I've been a type 2 diabetic for about ten years, I'm obese, and I've also recently developed chronic kidney issues. I truly fear I'm nearing the finish line of life.
I've always been terribly addicted to pop (Dr. Pepper in particular.) I've never drank alcohol, smoked, or done drugs, but I can attest to pop being just as addictive.
I'm desperately wanting to change my bad habits, but I can't help but feel it's too little, too late. I was eating a banana a day a few months ago for the potassium. I was getting terrible cramps in my legs, and I heard the potassium would help relieve that. It did work, but I had to stop eating them because of the sugar and my potassium rose too high (I believe as a result of my poor kidney function.) Last night, I got a cramp in my left leg so bad it felt like it was broken. My doctor suggested I replace the banana with strawberries for the electrolytes, but they're doing nothing for my cramps. He also thinks my poor kidney function is partly due to the Metformin I'm on for diabetes. That stuff kept me on the toilet all the time, which he believes caused me to become dehydrated. I was on Ozempic briefly, but that also did a number on my stomach and made me sick.
I'm now off Meformin and on Insulin for the first time. I'm trying hard to drink more water, stay off the pop, and hopefully find some fruits and vegetables I can tolerate that will improve my health. It's been over 15 years since I've had beets, but that's something I'd be willing to try again. I never realized they were that good for you. Blood sugar and blood pressure are both things I need to work on controlling too. I'm not a big celery fan, but I could tolerate it with some peanut butter (which is good because it has protein.) I'm hoping I can at least prolong my life some by making these changes. That said, it's always bothered me how the things that are often most enjoyable in the moment and short term often do the most damage in the long term. It reminds me of a song Alan Jackson did called "Everything I Love is Killing Me." It truly feels that way sometimes.
Yes, soda pop is the worst (and its effects on the liver and pancreas are almost indistinguishable from alcoholism).
You might try Berberine (1,000+ mg/day) to replace the Metformin. And try and consume a B1(Thiamine) supplement every 12 hours (nearly all physical symptoms related to diabetes, or just too many carbs, is due to Thiamine depletion). Also, consume 2,000 mg/day of the amino acid Taurine -- on general principles.
There are other good things to take, but the hardest part is:
get off the carbohydrates -- regardless of what kind of carbohydrates. (You need to keep it at under 35mg/day, which is severe but necessary).
The good thing is that it only takes about 72 hours to adjust to the blood sugar drop when you stop the carbs -- and after that, with your insulin down, you then have more control because your appetite crashes
and the metabolism increases.
You'll feel draggy for a couple of days, but you'll quickly adjust. Sometimes life can turn on a three day period.
And do what you can to get your nitric oxide production to a maximum.
Also, if you have a stationary bike -- or someplace to walk -- it will help. Perhaps a lot. (And walking for just 15 minutes immediately
after a meal is ideal).
I don't mean to sound maudlin, but don't accept that it's "too late." It's easy to say this online, but sometimes you just have to fight. And when you don't have the energy or motivation to fight anymore is exactly when you need to fight the most.
