Insulin resistant type 2 diabetic. Advice please??

Vixxie75

I've been T2 for 12 years, 18 months ago my levels when mad after 10.5 years stable. My Diabetic nurse put me on a slow release insulin and for a few months I was fine but then things went mad again. So she put me on a fast release insulin but I was upping and upping it and although every so often it lowered my levels, most of the time they didn't change.
Then my Diabetic Nurse was rushed into ICU and was signed off for at least a year so the GP's nurse took over. At my first appointment she said 'Of course it's not working, you've had Pancreatis so you're insulin resistant' She then signed me up to see a consultant and off I was sent.

Tomorrow is my appointment with the consultant and to be honest I'm scared of what he'd going to say. I've tried to find stuff online but the only mention of IR is connected to Pre T2 Diabetes. I'm not Pre I'm already T2! So what is he going to say? If I'm resistant to insulin loading me up with more isn't going to work. So will they treat me as a Type 1 or leave me to struggle as I am?
I've tried everything but nothing works! Diet doesn't seem to change anything. Put it this way I eat very similar things each day. You can see yesterday's food diary, this morning my levels have dropped and I got a 5.4. I had the same thing to eat one day last week and my level the next day was 9.8! There's no logic to it! Even exercise doesn't do anything. It doesn't matter if I walk miles or sit down all day. It doesn't lower or increase my levels.

Ok I'm rambling. The bottom line is I'm desperately scared I'm going to be told there's nothing that can be done and I'll just go on with bad levels and loose my eyesight and legs. Yeah I know that's dramatic but I've seen my friends aunt loose her eyesight because her diabetes was badly managed. She's in her 50's and has 5% vision left.

If anyone has any advice please let me know. Even if it's just questions to ask tomorrow.

Thanks
Vicki x

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Vixxie75

I'm on 80mgof Insurman twice a day. The 9.8 is first thing in the morning. Thats the problem. It's not dropping then other days it's ok again.

I know I'm worrying about nothing! It's just the resistance I'm worried about. I've been told I could pump tons of insulin in and it not have any effect.

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Vixxie75

Now why hasn't any one told me that before?! Grrr! They're all so quick to tell me not to eat fat and to take more drugs no one in 12 years has told me to cut carbs. In fact I was sent to a nutritionist who told me to eat more pasta as it's filling and will help me loose weight.

Thanks I'll read up and start changes.

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kgb6days

You need to see a dietitian right away. you need diet teaching for your diabetes. The recommended diet that the endocrinologist in the medical practice I see uses now is high fat, moderate protein, low carb. She also uses intermittent fasting with her insulin resistant patients and said she has had great results. You absolutely need to cut your carbs - especially your simple carbs (syrup, breads, banana, white potatoes, corn, etc). Those turn straight to sugar in your bloodstream and spike your blood sugar levels. ASK for a trip to a dietitian. They can order it and insurance should pay for it.

earlnabby

Vixxie75 wrote: »

Now why hasn't any one told me that before?! Grrr! They're all so quick to tell me not to eat fat and to take more drugs no one in 12 years has told me to cut carbs. In fact I was sent to a nutritionist who told me to eat more pasta as it's filling and will help me loose weight.

Thanks I'll read up and start changes.

They never told you to reduce carbs????????? That was the first thing I was told when I was diagnosed T2Dm. I was diagnosed Jan, 2014 and by December, 2014 I was off medication and my a1c stabilized at 5.3-5.5. My doctor is a Certified Diabetic Specialist and she told me to eat no more than 180 g of carbs per day, and to spread them out over the entire day (don't eat a single high carb meal but eat several moderate carb meals). Each person will be different, but If you haven't been told how much to eat by anyone, 150-180 may not be a bad place to start right away until you get a chance to see a specialist and a Registered Dietician (especially one who has additional diabetic training).

