[crazyferretmom]

I just found out a week ago I have type 2 diabetes. I also have gluten intolerance, which I have had for 4 years now. Combining the two diets is very difficult.
My mom, grandpa, uncle all passed away from type 1 diabetes and heart disease, which scares me even more. I did not see this coming, always thought I took pretty good care of myself. I do lack in eating much, and having time to exercise but with being gluten free I eat pretty healthy, although i have learned the that a lot of gluten free foods are very high is sodium. I have been very nervous trying to understand this and get control. I dont want to die at an early age like my mother did. Also my blood worked showed a horrible lipid panel so that is something else I need to work on. At the moment I am not on any medications and hope to prevent this. I try to do as much natural as I can. I am just surprised that this never showed up before. I did have a hysterectomy 2 years ago and figured a lot of my issues were trouble getting my hormones lined out.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mollie]

Help us out and tell us your numbers- what was your A1C and fasting blood glucose numbers?

We have all been in your shoes. The ray of sun is that diabetes is manageable. It has been in the last couple decades that more info is coming out and the medical community's heads are coming out of the sand. Eating High Fat Low Carb works.

Read Blood Sugar 101 and that will help a lot. One of the moderators or tech geniuses here will post the link! Ask questions, read posts and you will get the hang of it. We have members of every age, from all over the world and different types of diabetes here. Some can control with diet and exercise, some are on metformin, some are in insulin. We all strive to get to the 5% club (A1C in the 5mg-5.9 range). Many are under that much control. I'm on the lower spectrum myself; went from a 6.1 to a 5.5 (or was it 5.6?! LOL!) in a few months. Give it a shot.

Glad to have you! Welcome!

 

[Patdart]

Welcome..all will be well.

Blood Sugar 101 is where the best information is to be found.

 

[crazyferretmom]

Thank you for the welcome, and is always welcomed to see a positive attitude. I am trying but like I put in my title I am scared, was not expecting which I am sure most are not. I am pretty good about being in tune with my body but I totally missed this.
Here is some of my lab info and me info
I am 45 female
glucose 92
HbA1c 5.0
Estimated average glucose 96.8
fructosamine 257
glycation Gap -1.01
postprandial glucose index 6.5

leptin 5.4
leptin BMI ration 1.56
Adiponectin 8
free fatty acid 0.77
ferrin 32
a-hydroxybutyrate 6.7
Oleic acid 5.8
linoleoly-GPC 13.2
IR, score 6.3
HOMA-IR 4.5

Insulin 20
Proinsulin 19
c-peptide 5.2
proinsulin:C-peptide Ratio 3.6
Anti-Gad <5

Glycemic control: glucose and hemoglobin A1c are in the normal range and are consistent with normoglycemic. There is some evidence of postprandial glucose elevations.

Insulin resistance: There is evidence of significant insulin resistance. There is evidence of adipose tissue insulin resistance

recommended Metformin

Beta Cell functionality/strain: there is evidence of hyperinsulnemia, suggesting beta cell strain dysfunction or failure consider adding DPP4 or GLP-1


Lipid panel
total Cholesterol 182
ldl 141
hdl 42
triglycerides 183
non-hdl 140

 

[Shanny]

Try not to worry, CFM . . . you're in the right place now, and we can help you find the right method to control your diabetes. As Mollie says, we've all been in your shoes, and we've all been able to sort out the best combination of food, meds and exercise to keep things under control. Your numbers aren't horrible at all - you've caught this early and with a few adjustments, you'll live to be very old! :hug: Triglycerides are a little high, but those will drop rapidly when you stop eating carbs.

The first thing to understand is that everything we've been taught about 'healthy' eating for the past 50-60 years is utter foolishness. All the official programs promote low-fat and high-carb diets with emphasis on whole grains, etc. Unfortunately, that way-of-eating is exactly what got us to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes that is so prevalent now.

So we're in the process of undoing the damage and we start with adopting a low-carb/high-fat way-of-eating (WoE). It's called LCHF and a good guidebook is LCHF for Beginners. In case you have reservations about a high-fat diet, here is the most recent report on the bad-fats hoax and the real truth of the matter. Ending the War on Fats.

Pat has given you the link for BloodSugar101 which is an amazing collection of everything diabetic. Spend a few hours studying there and you'll know way more than your doctor about this disorder and how to manage it.

And for day-to-day living, you're going to need a meter, and it will become your best friend. Our two main mottos here are 'test, Test, TEST', and Eat-to-Your-Meter. <- this link teaches you how.

(and p.s. I was a ferret mom for years while my kids were growing up . . . they are the cutest pets EVER!)

