# New, terrified



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

so I am mum to Hollie age 31, she has severe learning disability- transplant kidney from dad nearly 4 years ago- kidney going great but type 2 diabetes diagnosed late November , 500 mcg metformin - no side effects- increased to 1g s day- severe diarrhoea/ vomiting - gp advises to drop evening meds- stomach settled - her hbAc thing was 57 - her morning bloods are between 7.1 and 8.9- she goes to bed v early - by 7 and eats around half 7 next morning . It takes around 3 hours after a meal for bloods to drop to under 10. I’ve cut back on carbs and obvious sugars for her and have appt on 17th jan as I’m convinced she needs 2nd metformin. My question is, is the slow  release metformin better from stomach upset point of view- I tried with meals etc previously 

Also can anyone tell me how you actually feel if your sugars are high? she cannot  express this to me  thankyou for reading


----------



## trophywench (Jan 5, 2020)

Tired is the answer to that, dog tired if BS is high enough.  I become thirsty and also need to wee more if the latter.


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

Thank you - she’s doing ok - her blood sugars are not incredibly high and her hbAc1 has gone down from 57 to 55 since mid November so I am hoping we are moving in the right direction - thank you for taking time to reply - she’s always had weight issues so we’ve always looked at fat/ calories so now I’m having to get use to carbs/ sugars/ - canned a bit confusing


----------



## Drummer (Jan 5, 2020)

Many people who have had weight problems suddenly start to lose weight when they depart from the 'common knowledge' that they are eating too much fat, too many calories. 
I dropped back to the 50 gm of carbs a day I had eaten to control my weight, and found that it also put my blood glucose into normal numbers - which is entirely logical really. I made no effort to lose weight and found I was 3 stones lighter and my clothes were all too large.
If you daughter is eating too many carbs for her metabolism to cope with then I suspect more Metformin is not going to do the job. What are her meals like? Perhaps we can suggest alterations to help.


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 5, 2020)

Hi @Holsmum ,
I am mum to James, 32 ld and autism, diagnosed Sept 19... again he has struggled with weight for years and I had tried to support him with low fat diets, which worked for a bit but he would gain or lose half a stone in a week at times. I totally understand how you feel, it’s like what else !!!! However he is on metformin too but I have supported him to drastically change diet and lifestyle thanks to all advice and ideas of kind members on here, like you I don’t know how he is feeling as he finds it hard to express himself. Low carb has helped tremendously for him and his diabetes in remission in 10 weeks. If I can help in anyway please let me know, it’s nice to ‘meet’ someone in similar position to me as it can feel quite overwhelming at times.
Debbie


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

Hi! 
Well we’ve been on the new low carb diet a week and I weighed her tonight - she’s lost 2.5lb this week- I’m thrilled ! Her bloods after tea tonight were 9.2 - our goal is below 10- historically I’ve supported her with SW diets but now I see it’s the carbs that are the issue so I have halved them- she’s filling up with veggies and a very low fat dip ( natural yoghurt, curry, spring onions, red onions) - it’s very difficult with additional needs as she can’t quite get why I’m refusing so much - then I get a lot of behaviour!!


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

Drummer said:


> Many people who have had weight problems suddenly start to lose weight when they depart from the 'common knowledge' that they are eating too much fat, too many calories.
> I dropped back to the 50 gm of carbs a day I had eaten to control my weight, and found that it also put my blood glucose into normal numbers - which is entirely logical really. I made no effort to lose weight and found I was 3 stones lighter and my clothes were all too large.
> If you daughter is eating too many carbs for her metabolism to cope with then I suspect more Metformin is not going to do the job. What are her meals like? Perhaps we can suggest alterations to help.





Holsmum said:


> Hi!
> Well we’ve been on the new low carb diet a week and I weighed her tonight - she’s lost 2.5lb this week- I’m thrilled ! Her bloods after tea tonight were 9.2 - our goal is below 10- historically I’ve supported her with SW diets but now I see it’s the carbs that are the issue so I have halved them- she’s filling up with veggies and a very low fat dip ( natural yoghurt, curry, spring onions, red onions) - it’s very difficult with additional needs as she can’t quite get why I’m refusing so much - then I get a lot of behaviour!!


