[lottiep]

Greetings! Been one hell of a week, had epileptic seizure on Sunday afternoon spent all week trying to snap out if a complete lethargy. In early hours of Thursday morning finally snapped had huge panic attack and ended up in emergency department. 4 hrs later I'm on my way home having been told I've got type 2 diabetes. Been whirlwind of appts since. Still can't shake the lethargic feeling, got no energy just want to sleep and drink all the time. So there we my story. Any tips for snapping out of this feeling would be gratefully welcomed, just want to get on with life....

 

[moon]

Welcome to the forum, though I suspect there are other forums you'd prefer to be a member of like "how to spend one's lottery winnings."

Well, in a way, you did strike a lottery of sorts by landing here. There's a wealth of information, support, caring, sassyness - and recipes!

Certainly I had a =lot= of fatigue before and after diagnosis due to my high blood sugar. As I started getting it under control it began to lift, but it did take a while for my body to get used to all the paces I was putting it through.

What were your blood sugar numbers at diagnosis? Do you have a meter and are you testing? What medication are you on?

I understand about wanting to get on with life, but it's possible to live life =and= have diabetes. We here do it all the time But, it does take attentiveness, more so in the beginning when one is dealing with lots of information and certainly in my case a steep learning curve. It gets easier as monitoring becomes second nature, and we learn what foods we can incorporate in our diet and which are best left in our very own graveyard for toxic foods.

So - welcome to this great place.

 

[SufeeGuy]

Greetings! Been one hell of a week, had epileptic seizure on Sunday afternoon spent all week trying to snap out if a complete lethargy. In early hours of Thursday morning finally snapped had huge panic attack and ended up in emergency department. 4 hrs later I'm on my way home having been told I've got type 2 diabetes. Been whirlwind of appts since. Still can't shake the lethargic feeling, got no energy just want to sleep and drink all the time. So there we my story. Any tips for snapping out of this feeling would be gratefully welcomed, just want to get on with life....

Welcome lottiep! a lot of us have been there I think. Just know that you WILL get over this feeling. A lot of different things work for different people, but just lowering your BGs will make the biggest effec on your fatigue and lethargy. I transformed by extreme fatigue in a matter of days where I am at a point that I have energy levels that I had back in my university days!

But please do tell us about yourself. What your stats were at diagnosis, what they are now, body weight, medications etc. Everyone is different, but in my case (obese T2), just going low carb helped a great deal in a short time frame.

I am sure others here will help you with other approaches that would have worked for them

Take care and don't despair - you can live a long and healthy life - and I daresay - better than a lot of non-diabetics if you have patience and do enough research. This forum is a great springboard for that.

Best!

Sufee

 

[lottiep]

Welcome lottiep! a lot of us have been there I think. Just know that you WILL get over this feeling. A lot of different things work for different people, but just lowering your BGs will make the biggest effec on your fatigue and lethargy. I transformed by extreme fatigue in a matter of days where I am at a point that I have energy levels that I had back in my university days!

But please do tell us about yourself. What your stats were at diagnosis, what they are now, body weight, medications etc. Everyone is different, but in my case (obese T2), just going low carb helped a great deal in a short time frame.

I am sure others here will help you with other approaches that would have worked for them

Take care and don't despair - you can live a long and healthy life - and I daresay - better than a lot of non-diabetics if you have patience and do enough research. This forum is a great springboard for that.

Best!

Sufee

Hi sufee, what can I tell you? Overweight but eat a pretty healthy diet started at the gym 2 months ago lots of swimming, yoga, cycling. Weigh 16 stone height 5ft 7. Just done bloods and read 13.2. Haven't got as far as discussing medications or even diet with anyone yet done some reading on Internet but just getting more and more confused. All been a bit of a whirlwind and the lethagy not helping as making it harder to concentrate and focus so any advice on shifting the lethargy would be really appreciated.

 

[SufeeGuy]

Hi sufee, what can I tell you? Overweight but eat a pretty healthy diet started at the gym 2 months ago lots of swimming, yoga, cycling. Weigh 16 stone height 5ft 7. Just done bloods and read 13.2. Haven't got as far as discussing medications or even diet with anyone yet done some reading on Internet but just getting more and more confused. All been a bit of a whirlwind and the lethagy not helping as making it harder to concentrate and focus so any advice on shifting the lethargy would be really appreciated.

Okay - Its hard to know what to do because if you have not been diagnosed fully, then you don't know what other issues you might have with your health. But starting off with cutting off carbs can help. It will probably make you crazy the first 3-4 days - with *increased* lethargy if anything, but you will end up feeling much better.

However, I would not recommend anything that strongly because I am not a doctor and I don't know what other issues you might have. But cutting out all the White crap (breads, flour, pasta, sugar) down to zero should be a great way to start no matter what your BG readings are. There have been some very dramatic drops, both in me and lots of other people I know and have read about.

Best!

S.