Are you in the US? Most insurance companies will pay for a certain amount of training for diagnosed diabetics. It may be appointments with dieticians or it may be classes (or both). Some will be covered 100%, some will be a normal co-pay. No matter where you live, check with your insurance provider or National Health and see what they will cover. Any medical professional who just throws medication at someone with diabetes without nutritional counseling is not treating the patient, they are treating their pocketbook.

juliebowling1

Vixxie75 wrote: »

Now why hasn't any one told me that before?! Grrr! They're all so quick to tell me not to eat fat and to take more drugs no one in 12 years has told me to cut carbs. In fact I was sent to a nutritionist who told me to eat more pasta as it's filling and will help me loose weight.

Thanks I'll read up and start changes.

I'm shocked! As the mom of a type 1 D and insulin resistant myself I am astounded your medical team has not told you to focus on carbs. Being aware and managing carbs and exercise are KEY for us. You need to find a more qualified DE. Hang in there!❤️

Vixxie75

I can't have high fibre due to other conditions.

I was told to stay off fat and eat a high carb and protein diet which will 'help me to loose weight so my diabetes control is better'. Guess what, after 12 years I've not lost a lot of weight and what was under control for 11 years now isn't.

What the hell am I supposed to do?? I get lectured about what to eat only for others to tell me it wrong. I'm injecting myself with this stupid Insurman that's caused me to gain 15kg plus the weight I would of lost due to the extra exercise I'm doing and yet my levels are all over the place, my eyes are screwed and other lovely side effects I won't post on here.

Sorry I'm just so fed up I'm sat here crying while I type this. I should of died in 2002 so I work hard every day to live as long as possible. Now it looks like I've done everything I've been told to and it's made things worse. I just want some one to tell me what I should be doing so I don't have to live like this any more.

earlnabby

Vixxie75 wrote: »

I can't have high fibre due to other conditions.

I was told to stay off fat and eat a high carb and protein diet which will 'help me to loose weight so my diabetes control is better'. Guess what, after 12 years I've not lost a lot of weight and what was under control for 11 years now isn't.

What the hell am I supposed to do?? I get lectured about what to eat only for others to tell me it wrong. I'm injecting myself with this stupid Insurman that's caused me to gain 15kg plus the weight I would of lost due to the extra exercise I'm doing and yet my levels are all over the place, my eyes are screwed and other lovely side effects I won't post on here.

Sorry I'm just so fed up I'm sat here crying while I type this. I should of died in 2002 so I work hard every day to live as long as possible. Now it looks like I've done everything I've been told to and it's made things worse. I just want some one to tell me what I should be doing so I don't have to live like this any more.

I am so sorry. Best first step: forget everything that has happened and start over.

I see that you are in the UK. Here is a good place to start: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/ . You should be able to find local advocacy groups who can help you find a doctor who specializes in endocrine disorders and get fully tested so you find out exactly what you are dealing with. They can also help you with educational materials and guide you to individuals or classes where you can learn what to do.

Basically diabetes is when the body cannot handle the glucose in the bloodstream. Either it doesn't produce enough insulin or it is resistant to the insulin it produces . . . sometimes both.

Good luck to you.

jgnatca

There's at least one other T1-T2 diabetic who frequents this community. Hopefully he will weigh in.

The advice that works for all conditions is balance; getting all the macros in proportion to each other. The advice that I gave last night to improve your breakfast works with this new information too.

Are you eating on a schedule? Do you eat your snacks on time?

Do you ever suffer from low blood sugar? If so, carry glucotabs with you.

jgnatca

Here is an advanced calculator that my (doctor) sister swears by.

http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7303

I hope this helps you associate carbs to insulin at least.

