[The Fluffy Assassin]

I can't seem to handle the ins and outs of diet and dietary supplements. Gluten-free was a breeze, but gluten-free casein-free soy-free low-sugar appears to be beyond my powers. I wonder if Docs-in-a-box can manage referrals to gastroenterologists or nutritionists. (I have no doctor nor insurance, but funds aren't a problem.)

[LDJofDenver]

OK, I'm always telling everyone about these grocery guides (because they were such a lifesaver for me!) and, guess what, there's actually one that is:

Gluten/Casein/Soy Free Grocery Shopping Guide

http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/gluten-...free-guide.html

Then the only thing you'd have to pay attention to is sugar. Maybe you should check it out.
For me, it was the best $25 I ever spent.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

LDJofDenver, on Sep 8 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

OK, I'm always telling everyone about these grocery guides (because they were such a lifesaver for me!) and, guess what, there's actually one that is:

Gluten/Casein/Soy Free Grocery Shopping Guide

http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/gluten-...free-guide.html

Then the only thing you'd have to pay attention to is sugar. Maybe you should check it out.
For me, it was the best $25 I ever spent.

Thanks! My problem isn't the ingredients, which I mastered eventually by getting back to basics. My problem is meal planning. Today I've been going back and forth. This morning I was convinced that I just have to bite the bullet and accept that I'm diabetic. This afternoon I think it's more likely that in my highly-finite wisdom, I've managed to put myself on the Atkins diet accidentally. (I'm quite definitely experiencing ketosis at least.) As my dad is both a doctor and diabetic, I'm going over to his house tomorrow morning for a finger prick, so I should have the former possibility resolved then. In the meantime, I'm adding all the carbs I can to see if I can confirm or refute the latter possibility.

I wonder if there are any potato chips in that grocery guide. I just had to throw out my beloved Target Jamaican Jerk Potato Crisps (since discontinued anyway) as they have soybean oil in them. Curses!

[grainfree]

Sorry to hear about the added complications. On the up side, knowing definitively what the problem is will help you manage, and take the guesswork out of what should be a pleasurable experience (dining). I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

grainfree, on Sep 8 2009, 06:52 PM, said:

Sorry to hear about the added complications. On the up side, knowing definitively what the problem is will help you manage, and take the guesswork out of what should be a pleasurable experience (dining). I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

Thanks! I'm strongly leaning towards the idea that my second guess was the correct one, that being that I accidentally put myself on a low-carb high-protein diet. Felt better immediately when I started gobbling rice cakes without the peanut butter or hummus slathered on. (This is as the bread to go with my highly proteiny chicken stew; not just gobbling them by themselves.) Also on the up side, I'm at a terrific weight now for my frame, which was always slender (5'10, 150, down from 180 in January and 200 before going gluten-free), but if I gain some back I'm hip with that, too. It's nice to be down to the one original chin, instead of the multiple ones I had a year or so ago.

[missy'smom]

I just want to send some support your way. I did a bit of something similar-that is thought I might have blood sugar issues, didn't get tested and started cutting carbs just in case and to see if I felt better. Lost alot of weight. Someone commented to me that I had put myself on a diet(in the context of a weight loss diet) and until they said it, I hadn't realized it(because I've never dieted in my life) but they were right(only my goal wasn't weight loss, it was well intentioned health improvement). Finally bit the bullet and went in and got tested. Unfortunately, my instincts are good and I came back with an official DX. It's SO SO much better to know one way or the other! I'm the biggest chicken when it comes to medical tests but I was so relieved after getting tested. Not the end of the world if you have it and much better if you catch it earlier. Plus I physically feel SO much better now that I'm managing it.

