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Please help! would be very grateful of your advice..

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J

jade14

New Member
Hi,

I live in England and have been having problems with digesting mid to high carbs and sugar and dairy now for a couple of years. I've been tested numerous times over this time for diabetes at my local clinic but every test comes back negative. Initially I thought this problem of digesting carbs was because of my hepatitis and a poorly liver - but since going through treatment over 6 months ago for this (and my consultant saying that this shouldn't have anything to do with this) I'm now beginning to get more worried (and especially as docs tell me diabetes test is negative). I have lots of various symptoms if I attempt to eat foods like root veggies, rice, potato, pasta or pastries, lentils, dairy and sugar in general and I wouldn't dare drink a fizzy drink - I would be so scared that it would kill me! Some of the symptoms that I get if I've even tried to go over the limit - dry itchy skin, stuffy dry nose, pins and needles in fingers and toes (or shooting pains) very fatigued (don't feel like I can do anything or get up) sore achey muscles - particularly lower back pain. As an example, I try to eat a paleo diet to help me along and stick to lower carbs.. for my meal today I ate baked salmon and some mashed suede (mixed small amount of coconut oil to blend) and soon after eating, I could feel shooting pains in my toe as well as itchy skin above my eye. My eyes felt like they were stinging for a few minutes and this also worries me. I know it sounds awful but this has been going on for so long that if I were diagnosed with diabetes.. I think it could possibly be easier to get on with life.. its the not knowing and not knowing what to do about it. Thank you for taking the time to read my post, I would value so much any advice here. This is why in the end I've decided to try and actually talk with people whom have diabetes as I've just lost the will trying to talk to the doctors at the clinic. Best wishes, Jade x
 
Hi Jade. I'm sorry to hear about your symptoms and that the Docs can't seem to find the reason for your problems . I recognise a couple of your symptoms as being symptoms of diabetes but there could be many other reasons for them too.
If you haven't done so already , I suggest you keep a food diary and also list the symptoms and how long after eating the symptoms started, then after a couple of weeks take this to the doc, apologies if you have already done so.
 
Thank you LJC and Grovesy, its good to be able to find an online community to talk about how I feel about this. I will definitely take on the idea of writing a food diary - I suppose this is evidence at its best to put before a doctor. There has been so many symptoms, some of them I haven't listed because I'm also forgetful because its all been going on for so long. I know if I have sugar in any form (higher carbs) I will feel dehydrated for a good 2 or 3 days - and waking up in the night feeling like a dry dessert and adrenaline and heart pumping 100 -1, often sweating as well. I'm currently trying to drink 4 pints of water and have also cut out caffeine as find drinking tea or coffee just seems to feel even more dehydrated and makes worse. I seem to be on swings and roundabouts - concentrating hard each day to think what I can eat, sticking to low carb veggies and fish/chicken, eggs, nuts and seeds. However, its when I get exhausted and then stressed its hard to stick to this kind of diet and then I know what's happened and its back to square 1 again with all the symptoms! Currently, the doctor has referred me to a gasterenteroly clinic (end of the month) but I don't know if they will be able to find anything if this is perhaps more a pre diabetes case. I just want to go to my doctors and scream, they've watched me visit so many times over the past couple of years but just end up staring at me and saying you haven't got diabetes and there is nothing we can do to help. I hope I haven't gone on too much here but as you can probably gather, I just want to get as much help as possible. Thank you for your kind advice about the food diary, I'm definitely going to try this. Best wishes, Jade x
 
Hi Jade and welcome. I also have a somewhat dodgy liver and a couple of the things you are experiencing I also get and my specialist (a Gastroenterologist) has confirmed these are related to my liver problems. These are the extreme fatigue and the shooting pain in a toe. The fatigue has got better to some degree since getting my diabetes more or less under control, as it is also a primary symptom of diabetes, but I still need a daytime nap about 3x a week. When you see the Gastro chap you've been referred to, hopefully he'll be able to tell you which could be liver related.
I agree with LJC, that a food diary would be a really good idea. I've been keeping one for just over a year now, including what I ate and dink and at what time. Good luck.
 
