Need to go off low carb diet

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2

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  • Edmond_Dantes
    Edmond_Dantes Posts: 185 Member
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    If you have diabetes, and you've had your gallbladder removed, you need to eat a LOW FAT diet, not a low carb one! If you are getting the fat out of your diet, you still need calories to live. Carbohydrates are your fuel.

    Google "intramyocellular lipid"

    Where is your info regarding gallbladders and diet modification coming from? Can you cite your source?

    Cholecystectomies (GB removal) are one of the most common surgeries. You'd be surprised at the number of people walking around without a GB. You can certainly eat a low carb diet without a gallbladder!
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    Fine, I've heard your opinion. Does anyone else have anything constructive to say?

    Yeah, Google some diabetes websites and forums if this is for real.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    Fine, I've heard your opinion. Does anyone else have anything constructive to say?

    Well, I agree 100% with ndj1979.

    Personally, I would not make any drastic changes until speaking to a medical professional. No one on these boards can give you constructive information because they don't know your whole medical history, your numbers, or anything else. They can guess but to take that information as being correct for you could be dangerous. This site is NOT for medical advice of this sort.

    You might want to up your carbs some for the next couple of days but I wouldn't go 100% off the "diet" or eat as others are suggesting until you speak to someone. A diabetic councilor may be a good idea since you now have a history that you want to prevent happening again.

    But to get all upset because someone is worried about your health and is giving you the best advice that can be given... well, that is just not cool. Don't ask if you don't want answers.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    No need to be a jerk about things, ndj1979. The doctor has been out all of the past week, and I'm getting desperate.
    It's a little more complicated than most of you realize, since I've had a handful of chronic digestive diseases since I was six, and am used to feeling kind of crappy for no real reason.
    He didn't really say anything more than to go on a low carb diet, and during the first adjustment period, he blamed my condition on a sinus infection I was recovering from, and then said that some people have a difficult time transitioning from a very high carb diet to a very low carb diet. I was given the anti nausea meds to tide me over until I was better. I didn't really have any sort of guidance during any of this except the doctor's recommendation of the diet. I didn't realize that going off the way I did could cause so many problems
    I get that I screwed up, believe me. I will be contacting the doctor tomorrow morning.
    Thanks you guys!

    low carb usually doesn't mean as low as 30g carbs a day. I don't think your doctor meant that. In any case, the doctor should have given your guidance. Some people consider 40% calories from carbs as low carb (although that's moderate carb to most people). So I second the advice to go back to your doctor.

    additionally as you already have medical conditions that restrict your diet, you should have been referred to a dietician. You need to ask to be referred to one, Don't just switch to high carb, due to having diabetes; You need guidance about specifically how much carbohydrate to eat in a day and how to reintroduce it safely. Your doctor should have already provided this, but seeing as he or she hasn't, you need to ask to be referred to a dietician
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    If you have diabetes, and you've had your gallbladder removed, you need to eat a LOW FAT diet, not a low carb one! If you are getting the fat out of your diet, you still need calories to live. Carbohydrates are your fuel.

    Google "intramyocellular lipid"

    Where is your info regarding gallbladders and diet modification coming from? Can you cite your source?

    Cholecystectomies (GB removal) are one of the most common surgeries. You'd be surprised at the number of people walking around without a GB. You can certainly eat a low carb diet without a gallbladder!
    I admit it's not a very reputable source, but the Mayonnaise Clinic recommends eating low fat after a gallbladder removal. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/gallbladder-removal-diet/bgp-20056135 but i have also heard many people with a removed gallbladder mention that their doc told them to eat low fat. If you are eating low fat, and low carb, you would need a lot of protein powder to meet your caloric needs.
  • leviabobcat
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    Alright, I'm sorry. I get that you were just trying to help, but the way you said that made me feel pretty stupid. Still no excuse for me going off at you like that. I was just hoping that someone could give me advice on what to do between now and the time I can get in for an appointment. Believe me this is "for real", I just wasn't given any information whatsoever except to go on a low carb diet, and didn't think to ask anything else, figuring that my interpretation was correct. Obviously, it wasn't. I've been so miserable for so long, I guess I was hoping there was something I could do here and now. I had seen where people were discussing the side effects of low carb diets on this forum, and figured that I could get some help here. Thanks for steering me in the right direction!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    You're probably just best off getting a second opinion from another doctor.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    If you've only been low carb for a couple of months a shouldn't think the transition back should be a problem.

