Eight years yesterday.

According to Jan's diary I have been a diabetic for eight years as of yesterday. Jan notes down just about everything, a true paper work star, which is just as well, because I would rather dig trenches than get involved with paperwork and officialdom.  I am far too busy sorting out fishing gear, than get involved with trivia such as paying the bills and getting cars insured etc. Typical bloke, 66 years of age, going on 17.

I am spoilt rotten, our morning routine. First one up makes the tea. Jan has a shower first, while I read all the on-line newspapers, then she cooks a full English breakfast (low carb version). After breakfast I have a shower, believe it or not, while showering Jan lays my clean cloths out on the bed, who said ya can't get the staff these days. She then informs me of her plans for the day, taking care not to include me in any of the activities, unless I have been give plenty of advanced warning (with lots of reminders). I have had a problem with authority all my life, the last thing I need is a wife playing the camp commandant.

All meal planning and cooking is down to Jan. In the first three months of low carb, I did most of the food selecting and cooking. Thereafter, and being happy Jan's training and culinary skills had reached the required standard, I kept out of the kitchen. On the rare occasions I am out shopping with Jan (I detest it) if I pick up a food item we have not had before, before my eyes focus on the label, she will say, no way far too carby, she is an expert on food labels and nutritional values etc. I never argue, the item goes back on the shelf, I don't need the grief of a lecture on blood glucose control. Well, not in public anyway.  

For a long while Jan kept away from the forum and blogging scene, she did join the forum of flog some years ago. She was swiftly banned, reason given just said "You're Eddie's Wife" just admitting to knowing me can get you banned from the flog. The good news is, as all know here, she has become very active on blogs and this forum, which is a win win situation. It reduces my work load, and means the general populous hears a lot less of me, that can't be bad, just ask Mo and a few others.

So, there you have it, in the overall scheme of things, diabetes has been positive for me in many ways. If I had not become a diabetic, I doubt I would have had tests which discovered my heart was on it's last legs, sorted seven years ago, with angioplasty and stents. I have made some very good friends via blogs and forums (and a few enemies) I am probably eating the best food of my life, and I will argue with anyone, who says I have not got the best nurse in the world.

Happy diaversary (?). That was a lucky diagnosis then to sort out your heart at the same time! Good job you found lchf.
Lovely for you that you have a partner who cares AND also fully understands the importance of this way of eating.
I ( the type 1) tell my fella (the type 2) all the time how lucky he is to have me just so he doesn't forget. Lchf has sorted both of us out. We've used loads of Jan's recipes, the favourite is the beef bourginion with cauli mash.
Here's to another 8 years in good health!

Happy Anniversary Eddie ! You seem to be blessed with Jan ! Lucky man ! I feel I am quite spoiled but having your clothes laid out for you is different league :-)
So, since diagnosis, how was your initial control and how long before you found LCHF ?

Mrs Vimes wrote:Happy diaversary (?). That was a lucky diagnosis then to sort out your heart at the same time! Good job you found lchf.
Lovely for you that you have a partner who cares AND also fully understands the importance of this way of eating.
I ( the type 1) tell my fella (the type 2) all the time how lucky he is to have me just so he doesn't forget. Lchf has sorted both of us out. We've used loads of Jan's recipes, the favourite is the beef bourginion with cauli mash.
Here's to another 8 years in good health!

Thank you for the kind words Mrs Vimes. Yes, at my age I would grab another eight years with both hands. I do appreciate how lucky I am to have Jan. We met on a blind date, Jan proposed to me within two weeks, and we married on her birthday seven months later. Everyone thought we were completely mad. Twenty years on they have changed their minds. I have never been a gambler on horses etc. but I have gambled on a lot of people and only ever been wrong once or twice in my life. I knew from the start, Jan was the best bet I was ever going to make, a deal like ours only comes along once in a lifetime, and fortune favours the brave.

While we were out last night celebrating, Graham was fending off troll posts on our blog, evidently Graham and myself are a gay couple, much more complimentary than some of the stuff we get in. When I posted this thread today, both here and on our blog, Jan said to me, stand by for more rubbish from the trolls, one idiot did not let us down. A screen shot from a blog authorisation email. Comment deleted from blog.


We have received thousands of terms of endearment over the years, most deleted, all anonymous. On a positive note the idiots have increased our page views enormously, and we are sure they have learned so much from reading our blog.

I hope you enjoy your well deserved rest over the Easter holiday and yes, your man is very lucky to have you sorting out his T2, a fairly easy task, compared to having to live with T1 I reckon.

mo1905 wrote:Happy Anniversary Eddie ! You seem to be blessed with Jan ! Lucky man ! I feel I am quite spoiled but having your clothes laid out for you is different league :-)
So, since diagnosis, how was your initial control and how long before you found LCHF ?

