Discouraged, for real. Can't do this anymore

Type 2
21

I cannot help with advice on insulin, I'll leave that to those who take it.

I hope you soon decide to take it again. In the meantime, would you mind expanding on this:

I have spent days now in the 400's, barely eating not to raise it.

Exactly what did you eat and drink today? In excruciating detail. And what numbers did you see? I realise you need insulin, but until you take it again, possibly we can improve your menu a bit without you starving.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter

22

I second Alan. Lavandar, post and let us know what's up, we care.

23

In general, cognitive behavioral therapy can be quite effective for these sorts of things. A key element is exposure therapy which desensitizes you to the thing which triggers anxiety and stress. I don't know much about this EMDR, but these therapies do work and can help you through some of these issues.

24

Seconded; awaiting a follow-up.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

25

Hello Lavender,

I want to help, but please remember I am not an expert. First of all, please breath. Perhaps doing some deep breathing (breathing in for 5 through your nose and breathing out for 5 through your mouth) will help you relax. Then go watch a funny movie.......hmmm......maybe Evan Almighty.......I think it's pretty funny.......you may like it as well.

Then when you get back we can discuss the ketones......

Alright, aren't they partly caused by too many proteins?

There is a formula for how much protein our bodies need daily:

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e., 0.8). Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Perhaps this may help some with keeping the ketones in check.

I would also suggest you check your body's pH.....when you are too acidic your blood sugar will spike. My husband has used apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons in a regular coffee cup, with water and a touch of honey) to help normalize his pH.

PH Balance

My husband also hates pills so sometimes I will give him Sage tea......that also helps lower his blood sugar levels.

I'm telling you this to give you some hope.......maybe a combination of what I have told you will help.

Good luck to you and keep your chin up.

26

After reading your post I decided to join here, my whole family is type 2 and a few type 1s thrown in also. Can you really identify your fear, is it the lows you experienced or is it the injections. I had such a fear as a man 27 yrs ago but the pain was so bad I knew I had to do something and I hope you can find the strength to do it, if you want to chat let me know.

27

No, ketones are not caused by eating too much protein. In people with diabetes, they are caused by having little or no insulin on board, so that the body is not able to break down the food we eat, and starts breaking down our own muscles and fat for energy. In people who are undernourished, they occur for basically the same reason, except that it's not an inability to produce insulin, but the fact that there is nothing there for the insulin to work on.

Also, there is no credible proof that in a normal person, with no underlying illness, that the body can become too acidic, nor that pH causes blood sugar to spike. There ARE serious conditions like diabetic ketoacidosis, and lactic acidosis, for example, but those are caused by lack of insulin in diabetes, and low oxygen levels, and diseases like cancer, AIDS, and sepsis, as well as a bad reaction to metformin, in lactic acidosis. So if Lavandar is in ketoacidosis (we really don't know -- we haven't heard from her since her original post), it would be from lack of insulin, and would NOT be improved by a folk remedy like taking vinegar or sage tea. Nothing in the world except insulin will take care of ketones in a Type 1 who hasn't taken her insulin.

I know you were trying to help, but it's really important to know what has been scientifically proven to work, and what is folk remedies and ineffective quack medicine. Our lives depend on it.

28

Thank you for your help in this.

I have found an explanation on an example of a diet that would cause high Ketones.

In there you will find this sentence, "For example, a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat can raise ketone levels in the blood, which can then enter the urine."

So it seems a diet low in carbs and high in protein and fat, which is what I was trying to say, can cause high ketone levels. Seems kind of funny because the low carbs, high protein is what my diabetic husband was basicallly told to do, but the information seems flawed.

29

I am curious we do not have any further posting from the original poster notwithstanding all the excellent comments and thoughts posted lately by everyone!

30

I don't think the info he was given is flawed. Having ketones present because your body is getting energy from fat is not the same as ketoacidosis. See Natalie's post above. I eat a very low carb, high protein/fat diet and have tight control and feel great!

31

This happens with a lot of discussions Jims, mostly with the ones whose original posts seem full of desperation. There are a handful of members that have posted messages along those lines over the years that I've tried to reach out to, and never heard from since. We can only speculate as to what happened. But it doesn't stop us from trying.

32

Yes, ketones come from the breakdown of fatty acids. So a no-carb, high-protein diet, where the energy comes entirely from protein, could cause ketones. I recall a TV commercial pushing a high carb weight-loss diet years ago, that told its users to use ketone pee-sticks, and the presence of ketones means "it's working" (i.e., the body is burning fat, not glucose/sugar).

