Still wading in the mire

[Pollyanna]

Have moved to here from the newbie page because I need some help that is more specific... So OK....
4 days of low carbs in... Today's the day for the hospital appointment and I have absolutely totally not a jot of energy... I can barely function... Even all these months of feeling unwell and in pain and yes tired I have had energy... I have literally crawled out of bed this morning... I just want to crawl back in it and have a good cry .. So..
What am I doing wrong... Where do you all get your energy from with no or low carb diets... Or is this detox or system shock/withdrawal? What can I eat or drink now so I can walk dogs get 2 buses see specialist and repeat same in reverse....

 

[Northerner]

Hi Pollyanna, it's a fairly radical change to your diet in a very short time and it will take time to adapt, unfortunately. I'd suggest having a small snack - a couple of biscuits, an apple or a banana perhaps, to just give you a bit of an energy boost - it won't make a lot of difference today in the scheme of things. Try and get through today and do tell the people at your appointment exactly how you are feeling and what you have done. Good luck with the appointment, I hope it is fruitful and sets you on a path to much improved health and energy levels 🙂 Let us know how you get on.

 

[Pollyanna]

Thank you... Have drank a pint of vita coco natural coconut water.. It has a small amount of fructose. Eaten 1 banana and 2 Jacobs crackers with a pot of cottage cheese... It is really hard for me to eat first thing as I normally do chores walk dogs work on line and then have a hearty brunch... This is worse than stopping smoking lol...
Well am off to hospital... Thanks for the support... 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Roast a chicken - or a full pack of chicken thighs, on a rack so that the skin goes crispy - you can put some mushrooms and slices of sweet pepper in the tray underneath - maybe a sliced courgette as well. Maybe have that for dinner and then leftovers for breakfast, with more low carb veges or salad stuff.
If you go back to running on carbs then you will be right back where you started on day one - eat protein and fat and whatever low carb foods you can cope with - a blood glucose meter will be invaluable to test how foods affect you, but you will probably have to fund it yourself, but they are quite cheap mail order.
It can be amazing - once you are fat burning - just how good a source of energy fat can be.
Today I am setting up for an exhibition so I have been dragging cones of yarn out of all the places I stash them, including up in the roof space, and getting them out to the front of the house ready to load up. I am 67 years old, and I lost a lot of muscle eating a cholesterol lowering diet for almost two years. I am regaining some of it now, but it was an effort - and I have just sat down with a cup of coffee and cream having not eaten since last night.
Carbs give the illusion of being a fuel, but as soon as you, as a type two diabetic have carbs to eat eat you start to release insulin, which moves the glucose out of your blood and as type twos overproduce insulin if you are working hard your BG level drops like a rock, and the insulin is still stashing away the glucose for when you need it - even though that is night now.
Two years ago doing the same job, but after a 'healthy' high carb breakfast, I could not face doing the setting up and collapsed on the bed after struggling for several hours longer than the collecting took today. The difference is like chalk and cheese - or in my case, bread and cheese.
We do not need to eat carbs -- those who know these things declare that the brain requires XXX number of grams of glucose a day - but what they don't say is that is not directly from food but is released by the liver from its stores, and it is as happy with non carb sources as with carbs. We have to have fat and protein, but there are no essential carbs.

 

[Pollyanna]

Thanks x
I don't have sugar in anything, I don't eat puds, hate anything sweet always have done, watching someone eat a bar of chocolate makes me gag lol don't eat cream either... I always have tea and coffee black... I have a savoury tooth.. So delight for me is a huge bowl of creamy mash covered in cheese... Cheesy chips and mayo haha. . I really don't want to lose more weight .. 4 stone in 6 months is enough .. Can't afford the new clothes 😱 I walk around 7 miles a day often 10 at weekends and my practical work is outside hard physical going at least 4 hours a week... I am baffled with what I am reading tbh not here but in general as I don't seem to fit the standard person becoming diabetic... But then my mother always said I was weird one...

