Hello,

I need to eat low (lower) carb as I am a T2 diabetic.
Carbs are my nemesis, because I love them!

I held my A1C steady in the 5.2-5.7 range for years, but it's crept back up to the 6.7 area. So I need to get on the ball and get things going in the right direction again.

I'm also another who visited the low carb friends forum and since it is about to close down, decided to try over here for a little more support.

Thanks for having me!

Glad to have you! Welcome!!

Wow, i'm impressed that you held the A1c to under 6---I cant even get my doc to tun that test at my annual so Im left guessing.

Look around, lots of folks arriving from your old forum, and you might know a few.

Again, Welcome!

Hi Riatha!

Good to see you!!

Welcome Riatha
Look around all the sub-forum topics and stay a while
The Diabetes Forum is under General Health and Dr. Bernstein, and the Dr. Fung Intermittent Fasting protocol is there too.
http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45
Feel free to ask questions on those threads and they will pop up to the top.
All the best,

Hi Riatha, glad to have you aboard.

My hubby is a T2 also and is currently controling his BG totally via a LC diet. He has been off all diabetes meds and his HbA1C has staying in the low 5's for two years. I'm impressed that you kept yours in normal range for years and am curious (for obvious reasons) both about how you kept it down and what you think may have led to the recent uptick. I've heard that even on low carb a diabetics BG may still start drifting upwards...but that could be because those of us on low carb slowly start allowing the numbers of carbs we eat to "creep up."

The American Diabetes Association clearly still hasn't really got a clue and too many doctors just follow their lead which forces diabetics and their families to rely on one-another for truly helpful tips.

Glad you're here.

Over the past year or two, my husband and I had no full sized refrigerator. We only had one of the small "dorm size" fridges (3.2 cu ft, I think). Combine that with the physical toll my chronic migraines have taken on me, and it has led to a lot more 'quick/convenient' meals that are higher carb and less healthy. Also, less exercise because movement (and sunlight, and noise, and scents... the list goes on) makes my migraines worse and brings on vertigo and nausea. So it's been a combination of things that made the A1C go back up.

We finally replaced our broken fridge, so we've been eating healthier since February. We feel better, other than my migraines. They're genetic and I've had them most of my life. They're a real beast.

Thanks for the explanation. I worry sometimes (perhaps needlessly) about Hubby's A1C... in part because he HATES testing his BG and doesn't do it at all regularly anymore. He has become so confident that not overdoing carbs will keep his blood sugar in check that the only time he does a finger-stick is if he eats something that he isn't sure how many carbs it contained! So he probably only tests about twice a month! Other than that, he just relies on his A1C's which, so far, have continued to be excellent.

I' worry tho that without more regular testing, if his BG starts to drift upward, we won't know till he finally gets another A1C done. And since his doctor is also convinced hubby has this totally under control, he's only ordering an A1C every six months now! So, IF hubby's BG starts drifting upwards despite adherence to LC, it could be months down the road before we know and by then some of the damage will have been done! I guess maybe I'm just a worry-wart but that's what we wives do.

So sorry to hear about your migraines. I used to get them regularly but they stopped completely after I went thru menopause... the ONE benefit I can point to from getting older. A friend of mine finally discovered (at about age 65) that her migraines were triggered by caffeine! Hers stopped almost completely when she gave up chocolate, coffee, tea and anything else containing any caffeine.

I mention these things to you only because even if we're genetically prone to migraines, there is probably something (or more than one something) that triggers them. One can always HOPE that by discovering your triggers, you can eliminate or at least reduce the frequency of your migraines. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you!

I don't use it but this forum has a place (My P.L.A.N.) where one can log everything one eats. I think most people who use it, use it to track their macronutrients and calories etc for weight loss purposes. But, I'm wondering if you could use it for logging WHAT you eat and then correlating that with when the migraines come on. Maybe you might see some kind of pattern that would point to a food trigger. Just a thought.

Thank you for letting me know about the food tracking section.
I used to keep food journals... back in the "early days" of seeing neurologists. I've been seeing them since 2002, and have tried every treatment under the sun. My aunt tells me her bad migraines stopped with menopause, too. But, alas - I had a hysterectomy many years ago (when I was about 30) and the blasted things still kept on coming.

I have been seeing a new neurologist for almost the past year (my original one retired... haha I outlasted him) and she is phenomenal. I sure hit the doc jackpot with her!

Hopefully your hubby will keep his A1C steady. I worry about my husband ever needing to test his BG, because I convinced him to do it ONCE and he nearly cried like a baby because "ouch that hurt!!!" (it really doesn't! He just whined about it!) I pray he never ends up diabetic, he'd be in a world of misery.

Hubby and I ended up going LC because he is so afraid of needles that when he found out he was diabetic, the mere thought that he might have to inject himself with insulin on a daily basis just about put him into shock! I agree, the finger-stick is no big deal. I started testing myself after hubby's diagnosis and I don't even bother with the little "pen-like" thing that does the lancing at the push of a button. I just grab a fresh lancet and stab it into my finger. Men are such babies! Imagine how quickly the population of the human race would plummet if men suddenly had to give birth to the next generation.