Multiple conditions need expert nutritionist to give me advice please

Debz2451

Hi.
I'm in the uk I have diabetesT2*insulin/tablets, Fibromyalgia, arthritis, Gout, liver cirrhosis, sleep apnoea (in date order).
I require foods that cover across all these conditions as I'm getting very confused. Could you point me in the right direction?
I'm 60 years old and 95kg (still obese) although I've lost 6 stones) from being my heaviest in my since I was 45.
Thanks Debz 😊

AnnPT77

Your best bet would be to ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian to help you with that, or seek an affordable source for a self-pay registered dietitian. (Here in the US, some universities, gyms, pharmacies, or even grocery chains offer a service like that on a self-paid basis. I don't know how it works where you are, since I'm assuming you're not in the US given that you use kg.)

Here on MFP, I don't know of any nutritional experts who participate regularly. There are just a bunch of regular people like you, mostly. There may be a few who have some of your health conditions, who may have gotten solid information they can share; but that's different from professional expertise.

Beware of people here who want you to message them to get help: That's often a sign of someone who's selling multi-level marketing supplement or diet/exercise programs, but they want us to message so they don't run afoul of MFP's rules against advertising here in the Community. Don't trust those people: That would be my advice. Anyone who isn't marketing ought to be willing to post here in public where others can benefit, y'know?

Of the conditions you list, the only ones I have are arthritis and sleep apnea. Reaching a healthy weight helped reduce frequency/severity of my arthritis pain (by a lot).

A high-nutrition diet is also a good bet. Different people will have different views on the best diet for arthritis. For myself, I believe in eating plenty of high-nutrient veggies, fruits and some whole grains, in addition to getting adequate protein and healthy fats. (In my view of it, the veggies/fruits are most important from an anti-inflammatory standpoint, but others opinions will differ. The other factors are for general health.

I'm not aware of any special dietary strategies for sleep apnea, though some people find that reaching a healthy weight will either reduce severity or even eliminate the condition. I've now been at a healthy weight for about 8 years (after 30-ish years of overweight/obesity before losing weight). I wasn't one of the lucky ones: I was diagnosed with sleep apnea around 22 years ago, and it didn't change with weight loss. I still use my CPAP like it was religion.

Reminder: I'm not a professional dietitian or any kind of educated/certified expert. I'm just a regular person like you, someone who's pursued information to the best of her ability for managing my own health.

I have zero personal experience related to diabetes, fibromyalgia, gout, or liver cirrhosis. Some friends with diabetes and fibromyalgia have reported improvements from regular exercise, at a moderate and manageable well-tolerated level. In the case of friends with diabetes, something soon after eating, like a moderate paced walk, seemed to be the most helpful in managing blood sugar levels. But that's all just secondhand hearsay.

Your situation is complex.

yirara

What Ann said: get a registered dietician, not a nutritionist because everyone can call themselves that. Cook your own food and don’t eat out/ take away because then you know what’s inside. Cooking doesn’t need to take long, and if needed cook the same for several days to save time.

Hobartlemagne

Ask your GP for a referral.

She'll be on the UK National Health Service.

claireychn074

Absolutely go to your GP, or if you’re seeing an endocrinologist ask them (most UK hospital endocrinology depts have dietitians attached). Are you seeing a hepatobiliary specialist for your liver? If so, I’d also ask them to refer you. Dieticians are experts at joining up all the conditions and helping people, defo time to speak to any of the specialists you currently see, or ask your GP to refer you. Good luck!