 

[Northerner]

Thanks x
I don't have sugar in anything, I don't eat puds, hate anything sweet always have done, watching someone eat a bar of chocolate makes me gag lol don't eat cream either... I always have tea and coffee black... I have a savoury tooth.. So delight for me is a huge bowl of creamy mash covered in cheese... Cheesy chips and mayo haha. . I really don't want to lose more weight .. 4 stone in 6 months is enough .. Can't afford the new clothes 😱 I walk around 7 miles a day often 10 at weekends and my practical work is outside hard physical going at least 4 hours a week... I am baffled with what I am reading tbh not here but in general as I don't seem to fit the standard person becoming diabetic... But then my mother always said I was weird one...

It's quite indicative of a possible slow-onset Type 1, Pollyanna, as I suggested earlier. Diabetes is a very complex set of conditions, rather than the clearly defined one or two types most people talk about. Be sure to raise this in your appointment 🙂

 

[SB2015]

As Northerner says, your symptoms are an indication of Type 1. It would be easy for tehmto test for this, so please ask at your appointment about this, and make sure that you tell them about how you have been, especially the tiredness and getting a lot thinner so quickly.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[trophywench]

The body absolutely needs glucose - however it can manufacture glucose out of carbs protein or fat - it doesn't care particularly from where BUT of course it's far more easily grabbed from 'starch' and 'sugar' - and after donkeys years doing it the easy way and not having to concern itself about the alternatives - it takes some time to (sort of) remember how to do it.

I may well have found it relatively simple to solve a simultaneous equation in October 1966 - but I'm blowed if I know where to start today. All I remember is that the equation to solve it is all 'over 2 ab'. Made perfect sense then and just one of the things you had to learn by heart to pass your O level. See what I mean?

 

[Pollyanna]

Thanks jenny xx
Well.. Bloods last Saturday 12.6...the only carbs I have had since last Sunday are 4 slices rye bread, 1 jacket potato, 4 Jacobs crackers and 1 ginger biscuit... Have had 8oz hard cheese and 2 tubs low fat cottage cheese and 2 tubs of homemade yoghurt.. Other than that had a bit of fruit and loads of leafy greens cauli cabbage 1parsnip... Good job I live on my own and I can blame dogs if I have visitors. . .
So. . Wait for it blood ...at 5pm...14.7
I give up.. Am going to have a glass of red wine a chunk of cheese and a rice cracker and try to chill as my blood pressure is rising by the second...... Have a nice weekend folks
Bev aka pollyanna (daddy's pet name)

 

[Northerner]

Thanks jenny xx
Well.. Bloods last Saturday 12.6...the only carbs I have had since last Sunday are 4 slices rye bread, 1 jacket potato, 4 Jacobs crackers and 1 ginger biscuit... Have had 8oz hard cheese and 2 tubs low fat cottage cheese and 2 tubs of homemade yoghurt.. Other than that had a bit of fruit and loads of leafy greens cauli cabbage 1parsnip... Good job I live on my own and I can blame dogs if I have visitors. . .
So. . Wait for it blood ...at 5pm...14.7
I give up.. Am going to have a glass of red wine a chunk of cheese and a rice cracker and try to chill as my blood pressure is rising by the second...... Have a nice weekend folks
Bev aka pollyanna (daddy's pet name)

What did they say at the hospital? Have you been given any medication? The thing is, if your body's insulin production is declining then your levels can remain on the high side even if you are heavily restricting your carb intake (although it is likely they would be higher were you to eat more carbs). This is because your liver is constantly releasing glucose from its stores to provide energy when you are not eating, in order to keep your heart, lungs, digestive system, brain etc. working. If, however, you are producing insufficient insulin, then this glucose can't be used fully hence the higher than normal levels

Try not to worry too much though - although these are on the high side it will be hopefully only for a short time whilst they establish a proper diagnosis and treatment plan 🙂

 

[Pollyanna]

Yep yep... I do understand the science in the generic sense or in the canine sense and a mammal is a mammal lol... They have upped the pain killers, they are, as is my gp, concerned as to the what and why is the cause... A bit like the what came first the chicken or the egg... No amylase... So no pancreatatis but that doesn't rule out pan. C. Liver function OK... Some fat but for my age expected . They had done a GAD test... That OK... Kidney test iffy but was expecting that... Next step are these scans but docs Monday .... Do I go for met. Or not is the question . Or do I try manage bloods while all these other tests take place.... He was very young but I in my 60's lol so they all young but he pre emptied my questions and he was up to date on type 3 type 1.5... He was pretty stunned tho at the bs level.. Hey-ho.... What will be will be.... Ct scan no. 1 19th Oct xx