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

Hello thank you for getting in touch- one week in on out drastically reduced carbs and she’s lost 2.5lb - unheard of previously- her sugars seem better with brown rice over wholemeal pasta and potatoes - I never realised passatta had so much sugar in it!!! Her sugars were 9.2 after her evening meal ( 2.5 hours after) so this us much better than the 13 ‘s she was in - lunches are my problem as she takes a pack lunch / snacks for the day- I’ve made scotch eggs with a lot of egg and not much sausage, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, 2 pieces fruit, low carb pombears crisps and low fat yoghurt ( she’s out 7 hours ) any ideas for lunches would be great - thank you


----------



## Drummer (Jan 5, 2020)

It might be problematic if you continue to use low fat options. Fat is an essential macro nutrient, supporting the brain and nervous system as a whole, essential for the production of important substances within the body. It also leads to ketosis - rather than using glucose the body switches to ketones for fuel, and that is part of the metabolism which is not a problem for diabetics.


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 5, 2020)

So should I be giving her full fat yoghurts that are otherwise low in sugar ? Years of buying low fat stuff kicks in automatically I’m afraid but easy to just get low sugar yogurts for her instead?  I’m just off to bed now so I’ll reply tomorrow- thank you for the advice tho x


----------



## Drummer (Jan 5, 2020)

Ah - pombears are about 2/3rds carbs, fruit needs to be carefully evaluated, as it can be high carb, but there is no reason to limit sausage meat unless it isn't meat.
Rice of any colour is high carb, like all grains.
Try chicken thighs, roasted on a rack so the skin is crispy, as an easily portable food.


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 5, 2020)

Hi again, yes also guilty of pushing SW diet which was basically carbs plus low fat... I listened to the wise words of @Drummer and it has worked. James takes scotch eggs made with Heck sausages (97 meat) and rolled in almond flour and flaxseed, cheese, olives, hummus, crudités, pepperoni, salads ... crust less quiche, occasional sandwich with low carb bread, homemade soup, low carb sausage rolls (fathead dough) and have found some almost carb free snacks to replace crisps , (snacking cheese by serious pig) , low carb muffins, small apple, nuts, sometimes low carb cereal bar...or leftover lasagne from tea (aubergines), he doesn’t eat rice or pasta of any description now and we replace with cauliflower rice or soy spaghetti or courgette..full fat Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese (full fat) and couple crop breads, sugar free jelly and cream, milkshakes made with unsweetened almond milk strawberries and cream... mini baby bel and peanut butter on celery... I try to keep carbs to minimum but don’t count veg fanatically but if he has couple of new potatoes he doesn’t have parsnip too... oh and fathead pizza is one of his faves xx


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 5, 2020)

Ps James is now 4 stone thinner, no longer tired all the time, and loves this food and his new clothes which are 3 sizes smaller


----------



## everydayupsanddowns (Jan 6, 2020)

Hello @Holsmum

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis, but glad you have connected with others here.

A diabetes diagnosis can be overwhelming for everyone concerned, and particularly for parents/carers who have to take on the role of managing things, but without the ‘benefit’ of being able to feel BG variations. Personally high BGs bring the tiredness that has been mentioned, but also sometimes a slight feeling of indigestion, and often a crankiness, increase in frustration and low mood. 

Sounds like you are doing really well in making changes to your daughter’s food options. Just take things steadily and keep adjusting and trying new things. No need to go all out all at once, Diabetes is generally a slow-moving foe and you can take time to make small incremental improvements informed by your BG meter readings. There is research that shows that this is actually easier on the body than lurching from one extreme to another.

