Newbie - question for diabetics
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lukesydaisy wrote: »So one thing that has popped up a lot on here is the need to be working closely with a doctor. So I live in the sticks, and need to drive 45 minutes to 2 hours to get to the larger cities. The doctor I see now is the GP that our children's home uses, and lets just say that I don't think he's a very good doctor, but I just don't know how to go about finding one that's better. From my experience here in a small-town, very rural place, we're just kind of stuck with the doctors that are maybe not so good, but what can we do about it because good doctors with options don't always want to live in the sticks. I'd be willing to travel to San Antonio, Corpus, or Victoria for a good doctor, but I'm curious if there is any way to search for a doctor who believes in this kind of diet without having to do a trial and error of visiting tons of doctors. Are there websites or databases of HFLC-friendly doctors or places where people can recommend one? I used to be on a PCOS board that had a whole page to recommending doctors in different cities. That would be very helpful for me to know 1-2 that I can try out.
@lukesydaisy to work with a doctor is ideal but not necessary. OK, now I know I'll sound deranged for saying the same again, but that's to show how strongly I feel about it. Dr Bernstein's book will teach you more about LC and diabetes than 90% of doctors know.
Most of us started without or against the instructions of our doctors. To move towards LC is much safer than to do nothing. The only reason I mentioned getting a doctor was because I was under the wrong idea that you were trying to conceive, ditching insulin, having BGs of 300s and unaware of the problems involved in this mix.
All that you really need is a BG meter and test strips. Your actual doctor will not be against you getting regular blood tests, especially if you tell him that you want another baby. If you have to lie about what you're eating or why your lab results are suddenly improving, just do it.
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Hi there and welcome! If you don't regularly test, start doing so now. I know it takes time, but as you are transitioning to a LC diet, you need to see which foods cause you to spike...even the low carb ones. For example, I can eat apples fine, but more than a half, and I see a spike. Peanuts too, although they are fine for most people.
It is an individual journey, but there is a lot of great advice and resources on this page.
Even if your fasting is higher and your post-prandial results are within normal range, it can take MONTHS before you see a decline in your FBS.0 -
KetoGirl83 wrote: »lukesydaisy wrote: »[(...) is any way to search for a doctor who believes in this kind of diet without having to do a trial and error of visiting tons of doctors. Are there websites or databases of HFLC-friendly doctors or places where people can recommend one?
@FIT_Goat @baconslave @Dragonwolf couldn't we at least try to have a thread with this info? We are not enough to have a comprehensive list, of course, but there's nothing like a personal reference. I'm sure there will be sites with that info and maybe someone already knows of them and we could add them to our resources?
We can see about starting one. We can probably draw from the Paleo Physicians Network and Primal Docs resources to start (those are where I recommend starting, because they are likely to be open to LCHF).
We'll need help from the people in the community for both resources and doctor recommendations.0 -
I don't usually remember to take my fasting blood sugar, because our early mornings are so busy getting 9 kids up and ready for school, so I really can't answer that question.
Bad excuse.
Get up earlier and set a reminder to take your blood sugar first thing. It takes only a couple of minutes to do it, and your life literally depends on it. If you don't start doing it now, you won't be around later to continue getting those kids up and ready for school.
Same goes for taking it before meals and one and two hours after meals, as well as any time you're feeling low. Yep, that means you're going to be taking it upwards of a dozen times a day. If you want another baby and you don't want your diabetes to kill you, you'll deal with it.
Regardless of whether you work with a doctor (I think you should, even if you're not telling them you're doing LCHF), you can't quit your insulin cold turkey and you may never be able to quit it entirely, depending on the state of your pancreas. I also second getting Dr. Bernstein's book. He pioneered modern diabetes management, by "eating to the meter" in an era where doctors didn't even believe diet could affect blood sugar and insulin. He's outlived his contemporaries because it literally saved his life.0 -
lukesydaisy wrote: »Thanks again, everyone. I do feel like I should clarify, I wasn't just planning to ditch the insulin and think that this diet will magically and immediately cure everything...I just kind of wanted to see how it would be affected, and also really didn't want to start it out by crashing and having to take in lots of sugar. When I'm low, I'm in like a heart-palpitating, sweating, zombie like state and I start ransacking anything sugary I can find because I'm not thinking straight and it takes so long for me to feel back to normal.
My first little one is a miracle baby, because it was an unexpected pregnancy, I was new to insulin and wasn't really on the proper kinds/doses, and my a1c was 12.9!!! I was sure I was going to miscarry or have a baby with major or even minor birth defects, and he ended up being perfectly healthy. My diabetes was actually the best controlled it's ever been during and right after pregnancy (best a1c was 7ish, which still isn't that good). Not saying I want to risk it again, that's why I'm hoping this will help with many issues.
But here is the reality, you WILL have to ditch the insulin IF you stay low and ketogenic on your carbs. It will "magically" scientifically cause your BG's to drop. All carbs convert to sugar, sugar causes your BG's to rise. So, conversely, to not eat carbs = not high BG's. Some people here are trying to put me in as a bad guy... and put words in my mouth.
If you cheat and sneak in a pie or candy bar, yes, you will have to get your insulin out and inject. But if you stay true to Keto, staying as low as you can, lets say 20 grams or less a day.... you won't be able to take the insulin, because if you do, you could DIE from going low. Its that simple.
BTW, before you get pregnant, do a YouTube search for "GAPS diet" and watch a few of the videos.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
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(...) Some people here are trying to put me in as a bad guy... and put words in my mouth. (...)
@DittoDan I suppose you mean me. I am sorry, that was never my intention. For the record, I think you're an awesome guy!
I just thought the OP didn't have enough knowledge of LC/LCHF/Keto to apply your advice without significant risk. That's all, nothing more. Friends again?
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KetoGirl83 wrote: »(...) Some people here are trying to put me in as a bad guy... and put words in my mouth. (...)
@DittoDan I suppose you mean me. I am sorry, that was never my intention. For the record, I think you're an awesome guy!
I just thought the OP didn't have enough knowledge of LC/LCHF/Keto to apply your advice without significant risk. That's all, nothing more. Friends again?
::flowerforyou::
It wasn't you. Friends forever! ❤️
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