I am a type 2 diabetic that was diagnosed in 2008 it was detected during pregnancy and it never left me I think I might have been diabetic before pregnancy as it was detected when I was only 13 weeks pregnant. During the last 13 years I've almost buried my head in the sand and not looked after myself thinking that it would go away I have had on and off medication from metformin to buy byetta to victoza and I'm now currently injecting Nova mix insulin. Due to covid and myself burying my head in the sand I have now got complications from high blood sugars which includes pins and needles in my feet and hands and problems with my vision for example sensitivity to light. I have blood test to do on Tuesday which I'm absolutely dreading and then a diabetic review the following week. I'm also experiencing aching pains in my right hand side below my rib cage which is worrying me not sure if it's related. I don't talk to many people I don't want people to think I'm just moaning but I find it extremely difficult to deal with and it really affects my mental health I have started to take my medication but I'm finding it hard and I'm having a lot of hypos as I cannot find the correct dose I'm just wondering if there is light at the end of the tunnel have I damaged my body beyond repair I'm hoping to hear the People's stories that may inspire me and take a little bit of the anxiety away and make me believe that I can improve my lifestyle I don't want to suffer in silence anymore thank you for taking the time to read this I'm hoping that I can get support from you guys your thankfully Julie
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Hi newbie wanting advice
- Thread starter Jules77
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rebrascora
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Hi Julie and welcome.
I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering diabetic complications but so pleased that you have reached out to the forum as getting support and advice and feeling less alone with this is key to helping you move forward and looking after yourself better. Diabetes is really mentally challenging because it affects such a big part of our lives and unfortunately because it can sometimes be symptomless or those symptoms are so slow to develop that you don't notice them, it can be all too easy to bury your head in the sand. I imagine it must be especially difficult to manage when you have a new born baby to look after and then of course the self neglect probably almost becomes habit and part of motherhood and putting your child first. If you broke a leg, there would be no question that you needed to get it sorted pronto, but diabetes can be all too easy just to put off dealing with.
The important thing is that you are now ready to take control of things and improve the situation and we will be here with you to support you with that and hopefully some of the issues you are having can be treated and/or perhaps reduced by better blood glucose management.
Are you getting any support from your GP practice or perhaps a specialist diabetes clinic? They should be helping you to adjust your doses. Unfortunately diabetic services are stretched due to Covid as it has increased their already struggling resources, so you may have to be politely pushy to get the help you need, but please set that ball in motion. Ring up tomorrow (or email if your surgery have that facility) to get an appointment.
Can you tell us a bit about your insulin regime. How many units you take and when you take them?
Because you are on a mixed insulin you will need to eat regular meals of roughly a similar size (carbohydrate content) to balance the insulin. This requires being quite disciplined which maybe fine if you have a good meal routine with having a child/children(teenager now I guess) to look after. It does also mean that you need to eat even if you are not hungry and any eating between meals will push your levels higher. This works fine for people who can maintain a good routine but there is an alternative basal/bolus insulin regime where you inject long acting insulin once or twice a day to cover the output from your liver and then quick acting insulin before each meal to cover the carbs in that meal for people who want or need more flexibility in their eating and insulin. This allows you to eat or not eat when you want or is convenient and fits in with your lifestyle but it involves a few more injections and a bit more thought but you gain that flexibility. I think it depends upon what aspect of your diabetes management you find most difficult. I cannot manage to follow a routine for more than a couple of days but other people are creatures of habit.
As regards having hypos, I hope you have been able to treat them easily and recover well. Have you been adjusting your insulin doses yourself or have you been taking the doses set by your nurse but perhaps the hot weather recently has been making them more effective and hence the hypos? This past week I have had probably near 20 hypos even though I have been progressively reducing my insulin doses..... looking forward to the cooler weather but then I will of course have to adjust them back up. I try to see my diabetes as a bit of a game/challenge where the opposition doesn't play by the rules a lot of the time, so I have to keep a cl;ose eye on the game and try new strategies if I am taking a drubbing (like last week) 🙄 I have had small victories within the week though and it is important to acknowledge those achievements and be proud of them as well as learn from the hypos and figure out how to prevent them. Seeing it as a long running "game" helps me to cope better. I don't see myself as a particularly competitive person but I like to challenge myself and do the best I can so my goal is to get as good at "the diabetes game" as I can, whilst still going out there and living my life.
