I don't think anyone has suggested the Diabetes forum on this site. It would probably be a good place to ask some questions and get some knowledgeable answers: Diabetes forum. Also, here's a site with a lot of basic information about diabetes and its control click here.

I sincerely hope that all goes well for your daughter and that the newly referred doctor will actually be helpful!

I am a type 1 Diabetic and have been for 13 years.

Doing the low carb diet is okay, but if you put her on the low carb diet you should make sure she need to eat like green beans and broccoli to help keep her blood sugar up and keeping it from going too low.

she will feel better and her blood sugars will be a lot better.

Just wondering since your daughter weighs 70lbs how old is she?


I was diagnosed when I was 16 and weighted 80ish lbs. Its been a long road. but LC works, but I would think Low GI would be best to try first because she sure doesn't need to loose weight. How tall she is, age and weight is important.
And a glucose monitor is a must, its one tool to weed our the foods that raise her Blood Sugars, and that will help so much.
I wish her well, and she has to stay focused, its her life....Debbie

Debbie, I think if you go back and check, broops said her daughter is about 70 lbs (5 stone) *overweight* and we haven't heard what her actual weight is.

I used to think that I was just naturally LAZY, as I never had much energy. Seriously, since I've been doing LC, I have tons of energy and now exercise 5-10 hours a week. The energy will come when she reduces carbs.

The metformin won't make her have a low blood sugar as that is not how that medication works. It increases the cells sensitivity to insulin, but not the production of the insulin from the pancreas so I would encourage her to continue with that. There are differing theories as to whether or not metformin helps with weight loss, but I would be more concerned with helping her body use the insulin she has right now as that will help with the fatigue as well.

Thank you for the compliments on my gallery photos too BTW.

Opps, I did read it wrong.......

Ok, here goes.... when I was 16 and diagnosed as a Diabetic,,, back in the early 70's thats what you were, or type 1. I weighed 80lbs. I have to say, I wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep. I was spilling sugar,,, all they had was yellow reals of tape to go by. And GTT...
You need a monitor to take her Blood Sugars. They didn't have those when I was diagnosed. Or a diet, they told my Mother stop giving her canned foods ( veggies) like that helped. Pile on the Potatoes and Oatmeal and white bread. Boy I was sick......

Your daughter ,and you, can help Her together, take her Blood Sugars....
I promise her Blood Sugars are going all over the place, thats why she is so fatigued.
And she is 15 a teen, they love to sleep more, and add high Bs and she is really sleepy.....
You can help her. Change her eating, it will change everything for the better. LC is really really the only way of eating for a Diabetic. Gosh, I wish when I was young I knew LC would change everything for the better.

I think a Diabetic without a Glucose Meter is so frightening....

I do hope someone can help her. The AN is more of a cosmetic thing from the High Insulin counts. It just show how bad it has been, very sad....

Well I hope things get better


Dr. Atkins Diabetic Revolution Book is fantasic.... Find it and read it, it is the best there is and your daughter can read it, she will understand it... its a easy read.

Unfortunately in the UK medical things are arranged somewhat differently than in the US. We don't really get a great deal of choice in who we get to see (despite the noises that the politicians who control the NHS make) and NHS Drs all follow the orthodox treatments. My son has Type 1 Diabetes and everything that he needs (Insulin, injection device, BS meter and testing strips etc.) is supplied free on the National Health Service. I was shocked however, when I got chatting to a lady with Type 2 in our Drs waiting room, to discover that people with Type 2 are not supplied with meters etc as a rule, and she has to make an appointment for the practice nurse to get a reading. What earth use is that? It barely gives a snapshot every month or so.

Because of the NHS most people do not have private health insurance, and buying things privately is extremely expensive. My son forgot to take enough strips away on holiday once (and like a fool, I hadn't double checked). It cost us £30 to buy a pot of 50 or so strips from a pharmacy. Paying to see a Dr privately is way too expensive for the average person/family.

Broops100
I am not clear whether your daughter has been supplied with a meter and strips. If she has not I would ask your GP if he/she will prescribe them. It would be your GP who would do the ongoing prescriptions for the strips anyway.

Switching your daughter to a low carb way of eating is most unlikely to do her any harm and, from the number of examples available all over the Internet, is likely to help her greatly. I would forget about Low GI as that is still carbohydrates. It doesn't have to be Atkins, there is also Protein Power which restricts carbs to 30g per day, mostly from green vegetables, or Barry Groves. I have been following Protein Power for a couple of months and have lost over a stone, despite being 58 and disabled.

Daughter is on day 2 of Atkins.....

She is at a Green Day Concert & feels terribly ill so is missing the concert in exchange for sitting in the medical room !...

I do not know if shes picked up a winter virus bug or its the effects of the diet!? Her stomach hurts, shes already feeling constipated & feels sick?

Any ideas to help with constipation without wrecking the Atkins plan??? Are these the usual side effects

Think the stomach ache is a mixture of bad monthly pains, but the constipation is definately a contributing factor - So help on ideas for overcoming constipation would be a BIG help.....