    Just ease back onto them.

    Good luck
  • gbbarbru
    gbbarbru Posts: 23 Member
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    What you are going through is awful, I wish someone had told you this earlier: The nausea, headaches and other symptoms of carbohydrate withdrawal can be eased with a dose of Emergen-C. Get well soon.
  • Edmond_Dantes
    Edmond_Dantes Posts: 185 Member
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    If you have diabetes, and you've had your gallbladder removed, you need to eat a LOW FAT diet, not a low carb one! If you are getting the fat out of your diet, you still need calories to live. Carbohydrates are your fuel.

    Google "intramyocellular lipid"

    Where is your info regarding gallbladders and diet modification coming from? Can you cite your source?

    Cholecystectomies (GB removal) are one of the most common surgeries. You'd be surprised at the number of people walking around without a GB. You can certainly eat a low carb diet without a gallbladder!
    I admit it's not a very reputable source, but the Mayonnaise Clinic recommends eating low fat after a gallbladder removal. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/gallbladder-removal-diet/bgp-20056135 but i have also heard many people with a removed gallbladder mention that their doc told them to eat low fat. If you are eating low fat, and low carb, you would need a lot of protein powder to meet your caloric needs.

    Thanks for the link!
  • Quieau
    Quieau Posts: 428 Member
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    Here's the deal: At the beginning of February, my doctor diagnosed me as pre-diabetic, and put me on a low carb diet. I cut all carbs out cold turkey and was literally bedridden for a week from the adjustment period. I maintained less than 30g carbs per day for the next three weeks, and then went a little over my carb allowances, and went back into the transition period, only this time I'm still not well. It's been over two weeks this time, and I still feel like death (fatigue, extreme nausea, shaky, etc). The only way I manage to feel well enough to get food or liquids down is by taking pepto bismol, ginger, and phenargan My blood sugar has stabilized, and I can't keep living like this, so I'm going off this miserable diet. What I'm concerned about is another difficult transition period as I add more carbs in.

    A few things I need to add: Going off of this diet is non-negotiable. It has to go. Please don't try to convince me otherwise.
    Part of what may be giving me difficulty is that I had my gallbladder removed six years ago, when I was sixteen.
    Thank you for any advice you may have to give!

    If your doc insists on you sticking with it, tell him only if you're tested first for porphyria. Your symptoms suggest that you might be one of those with this rare (but increasingly discovered in patients who embark on low carb diets) disorder. It might be 'rare' only in the sense that it's so often not diagnosed and not treated. It sounds to me like you're having porphyria attacks as the result of your lack of carbs, and that could lead to permanent nerve damage among other dangers. Ask your doc if you can be screened.

    You will almost certainly get a huge runaround if you do. The average diagnosis time is like nine years or something ridiculous because the medical community is so under-educated on the disorder. So do your own research. There's a LOT out there and you can determine if it seems like a "fit" or not, depending on your symptoms. There are eight t ypes, so check them all.

    No harm done if you're not porphyric, but if you are, this revelation will be life-saving in more ways than one. Never hurts to check with symptoms as you describe. Good luck!
  • caveninit
    caveninit Posts: 153 Member
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    I was diagnosed as "pre-diabetes" and my doctor told me to go lower carb, but not too low. She said to try to stick with whole grains, fruit, veggies, lean protein...and try not to go over 45 grams of carbs per meal. She said losing weight in itself should help me to stabilize my blood sugars. I set my macros as 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. This has been working very well for me...my BP is much lower now, I lost 21 pounds, and my blood sugars are stabilized. I try to choose the lower glycemic carbs..sweet potato instead of white, brown rice instead of white rice, etc. I don't think your doctor meant for you to go on such a low carb diet.
    You should definitely speak to a dietician...and a GI doctor to get your other GI symptoms under control. Have you ever been tested to see if you are gluten intolerant? Good luck..and I hope you get to feeling better soon.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Here's the deal: At the beginning of February, my doctor diagnosed me as pre-diabetic, and put me on a low carb diet. I cut all carbs out cold turkey and was literally bedridden for a week from the adjustment period. I maintained less than 30g carbs per day for the next three weeks, and then went a little over my carb allowances, and went back into the transition period, only this time I'm still not well. It's been over two weeks this time, and I still feel like death (fatigue, extreme nausea, shaky, etc). The only way I manage to feel well enough to get food or liquids down is by taking pepto bismol, ginger, and phenargan My blood sugar has stabilized, and I can't keep living like this, so I'm going off this miserable diet. What I'm concerned about is another difficult transition period as I add more carbs in.