Hi Greyhound Gal, thank you for your reply. What sort of symptoms were you having, would be great if you could describe, particularly as you have mentioned also liver problem. I have suspected that this could be to do with my liver.. but also unsuspected due to going through treatment and being told my liver is functioning normally and no longer have hepatitis (or any advanced liver problems). However, I have learnt from a couple of other people with hepatitis that this condition can bring on something like diabetes. In addition, I also learnt that the diabetes symptoms can lessen and subside once gone through treatment.. however, 6 months down the line I think I'm past thinking that this could be the case! All seems to get a bit confusing wondering what is going on! Think your right about the gasterenterology - hopefully they can tell me something as well as me writing a diary that I can show them and the other docs. I'm a little annoyed with the hepatology consultants refusing to scan my liver after treatment.. they said that because it looked fine two years ago that this would not be necessary, along with saying that it would be very unlikely that your liver could progress any damage in such a short space of time. They could well be right but having all these symptoms 6 months after treatment.. I would have thought it would make sense to scan and check to be sure. I will spk to gasterenterology and see what they say.. until then I suppose its back to the low carbs! I have also thought about getting a blood sugar monitor - at least then perhaps I can keep an eye on my levels.. just wish they were not so expensive! Best wishes, Jade x
 
Thank you LJC, I will consider monitoring at home and buying my own kit if things don't improve. I just got another skin prick test done at the pharmacy - the lady says (no surprise to hear!) but I'm normal and she very much doubts I have even any sign of pre diabetes.. at a guess she thinks it could be more allergy prone. Advised me to go to GP who will only tell me the same thing! I was looking at my grandfather's death certificate over the weekend (I know a bit morbid but wondered if I could gather some family medical history) From what I can see he had diabetes as well as blood circulation and heart problems (which I know can all be linked). He was very unfortunate to have his leg amputated. I think it must have been terrible for people back then with these sorts of health conditions. Will definitely be keeping my eyes off of anything higher in the GI index for now, I don't feel good today aches and pains all over and congestion, dry flaky skin. Hopefully feeling better soon, thanks for advice, best wishes, Jade x
 
jade14 said:
Hi,

I live in England and have been having problems with digesting mid to high carbs and sugar and dairy now for a couple of years. I've been tested numerous times over this time for diabetes at my local clinic but every test comes back negative. Initially I thought this problem of digesting carbs was because of my hepatitis and a poorly liver - but since going through treatment over 6 months ago for this (and my consultant saying that this shouldn't have anything to do with this) I'm now beginning to get more worried (and especially as docs tell me diabetes test is negative). I have lots of various symptoms if I attempt to eat foods like root veggies, rice, potato, pasta or pastries, lentils, dairy and sugar in general and I wouldn't dare drink a fizzy drink - I would be so scared that it would kill me! Some of the symptoms that I get if I've even tried to go over the limit - dry itchy skin, stuffy dry nose, pins and needles in fingers and toes (or shooting pains) very fatigued (don't feel like I can do anything or get up) sore achey muscles - particularly lower back pain. As an example, I try to eat a paleo diet to help me along and stick to lower carbs.. for my meal today I ate baked salmon and some mashed suede (mixed small amount of coconut oil to blend) and soon after eating, I could feel shooting pains in my toe as well as itchy skin above my eye. My eyes felt like they were stinging for a few minutes and this also worries me. I know it sounds awful but this has been going on for so long that if I were diagnosed with diabetes.. I think it could possibly be easier to get on with life.. its the not knowing and not knowing what to do about it. Thank you for taking the time to read my post, I would value so much any advice here. This is why in the end I've decided to try and actually talk with people whom have diabetes as I've just lost the will trying to talk to the doctors at the clinic. Best wishes, Jade x
Click to expand...
Hi Jade14
Warm welcome to the forum , hope tomorrow is a better day for you than today
 
A few of your symptoms sound like gluten intolerance. And dairy intolerance can go hand in hand. If your gut bacteria is off, that can throw it all out too. A diabetic low carb diet without gluten and dairy is pretty healthy.
 
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