SLLRunner

Vixxie75 wrote: »

I've been T2 for 12 years, 18 months ago my levels when mad after 10.5 years stable. My Diabetic nurse put me on a slow release insulin and for a few months I was fine but then things went mad again. So she put me on a fast release insulin but I was upping and upping it and although every so often it lowered my levels, most of the time they didn't change.
Then my Diabetic Nurse was rushed into ICU and was signed off for at least a year so the GP's nurse took over. At my first appointment she said 'Of course it's not working, you've had Pancreatis so you're insulin resistant' She then signed me up to see a consultant and off I was sent.

Tomorrow is my appointment with the consultant and to be honest I'm scared of what he'd going to say. I've tried to find stuff online but the only mention of IR is connected to Pre T2 Diabetes. I'm not Pre I'm already T2! So what is he going to say? If I'm resistant to insulin loading me up with more isn't going to work. So will they treat me as a Type 1 or leave me to struggle as I am?
I've tried everything but nothing works! Diet doesn't seem to change anything. Put it this way I eat very similar things each day. You can see yesterday's food diary, this morning my levels have dropped and I got a 5.4. I had the same thing to eat one day last week and my level the next day was 9.8! There's no logic to it! Even exercise doesn't do anything. It doesn't matter if I walk miles or sit down all day. It doesn't lower or increase my levels.

Ok I'm rambling. The bottom line is I'm desperately scared I'm going to be told there's nothing that can be done and I'll just go on with bad levels and loose my eyesight and legs. Yeah I know that's dramatic but I've seen my friends aunt loose her eyesight because her diabetes was badly managed. She's in her 50's and has 5% vision left.

If anyone has any advice please let me know. Even if it's just questions to ask tomorrow.

Thanks
Vicki x

I am not diabetic so I can't speak to that issue, but it sounds like you need some encouragement for your appointment. Hang in there and I hope everything turns out okay.

yarwell

earlnabby wrote: »

I see that you are in the UK. Here is a good place to start: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/

that would be a bad place to start - they're "carb up and shoot up" merchants, fat phobic. Hence the advice the OP has been receiving.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet-for-type2-diabetes.html might be more helpful, even GPs use it.

arb037

Please read up on the Ketogenic Diet. It is tailor made for type 2 diabetics. And can very well reverse it in a lot of people.

earlnabby

arb037 wrote: »

Please read up on the Ketogenic Diet. It is tailor made for type 2 diabetics. And can very well reverse it in a lot of people.

Depends on the person. The majority of T2Dm can reverse the disease by eating moderate carbs. There is no need to go to extremes for most. Yes, it does work for some and anyone who is not having success with moderate carbs should consider low carb.

RodaRose

You need this book: "The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution" by Richard K. Bernstein
It's ok that you had some wrong information. The science is changing and our governments have not caught up. You absolutely need fats and oils. Reduce carbs and sugars.
-->> A good meal is steak and a plate of steamed broccoli. Or eggs with cheese and roasted green beans.
Is the consultant a specialist? Can you arrange to get an appointment with an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes (no thyroid and other hormone patients)?
Good luck.

arb037

earlnabby wrote: »

arb037 wrote: »

Please read up on the Ketogenic Diet. It is tailor made for type 2 diabetics. And can very well reverse it in a lot of people.

Depends on the person. The majority of T2Dm can reverse the disease by eating moderate carbs. There is no need to go to extremes for most. Yes, it does work for some and anyone who is not having success with moderate carbs should consider low carb.

No " depends" about it. The Ketogenic diet has been proven to aid T2D folks.
Nor is the Ketogenic diet " extreme". It may differ from your "view" , but not extreme at all.
The OP should research and decide for himself, but since he said he is insulin resistant, then what do you think happens after he ingests carbohydrates?? Yeah converts to glycogen/ glucose/ blood sugar and generates an insulin response. And guess what insulin prevents fat metabolism.

