Health & Fitness

Diabeties I have been cheating

Health & Fitness

Posted by: gwenn

17th Aug 2013 09:07pm

I was diagnosed beginning of 2012, my sugar stayed between 20 and 30. I never took the insulin or tablets (Metformin) because the tablet gave me tummy aches and diarehroa, that went on till April this year, then the doctor put me in hospital and put me on insulin 4 times aday slow release Metformin...they watched me like a hawk so there was no cheating my sugar was 5s 8s 12s which was much better since then my sugar stays around 15 which is better than 20-30 but I cheat, I don't write the correct numbers in my book that the doctor checks weekly I take the tablets and insulin how Im meant too but I crave sweet things and even doing the medication proper I don't do the diet right....Im getting burning in my feet and legs and just this week got glasses please what am I going to do...Im scared any advice?


Comments 18

MRfuzzy
  • 24th Mar 2017 03:18pm

Tell your doctor it is hard to maintain your blood sugar or on the days you crave sugar take only a little extra medication if possible with doctor advice,your sugars are best when they are around 6 to 7 ,as you have already noticed your eyes are not as good as they were before.I get burning sensations in my feet after having a hot shower so before you turn the tap off rinse with cold water and it might help,or you could go to a podiatrist and get advice from them it is well worth the time and your doctor should be able to put you on to a good one near where you live.I'm a pensioner and get % sessions a year with a podiatrist and a diabetic educator for my eating issues

Leonardus
  • 23rd Mar 2017 11:50am

Have to do what the doctor pescribes, I do.

Ziah
  • 23rd Jul 2016 02:01pm

Get an appointment with a credentialled Diabetes Educator and a Dietitian (most big hospitals have them), and get them to teach you why what you are doing is so dangerous (and how to fix it). You are risking losing your sight, your kidneys, your toes and fingers and your life if you keep going the way you are going.

I've been diabetic since 2000. I didn't take good care of my sugars for a long time, but they were always below 15. I started getting diabetic retinopathy in my eyes, and had a retinal tear - and I could easily have lost the sight in that eye. Fortunately the laser surgery fixed it, but I knew I had to do something to stop it happening again. I also used to get burning feet so bad I couldn't stand or walk, and my kidneys were putting out protein (meaning they were damaged).

So I worked hard, lost a whole bunch of weight (65kg down now with 11 to go) and I got off the hundreds of units of insulin I had to take every day. I am only on Metformin now, and my sugars are stable between 6 and 8 all day, every day. I walk when and wherever I can, I eat really healthily (no packaged foods at all and 80% vegan). My retinopathy has healed, I no longer have burning feet and my kidneys are perfect.

Start taking responsibility for your disease, and your life - otherwise you will end up blind, on dialysis and with amputations, totally dependent on those around you with no mobility, no freedom and no life at all. I guess you need to figure out what you want. Do you want a life now - or in a few years? Or do you actually want to go blind, lose fingers, toes, feet, legs, kidneys etc? When you figure that out, it will give you your course of action.

Ebineza
  • 15th Sep 2015 04:47pm

Gwenn, You know what to do, you have told us.
Your levels are much too high, so you must put in the hard yards. Simply watch the diet, do the exercises, take the medication regularly. If the Metformin upsets you, tell the GP, there are plenty of other medications he can choose. If you are not honest with your doctor, you are wasting his valuable time. Believe me you are not the only diabetic acting in the same way, and the results are not good. I know that it's hard Gwenn, but please try harder, and once over the hump it will be easy, easy. Good luck..let me know

Ziah
  • 6th Jul 2015 05:10pm

All the (very good) advice already mentioned will do you no good unless you begin taking responsibility for yourself, your life and your actions. No-one else can make you healthy, no-one can force you to take your medication or eat properly or be truthful to your doctor. Only finding some integrity can make you do that. You're really only cheating yourself.

I've had type 1.5 (which is auto-immune type 1 with the insulin resistance of type 2) since 2000. My levels were out of control at the beginning, but I went to classes to learn how to properly calculate my insulin based on what I ate, and I got my levels down - but with the increased insulin came weight gain. Now I am taking responsibility and changing my diet and exercising more in order to lower my insulin needs to a minimal level - and not only am I losing the weight, but I am saving my eyes, brain, heart and my fingers and toes, too. No-one else could do any of that for me, and it was no-one else's fault if I didn't do it for myself - nor their responsibility either. I had a tear in the retina of my right eye, as a direct result of too-high blood sugars - and the possibility of losing my sight was a big enough scare to force me to take responsibility for my illness.

Burning feet and legs and eyesight deterioration should be enough of a wake up for you. Or are you going to wait until you lose your first toe? Or lose sight in one eye? Or the feeling in your fingers? Or the right to drive? Or have a stroke? Or your first heart attack? Or end up in a diabetic coma?

