To start with, let me give my self evaluation concerning my human anatomy and physiology, particularly digestive system. Like Charolais beef cattle, let me say I posses high food metabolism conversion rate, hence somehow suffering some degree of bulimia-a voracious, uncontrollable appetite disorder.
Why do I evaluate myself so, for at 52, weighting 105 kg, and a waist of 56 inches on 10 May, 2021, the date I was diagnosed a diabetic, indicates a robust digestive system of cabbage-in-cabbage metabolized and stored in adipose tissues hence becoming obese as can be seen at my photo above.
On night of 8 May, 2021. I experienced a high frequency of urination and excessive thirst leading to my taking almost ten litres of water. Noting this might be diabetics signs and symptom, I naively did a fasting oblivious of perilous I was subjecting myself to. Ketones bodies-shed into the bloodstream and may lead to a disruption of the acid-base balance and fall to as low as 4.8 and may lead to coma and death.
The following night, on 9 May, 2021, my feet and foot suffered spasm coupled with muscle-pull like tendencies precursor of diabetic foot.
Let me admit, for those two days, I was in state of denial.
Then, on 10 May, 2021, after reflection on underlying diabetic mellitus complications. I sought medical care at Pope Benedict XVI Hospital, located in Nyahururu, Laikipia County, Kenya.
At hospital, I was first attended by a Clinical Officer one Martha Muhia, who after taking my clinical history, referred me to laboratory within for three test; random blood sugar [RBS], urinalysis and hemoglobin A1C [HBA1C], where two turned positive and one negative respectively. which after reviewing those results, she referred me again to Dr Alex Githinji of the same hospital.
Dr Githinji went further and prescribed another test; oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT], which returned positive results. After he reviewed all the four results. He, Dr Githinji, told me that I have acquired diabetes mellitus caused by insulin resistance due to fats deposit in my viscera organs and abdominal adipose tissues,which might attributed to my over eating.So, he prescript some drugs to enhance insulin response, and another one for prevention of cordial vascular diseases with a fortnight revisit of 24 May, 2021.
On 24 May, 2021, the revisit date, Dr Githinji, ordered for retesting of urinalysis, random blood sugar, and added a new one of lipid profile, of which all returned negative results as indicated above. The weight also had dropped downward to 95 kg from 106 kg after strict diet observation as directed by nutritionist as I will discuss in this article. Based on those laboratory results, Dr Githinji withdrew one drug and rescheduled me a fourth revisit on 25 June, 2021.
How Managed Diabetes Mellitus After Diagnosis Through Nutrition
With nutritionist guidance and the nutrition I also learnt in college. All human nutritional requirements can be met by eating some foods from each of the four groups shown below even by diabetics, but with glycemic index calculations.
Group 1: Fresh milk or milk products such as cheese, ice cream or powdered milk. These will provide proteins, vitamins, calcium and other inorganic ions. In my case I take as beverage chemical compound in form of tea. Why? milk contains fats, and fats’ metabolism is that, they are reconverted again to fats and stored in adipose tissues the cause of insulin resistance. Also another point note about milk is that, it contain lactose-a disaccharides that is readily metabolized hence a disconnect with diabetics on drugs or insulin, so, in my case, I had being avoiding it, which might be a measure that made my sugar stabilized as can be seen from lab results above.
Group 2; Beef, mutton, fish, poultry, and eggs for proteins, fats and vitamins. Peas, beans and groundnuts can occasionally serve as alternatives for me [diabetic], plus eighth kilograms per week of liver for essential proteins.
Group 3; Green vegetables and fruits for vitamins, carbohydrates, some proteins and roughage. But diabetics should avoid high glycemic index [GI]-is a measure of how quickly a food increases blood sugar in the body. High-GI fruits, are watermelon, pineapples, cantaloupes and papaya. And low-GI fruits are apple, thorn melon, avocado, straw berries, pears, grapes and peaches. In my case, I don’t cook vegetables beyond 40 centigrade, less the most nutrients becomes denatured, and cellulose might be converted into high glycemic sugar by heat energy.
Group 4: Whole cereal grains, whole-bread, potatoes, bananas, cassava and yams for carbohydrates, vitamins and some mineral elements. But as diabetics, I avoid fries from potatoes [chips], prepared in trans-fats or white rice.
Water: Glucose is soluble in water; so, diabetics should take at least two to four glasses of water after every meal but not before meals.
At least one type of food from each of four groups must be eaten daily. It is advisable to alter the choices from each group as often as possible. The amount of each type of food eaten should be based on age, sex, level of activity and physiology status with the plate of diabetics to contains half vegetables, and other half proteins and high fiber carbs.
After observing my above diet package, random blood sugar stabilized from 16.4 mmol/l to 5.3 mmol/l after two weeks from 10/5/2021 to 24/5/2021 as indicated in my lab reports above.