    A few things I need to add: Going off of this diet is non-negotiable. It has to go. Please don't try to convince me otherwise.
    Part of what may be giving me difficulty is that I had my gallbladder removed six years ago, when I was sixteen.
    Thank you for any advice you may have to give!
    You need to talk to your doctor. We are people on the internet who have absolutely no idea about your medical history or current situation and needs.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
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    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Never mind. Saw OP's apology.
  • BigVeggieDream
    BigVeggieDream Posts: 1,101 Member
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    I'm not trying to convince anyone of changing their diet and I am not a health professional, but I wanted to share my experience with Type II Diabetes and Diet. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes 6 years ago. I was given Metformin and told to cut my carbs down to 45g per meal, 30 of those being complex carbs. I had trouble keeping to that diet for long periods of time, but even when I was doing it for a couple weeks, my BGL was 200-300 and my A1C was above 8. Over the next few years my Metformin was increased to max. Then I read an article that fats have a much bigger impact on BGL than carbs and carbs from whole foods, ie fruit and vegetables were fine. I changed to an 80-10-10 diet (carbs, fats, proteins). Immediately, my BGL dropped below 140 after meals. Over the next two weeks, by BGL dropped to 80-90. I've been there ever since. I eat tons of fruits and vegetables, 135g carbs a meal. My most recent A1C was 6.2 and I had only started the diet, 40 days before the blood test. My doctor says if my next two A1C tests are 5.6 and below, he will start to decrease my metformin.
  • DucklingtoSwan
    DucklingtoSwan Posts: 169 Member
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    I'm not a doctor either, but wanted to mention... if I read it right, he told you to go "low" carb and you immediately cut cold turkey on all carbs? Big difference, and no wonder you were so knocked out by it. Does he know you took it to that extreme?

    Not all carbs are created equal. I know others have recommended this, but if you can consult with a nutritionist who understands the dietary needs of a pre/diabetic (see if your insurance web site has any in network) in conjunction with your Dr's care (when he gets back) that might be your best option.
  • leviabobcat
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    Yeah, I do have a gluten intolerance as well. Complicates things quite a bit.
    Duckling, that's exactly what happened. I don't know why I didn't research this beforehand.
    Again, I want to apologize for being so defensive and rude.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    Yeah, I do have a gluten intolerance as well. Complicates things quite a bit.
    Duckling, that's exactly what happened. I don't know why I didn't research this beforehand.
    Again, I want to apologize for being so defensive and rude.

    So, gluten intolerant, no gall bladder, and a history of pre diabetes numbers.

    Ask your doctor for a referral to speak to someone that can help you set up a diet that deals with all of these. It won't be easy. However, for your health it is needed. Stop trying to do it yourself and get some real help.

    And I get it. You were defensive and rude because you are most likely frustrated and scared by what it happening. Trust me, I understand. Nothing like having a medical issue that causes you problems like this and forces you to change how you eat. For me, I have a condition that if I eat specific foods (mostly high acid, soy, and many spices), I am in agony. Like curled up in a ball, in tears, and wanting to die agony. So I do understand the emotions that go along with all of that.

    I am sorry you are having to deal with all of this. And I am glad you are listening to those of use really wanting to help. We DO want to help... but we can't safely know exactly what to tell you specifically because we are not medical professionals.

    SO *hugs* to you and good luck.