 

[diabetes86]

We can start with removing some BAD info you probably have about diabetes (if you watch the TV).

1) most do not see this coming! We have vegans, we have tri-athleats, we have runners, cyclist and every one else with T2

2) Glutin free is OK its carbohydrates that raise BG... ALL carbs Rise raise BG, Potato raise BG, most fruit raise BG if its got carbs it will raise your BG.

3) most T2 I know who have control of there diabetes eat LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) low carb keeps BG down, High fat gives you energy instead of carbs. Most people find on the LCHF diet that there lipid panel falls into place.

 

[volfan]

I'm confused if your A1c and fasting blood glucose is normal what is making you be diagnosed diabetic. Is it the insulin resistance?

I'm just curious myself as I don't know all the other results.

 

[crazyferretmom]

Thank you everyone, I am so glad I found this place. I have been doing some research but some will scare you even more. I know I need to lose some weight as well, which I am hoping the change in diet will help. It is very confusing learning the foods I can eat with having the gluten issue too.
I did buy some fresh berries ( raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) prepped them and froze them. I also bought organic fresh veggies to eat along with lean meat. The balancing act will be the challenge, I really dont eat much. I have a fat free shake in the morning with green tea and then eat when I get home from work around 10. I do snack at work on gluten free chips. I know these are terrible eating habits and need to be changed.

I will also check out the glucocil, anything natural that will help I am all for it. I try so hard to avoid prescription drugs if possible.
I am assuming that the change in diet will also benefit my lipid panel being so off?? I hope, I try to avoid salt too but I know its in so many foods. The stuff that is in our foods anymore is horrible.
Oh and yes Shanny, ferrets are precious. I was a ferret rescue for over 10 years, now I just have 2 furbutts. Dexter and Rocky, love them to pieces and they sure know how to brighten my day.

 

[crazyferretmom]

I'm confused if your A1c and fasting blood glucose is normal what is making you be diagnosed diabetic. Is it the insulin resistance?

I'm just curious myself as I don't know all the other results.

That is what confused me, I have kept an eye on glucose and thought everything is okay but because I am insulin resistant and levels are up there, then there is evidence of dysfunctional beta strain it all comes together as type 2 diabetes. Meaning I have to help my body keep the insulin levels where they need to be. My body either produces to much or not enough.

 

[mbuster]

Hi crazyferretmom. Welcome to the forum. It does sound scary at first finding out about diabetes, but once you read the links that were posted (click on the underlined reddish-brown words) it should set your mind a little more at ease.

Cutting out most of the processed 'heat and eat' foods will greatly reduce your salt intake. Probably reduced enough you might want to reconsider using salt. Do you have problems caused by salt, or is it just something you heard?

And as far as the fat free shakes and the lean meat, again, read the links. There are good fats. Most of the natural fats are OK, cream, butter, cheeses, coconut oil, animal derived saturated fats. It is the man made products like margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, many of the so-called healthy oils that are bad for you.

You need to cut the carbs, as others have said, they are what gets converted straight to glucose. To ensure you are getting enough calories, many, if not all, of the calories dropped as you cut carbs need to be replaced. Most of us here have found that fat calories are the perfect replacement.

Your lipid panel doesn't look too bad. Your triglycerides need to come down and your HDL needs to come up. You want to get a trig/HDL ratio of below 2. Cutting the carbs and adding good fats will take care of that.

Many of us have worse glucose numbers than you, and some are controlling there diabetes with diet and exercise alone, no meds, no magic potions.

 

[crazyferretmom]

Several years back both my grandfather and my dad had bypass surgery and I remembered reducing salt was a big thing, so I have tried to do the same. I went to sea salt if needed. Now I can hardly stand eating anything that is salty tasting.
Learning the foods to me is the toughest part. I had to completely learn a new way of eating with gluten free and now I am learning some of those foods were not the best choice.
I am terrible at taking the time to cook, going the easy route of a gluten free frozen meal or eating out.
Does anyone have issues with keeping the insulin balanced, like it dropping to low and having major issues or going to high and trying to get it back down? I have a friend that is also type 2 and she struggles with this daily. Now I am not sure how well she takes care of herself, but I know she has gone to gluten free, vegan and then the diabetes diet.

 

[Shanny]

The worst part of your eating habits is that you're trying to eat fat-free. That is not going to help your diabetes OR your lipids.

The LCHF way-of-eating will control your blood sugar as well as your cholesterol. You will probably find that it also promotes weight loss, without you even thinking about it. One of the good things several of our members have discovered is that if their weight loss plateaus, a fat fast will jump start it again. Our bodies need fats and they also need salt. Neither of these nutrients is the demon that we've been endoctrinated to believe them to be.

