On a Personal Note............
So, what am I about to share? Well, nothing too revealing or salacious. Facebook friends may have an inkling on some of the status updates and link sharing I have been doing, and of course many close friends and family will know - 9 weeks ago today I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
It was a total shock!!
Following a routine blood test I was called in to discuss the situation and was booked in for a glucose tolerance test. It was this test that confirmed the diagnosis. Apart from the shock, and the ineffective way that bad news was broken to me (with some compassion but not total- "of course it's a progressive disease and you'll end up on medication eventually") a lot of things that I hadn't even realised I had been experiencing became clear - extreme tiredness, memory problems, mood swings and occasional dizzy spells - all of these previously attributed by me as a life stage, age, over work etc. The onset of these had been so insidious that to be honest I hadn't even realised how bad these had got or how much my functioning had been affected.
The following weeks brought numerous appointments with different health care professionals following the very clear National Servive Framework for Diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy screening was first - breaking bad news disaster #2 when I was told "if you had any doubts you had diabetes you don't now - you have retinopathy" - great, dashed any hope that I had been misdiagnosed or this was just a blip. Podiatry was next - no problems there thank goodness. However, what did majorly concern me was that my Dietetics appointment did not come through until 7 weeks into diagnosis. The accompanying letter explained that learning to change diet and lifestyle was imperative within the first 12 weeks of diagnosis to give the opportunity to ensure that your first 3 monthly testing was good and therefore stay off medication. Luckily I am someone who is pretty proactive with my health care (as long as it doesn't involve actually seeing a doctor or taking medication - but thereby sits another tale) and I had already started to read and research everything I could on Diabetes. Can't believe how much I have already spent on cookbooks etc.
I have chosen not to follow the NHS advice, but instead I am following the principles of a low GL eating plan with limited carbohydrates over the day (aiming for between 50g and 100g of carbs a day and this of the complex variety - wholegrains, oats instead of wheat, nothing white). For the first 6 weeks I reduced calories to 1200 a day to kick start a weight loss programme, this really helped me to gain an understanding of portion sizes and what a plate of food should look like. I was shocked to know that a portion of pasta or rice should be 40g (uncooked) or 100g (cooked). Fruit is good due to fibre and antioxidants etc - but natural sugars mean that these have to be limited to 3 portions a day (6 grapes is a portion! 3 strawberries is a portion!!). I also found that bananas do not work well for me as they spike my blood glucose too much and too quickly.
In the last 9 weeks I have lost over 20lbs, dropped at least a dress size and have not felt so energised in longer than I can remember. I have not eaten chocolate, crisps, biscuits, chips, cakes or takeaways for over 9 weeks now and on the whole I don't miss them. Monitoring my blood sugar shows that I am averaging in the range of non-diabetes according to the NICE guidelines. So, by keeping my blood sugars stable I no longer crave foods or become so hungry I need to raid the fridge (a daily occurrence previously). I have had to change my relationship to food, no longer is it a thing of comfort, a treat, a social pleasure. Now it is a source a fuel and something that will control me if I don't control it.
I am having to find treats from other things - not been too successful at that yet (spending money as a treat is not the best pastime to adopt!) - but I guess in time that will change (I hope).
Today my husband was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.......
Diabetes UK reports:
Most health experts agree that the UK is facing a huge increase in the number of people with diabetes. Since 1996 the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 1.4 million to 2.9 million. By 2025 it is estimated that five million people will have diabetes. Most of these cases will be Type 2 diabetes, because of our ageing population and rapidly rising numbers of overweight and obese people.It is estimated that there are around 850,000 people in the UK who have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. It is said that for every one person who is diagnosed, there is another walking around who does not know they have it. By the time you start experiencing symptoms it is possible that the damage to organs (kidneys, liver, heart, eyes) and nerves (peripheral neuropathy) could be sustained ending in amputation, blindness, kidney failure and resulting complications.
If you live in the UK, my message to you is - please go and get tested. You can have a free test from Lloyds Pharmacy or if you think you may be experiencing symptoms please go see your GP.
Today!! (....please...)
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