Craving something sweet? Have a sugar-free lolly or mint, or sugar-free jelly, or a hot drink sweetened with stevia. Get off added sugar. Use natural sweeteners like stevia., and eat naturally sweet foods like fruit (though don't go overboard, since they still affect your insulin needs). Get off refined carbohydrates and packaged, processed foods, and eat all-natural, whole foods - vegetables (especially cruciferous and leafy greens) stay away from the starches like potatoes, white rice and pasta, eat healthy meats like chicken, turkey, oily fish, kangaroo and pork. Cook from scratch or use a service like Lite N Easy if you don't have the time to cook every day. Visit a dietician for basic nutritional guidance.

Get your magnesium levels checked - a craving for sweet foods often indicates a magnesium deficiency (common in people on Metformin). Get your thyroid checked - not just TSH, but a full panel, and get someone who knows what they're looking for to check the results - many GP's and endocrinologists simply don't know what they're doing. Do you have PCOS or menstrual issues? This can be an indicator of thyroid problems, and BOTH can be a cause of diabetes! Once thyroid hormones and magnesium levels are optimal (not just normal, but towards the top end of the reference ranges), this should help your blood sugar levels stabilise a bit more easily, and make the Metformin and insulin work better. It sure did for me - and quite a few other people I know in the same boat.

Oh, and get tested for coeliac disease - having one auto-immune disease (like diabetes) puts you at increased risk of all others (I have six, myself - Coeliac disease, diabetes, Hashimotos thyroiditis (or I did until I had a total thyroidectomy last year), PCOS, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis - my body is trying to destroy itself from the inside) and of serious complications down the road.

Sorry for the tough love - but molly-coddling people doesn't work. A bit of a shock might wake you - and others - up a bit.

Good luck

frilly
  • 23rd Jan 2014 12:30am

Please be careful I do not have Diabetes but I have Peripheral Neuropathy. It is usually people with Diabetes who have it, it is not know whether mine is from LUPUS that I have or the back surgery.
It started off as you say with burning in my feet I was always putting my feet on the cold tiles for some relief.
Now the pain has become more intense and feels as if I have ny feet and legs in buckets of ice water. It is recognised by the doctors as a nerve pain. Ask your doctor please it should not be neglected. I do not want to frighten you but it can also lead to numb parts on your feet, this can mean you can cut your self & perhaps not realise.
Do not take risks with Diabetes it is more dangerous than you think. Talk to your doctor truthfully it cannot be put right afterwards but you can prevent bad things happening to you
Take Care Gwen

Ziah
  • 6th Oct 2016 07:40pm
Please be careful I do not have Diabetes but I have Peripheral Neuropathy. It is usually people with Diabetes who have it, it is not know whether mine is from LUPUS that I have or the back ...

frilly - do you have hypothyroid (low thyroid hormone production), Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or both? Have you ever been tested for them? Peripheral neuropathy is also a result of under or untreated (or undiagnosed) hypothyroid and/or Hashimoto's - but it can also be a symptom of hypomagnesemia (low blood magnesium levels) and hypoparathyroid (low parathyroid hormone levels) or hypocalcaemia (low blood calcium). My PN was cured after getting my thyroid levels optimised (not just "normal") after my thyroidectomy and getting my blood magnesium and calcium levels up to normal. If you haven't been tested for hypothyroid, make sure when you do that you get a full thyroid panel (including but not limited to TSH, free T4, free T3, and Hashi's antibodies), as well as parathyroid, calcium and magnesium as well.

Kessa1959
  • 20th Jan 2014 11:15pm

Well I think you have answered your own question. Do you want to control your diabetes or not. It's simple - you either stick to the correct diet and meds from your doctor or you end up with diabetes related diseases.

bparde
  • 2nd Sep 2013 04:22pm

Hi Gwenn,
some form of exercise will help drop your sugar level.Even 10 minutes a day.It will also help circulation problems.Obviously cut out as much sugar as possible in your diet.
take nutrients that help curb your sweet tooth such as chromium picolinate 200mcg.Most health shops have it.Take Stevia tablets with your teas and coffees instead of sugar.
Hope this is a help to begin with.cheers,
Peter

roalfe
  • 2nd Sep 2013 04:20pm

Hi Gwenn - Sympathise, however, you are deceiving yourself in not doing your best to get your sugar levels down. There are Diabetic Clinics at Hospitals where you can talk to Diabetic Educators including Dietitions. There is plenty of information in the magazine Diabetic Living, Diabeties Australia and you can email questions to both these places. Diabetes affects all of your body and depending on how much you want to live, you need to adapt. There is a programme called Beat It which is very good, it covers exercise and diet. I do not know which State you are in. This course is in NSW and Victoria. There are ways to substitute what you normally eat with what you should eat. Walking is great, if you can, each day and start with 30 minutes. Take water and your glucose meter with you together with your jelly beans. Good shoes, of course. A good way to get the sugar into your cells is to do "Squats". This is where you sit down and up again from a chair to start with. Using the thigh muscles is a good way for the body to take in the sugar out of your blood stream. If I am a little high then I do 10 to 12 squats, then pulse (little movements) for 10 and then do another 10 to 12. Works for me. Good luck, Gwenn, there is a lot of help out there, you have to reach out and try your best if you want to survive. Exercise is one way.