Sunny_Bunny_

Find the movie Fathead on YouTube. You will learn a lot in an easy to understand way. I have always heard that insulin resistance is a precursor to T2. You have probably always been resistant and your doctors just never fully explained it. Just as they never gave any diet instruction. Even my Type 1 daughter is advised to eat reduced carbs. I myself eat a ketogenic diet in support of her and even as an already healthy person I feel even better than ever eating this way.

nvmomketo

I'm prediabetic and followed the instructions in Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. It explained how to got very low carb, and it worked. I've been eating fewer than 30g of carbs on most days and have been in ketosis for about 7 weeks. Eating vLCHF worked very well for my blood glucose. I went from fasting blood glucose readings of 5.5 to 7, but now my morning FBG is usually between 4.2 and 5.4. Plus it eliminated my carb cravings and made eating at a caloric deficit easy since my appetite is reduced. I've lost 20lbs in 2 months, and I'm basically a normal BMI now.

Ketosis or low carb high fat (below 100g/day of carbs) can work wonders in those with diabetes. Good luck!

ritornello

Vixxie75 wrote: »

Now why hasn't any one told me that before?! Grrr! They're all so quick to tell me not to eat fat and to take more drugs no one in 12 years has told me to cut carbs. In fact I was sent to a nutritionist who told me to eat more pasta as it's filling and will help me loose weight.

Thanks I'll read up and start changes.

Wait, what?! My mom was a type 1 diabetic for 43 years and I remember her telling me about learning the carb exchanges when she was first diagnosed. In the 70's. That is INSANE that they didn't tell you that and I'm so sorry. Hang in there.

What kind of consultant are you going to be seeing?

LKArgh

OP, your profile indicates you have 150 lbs to lose. Even if you are completely immobile, this can happen by monitoring calories. No special diet needed for weight loss, only eating less. No matter what conditions you have. I am not saying it is easy and not a huge adjustment, but it is a choice. Lose the weight, even if it means feeling hungry and not getting much satisfaction from your food, or commit suicide by eating as you do. I know it sounds harsh, but you are too young with too many health issues to not make drastic changes.
Also I see a post mentioning you are eating things like pancakes and syrup??? You say you have been diagnosed years ago, and no one ever gave you an eating plan? No one taught you how to count carbs? You are saying you hate vegetables also, and are not following dr's instuctions to eat them. So, have you ever told yourself to suck it up and eat them anyway, or have you been replacing them with tastier stuff like fruit, then telling your dr "oh, I tried this diet thing for 5 days, did not work, let's talk about different meds"?
You are at the point where it is a decision: eat for pleasure, or follow strictly guidelines until you get this under control, even if this means that until you learn better eating habits, food is fuel and not pleasure at all.

Wheelhouse15

RodaRose wrote: »

You need this book: "The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution" by Richard K. Bernstein
It's ok that you had some wrong information. The science is changing and our governments have not caught up. You absolutely need fats and oils. Reduce carbs and sugars.
-->> A good meal is steak and a plate of steamed broccoli. Or eggs with cheese and roasted green beans.
Is the consultant a specialist? Can you arrange to get an appointment with an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes (no thyroid and other hormone patients)?
Good luck.

If you are refering to the Canadian Dr. Bernstein know that he is a VLCD advocate and in trouble with Canadian authorities for violating professional conduct WRT adverstising. I wouldn't be pushing his stuff here.

earlnabby

arb037 wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

arb037 wrote: »

Please read up on the Ketogenic Diet. It is tailor made for type 2 diabetics. And can very well reverse it in a lot of people.

Depends on the person. The majority of T2Dm can reverse the disease by eating moderate carbs. There is no need to go to extremes for most. Yes, it does work for some and anyone who is not having success with moderate carbs should consider low carb.

No " depends" about it. The Ketogenic diet has been proven to aid T2D folks.
Nor is the Ketogenic diet " extreme". It may differ from your "view" , but not extreme at all.
The OP should research and decide for himself, but since he said he is insulin resistant, then what do you think happens after he ingests carbohydrates?? Yeah converts to glycogen/ glucose/ blood sugar and generates an insulin response. And guess what insulin prevents fat metabolism.