Hi Mo, thank you for the kind words.

I self diagnosed with a meter from my local chemist, BG numbers in the mid twenties. Confirmed a week later from blood tests, HbA1c 12. Followed the standard NHS diet for a month or so, BG results rubbish, average 12 to 14. Met a guy Called Fergus Craig, a long term T1 holding non diabetic numbers for years. Also Chris C on here taught me a great deal about a healthy diet and BG control. Like so many they both walked from the flog. Seven days into low carb (30 carbs per day) BG numbers between 4 and 6. People like me and Graham reported our good news big time at the flog, both banned and around 3000 of our posts deleted. Many people do not realise how hard we had to work to spread the good news at the flog. Now the management can see the way things are going all across the world, they are now claiming to be the low carb torch bearers, but hey ho, better late than never.

What do they say? Haters are gonna hate. Some people are just plain cowards when they're not face to face. They are obviously lacking in some way, their mum probably leaves their tea on a tray outside their bedroom.
On another note, my fella did find lchf difficult at first. He's also a better cook than me - that's how I got him involved. Then he realised that butter, cheese and cream were back on the menu and he was flying. We don't do the which type is hardest to control because it can lead to the same horrible complications. But we are competitive about fasting sugars and hbA1cs!

Dedicated to Eddie,Jan and Graham...Smashing people who work so hard for the cause and are a real pleasure to have met online and know...Simply the best!

Mrs Vimes wrote:What do they say? Haters are gonna hate. Some people are just plain cowards when they're not face to face. They are obviously lacking in some way, their mum probably leaves their tea on a tray outside their bedroom.
On another note, my fella did find lchf difficult at first. He's also a better cook than me - that's how I got him involved. Then he realised that butter, cheese and cream were back on the menu and he was flying. We don't do the which type is hardest to control because it can lead to the same horrible complications. But we are competitive about fasting sugars and hbA1cs!

I am an extremely vocal person (no surprise there then) I have been extremely vocal about a lot of people, from people using anonymous names on blogs and forums, to outfits I believe are corrupt or totally wrong, re. the correct diabetes diet. Outfits such as the BDA, ADA, DUK, DCUK etc. This is the only reason my mug shot and real name is here and elsewhere. I take responsibility and will accept the consequences for what I say and write. I am happy to meet anyone and chew the fat, I can't imagine living a life in fear, or not standing firm for what I believe is the truth. That being said, I can understand why many good people want to use an anon name, but then again, the good people do to not post snide remarks, or lie against others, and skulk back into the shadows.

Paul1976 wrote:Dedicated to Eddie,Jan and Graham...Smashing people who work so hard for the cause and are a real pleasure to have met online and know...Simply the best!

Thank you Paul, but we are not special people in any way. The thing is, we have much more spare time than many others here. The kids have all grown up and we have only worked a couple of months per year for a very long time. After I became a diabetic with a heart problem, we downsized big time and live a very quiet and modest life. Nothing like a near death experience to wake a man up, but I have not forgotten you have been there.

We get great enjoyment in posting and blogging, otherwise we would not do it. We have been extremely lucky in life, we have met and worked with fantastic people, generous in their time and many other ways to a fault. I have been luckier than I deserve. I said earlier we went out last night for a little celebration, accompanying us was my oldest daughter and first wife, we met when she was 17, and after Jan, still my best friend. 50 years friends, now that's loyalty. Good health and the right people around you and we can achieve anything, that being said, I am mindful of the many people who never had these things.

Thanks again mate.

Paul1976 wrote:Dedicated to Eddie,Jan and Graham...Smashing people who work so hard for the cause and are a real pleasure to have met online and know...Simply the best!

Thanks Paul but I can assure you it's not hard work   we take great pleasure in proving the idiots who said Low Carb was unsustainable and positively dangerous to our well being completely and utterly wrong

Think of it as a pleasurable hobby rather than work

I learned from some of the best, on usenet, before there were many forums or blogs, including but not limited to, Alan and Jenny, and a highly knowledgeable Type 1, initially misdiagnosed as Type 2, Old Al, who went on to Do Stuff in the Real World, and some of the folks who started the diabetes forum we know but don't mention to avoid alerting the trolls.

Exactly the same thing happened there, the newsgroup was disrupted by constant personal attacks by a small but noisy bunch of clueless low carb antis. They singularly failed though as people just moved on to other venues to get the word out, and crossed over with nondiabetic low carbers, Paleo peeps etc.

Now there are far too many sources of valid information to keep up with more than a small fraction of them.

As Chris said "Now there are far too many sources of valid information to keep up with more than a small fraction of them."

Yes, the word is out and the word is LCHF well perhaps more like four initials LOL!

However, there are still many who may wish to read all about it and decide for themselves ...

All the best Jan