 

[lottiep]

See all the info they gave me said eat carbs which I thought was odd because if you're trying to lose weight they say don't eat carbs. I know fruit and especially veg is good. Potatoes? Good or bad? I feel like I am completely stoned, like I'm hearing myself talk seconds after I've said it like an echo, and I feel as though when I talk I'm drunkenly waffling. I want to be doing things but the effort required is imense. Read few chapters if a book today can't remember any of it. I was really enjoying being active and the feeling it gave me after swimming and hate that i can't muster the energy to even socialise with friends....

 

[onlymep]

welcome Lottiep it sounds like you've had quite an ordeal there. So you have epilepsy also? I have a few chronic conditions myself and I understand completely the frustration you feel and the thought of juggling everything. I have been diabetic now for 13 years and it's just a case of keeping a positive attitude that I find helps. You are no doubt a bit overwhelmed and the tiredness doesn't help. You probably need to revise your diet as others have already mentioned. Diet and exercise is only part of managing your diabetes... other factors impact on your BGLs also... the big one is 'stress'. So along with diet, etc... try and make sure you keep your stress levels as low as you can. Drink plenty of water as dehydration will increase your BGLs. Get good sleep as lack of it increases your BGLs. I'm sure you will find this a great place for support and info. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[lottiep]

Hi moon, thank you for you quick response. I'm 16 stone 5 ft 7 two months ago joined the gym been swimming cycling yoga classes and really enjoying being active. Had uncontrolled epilepsy for 20 years, inherited high cholesterol of 10 now down to 7, and now this. Bloods tonight read 13.2. So confused about what I am and am not supposed to eat. Just want the lethargy to go so that I can at least concentrate and focus properly, currently I just want to sleep all day!! Can't even read a book can't take anything in. I can handle the thought if type 2 diabetes and having to change diet etc but this whole fatigue thing is driving me nuts I can't even muster the energy to be sociable with friends and that's not like me!! Any advice welcomed lottiep

 

[Shanny]

Hello Lottie . . . I'm glad you came to join us & I hope we can help you find some relief from all the symptoms.

This extreme lethargy/fatigue/disinterest & lack of motivation is beginning to remind me of the way depression manifests in many people. You mention it seems to have begun with a seizure, and I have no experience with epilepsy, so perhaps this is a question for your doctor, but have you every been treated for depression or despondency?

All the suggestions for a low-carb way-of-eating are right on target. The advice we usually get from the medical community is the same as you've been given, but it is WRONG. For whatever obscure reasons the professionals refuse to recognize the obvious fact that carbs raise blood sugar, they are adamant that we must eat carbs even if we must use more drugs to do it. But we say absolutely NOT. It's been proven too many times that eating a low-carb/high-fat diet improves not only our blood sugar levels, but cholesterol levels & other medical issues too.

Do visit us often and we can show you all the tricks we've learned in managing, and we could even teach you how to smile & nod knowingly when the doc/nurse/dietitian/nutritionists start blowing about all the carbs we "should" eat!

 

[Shalynne]

Hello, Lottie!

From folks I've known, seizures are often followed by lethargy.

Plus, if I'm not mistaken, your level of 13.2 comes to 237.6 American. Either way, it's a high number, and is just one more reason to feel lethargic. In addition, the shock of a new diagnosis has just gotta compound all of that!

You'll probably need to listen to your body right now. In fact, I suspect it won't let you do otherwise.

All of the low-carb recommendations you've gotten so far are spot on. It looks like you are already monitoring your blood sugars. That's the most important thing you can do right now. Your meter will become your best guide to your proper diet.

Hope you get plenty of rest, and feel better soon! Please visit often, and keep us posted!

 

[fiesta]

Hi Lottiep, we are glad to have you here. This is a wonderful forum.

Guess what, I have epilepsy seizures, as well. It is good news that you found out that you have Diabetes. When you control your diabetes, you will have fewer seizures. My seizures are only once in a while now. Diabetes and Epilepsy do not get along in the brain.
Keep track of what you eat, test two hours after each meal. If your numbers have gone way up then you have eaten something you should not have. Do not eat that food again. When you keep that up, you will find that your seizures, sleepiness and your numbers will go way down. You will feel a lot better.

Keep positive!! Knowing that you have diabetes will help your epilepsy. It does mine. I have had epilepsy for 62 years now. I have had diabetes since 2001.

 

[onlymep]

I was going to add that I do have a friend with epilepsy and she gets regular seizures... sometimes several in a day. Unless you know what to look for you can't hardly tell she is having one... but I know her well enough and the first thing she does is start swallowing like crazy and talking to herself. There's no thrashing about or anything like that. She goes pale white though. She always is feeling lethargic afterwards. But I'm not sure if staying that way for days is normal?