Sorry if you're one of the ones I've badgered about this recently. I'm not out to say that everyone has diabetes but it's wise to rule it out in some cases and it is also better to put your mind at ease. I've been on both sides of the fence and I'd rather be on this side.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

missy'smom, on Sep 9 2009, 11:14 AM, said:

I just want to send some support your way. I did a bit of something similar-that is thought I might have blood sugar issues, didn't get tested and started cutting carbs just in case and to see if I felt better. Lost alot of weight. Someone commented to me that I had put myself on a diet(in the context of a weight loss diet) and until they said it, I hadn't realized it(because I've never dieted in my life) but they were right(only my goal wasn't weight loss, it was well intentioned health improvement). Finally bit the bullet and went in and got tested. Unfortunately, my instincts are good and I came back with an official DX. It's SO SO much better to know one way or the other! I'm the biggest chicken when it comes to medical tests but I was so relieved after getting tested. Not the end of the world if you have it and much better if you catch it earlier. Plus I physically feel SO much better now that I'm managing it.

Sorry if you're one of the ones I've badgered about this recently. I'm not out to say that everyone has diabetes but it's wise to rule it out in some cases and it is also better to put your mind at ease. I've been on both sides of the fence and I'd rather be on this side.

After less than 24 hours eating less protein and more carbs (much more like an anti-diabetes diet than the accidental Atkins I was on) I feel vastly better. I think most of the problems I've had this summer were because I was starving. Pretty ironic as I was eating a good bit.

Went over to my dad's for a blood sugar test, but forgot to drink enough water beforehand and we couldn't get enough blood. I assured him (and assure you) that if I still have diabetes-type symptoms (excessive thirst and peeing, ketosis, etc.) I'll be back for another test, fasted and properly hydrated. But it looks like accidental Atkins is the explanation. The weight loss is only a diabetes warning sign if it's unexplained; I think the unexplained part is taken care of.

Thanks for your concern, for your advice, and for showing that I'm not the only one. About now I'd trade both my college diplomas for a Home Ec class.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

The Fluffy Assassin, on Sep 7 2009, 09:56 PM, said:

I can't seem to handle the ins and outs of diet and dietary supplements. Gluten-free was a breeze, but gluten-free casein-free soy-free low-sugar appears to be beyond my powers. I wonder if Docs-in-a-box can manage referrals to gastroenterologists or nutritionists. (I have no doctor nor insurance, but funds aren't a problem.)

Denial, as we all know, is not just a river in Egypt. Upon further reading, I find that it's hard, almost impossible, to trigger ketosis without almost totally giving up carbs, which I certainly have never done. So I'm back to diabetes, after one last pleasant day of denial. Will get a finger stick from my dad or another doctor first thing in the morning.

[grainfree]

Good to hear you will be tested again. Knowing exactly what the problem is will help, I'm sure, to guide your dietary choices. You mentioned you are Gluten-free Casein-free and soy free, so I wonder if a "paleo" diet would better fulfill your diet needs? Regarding the frequent urination you mentioned - when I started this journey way back in July I tried two days of absolutely no grains and was running to the loo every hour or more afterward and I have convinced myself I have every medical condition in Merck's!

Whatever the outcome from tomorrow I wish for you good health, good eating.
best!

[The Fluffy Assassin]

grainfree, on Sep 9 2009, 10:34 PM, said:

Good to hear you will be tested again. Knowing exactly what the problem is will help, I'm sure, to guide your dietary choices. You mentioned you are Gluten-free Casein-free and soy free, so I wonder if a "paleo" diet would better fulfill your diet needs? Regarding the frequent urination you mentioned - when I started this journey way back in July I tried two days of absolutely no grains and was running to the loo every hour or more afterward and I have convinced myself I have every medical condition in Merck's!

Whatever the outcome from tomorrow I wish for you good health, good eating.
best!

Fasting blood sugar was 97, so whatever it is it isn't diabetes. I have a call in to the internalist I saw in 2001, and they're trying to resurrect my medical records from cold storage. The receptionist made fun of my own tendency to run to the Merck Manual Online at every turn (but nicely). I wonder what the Merck Manual entry for hypochondria says?