Dat
  • 2nd Sep 2013 04:11pm

Just read an article in the BBC health segment that eating certain fruits can lower your diabetes risk by as much as 26%.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23880701

Paul
  • 31st Aug 2013 01:55pm

Diet is a big problem for diabetics. My wife has type 2 diabetes and like you resisted all attempts to help her get the numbers under control. She has a very sweet tooth and craves the sugar fix immediately after dinner. She is now on insulin.
If you fudge you figures the only person you are fooling is yourself. Blood tests tell your GP what is really going on. My wife has a smart phone app which she can show to her GP and practice nurse. The numbers coming down from 30+ to 4-5 was a real buzz for her.
We work on the fact that the more processed the food the worse it is for you. We also cut down on white/ refined foods, use butter instead of margarine, oats as our main cereal and lots of red fruit and veges. If you do not have a suitable area for growing veges, place a Styrofoam box on the veranda and plant it out with greens, strawberries and herbs. Picking fresh strawberries will to some extent slow the sugar cravings.
Make snacks with dates, prunes, ginger, rolled oats and other dried fruit blitzed and rolled in coconut or dipped on cocoa - or both. (Good recipes online) This is medium to low GI but will give you that sugar fix - There is nothing wrong with a bit of white sugar but be aware that it is called the sweet poison by some. Try to have your sugar fixes between meals not with them. This will enable your brain's sweet centre to appreciate the hit - Somewhat akin to listening to the news while having sex Vs having a special place and time................
Before your main meal have a 300ml glass of water and this will make you feel fuller helping you to eat less. Just be aware that there are as many dieting ideas as there are people wanting to empty your pockets. Some work for some. NSW health has a good information section so this may be a good place to start.
Burning is not a good sign. Start gentle walking or swimming to build up your muscles which in turn will promote better circulation. Please speak to your doctor first. You are also not alone good luck - please do not cheat yourself, It is just not worth it and you cannot go back

Amensch
  • 30th Aug 2013 09:41am

Hi
I have been a type 1 diabetic for 10 years now. Yes it was scary as I had never ever been to a hospital ( as a patient) and having to inject with a needle was so scary. But it does get better you just have to accept your medical situation. Go a diabetic clinic that is part of a hospital the trainers there will help you train what to eat when to inject or take the pills They will also tell you how to read food labels and there is a lot of books that can help you You can ask them about anything.I case you don't know diabetes can be killer. Diabetes effects the eyes feet so you will have to accept all the medical advice you get.

simla
  • 30th Aug 2013 02:29am

Hi gwenn, I also have diabetes, type 2. I control mine with diet. Arthritis stops me exercising much. A common thing with diabetics, is the arthritis.
Have a glucose meter and test yourself before and an hour after a meal. That way you know what certain foods are doing to your sugar level.
Try eating lots of fibre veges, sweet potato is good instead of ordinary potato [only half a small potato if it's the ordinary type] Try brown rice with some white Basmati rice added after 10 minutes cooking, then cook for a further 12 mins. Basmati rice is the only white rice that does not cause a spike in sugar levels.
As a sweetener, use stevia, a herb that has health benefits for the immune system as well as being a natural sweetener, good in cooking, custards and the like.
For the cravings, carry some nuts and dried fruit, EVERYWHERE YOU GO, ear one or two nuts and say a dried apricot and prune every 2 hours, this keeps blood sugar level at an even level, slowly releasing energy throughout the day. Fruit sugar takes a while to be processed through the liver [about one hour, as does honey] The tree nuts [not peanuts- they are not nuts, they are legumes, like peas and beans]. You need the protein from the nuts to keep you going. This stops the cravings....nibble all day.
Try eating half your dinner late at night, before retiring, that keeps blood sugar level going over night.
In the morning you well not feel the dopey feeling upon waking quite as badly. [My blood sugar was regularly 2 or 3 upon rising, now this way it's about 4. It should not drop below 4 any time of the day.]
Protein is important in diabetes, it acts as a reserve that can be converted into glucose [ under stress,only when reserves are low], The body prefers carbohydrates for energy. It can use muscle tissue for fuel if it runs out!
If you check your thyroid function too, you may find it is struggling to compensate for the pancreas not producing enough insulin. Weight cannot be lost if thyroid is a problem.
I hope you get something from these suggestions, it works pretty quickly, and you should feel better almost immediately.