Well done for what you have achieved so far, and keep us informed as you continue along


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 6, 2020)

DebbieC said:


> Ps James is now 4 stone thinner, no longer tired all the time, and loves this food and his new clothes which are 3 sizes smaller


Hi Debbie - she seems to be going fairly well in all the reductions I’ve made - heck’s sausages are what I was using so I will be more generous with sausage meat- I’ve been out and got some baby bel minis and we made crustless quiche today - so tom is crustless quiche , salad, some fruit, a small pot Greek yoghurt and the dreaded pom bears which nearly caused a riot this evening when I tried to swap them - baby steps I think. Got low carb bread in too and made soup so I’m getting hang of it- she’s super hungry in evening so veg is featuring quite highly then- sugars this morning pre breakfast 6.8 which is down from average 8.9 , not tested after tea yet but I’m hoping to keep under 10- help has been brilliant - James has done very very well x good mum skills there!


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 6, 2020)

Holsmum said:


> Hi Debbie - she seems to be going fairly well in all the reductions I’ve made - heck’s sausages are what I was using so I will be more generous with sausage meat- I’ve been out and got some baby bel minis and we made crustless quiche today - so tom is crustless quiche , salad, some fruit, a small pot Greek yoghurt and the dreaded pom bears which nearly caused a riot this evening when I tried to swap them - baby steps I think. Got low carb bread in too and made soup so I’m getting hang of it- she’s super hungry in evening so veg is featuring quite highly then- sugars this morning pre breakfast 6.8 which is down from average 8.9 , not tested after tea yet but I’m hoping to keep under 10- help has been brilliant - James has done very very well x good mum skills there!


Hi that sounds brill well done.. if she likes buns there is a recipe for low carb muffins that are nice made with almond flour, not sure what carb content Pom bears have but if you look at back of packet it will tell you, but if you have made all these other swaps I don’t think that’s too much of a problem (but please note I’m no expert by any means and like others have said small changes add up and everyone is different) I can only share what’s worked for James...he’s not keen on fruit anyway (autism, texture etc ) but has few strawberries or raspberries with either cream or Greek yoghurt...Diet doctor have some low carb recipes, plus Pinterest or the food section on here...great trifle ...I just try to avoid processed food but replace things that he used to like with different ingredients.. oh cheese coleslaw is ok too, only just found that out Lidl is lowest carb but nice with quiche, or scotch eggs if she likes it... keep in touch and do let me know if anything else I can help with x


----------



## silentsquirrel (Jan 6, 2020)

Holsmum said:


> Hi Debbie - she seems to be going fairly well in all the reductions I’ve made - heck’s sausages are what I was using so I will be more generous with sausage meat- I’ve been out and got some baby bel minis and we made crustless quiche today - so tom is crustless quiche , salad, some fruit, a small pot Greek yoghurt and the dreaded pom bears which nearly caused a riot this evening when I tried to swap them - baby steps I think. Got low carb bread in too and made soup so I’m getting hang of it- she’s super hungry in evening so veg is featuring quite highly then- sugars this morning pre breakfast 6.8 which is down from average 8.9 , not tested after tea yet but I’m hoping to keep under 10- help has been brilliant - James has done very very well x good mum skills there!


The pom bears are only 8.3g for a bag (plain), so much better than a packet of crisps - the packets are very light, so I wouldn't worry about 1 bag a day.  You are trying to reduce carbs, not eliminate them completely.  Some battles are probably not worth fighting!


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 6, 2020)

silentsquirrel said:


> The pom bears are only 8.3g for a bag (plain), so much better than a packet of crisps - the packets are very light, so I wouldn't worry about 1 bag a day.  You are trying to reduce carbs, not eliminate them completely.  Some battles are probably not worth fighting!


Absolutely!!!! And I’m pleased to say that post dinner (2 hours) bs were 9.1 which is massive improvement on the 13/14 I was getting .

I can’t thank you enough for the support and advice- literally been invaluable as I was wading through websites and diet plans for hours!


----------



## Drummer (Jan 7, 2020)

There are recipes for low carb baking - including crackers to go with the cheese - the hunger might be due to a need for more fat in the diet.
I buy packs of chicken thighs and cook them in my Tefal Actifry so the skin is crispy. They are zero carb, so no need to ration them.


