Q: Please help me out because I am tired of this life already. Sometimes I will be thinking of suicide. I have been going from one hospital to another complaining of frequent urination, and each time i urinate I feel as if I am losing my energy. I feel dull. It is even affecting my speech making me to stammer whenever I want to talk, I have lost so much weight, always feeling headache if I am hungry. it has even made me to develop ulcer. I am just tired. I don’t know what to do again. It’s even causing me chest pain, increased heartbeat, thirst, hunger. I have done so many tests. They told me they can’t find anything including urea, c&s aerobic bacteria, electrolytes, creatinine, ECG, kidney test, FBS. They can’t find anything. For some months now, I have noticed that I urinate more whenever I eat anything carbohydrate. Once it’s carb, I will be urinating, feeling hungry and thirsty with headaches. So, the only food I consume every day is beans- morning, afternoon and night. If I try carbs, I will start feeling terrible. The worst is minerals (soda). If I take them for 2 days, I will be feeling headache and more urine. Please what could be the problem? I can’t even gain weight anymore. My skin is so dry, I am always feeling warm, feeling like staying inside water without coming out. Sometimes I get tired of eating only beans but if I try carbohydrate food, I will start feeling bad. I am currently using ciprofloxacin. If I don’t use it for 1 or 2 weeks, I will start feeling like I have malaria. Please help me. I can’t even think straight, always making me feel moody, I can’t socialize with my friends anymore please doc

A: Hello dear! So sorry to hear about what you’re going through. My heart goes out to you and my prayers are with you.

But, suicide is not the answer. You will just be creating a cycle of pain – leaving other people in pain as they mourn your death…God forbid!

The symptoms (frequent urination, excessive thirst, fatigue and weight loss) that you describe could be due to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Have you visited a specialist hospital? Or did you go to labs for tests and treatment? My recommendation, even if you had visited a hospital before now, is to go to a specialist hospital (like a Teaching Hospital). I am sure that when you give your symptoms they will refer you to an endocrinologist, who will take a proper history and speak to next steps.

There is always a solution to any problem life throws at us…never give up hope. Never lose faith. Help is close by. Some tips to help you:

•    Develop a strong social and spiritual support system. Join activities in clubs, churches, art centres etc.
•    Exercise regularly and reduce your stress. If the latter is not readily viable, improve on your stress coping mechanisms.
•    Eat healthy and get the necessary amount of sleep daily (7 – 8 hours)

I have also shared the phone numbers of some Suicide hotlines on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/healthylivingwithdrketch) if you need to talk.

Should the issue actually be Type 2 DM, here’s what you should know.

Usually starchy foods we eat are converted to glucose. The body, in response to the presence of glucose in the blood, releases insulin from the pancreas. The insulin helps the glucose to move into the cells where it is needed. In type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, the cells no longer respond to the insulin prod (stimulus. The latter is called Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

People with Type 2 DM can control their DM using a combination of diet and exercise (staying lean and staying active). With time though, they may require oral drugs and/or insulin.

Now, how do we make exercise a part of our day? You need at least 30 minutes daily. The requirement per week is 150 minutes and so you could do 30 minutes on 5 days of the week or 1 hour on 3 days of the week. Just break it up and find ways of doing the things you love in a more active way. Activity/exercise ideas are pillow fights, arm wrestling, taking walks, dancing, joining a gym, jumping jacks during commercial breaks etc. At work, being more active speaks to getting up and walking on the spot whenever you get a phone call, walking to the printer to pick up documents and walking to colleagues’ desks to ask questions/confirm issues, walking over to the bank ATM instead of driving there, using the stairs and not the elevators, installing an exercise/activity reminder on your computer to remind you to get active if you forget to do any of the above 😀

How can we make healthy foods the easier choice? Surround yourself with the right foods. Fresh fruits, veggies, dried fruits (which can also be added t nuts), nuts, dairy like yoghurt etc Then make the right choices. It’s one thing to buy up all the healthy things that have been suggested, it’s another to eat them and not reach for the doughnut that your colleague just brought into the office. In our high powered, we-are-all-busy-racing-to-somewhere world, eating breakfast may sound like a luxury, few can afford, but guess what? Studies have shown that eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity and Diabetes. So, whether you’re skipping breakfast because you think you don’t have time or because you want to lose weight by kipping meals, it’s bad news. So, how can you ensure that you’re not only eating breakfast but eating the right foods? A dietitian should be able to provide practical guides for the right diet to eat.

Here are our tips for eating a healthy breakfast on the run:

Oatmeal is always a great idea. Rich in fibre which reduce cholesterol and help protect your heart and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. If you’re not a huge fan of oatmeal, you could sprinkle some cinnamon on it and be sure to take with skimmed milk. Another idea for oatmeal I learnt from a chef is overnight oats. Soak your oats with milk and unsweetened yoghurt overnight (just enough to cover the oats). Cover and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bring out and sprinkle some cinnamon, add some apple or banana slices, a couple of nuts (optional)…and you’ve got a delicious bowl of healthy deliciousness in your hands! Some whole wheat/grain cereals (unsweetened) also not go amiss. Whole grain bread with peanut or almond butter (peanut butter is just ground up peanuts or groundnuts), an egg with a cup of fresh juice or some fruit slices also sounds good If you want to go for a smoothie, be sure to add some veggies (carrots, a handful of green leafy veggies etc) to ensure it is super healthy and not just another sugar rush 😀

All the best. Please let me know how it goes.