hitman373737
  • 29th Aug 2013 06:45pm

Most people won't agree with me but here's my thoughts anyway.
Stent placed in my heart artery at 42.
Found out that I have diabetes at 45.
Quadruple Heart Bypass 49.
A stroke at 50.
I am a great believer in ( when your numbers up, your numbers up ) and there is nothing you can do about it.
I've been in road crashers on my road bike 2 and trail bike 1. The 3 of them, I was badly injured requiring hostpitalisation. 3 weeks, 3 months and 1 week but on crutches for 15 months. ???????
My number didn't come up.
I wasn't the at fault rider. I had to deal with it. It was very frustrating to be bed ridden
for those injuries when I didn't do anything wrong.
I was also hit by a truck whilst crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing. Another
week in hospital. ( my number wasn't up )
When I had the heart bypass, I woke up and the nurse was giving me an insulin injection. when I asked why? she told me I would be on insulin injections 4 times a day for the rest of my life. I said to her that, before I came to hospital I was on Lipitor tablets ( morning, night )
She told me they had been having trouble keeping my blood/ sugar levels in check.
I had been unconscious for 3 days being fed through drip.
What was in the drip feed to make my levels go haywire.
She couldn't tell me.
I have worked in dusty conditions all my life and been a moderate smoker.
I now have emphysema.
This is really where I can struggle. If I want something sweet or to have a beer, I can't go for a run or even a walk as it is almost impossible to walk further than 30 meters. I have been like this for about 2 years.
Here is my position on this. ( Numbers up )
Anyone of us can trip down a flight of stairs, be in a car/motorbike accident, fall of a horse, be in a plane crash, drown or taken by a shark, crock attack but what we cannot do is change our number/ time when we go.
I lived next to a wonderful neighbour that died when he was 92.
I once asked him what his secret was. His reply blew me away.
Smoke roll your own cigarettes ( all his life since he was 17 ) , Bacon and eggs for breakfast, 4 glasses of wine a day and tongue in cheek said fast women and slow horses. he was a real funny guy.
He died of natural causes.
My wife or children don't like me so I really have no incentive to do the ( so called ) right thing. I have about 10 really good friends that ring or call in to see me regularly. I think they would be upset if I went but they also know I am a believer of when your numbers up theory. hoped this helped.
Cheers Phil

oldsalt63
  • 29th Aug 2013 06:05pm

sorry to hear you are having so many problems
Hi Gwenn
You didn't say if you are type 1 or 2
I am type 2 and had Diabetes a long time before I was actually diagnosed as far as I can tell.My mate made me buy a glucose monitor and the 1st time I used it my sugar was 28-he near fell through the floor,even then it took me ages to do something,it wasn't till I had my heart attack and I was put on the meds that I really made the effort to control my sugar
I now take my medication as I am told and walk the dog every afternoon if I can
I try to be carefull what I eat but I know I eat too much-especially boiled rice
I still eat dark chocolate but have stopped with the alcohol a long time ago.My 3 monthly sugar test result isn't ideal but what the heck.
I did the Diabetes clinic but still haven't learnt to control my diet as well as I should be.My cholesterol is great which is probably helping - Stephen

Rose
  • 29th Aug 2013 05:07pm

Well the only thing you probally can do is go on a strict diet, weight watchers, or lite and easy, you send away for it. go for walks when you crave the sugar hit or garden, anything do something when the craving hits instead of having the sweets.in time it should pass. Only you can make the changes. Like I tell the guys at work, grow some balls and DO IT. Nothing in this life is easy, nothing. So when the craving hits, move get moving. My husband had diabetes, he played lawn bowls, built things, but having said all that he refused to give up the grog. beer. But didn't eat sugary things, just the beer. I guess that he was on the move all the time helped him. Good luck

Raksha
  • 29th Aug 2013 04:54pm

What would you rather do, stick to your diet and monitor your levels or loose a limb? No joke.
My sister was the same as you. She wouldn't accept that she had to stick to her diet and take control of her diabetes, and within two years of doing just as she wanted, she was in hospital having her right leg removed above the knee.

She still complained about having to take her glucose levels each day, but she at least stuck with the diet.
Sadly she passed away five years later.
It made me really sad to think that she could have had a lot more time with us, if only we could have convinced her earlier to do what the doctors said.

PLEASE Gwenn, don't do what my sister did.. Ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian and stick to the diet. Make sure that you have some exercise each day. If you feel like eating something you shouldn't ,have a glass of water, then go for a walk. Even if it is around your own yard.

Gwenn, you are the only one who can change things. So do it.

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