Latest guess is that I must have overdone the vitamin and mineral supplements, or am just plain anemic. But I still can't explain the weight loss, and if the sweet flavor in my mouth isn't ketosis I can't figure out what it is. Fun fun fun. Anyway, not diabetic, probably not dying, so those are good things at least. And the ever changing sig line changes again.

Edit: I think that it was a paleo diet that got me into trouble (too much protein and fat, not enough carbohydrates). At the moment, I'm temporarily vegan, just eating potatoes, vegetables and nuts. (Roots and nuts-- putting the "gatherer" back in hunter-gatherer.) The only drawback is reactive hypoglycemia two or three hours after eating, which I can fix with more nuts. This kicks butt all over feeling like "I wonder if I'll wake up in the morning" every night. Hopefully I sleep tonight.

Best back atcha!

[missy'smom]

My FBG on the day of the GTT test was 87. People don't always fit into the boxes. It takes very, very little to put me over 140(the point at which damage to tissues start to occur) and only just a bit more to put me up to 180-even some veg.-peas, corn, tomatoes colored peppers, in small quantity will do it. The GTT took me up near 300. On a very lowcarb(mostly from limited kinds of veg, and nuts), I wake up between 87 and 97. If you put yourself on something resembling a diabetic diet(like I did-not the kind I'm currently on but a version of the ADA) before testing, it is possible to come out with non-diabetic numbers. That's why I requested a GTT, because I had managed diabetes(gestational) years before and knew that there are variables that affect the outcome of a one-time reading. Again, I'm not convinced or trying to convince you that you have it, but since it has come up....and if you still have a concern and your intuition is leading you in that direction you should look into it further, I always say the more info. the better. It might not be a bad idea to test a few times 1 hr. and 2 hrs. after a carby meal. Maybe you could get a meter from your dad.

There are other things that you've said that I've thought or done. You're not alone. You deserve to have a happy, healthy life and get some answers so you can have some clear direction and so that your efforts will be well guided so that they will be effective.

[Ahorsesoul]

The Fluffy Assassin,
No need to worry, that 30 pounds have been found. All on my hips, sure wish I could give them back. Hang in there. You'll finally settle down and gain some weight. You are trying so hard and it will pay off in the end.

[OptimisticMom42]

Hello Fluffy Assassin,

You can buy test strips to find out if you are in ketosis. The current listing on amazon offers ......

4 boxes used or new for $22.05

Go for the new ones LOL

RA

[The Fluffy Assassin]

OptimisticMom42, on Sep 10 2009, 04:12 PM, said:

Hello Fluffy Assassin,

You can buy test strips to find out if you are in ketosis. The current listing on amazon offers ......

4 boxes used or new for $22.05

Go for the new ones LOL

RA

Thanks. Then again, maybe the used ones would be best; I could pick my results.

Thanks also for your replies, Ahorsesoul and missy'smom, and thanks in advance to anyone else who might reply. I probably won't be back to the thread until/unless I get a definitive answer from somebody in medicine, but here's a preliminary answer:

After a couple of days' improvement, I had another really bad day and even worse night. At 2am, I called the emergency room at the best hospital in town and asked if they could give me a glucose tolerance test. The person answering the phone was polite and friendly, but non-committal. But I was having another one of those "if I go to sleep, am I going to wake up?" nights, so as I wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, I figured I would give them a go. Unfortunately, they couldn't give me the GTT; my fasting blood sugar was 93 this time and my bloodwork was all normal except for being somewhat hypothyroid. Could this be a result of my broccoli addiction? Could the guy on my "Should I start salting my food?" thread who told me yes and to use iodized salt have been right? Regardless, I'm embargoing the broccoli and cabbage temporarily and indeed switching back to iodized salt, and getting an appointment Monday (hopefully) with one of the primary care clinics recommended by the ER doc. So we'll see.