Hi broops. Constipation is pretty common during the early stages of any type of diet change. Different things work for different people.

Since it's only been a couple of days, the best things to try are drinking plenty of water and making sure to eat her allowance of green veg. Cabbage, salad (not just iceberg), broccoli, greens, etc.

A cup of strong coffee works a treat on constipation for many people. Technically I think it's not allowed on a strict induction, but having it once or twice is not a big deal; some people never give up their coffee/tea on induction.

I'm not a doctor so this is just for informational purposes, it's not medical advice For constipation purposes, in the US we can buy magnesium citrate, or magnesium hydroxide ("milk of magnesia" or "cream of magnesia") off the shelf. These can work as soon as within 4-8 hours when taken at the recommended dose. Magnesium is naturally an osmotic laxative: it works by drawing water into the bowel. A lot of folks find that ordinary magnesium supplement tablets will have a mild laxative effect if they take them at bedtime. Check for medication interactions and avoid taking magnesium within a few hours before or after any medication.

Metformin drug interactions I don't see any magnesium anywhere on that list but if you are unsure you should check with your doctor.

Boy, I am so glad someone said it. The doctor told me just today that my liver is fatty and I should watch what "fat" I eat....NOT.....I mean...After all of the research, etc. they continue to push that low fat fallacy. The fat keeps me satiated and I am not hungry...I never overeat anymore, and I am learning to eat vegetables low on the glycemic index. When I get to maintenance I will allow some carbs, but no way am I going to go back to the diet of this AGE.

As far as carbs...just a suggestion...
Take the number of carbs she had one day....and "half it"....then see how she feels. I was so depressed at 15....and I know that my eating habits contributed to it...mostly heavy carbs! Keep real good records of how many carbs she is eating just to see how she responds to it, how she is feeling etc. I think there may be some dietician out there that would help but...you do have HERE. We are cheering for you!

An excellent book is Gary Taubes', "Good Calories, Bad Calories" but I believe it has a different name in England. Fat is not the bad guy; carbohydrates are. Everything we have been taught about fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, is based on junk science. Taubes' book made me so angry at conventional medicine and wisdom -- following that advice made me fat, neurotic, gave me several eating disorders, chronic pain, and had me blaming myself for a whole bunch of things that just were not my fault.

But it's a hard book to read -- it was not written for lay people. A fantastic, far easier to understand synopsis is the movie "Fat Head." It doesn't get into the science in depth, but it does explain a lot of the reasons why our dietary recommendations are what they are -- and it has nothing to do with good research.

Now, when people say to up fats, they do NOT mean corn oil, rapeseed oil, soy oil, or whatever. These are not good fats. I would go as far to say olive oil is not a very good fat, but as far as liquid fats go, it is one of the better ones. If you can get a hold of beef suet and pork fat, you can render your own tallow and lard. Butter, especially butter from pastured cows (as opposed to confined cows), is very rich in nutrients. I make my own from raw cream, but there are good brands out there as well.

A diet rich in fatty meats should go a long way into helping your daughter maintain stable blood sugars. It actually would be healthy for your whole family. I have four children, and I raised their fat and lowered their carbs (though not as low as mine), and all four of them, while maintaining their place on our standard charts for height, grew leaner. They do better with higher fat. Children NEED fat for brain development.

By the way, do ask her doctor about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) if you haven't already. The combination of severe insulin resistance, acanthosis nigricans, raised androgen (e.g., testosterone) levels, and painful/irregular periods is practically a signature of the condition.

Here is some information about PCOS
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/facts/pcos.htm

Re: the period pains, many women with PCOS (and many without) take a hormonal contraceptive in order to regulate their cycle and reduce the period pains.

I don't have PCOS but I get severe pains myself. My doctor recommended that I take 400-800 mg ibuprofen every 6 hours starting 3 days before the start of my period until 2 days into it. I know some people who begin taking it up to a week in advance. Ibuprofen reduces levels of chemicals called prostaglandins that are responsible for a lot of menstrual symptoms and pain. A caution, however, taking high levels of ibuprofen regularly is not risk-free so one should ask their doctor before trying it.

In the UK, Gary Taubes' book is called The Diet Delusion.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diet-Delusi...s/dp/0091924286

If you have the patience for it, it is worthwhile. It is a popular book, not a scholarly work, but I agree with tiredangel that it is not an easy read.

My daughter will be seeing a professor (!) at the Birmingam Childrens Hospital (England) 27th November, so I should be able to push the PCOS side of things then. I am sure she suffers with it....

In the meantime my daughter has started the Atkins diet (20 Carbs a day) a week ago. She has already lost 7lbs and feels better than she has in a long time. She didnt have to suffer the side effects of brain fog, because she suffered from that anyhow everyday eating Carbs for the past 2 years+ ! She is over the moon. Im over the moon too, as we can already see the difference, especially in her face, she now has a jaw line re-appearing & her jeans feel a lot looser !!!! This result is very quick considering she's only just started it.... Roll on what she could look like a month into this..... (Thats providing she doesnt give up as a typical 15 year old might.....! ) She hasnt complained though & losing the weight she has seems to be inspiring her on....