Hello from a Newbie


(Denise) #21

ditto on what @coopdawg just said David. Stick with us, I really feel you are in the right place for support. I have several health issues including 408 cholesterol, a pacemaker since 97 for a 3rd degree AV Node block, and several other more minor things. Lot’s of people here in different situations but we all share the same goals of better health. Lots of us take meds, some don’t need to, or choose not to, whatever.

Very glad you’ve joined us :slight_smile:


(David ) #22

Once again, thank you all for a warm welcome and the words of encouragement. I want to get my health back to retire to Thailand with my partner. I spent 30 years as a railway engineer, but unfortunately, in 2017, I retired on ill health my eyesight, and things worsened as my health stopped.

I think it’s probably because the doctors kept being fed medication. I had side effects from one medication, so I had to take another medication to control the side effects. Ultimately I ended up underground 27 tablets per day split between morning and evening till different types of insulin. Now I am also taking a PCKS9 inhibitor for my cholesterol which is not responsive to traditional medication and is issued only by a hospital consultant here in the UK. Thank God I don’t have to pay for my medications.

Now, if I could get rid of this goddamn headache.


#23

I’m an engineer too, electrical.

I’m UK too.

We pay through taxes the NHS…but yes, thank G-d we don’t pay extortion like our cousins have to. :+1:


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #24

“You’ve been showering every day for six months, now. Surely you don’t need to keep doing that?”


(Denise) #25

Well I do :grin:


(Denise) #26

Hey David, when I get a migraine and nothing works to stop it, I put ice on it. Mines in one temple or the other, so easy to know where to put the ice, but maybe ice would help you? I have 2 of those soft gel ice packs and they are kept in the freezer for emergencies. It might be worth a try? Denise


(David ) #27

Thank you, Denise

Due to my limited vision, I’m not very good around the cooker, so my daughter was my carer and prepairs my meals. It would seem that I am on a very low carbohydrate diet as she tells me the food she prepare for me has virtually no carbs in it whatsoever, so I probably or hopefully I’m getting headaches due to the complete lack of carbs.

From what she tells me, I don’t think I’m even getting 20 g of carbohydrates daily.

I’m[quote=“David_Gillson, post:1, topic:116334, full:true”]
Hello everybody

Thank you very much for allowing me to join your forums. I’m delighted to be here, I started Peter around 3 1/2 weeks ago, and I’ve lost one stone After many failed attempts at other diets, including a gastric band that went disastrously wrong.

I am a Type II diabetic taking 130 units of insulin per day, which is not controlling my blood sugars. The keto diet allowed me to drop my insulin to about 68 units per day, but I have a little problem. I hope anyone can offer me advice, I am suffering from a horrendous headache it wakes me up in the middle of the night, and I cannot stop peeing. I never have in all my 59 years. I got up multiple times per night since starting keto. Will this go away?

I am in ketosis, as I have checked, With Urne strips.

Thanks, David
[/quote]

Not a very big eater; I’ve always felt sick, so generally, I only eat once a day, surviving only on coffee and water. I’m a little scared of trying cards because I don’t want my sugar to go any higher. I also want to enjoy the benefits of weight loss.

David


(Marianne) #28

Welcome! I love to hear from new members. I’m glad you aren’t finding keto too restrictive and are enjoying your new way of eating and the health benefits it brings.

My suggestion about the headaches is to just make sure you are eating enough and getting enough fat. In the beginning, I’d confine that to set mealtimes with no snacks in between. The longer you are on this, your body will naturally let you know if it wants you to eat three times a day or two. Drink enough water and get your electrolytes, but don’t go too extreme with the water or hydration. You can overhydrate and leach out a lot of important minerals.

As for the frequent peeing, I think that is something that will normalize in time, but in the short term and until your body and metabolism gets used to this new way of eating, you may have to put up with it for a little bit. I don’t know, but I like to imagine that it is your body’s way of cleansing all the crap out of your cells and healing itself from years of damage. It is voiding all of that out in your urine. It won’t last forever.

Best to you and please keep us posted on your progress!


(Marianne) #29

Me, too. I’m 63 and don’t have a very large bladder capacity. I have to empty my bladder 4-5 times every night. If I fight it and don’t get up, it is very uncomfortable, and if I am able to sleep, I have what I call “pee dreams.” Not pleasant, somewhat disturbing like nightmares. Eventually I am forced to get up and go. That’s just the way it’s been for me.


#30

I’ve had what I refer to as a ‘walnut bladder’ for as long as I can remember, and I have SO MANY pee dreams xD They’re always completely insane, but then most of my dreams are…


(Denise) #31

yes, I would agree that could be the cause, but ice may help it.


(Denise) #32

hi Marianne, I get the weird dreams too and feel like it’s about not getting completely into REM sleep. I’ve read some and heard some about that quite a few years ago as my husband had apnea. He would wake up at anything. I’d try so hard not to wake him but he would wake any time I moved so I didn’t sleep well being concerned about waking him.

I maybe just have to live with it too but some things are just so much better since I started my new keto-life. I’ve been able to get through the process, but like someone mentioned earlier, it took a long time for me to get unhealthy, so I can’t expect it all to happen way fast, or even ever. I know once I’m up and have my little home-remedies, some hot decaf things get better and I am ready to get things done another day :wink:


(Denise) #33

LOL, right on target, “walnut bladder”, I had to smile reading that @ElgynsToy. It’s great to meet you, I don’t think we’ve met on here before and I realize you were talking to Marianne, but I had to say hi :wink: and tell you I enjoyed your reply:)


#34

Hello Denise. Lovely to ‘meet’ you too :smile:

I swear… it really can’t be any bigger than a walnut!