 

[lottiep]

Thank you to all of you for responding so quickly and with so much advice!! Currently my epilepsy is not controlled ( about 2 fits a year so not horrendous by any means) but I am now "trialling" my 7th drug I'm also on a small dose of anti depressants and statins for inherited high cholesterol!! I rattle!! I would rather not add other drugs to the equation if there is an alternative ie diet. As I'm sure many of you are aware these drugs come with side effects and setimes it's hard to know what's a symptom and what's a side effect. Everyone putty tiredness down to my epilepsy medication but since the diabetes came on the scene the logical conclusion is that is the cause. Just want to get back to work and back to normality. The Drs were in such a panic to see me initially but then just gave me the testing kit showed me how to use it and said they would be in touch, my GP told me to see the practice nurse but her first appt us in three weeks so I feel like it's down to me to find the solutions and that's how I found you guys!! Thank you xxxx

 

[fiesta]

You can lower your cholesterol by not eating saturated fat. The only inherited cholesterol is in the diet your parents used. You probably use the same diet.

Now, is the time to change your diet. I am on the glycemic index diet. Many here are on different diets.

What was your BG this morning before you ate breakfast? You will have to test your BG more often. Both epilepsy and diabetes cause seizures.

Be sure and exercise, daily. Let me know how you are doing.

Ruth

 

[Shanny]

Lottie? You can lower your cholesterol by eating a low-carb diet too.

 

[lottiep]

My cholesterol can only be lowered with medication diet has no effect but obviously eating lower saturated fat diet better all round. Readings thus morning were 9.7 just done them again 2 hrs after breakfast up to 13.8. Spoken to diabetic nurse they are looking into medication and will call me back. I just need the lethargy to go so that I can start to focus properly. Lots of you seem very for the low carb approach but I have to confess reading some of the entries on the forum all of you know the ins and outs if every mouthful. To many this would seem obsessional but it is beginning to dawn on me that this is going to have to be my approach. Thing isn't father in law is type 2 and he said all I've got to do is eat regularly and stay off sugary foods. This whole thing more complicated than I thought add epilepsy to the equation and I just want to bury my head in the sand xxx

 

[moon]

I just need the lethargy to go so that I can start to focus properly.

Understand completely. Before I got my sugar under control, I would fall asleep in the afternoon and I've never ever napped. Was hard to get moving at all. Now, I have energy and it feels fantastic!

Blood sugar control is where it's at

 

[Shanny]

Understand completely. Before I got my sugar under control, I would fall asleep in the afternoon and I've never ever napped. Was hard to get moving at all. Now, I have energy and it feels fantastic!

Blood sugar control is where it's at

I didn't even wait 'til afternoon! Every time I ate, I'd fall asleep wherever I landed - usually in my rocker/recliner. So much so that I called it a carb coma, once I began to realize what was really happening. No more of that going on now. Blood sugar control truly IS where it's at!

 

[Shalynne]

My cholesterol can only be lowered with medication diet has no effect but obviously eating lower saturated fat diet better all round. Readings thus morning were 9.7 just done them again 2 hrs after breakfast up to 13.8. Spoken to diabetic nurse they are looking into medication and will call me back. I just need the lethargy to go so that I can start to focus properly. Lots of you seem very for the low carb approach but I have to confess reading some of the entries on the forum all of you know the ins and outs if every mouthful. To many this would seem obsessional but it is beginning to dawn on me that this is going to have to be my approach. Thing isn't father in law is type 2 and he said all I've got to do is eat regularly and stay off sugary foods. This whole thing more complicated than I thought add epilepsy to the equation and I just want to bury my head in the sand xxx

Oh, yeah ... it's hard to take in, especially at the beginning.

I .... uhhhh ... don't know everything about every mouthful. Must reserve brainspace for other things as well.

Where labels are available, I use them as my guide (I look for total carbs and am fairly careful about serving size.) I also carry a diet information book with me. Mine's published by CalorieKing. Very helpful when dining out. You can also find info on specific foods on that site.

After a while, as you get to know your way around your own foods, you should be able to stop testing quite so much.

I'm surrounded with familial diabetics, both by blood and by marriage. I do not go to them for advice. My own diabetes appears to be much more severe than theirs, anyway, so they don't push. Much.

My energy started to return after a little over a week of low-carb and lowered blood sugars. (PLEASE NOTE: Getting used to low-carb may take it out of you for a day or three. That's normal and temporary.)

 

[lottiep]

Tried to see the dr today for some advice as blood hit 17.3 he told me it was nothing to worry about and he'd try and contact me tomorrow. Feel slightly abandoned. Want to find out what I'm supposed to be doing in order to get my get up and go back ten days ago I was at the gym enjoying myself now all I want to do is sleep. Low carb appears to be the direction I need to go as ate bread and a pasty today and sugars shot up. I really can't thank all of you enough for your support these last few days.

Couple of questions: good cookery book for low carb easy recipes, what's the deal with sugar is it good or bad? What are foods to avoid that a novice like me would assume would be low carb? Picked up a tin of mushy peas and they are overflowing with carbs is this the pea or something that's been added? Thanks again xxx