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 7, 2020)

Drummer said:


> There are recipes for low carb baking - including crackers to go with the cheese - the hunger might be due to a need for more fat in the diet.
> I buy packs of chicken thighs and cook them in my Tefal Actifry so the skin is crispy. They are zero carb, so no need to ration them.


I will get chicken thighs and do that today- thanks x


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 8, 2020)

Hello to all you lovely supportive advisors and friends. 
Hols blood sugars are now a  very steady 6.1 to 6.3 in the morning pre breakfast - post dinner in the evenings- in the low 9s with 9.4 being the highest - we are continuing with just the 1 metformin in the mornings- chicken thighs, scotch eggs, crustless quiche all introduced with success- we have some low carb bread as an occasional sandwich - using the full fat baby bel and total full fat Greek yoghurt - she has dropped another 2lb too. I’m so glad we found you all! I’m feeling a lot more confident and reassured- since upping the fat content we have seen a reduction in the aggrieved behaviour!


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 8, 2020)

Fab-u-Lous


----------



## everydayupsanddowns (Jan 9, 2020)

That’s great news @Holsmum


----------



## Docb (Jan 9, 2020)

Hi Holsmum,  I reckon you might need to change the title of this thread to, *New and used to be terrified.   
*
Well done all round.


----------



## Neens (Jan 9, 2020)

Hi Holsmum, sorry to hear about your struggles, lots of great food advice here. I am new to all this myself so I may be wrong... but re: metaformin - I was put on it 3x 500g straight away and now they have me on max dose so have changed 4 tablets to 2 (slow release) which they say is gentler on the stomach. But it may only come in 1000g. Hope Hollie's appointment goes well. Take all your questions in and don't be afraid to scribble down the GP answers. I am on my 2nd sheet of A4 and I have only had 3 appointments!


----------



## rebrascora (Jan 9, 2020)

Well done @Holsmum You should be really proud of yourself for such a great achievement in a relatively short space of time. Long may it continue.

Increasing the fat content is what makes it enjoyable and therefore sustainable. Hopefully Holly will soon be enjoying her new food regime more than she did the old one and more importantly feeling better for both, lower and more stable BG and also weight loss. Please keep us posted with her progress as it can be inspiring for others in a similar situation.


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 14, 2020)

Hello all- 
Thought I’d give you quick update on Hollie- 9lb loss and her hbAc1 is now 52 down from 57- she’s done very well and coped with all the changes in diet- baby bel and total yoghurt are her favourites as well as chicken thighs- Lunches are going well with occasional low carb bread sandwich, home made soup or scotch eggs - thanks again


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 14, 2020)

I


Docb said:


> Hi Holsmum,  I reckon you might need to change the title of this thread to, *New and used to be terrified.
> *
> Well done all round.


 think I will!


----------



## Holsmum (Jan 14, 2020)

Holsmum said:


> I
> 
> think I will!


And if I knew how I would! I literally was floundering with all the different sites so the advice I got here was incredibly helpful


----------



## rebrascora (Jan 14, 2020)

That is fantastic! Well done to you and Hollie.


----------



## DebbieC (Jan 15, 2020)

Well done you two ... glad she is enjoying some lovely food.... let me know how it goes... James got another test next week to see if he can reduce his metformin fingers crossed. His Hba1c was 64 in September and 36 in November so hoping that his new low carb lifestyle will continue to do the trick... we find new recipes all the time and the trifle recipe on here is lush ... being nagged to make another... favourite meals are salmon or steak or lovely roast dinners and lots of in season veg! Xx


----------



## Holsmum (Feb 1, 2020)

Hi all 
Quick update
10lb down , hbAc1 down from 57 to 51. We switched from the old style metformin to slow release which has stopped all the stomach  upsets ! Thank you all x


----------



## rebrascora (Feb 1, 2020)

Great news. Keep up the good work!


----------



## DebbieC (Feb 1, 2020)

Congrats to you both really pleased that’s great progress, Debbie and James xx


----------



## everydayupsanddowns (Feb 2, 2020)

Thanks for the update @Holsmum - great to hear you and Holly are getting on so well


----------