 

[silvertiger]

The hardest thing to learn is: FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU. Carbs are the bad things. Gluten-free and LCHF go together quite nicely, actually. In fact, although not diagnosed, I've found after cutting out wheat that I probably had some gluten intolerance as well.

If you are taking insulin, you may find that you no longer need to do so after eating LCHF.

As a start, be sure to check out these sites:


Blood Sugar 101

LCHF for Beginners | DietDoctor.com

They contain a lot of great info about diabetes and the way to stay healthy.

Many of us here follow a low carb, high fat diet. It keeps your BG low and is heart healthy! Yes, you have been deceived all these years.

The Fat Question: Why fat doesn’t make you fat | Eat Naked Now

 

[crazyferretmom]

At the moment I am not taking anything, prescription wise. I have been reading the links posted and wow way off base of food. To think I was eating right, when I was just making it worse.

 

[Shanny]

Well, it's something none of us knew either, since all the agencies that are supposed to help have preached the same wrong message all these years. Even the ADA, the government, the medical community . . . how were we supposed to know? When Atkins published his low-carb diet, he was vilified and slandered. The propaganda has been hammered into the collective consciousness and is still being hammered.

 

[crazyferretmom]

From what I am understanding mine is also genetic is that any different from getting it from weight issues, or other health problems? From what i am understanding I would have gotten in this regardless of my health.
Something else I found is finding a doctor that knows what the heck they are talking about. The dr I was previous seeing had very little knowledge about gluten free. We go to them for help and that seems to be a joke. I like watcing the drs on tv the seem to be in the right direction but other shows seem to be clueless.
Anymore when you see stuff on tv it makes you wonder if they are really a dr

 

[skb]

Hello CFM. Welcome aboard.

I'm going to take a different line and say that you are doing good. So relax and don't fret too much about nothing.

Your cholesterol panel is pretty good. Like buster said the TGs are slightly elevated & the HDL is slightly low.

The report clearly says that your glucose levels are normal, but you are Insulin Resistant. You are in good company, a large portion of the global population is either IR or getting there. Which part of the report indicates IR of adipose tissue, I'm not sure, but if that is true, then that is better still, because it can be addressed very easily.

As far as gluten & glucose intolerance is concerned, both the "glu"s have a common therapy. Low Carb - High Fat way of eating. All the relevant links have been provided to you. Just FYI, a Dr. James Carlson MD (also an MBA & a lawyer) was asked in an interview which illnesses can be cured by LCHF. His reply, Oh, let me see, do we have a week, because it's a long list.

Relax, enjoy, good health is yours for a little bit of dietary adjustments.

 

[VeeJay]

There are several members on this board who are Celiac or gluten intolerant. We all benefit from LCHF.

I developed gluten intolerance probably 40 years ago (and suffered from it with no help from doctors). I diagnosed myself about 10 years ago and went 100% gluten-free from that point on. I became an expert GF baker - but all those delicious GF breads and cakes contain loads of starches. I was gaining weight (signs of IR) and had some other health issues.

Four years ago I was dx'd with diabetes. I immediately went on the Atkins diet. Since grains are not on this diet, staying gluten-free was no problem. Actually, I find that (as long as I'm eating at home) eating LCHF and making the delicious LC goodies from non-starch flours, makes eating GF a piece of cake (LC cake, that is).

 

[Gregory100]

To think I was eating right, when I was just making it worse.

So many of us used to think this same way. I used to eat loads of strawberry Twizzlers, praising myself for choosing a low fat snack. Little did I know that the fat and protein would have made a Snickers bar a better one.

My snacks now consist mostly of cheese, olives and vegetables. What a difference!

 

[furball64801]

Several years back both my grandfather and my dad had bypass surgery and I remembered reducing salt was a big thing, so I have tried to do the same. I went to sea salt if needed. Now I can hardly stand eating anything that is salty tasting.
Learning the foods to me is the toughest part. I had to completely learn a new way of eating with gluten free and now I am learning some of those foods were not the best choice.
I am terrible at taking the time to cook, going the easy route of a gluten free frozen meal or eating out.
Does anyone have issues with keeping the insulin balanced, like it dropping to low and having major issues or going to high and trying to get it back down? I have a friend that is also type 2 and she struggles with this daily. Now I am not sure how well she takes care of herself, but I know she has gone to gluten free, vegan and then the diabetes diet.

To me there is no such thing as a diabetes diet, most will tell you to eat whatever. Those of us that have been D a long time know its the carbs. Your meter will tell you exactly what is going on. As far as glucocil to me its nothing but a add to grab our money, its your money but you would do better doing the right foods.