Debz2451

Thank you for giving your time to reply. I'm trying to get a consult with a diabetic nutritionist. But our NHS is broken 😢 💔 so it could take time

Corina1143

I can only answer for myself. No diabetes. Because type 2 runs in my family, and Because people in general are more likely to get it as they get older, I asked my very good dietitian how to avoid it. The only really helpful hints I remember are 1. no naked sugar--always with protein, and 2. weight loss and 3. consistent exercise. (I don't drink at all, not a sweets junkie, love high protein foods, but needed to work on consistency and balance).
Fibromyalgia. Had it bad! Now I say I'm 100% cured 90% of the time and 90% cured 100% of the time.
Where food is concerned, what helped me most was whole foods, lower sugar, and avoiding heavily processed food. I ate lots of organic raw fruits and vegetables for a few years. That was easy for me because I enjoy those foods, and of course preparation is quick and easy. I drank a lot of water. Zero pop, diet or regular. I had been a heavy Coke drinker for 20+ years.
Besides food, I tried to avoid allergens as much as possible. One air filter beside my bed, another beside my recliner.
I was diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis about 35 years ago, but no pain, so I don't know anything about either.
No gout, cirrhosis or sleep apnea, so I can't help. Sorry.

Congratulations on your significant weight loss. I'm sure that's been a big step in the right direction!

yirara

Does the NHS provide you with continuous glucose monitoring? If so you can test how your body reacts to certain foods. Combine this with your food diary and make note of what works and what doesn't. That's one thing that comes to mind until you get to see a dietician. And yes, reduced processed foods, try to reduce weight slowly, avoid food that triggers gout and makes cirrhosis worse. I think there's some overlap with red meats and a few other things. The liver trust has some advice, also covering diabetes: https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-a-liver-condition/diet-and-liver-disease/cirrhosis-and-diet/ Maybe they offer a help line until you can get hold of a dietician. The same for the diabetes trust.

neanderthin

I recovered from Insulin Resistance, basically pre-diabetes, I was overweight, about 60lbs worth, had a lot of joint pain, arthritis in hands, hip and knees, also psoriasis and IBS also snored enough for it to be annoying for my partner.

All of this for you and me is basically the result of too much glucose staying in the blood for far too long causing chronic inflammation. I eventually found through trial and error that a low carb diet was my solution and is exactly what clinics that deal with metabolic diseases like ours use as their front line therapy.

I wasn't on any diabetes medication although they wanted to prescribe some, but just so you know, it's well known and documented that a very low carb or ketogenic diet basically eliminates carbs and sugar in the diet, therefore no more dietary glucose, so no more crazy glucose spikes and your medication will need to be adjusted right away, and I mean right away so don't even think of doing this without consultation because most people come off pretty much all their medication in a matter of weeks to a few months.

My arthritis went away within a month and if I consume too many carbs it comes back, I learned that the hard way over the years. My IBS after a lifelong battle, gone. My psoriasis also went away and I thought after 50 years that was going to be one of those crosses I had to bear, that started to clear up in a few weeks and after 6 months, it's never come back. The snoring is rare now apparently and haven't heard any complaints. Oh yeah, and I lost 60 lbs. without feeling hungry most of the time, and because most people that do their own research and stumble upon this diet for their metabolic problems it's a nice bonus that weight loss is pretty much a side effect of this diet, sorta like the effect people on Ozempic have with GLP-1's, they lose weight because their not hungry, same thing, it's about hormones, it always will be. Fatty liver is basically the accumulation of fat from either overeating in general and fructose consumption, basically too much refined carbs and sugar and losing weight and eliminating sugar and carbs fatty liver reverses pretty quick and again well documented which you'll see if you do decide to do any research, unfortunately most people don't research very much or connect the dots that carbs might be a problem and where a diet that's low in carbs might actually be something to think about, oh well que sera, sera.

Anyway, is this an anomaly that this diet works this well, no it's not, it's well known. Draw backs are you can't eat the foods that brought you to this point in your life, which most people aren't willing to give up, and it was hard for me as well in the beginning, so there is that.
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A whole food diet focusing on natural animal protein to a higher percentage of your overall calories as well would be my second choice, like a modified Mediterranean diet and the protein and fat is integral in slowing down glucose spikes and digestion. I would also suggest if you can to purchase a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and learn to use it. It was an eye opener for me.

Anyway, consult a specialist for metabolic syndrome and don't start this diet before you do. Hope things work out for you.

tomcustombuilder

When some has medical conditions an Internet forum is not the place to be asking for dieting direction. A GP doctor is probably also not a good choice.work with a registered dietician with the experience and credentials to properly guide you.