Both at work and outside, people are so used to me having to break off mid-whatever with “guys, I’m sorry… I really have to pee. Back in a sec!” :rofl:

I think there has actually been some improvement since I started keto, and naturally cutting the booze will have helped. I’m at least largely making it through the night now, so that’s great!


(Denise) #35

Yes, seems there’s always something new I hear and need to try to help me progress, but never a dull moment :slight_smile: It does keep getting better. 18 months of keto, out of 67 years of toxic foods, big changes fast are expected. Some things changed very fast, others I’m just still hangin in there. I’ve a believer though, doubt I’d ever quit :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:


#36

:scream:
I have alarm clock dreams. I sleep so well that waking up just because of an alarm clock is not something that happens often. They are absolutely AWFUL, annoying, I am helpless as I can pulverize the dream alarm clock, the sound won’t stop. And dream time is different, I can suffer for so long from the 1 min or whatever real alarm clock that triggers the dream.
I have no idea what pee dreams are like but they surely are horrible too.

I don’t have that problem, I am the opposite. I am unable to wake up until my sleep is done if I merely use water (problems with waking up, I have that so it’s not all perfect, to put it lightly). I may drink 1-2 liters right before bed, I still won’t wake up (some people use that as alarm clock, well it doesn’t help me). I go to bed while needing to pee (rare but sometimes I don’t wanna go downstairs, I may wake up too much when I am so nicely able to fall asleep now)? No problem, I still sleep 8 hours and feel like normal in the morning. My normal zombie mode, I mean, one thing that sleep always fail to give me is being really awake and energetic, I have the least energy in the morning and it lasts for hours.

Sometimes (a few times a year) I wake up once at night and it’s quite horrible as I lost my ability to go back to sleep easily (at least if I leave my bed). So I can’t even imagine waking up multiple times a night, it sounds something borderline unbearable to me, my already bad sleep would break apart and I would be an all time zombie I imagine…
My SO wakes up once and it seems it’s a normal thing for humans (he needs more frequent peeing during the day too. I believe my bladder and stomach both have some amazing capacity). It was pretty surprising to me, I thought people normally sleep through the night just like I did even as a tiny baby (I was aware normal babies don’t do that). I still don’t know percentages but I have heard zillion stories about waking up at night.

EDIT: I asked my SO. We are together like zillion years (I am bad with numbers, okay? well I can calculate it… 22-23 years?) and I NEVER knew he had pee dreams. He is lucky, he usually quickly wakes up afterwards but it’s allegedly a known thing that you shouldn’t trust a toilet in your pee dreams…
Wow.
One always learn new things. I never ever ever ever had a pee dream. It’s not a problem during my sleep time at all. I feel lucky now.


(David ) #37

Good afternoon/good morning/good evening wherever you are in the world.

Just An update with regards to my Persistent painful headaches. I had to give in this morning and have some cards, so I had a slice of cheese on toast, My headache has virtually Disappeared, and that is the first time in just under one month I woke up last night twice with that throbbing pain in my head and needing to go to the bathroom twice.

I’m pretty sure that I was going overboard with restricting carbohydrates. I probably was under 20 G per day, but unfortunately, that slice of bread put my blood sugar above my target of 10.2m mol. My diabetic nurse said it should be under ten at all times, But I have never been anywhere near that figure. Still, over the last four weeks of doing keto with nearly 0 cards, My blood sugar has been in the green daily. Today, it’s gone to Amber to tell me I’m over my target. I don’t know the best thing to have high blood sugar or a blinding headache.

David


(Denise) #38

So are you one of those people that pee regular every morning at 7 a.m. but unfortunately don’t wake up til 8 :joy: Sorry that’s one of Sophia’s lines from The Goldengirls :blush::grin:


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #39

Don’t let your daughter discount what we are telling you about salt. The recommendations in most countries are too low, and the U.S. recommendation is dangerously low. We’re not saying to go overboard with the salt, just that we need more than has been recommended, and on low carb diets, the kidneys excrete salt more readily, because elevated insulin promotes sodium retention, so as it drops, the kidneys return to excreting it at the normal, faster rate. I use my body to tell me when I’m getting enough salt. Too little, and I become constipated and get migraines. Too much, and my stools are unpleasantly loose.

I also make sure to drink when I’m thirsty. I ignore all the recommendations; I just drink when my body tells me to. I figure if it tastes great and I keep swallowing, then I needed it; but if I have to work to choke it down, then I’m okay and can stop drinking.


(Marianne) #40

Don’t be afraid of restricting your carbs to <20/day. Many of us here (myself included), have been zero carb or close to it for years and feel perfectly fine on it. They are not necessary. Just make sure to get sufficient fat and protein to fully satiate you. I suspect being that you have just recently started your journey, the debilitating headaches are from the change your body is experiencing and can be easily rectified. Again, eat (I’d say three decent meals a day until your body says “not necessary”), and drink to thirst while supplementing with sodium. The headaches will pass. One of the most important tenets of keto is to keep the carbs sub 20g/day.

Best to you!