Really feeling down and out.

Hi John, 

Do you attend a diabetic clinic. You really need help because your diet is appalling. You cannot live healthily as a diabetic with out a balanced diet. No wonder you are so tired. Where is your GP in all this. They are there to help you. Please don't give up, ask for help and to be referred to for a second opinion. I know pred doesn't help with your diabetes but you can't do it all on your own. I wish you all the best and first thing Monday ring your GP. 

John,  Maureen's questions and advice are 100% right. You really can't do this on your own.  This is a great forum - it offers support,  advice based on experience, and sometimes expert guidance and interpretation. 

But none of us (as far as I know) are doctors. And this is exactly where you need to start.  DO see your doctor and let him take on the burden of sorting all this out - because you can't.  But it's really good you made contact with us and keep in touch. 

Kind thoughts,   J

Hi John, I echo the advice of the others about seeking help at a diabetic clinic.  It's so understandable that your situation is making you feel depressed - do speak to your GP about the depression because s/he will be able to prescribe some medication that will help.  Meanwhile, there is always someone around on here for just a chat - a problem shared is a problem halved, so they say.

As the others have already said - off to the GP with you and insist on being referred to the diabetes clinic and dietician. You can't survive on just veggies, you need a proper and sensible diet - no wonder you have no energy! 

And if you are depressed tell the GP that too. Both PMR and pred contribute to depressed mood and there is no need to suffer with it - it can be managed, just like PMR, done properly.

It all hangs together - you haven't got any energy because you aren't eating properly, you can't exercise because you have no energy - and exercise is one of the really good things for depressive mood, diabetes and PMR. Not too much but all done sensibly together with a good diet. 

John, I'm sorry you are having problems with your diabetes. I too had my diabetes go haywire when first inPred. The usual treatment in the US for type 2 diabetes is Metformin at double the usual dose (500 mg x 2 daily) it had no affect. I was switched to a long acting insulin and finally got my numbers under control. My personal observation is that Metformin can't override the Prednisdone. Good luck. I hope you get it resolved quickly and start feeling better.

PMR is enough to depress anyone, but with out of control diabetes it's no wonder your brain isn't coping. It needs proper nourishment as much as the rest of your body. Start by working on one thing. Cook three decent meals a day. Eat healthy snacks. Just this alone will help you feel more in control. You know what to do.

And, as everyone else has said, get your ar$e to the Dr ASAP.

Have you try oat bran for breakfast? It regulates the blood sugar. Here is what I do if you want to try : 2 tablespoon of oat bran , water or milk for cooking the bran , brings to boil and simmer a couple of minutes. Added more milk depending how you like the porridge. Or you can use microwave for two minutes. Can combined them with fruits you like. Chopped Apple is nice with porridge. You can have veg with poached salmon. And that looks better than just veg. Covered the salmon with some water and sprinkles with salt and is simple. Nice with salad or rockets. Hope this info helps you. 

Hi John, you've done a great job getting down to 11mg so hope you can take some positives out of that. As Judy points out it's definitely worth a review at your diabetic clinic to help point you in the right direction. Also there was an interesting article on this site about the health benefits of eating chillies .... Little steps can lead to great things, we are all here if you need us x