 

[Northerner]

Well, it's good that you are not just being given some pills and left to get on with it, it does sound like they are working hard to get to the bottom of things 🙂 Hope things become clearer for you soon 🙂

 

[SB2015]

The body absolutely needs glucose - however it can manufacture glucose out of carbs protein or fat - it doesn't care particularly from where BUT of course it's far more easily grabbed from 'starch' and 'sugar' - and after donkeys years doing it the easy way and not having to concern itself about the alternatives - it takes some time to (sort of) remember how to do it.

I may well have found it relatively simple to solve a simultaneous equation in October 1966 - but I'm blowed if I know where to start today. All I remember is that the equation to solve it is all 'over 2 ab'. Made perfect sense then and just one of the things you had to learn by heart to pass your O level. See what I mean?

Pedant alert
The ‘all over 2ab’ one is for quadratics. Glad you passed the O level at the time.

 

[SB2015]

Glad that they are taking care to sort things out Pollyanna.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[silentsquirrel]

Pedant alert
The ‘all over 2ab’ one is for quadratics. Glad you passed the O level at the time.

This pedant resisted the temptation originally, but now you have set the ball rolling......

"all over 2a" (not 2ab) !! Difficult to have a simultaneous equation, need at least 2 to be simultaneous.🙂

Apologies for thread diversion, Pollyanna, hope things improve for you soon.

 

[trophywench]

I don't mind you clearly demonstrating I've forgotten more than I remembered I had, since that was the point I was trying to make!

 

[SB2015]

This pedant resisted the temptation originally, but now you have set the ball rolling......

"all over 2a" (not 2ab) !! Difficult to have a simultaneous equation, need at least 2 to be simultaneous.🙂

Apologies for thread diversion, Pollyanna, hope things improve for you soon.

It was as Inwas shopping today that I was quoting the formula to myself, and realised my error. Oooops.

 

[Pollyanna]

Hi all... Well it been a while and still wading.. Or actually am wading again.. It been a long process and thought I was winning.. Or at least if not winning was getting to the finish line.
The pain problem etc turned out to be an abdominal wall hernia... Basically along the old internal cesarean scar.
As for the diabetes 'the NHS only recognises type 1 and type 2 and anyway the treatment for type 1.5 would be the same as type 2' (quote from specialist)
So... Am on metformin 3 x 500 daily, pregabalin x 2 daily, amitriptyline x1 daily.
Supplements... ALA, calcium with boron vit d and magnesium, B12 daily, iron x 3
weekly.
I cannot get my fasting level lower than 9.2...have tried altering the times I eat and medicate ... It just will not come down... I wake around 3am wet with sweat, I dont mean like a hot flush.. I remember those.. this is like coming out of a hot swimming pool... I am drenched and the bed is wet through, and at that point my blood sugar is high.. In the 12.5 range, by breakfast time it down to the 9 range and am frustrated and full of despair... 1 to 2 hours after I have eaten it drops to around 6.5 to 7...so have read this and read that and tried this and tried that.. I average no more than 120 gm of carbs daily except on rare occasions when I have around 150..usually when grandkids come visit... So what the hell am I doing wrong? It been 6 months and am struggling.
Can anyone help?
Thank you
Bev (aka pollyanna)

 

[Drummer]

That specialist need an education in the different types of diabetes - a short sharp one.
The only thing I can suggest to try to lower your BG levels with the insulin you are producing is to lower your intake of carbs.
I got down to normal figures eating 50 gm per day, but am lower than that now to try to lose weight.

 

[Pollyanna]

Thanks... Will struggle going down to 50 carbs it been bad enough going down to 120, and also really hard to eat 3 times a day. I have now lost 5 stone without trying...I cannot eat more veg and fruit than I do as hernia pain then kicks in.
I don't understand what is causing the fasting levels to go high in the night.. I realise it is a so called liver dump but why is it happening?