1 or 2 medium slices from a small loaf (Warburtons or Kingsmill crustless). Anything more causes too big a hike in my glucose level, but it scratches the bread itch. Others may recommend low carb bread - it's a matter of taste and choice. Another way of reducing carbs is to have smaller portions, but fill up the plate with more veggies.
I no longer have toast and cereal for breakfast, but eggs in some form (poached with mushrooms, tomatoes, or a filled omelette) or plain Greek yogurt topped with 40gm berries, some chopped nuts and seeds. Lunch is salad (in a chill box for workers) or home made soup (in a thermos for workers) - no more sandwiches. I hope this gives you some ideas. Best wishes.

 

[harbottle]

I had leg pains, but they went away as soon as I went low carb - this was by cutting out bread, pasta, potato, and all junk food (Burgers, etc.). The small amount of carbs I do have are from Yoghurt, fruit and veg and the occasional Nairns oat biscuit. (Actually, I had three yesterday at work without any noticeable rise in blood sugar).

My eyesight had gone a bit blurry before diagnosis, but I have had poor eyesight since a child and just assumed it was the natural changes - when the leg pains went. my eyesight suddenly went very clear.

All my issues seemed to be linked to high blood sugar. Now I eat
- chicken
- fish (Salmon, Prawns, See bass, etc)
- Lentils (Make a nice daal)

And usually have it with vegetables like Leeks, onions (A lot of onions!), tomatoes, peas, lettuce. Fairly modest portions. Fair amount of olive oil drizzled over things to cook them in.

 

[Inka]

I use magnesium gel at night. It’s stopped my cramps. Brilliant stuff! You just massage it in to the back of your calves, or wherever you get cramp, and it gets absorbed.

Regarding your eyes, you could visit an optician and have a general eye check maybe. High blood sugar can cause blurry vision as can o cataracts and various other things.

 

[Lucyr]

I became type 2 diabetic after 13 nights as an inpatient where there wasn’t enough food so was supplementing with toast & jam as well as sugary drinks. This was 6.5 years ago.

You won’t have given yourself diabetes through two weeks of toast and jam. It’s more likely that you were likely to get diabetes anyway and being unwell made it either tip over the edge to develop diabetes or meant diabetes was picked up through routine tests.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Are you sure you are actually type2 and not a slow onset type1?

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi JackRebus, welcome to the forum.

You’ve had some great advice re magnesium supplements and your eyes adjusting to your sugar levels so do give yourself time to see if things improve once you’ve made some adjustments.

There’s no magic number for the amount of carbs every one can have so I’d be inclined to keep a diary of what you eat every day for a week, your glucose levels at the beginning of the day and 2 /3 hours after.

It could be that what you’re eating still contains more carbs than your body can process so you can test that theory during this time.

It could also be that the reason the numbers aren’t coming down is due to you actually having a different type of diabetes as Sue has alluded to so it’s worth looking into and discussing with you GP.

 

[trophywench]

Hear Hear re the 'Type' of your diabetes - I immediately looked to see how old you are and it's nothing unusual at all for it to be assumed you have Type 2 just because you're not a child. In fact Type 1 can manifest literally at any age whether you're 3 or 73!

 

[JackRebus]

I'm not sure about the cramps as I do get them as well especially at night. Somebody suggested magnesium helps but I have not tried it. Drinking plenty can also help.
As far as your eyes, high blood glucose can affect your vision as the environment in the eye is 'sugary' so the shape of the eye changes altering the focus. However reducing blood glucose quickly can also cause the same issues as the eye environment changes back form being sugary to more normal salty. It should stabilise but it can take some time.
The more you can do to keep blood glucose level well managed will minimise the long term effect.
It sounds as if you have made a good start on dietary changes and reducing your carbs gradually will cause less problems with eyes and nerves.
This link may help you with some ideas for dietary changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Low carb is less that 130g per day total carbs so you may want to reduce what you are having a bit further after a few weeks.
Bread, potatoes, cereals, pastry, rice and pasta are the big hitters where carbs are concerned as well as cakes, biscuits and sugary drinks.

I will look at the page you have linked. Thanks so much for al the information. It’s good to know I’m on the right track.

Hi JackRebus, welcome to the forum.

You’ve had some great advice re magnesium supplements and your eyes adjusting to your sugar levels so do give yourself time to see if things improve once you’ve made some adjustments.

There’s no magic number for the amount of carbs every one can have so I’d be inclined to keep a diary of what you eat every day for a week, your glucose levels at the beginning of the day and 2 /3 hours after.

It could be that what you’re eating still contains more carbs than your body can process so you can test that theory during this time.

It could also be that the reason the numbers aren’t coming down is due to you actually having a different type of diabetes as Sue has alluded to so it’s worth looking into and discussing with you GP.

My Dr is satisfied it’s type 2. I think I just need to take time to invest in myself & remind myself why I’m doing this. I appreciate your response

 

[Pumper_Sue]

My Dr is satisfied it’s type 2. I think I just need to take time to invest in myself & remind myself why I’m doing this. I appreciate your response

Has he done any additional testing to make sure?
What ever the label though you are on the wrong treatment.

 

[JackRebus]

Has he done any additional testing to make sure?
What ever the label though you are on the wrong treatment.

No other tests done. Having IBS means I can’t cope with Metformin or quite a lot of other diabetes medication.
Seen my dietitian & she is happy with my diet as well as my mindset.
Could you please let me know what is wrong with the meds/regime I am on?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Could you please let me know what is wrong with the meds/regime I am on?

They obviously are not working, hence why I query your diagnoses/type.

 

[Leadinglights]

You do not seem to have said what diabetic medication you are on, only to mention that metformin didn't suit you.
However if you are Type 2 then diet is what will have the greatest impact on blood glucose for many people. However if you have been misdiagnosed then diet may not have much impact and that would be a red flag for you to ask for the tests for Type 1 or LADA.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Could you please let me know what is wrong with the meds/regime I am on?

I think possibly it’s the rising HbA1c results, and BG levels in double figures and up to 17, despite you being very careful and lowering your carb intake - which might suggest your metabolism might need a bit more help?