Ketones could be present either because the cells can't get to the glucose in the blood (because of no insulin, as Natalie describes), or because there IS no sufficient glucose in the blood (either regular low BG or due to starvation -- it's how I tested for low-BG in the early-1980s before the advent of home BG tests). In either case, the body needs energy, and it resorts to burning protein and fats from one's own body.

I will point out to Natalie, though, that Lavander identifies herself as a T2 in the initial post, and not a T1. I'm not familiar with DKA being a concern for T2's, but I could be mistaken.

33

Good advice. I just though as you all added a new room, redecorated, painted and did a full job of response; it would have provoked a response.

34

G'day furball; nice to meet you again in a different place. Correct me if I'm wrong and you're not the furball I knew :)

Unfortunately LavanderBlue has not posted again since Dec 28. We're all a bit concerned.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter

35

You got me Alan hope things are fine down under lovely area my great grand dad came to the USA from there many moons ago. Sheep and diamonds was his name to fame go figure ha.

36

I was scared too of using insulin. Now I treat it as a game like everything else. I shoot into my fat and I make it fun.

37

Glad to meet you again.

Around where I live there are no diamonds or sheep, but lots of bananas and sugar cane; not the best location for a type 2 in that respect. On the other hand, there are also lots of macadamias, avocados and cattle. And lots of unspoiled beaches. So it's not all bad.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter

38

I'll say this, but know I understand that it's not easy, I go through periods of time with the same feelings,,,,but I walk slowly through them, and try very hard NOT to blame me for having the feelings that I do have, I have been diabetic for 11 years, I have been a practicing diabetic for 9 years, Out of those 9 years, I can safely bet I have felt depressed about it at least three times a year, You are right, your rebellion with the cream of wheat, didn't help anything long term,,,,but you did it, and that's that, I think what we need to realize is that diabetes is a chronic LONG term disease, To date, I haven't read one person being cured of their diabetes for good, So IF you take a day or even a week to feel sorry for yourself then that's what you do, You also know that possibly that's not the heathiest choice for you to do,,,,it's a trade off that could be a problem if you do it too many times, Remember that diabetes is NOT a death sentence, you can live a relatively normal life with some twists and turns in it, But that is life all over whether you have a cold or a chronic disease or nothing, there are twists and turns, Figure out what the most horrible thing about diabetes is that you are reacting to right now,. Write it down, post it where you will see it each day, Mine was not being able to eat pasta as much as I used to, I wrote, "I LOVE PASTA, Pasta doesn't love me, I hate diabetes, diabetes doesn't love me" And posted it on the back door, in the kitchen, on the bathroom mirror, It was actually rather funny after a couple of days, I then went to work figuring out how I could have my pasta meal, quantity, what dish, number of carbs, etc, all the good things about having pasta that I missed, and how could I get that back, I realized if I gave up 10 carbs for two meals a day, I could have 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pasta for dinner,.....it works for me, We get to be more creative with our meals, we get snazy little cases with our meters in them, (I had a friend who didn't know what my meter case ask if I sell it to her, she thought it would make a great little wallet OMG! she wanted my meter case, We get to find an exercise that we love and will do as often as we can and should, We are healthier than maybe our closest friends, because we know what happens if we aren't, Make a list of the things that you get if you have diabetes, positive, make another list of things that you miss,,,,,,it's amazing, make it as funny, as serious, as retrospect as you can, I have a diabetes diary of my feelings, and every once in awhile I will go back and read a month ago entries and laugh at me over what I thought was important then, Yes it sucks, but think of the person you love the most,,,,,if you could choose -- and you must choose would you want that person to be diabetic or yourself, I thought of my brother who is three years younger than I,,,,I got the family diseases and he go the money,,,,but if he had gotten diabetes he wouldn't have taken care of himself as good as I do and I am not perfect far from it, So I will take this disease, and he can have the $$. I love him too much,

39

Hang in there. Diabetes is like taking care of a little baby. You have done it before, now do it for you. Take good care. You will get through this.

40

Dearest Lavander,
my mom went through a similar situation a few years ago, she refused to take her medicine thinking that she could do it with just diet and exercise, she is type II, but her body needed help and she was refusing it. Now she has end stage renal disease and I'v had to move back home from school to take care of her. I'm not telling you this to scare you, just to warn you. You say you wanna see your baby girl grow up and live her life, let me tell you it's not possible when your life revolves around diabetes and Dr's appointments. I understand that your scared, I believe everyone at one point or another has the right to be, just don't let this crippling fear persist for too long, it could have sever concequinces. I hope that you can over come this for your sake and that of your daughters.