Yes it aids T2Dm, but it isn't necessary for the majority. This is not an "all or nothing" proposition here. There is a wide range of carbs that work for diabetics and each person needs to see what is best for them. I went from full blown diabetes to normal numbers in 8 months by averaging 160-170 g of carbs per day (35% of my total calories). I am not a special snowflake. The majority of those in my T2Dm management group have had the same results. A few have had to go down to 100 g daily and 1 needed to go keto at 60 g. This is in a group of almost 50 people.

Anything where you reduce a macro to ~10% of your overall diet is extreme.

OP, see your specialist. Ask about carbs. Start out reducing them to moderate numbers and see what happens. If that doesn't help, reduce them more. Read as much as you can from experts who do not have a secondary agenda.

daniwilford

My family is full of T2Ds and I was pre-diabetic but my last A1C was back in the normal range and I did it all with diet and weight loss. Changes didn't come in a day or a week but after three months of consistently. I never eat over 45 grams of carbs at one meal or snack, and the carbs I do eat come from whole grains, vegetables, non-fat dairy and one or two servings of fresh whole lower carb fruit a day. 90 grams of protein mostly from fish and poultry, I eat a lean beef about once a week. Following this diet at the calorie level set by MFP, eating back some of my 60 minutes of walking exercise, allowed me to lose 40 pounds in four months. You can't look at the effect of eating and exercising on a day, the change happens over months. Don't give up. People in my family who treated their T2D and insulin resistance with diet and exercise live long healthy lives, those who did not, were in poor health and died very young.

K8w83

Hi,

I've been T1 diabetic since I was young and just wanted to reassure you aren't doing anything wrong if your BGs are a bit erratic - there are a million and one things which can effect it. Exercise can lead to a reduction of my BGs for 2-3 days afterwards, where you inject can effect the absorption rate, hormones can change the level on insulin you require, whether you BGs were on a downward trend or an upward trend before you injected, whether you still had some long-acting carbs in your system from a previous meal (porridge does this to me, I have to up my insulin with every meal for about 1.5 days after eating porridge!). I also have ulcerative colitis and my BGs go up whenever I have a flare of that because my body is fighting off infection.

If you're really struggling try keeping a diary of exercise, food, hormonal issues, feeling under the weather etc so that you can spot any recurring factors.

I know treatment is different for a T1 and T2 who is on insulin but I would have thought the same factors that I've spotted could be effecting your BGs.

Good luck!

K8w83

Oh, and I also forgot to say that the advice from my dietitian for type 1 is to eat the standard recommended amount of carbs, but to eat complex carbs (long acting) for a slower, steadier release of glucose into the bloodstream which may be why you were told to eat carbs like pasta rather than more sugary, fast acting carbs.

And a 9.8 reading as a one-off is nothing to be worried about - this is still within the range they tell T1s to aim for after a meal. When I've been ill I've had BGs up to 22, which is definitely something to worry about!

christineja

Diabetes 101 is another good book. I got off insulin and my levels under control with diet--high fat low carb like others are saying. For me personally that has and had the greatest effect--more than exercise, supplements or weight loss.

I also exercise but for me keeping low depends on eating less than 45 carbs per meal (my goal is always 20). I saw an ADA certified dietician and that helped a lot, but the info is out there for free online and in books if you look. There's also a lot of support for low Vit D influencing Type II--maybe add a daily 5K supplement as well. When I was first diagnosed my D levels were under 20, with supplements it's double and many issues have gone away.

mrron2u

The Glycemic Load Diet by Dr. Robert Thompson MD is a book I recently read and it is making a big difference in how I eat, which is making a big difference in my Blood Sugar Levels. Don't give up - keep digging for information. I am insulin resistant and this book really caters to insulin resistant type 2 diabetics. Friend me if you'd like - also there is a Type 2 Diabetes Group here on MFP and a lot of my support comes from there. Best of luck!