Learning more by asking questions and reading other peoples' stories here on the forum has really helped me to manage my diabetes better and more importantly has given me confidence that I can not just manage this, but manage it well, but that it isn't at all easy and sometimes I will have good days and other times I will struggle and that is normal and OK. My aim is to have more good days than frustrating ones and I can do that my empowering myself with knowledge.
Very conscious I am wittering but hope some of what I have said resonates but if not, someone else will be along with a different approach which may be more up your street. The important thing to know is that you have support here. We understand the difficulty just in facing up to this. There is no judgement about what has gone before. It is what you do now which is important and we are here to support you with that.
Why don't you join our "Group 7-day waking average thread"? We don't bother with the "average" part anymore, we just post our waking reading each day and have a bit of chat and banter. It is like a virtual coffee morning where we exchange thoughts on how we are feeling about our readings, any plans for the day, diabetic and non diabetic stuff. It has a real community feel to it and just posting each day keeps you sort of a bit "accountable" but also helps us get to know each other better and that people care on a daily basis how we are doing. Celebrate our successes and offer support when we are struggling. It's a great thread.... I have linked below, if you fancy joining us. If you want to get a flavour of it, read the last few pages but don't be shy about just jumping in and posting your waking reading tomorrow. You will soon get to know us and vice versa.... Maybe see you there soon....
I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering diabetic complications but so pleased that you have reached out to the forum as getting support and advice and feeling less alone with this is key to helping you move forward and looking after yourself better. Diabetes is really mentally challenging because it affects such a big part of our lives and unfortunately because it can sometimes be symptomless or those symptoms are so slow to develop that you don't notice them, it can be all too easy to bury your head in the sand. I imagine it must be especially difficult to manage when you have a new born baby to look after and then of course the self neglect probably almost becomes habit and part of motherhood and putting your child first. If you broke a leg, there would be no question that you needed to get it sorted pronto, but diabetes can be all too easy just to put off dealing with.
The important thing is that you are now ready to take control of things and improve the situation and we will be here with you to support you with that and hopefully some of the issues you are having can be treated and/or perhaps reduced by better blood glucose management.
Are you getting any support from your GP practice or perhaps a specialist diabetes clinic? They should be helping you to adjust your doses. Unfortunately diabetic services are stretched due to Covid as it has increased their already struggling resources, so you may have to be politely pushy to get the help you need, but please set that ball in motion. Ring up tomorrow (or email if your surgery have that facility) to get an appointment.
Can you tell us a bit about your insulin regime. How many units you take and when you take them?
Because you are on a mixed insulin you will need to eat regular meals of roughly a similar size (carbohydrate content) to balance the insulin. This requires being quite disciplined which maybe fine if you have a good meal routine with having a child/children(teenager now I guess) to look after. It does also mean that you need to eat even if you are not hungry and any eating between meals will push your levels higher. This works fine for people who can maintain a good routine but there is an alternative basal/bolus insulin regime where you inject long acting insulin once or twice a day to cover the output from your liver and then quick acting insulin before each meal to cover the carbs in that meal for people who want or need more flexibility in their eating and insulin. This allows you to eat or not eat when you want or is convenient and fits in with your lifestyle but it involves a few more injections and a bit more thought but you gain that flexibility. I think it depends upon what aspect of your diabetes management you find most difficult. I cannot manage to follow a routine for more than a couple of days but other people are creatures of habit.
As regards having hypos, I hope you have been able to treat them easily and recover well. Have you been adjusting your insulin doses yourself or have you been taking the doses set by your nurse but perhaps the hot weather recently has been making them more effective and hence the hypos? This past week I have had probably near 20 hypos even though I have been progressively reducing my insulin doses..... looking forward to the cooler weather but then I will of course have to adjust them back up. I try to see my diabetes as a bit of a game/challenge where the opposition doesn't play by the rules a lot of the time, so I have to keep a cl;ose eye on the game and try new strategies if I am taking a drubbing (like last week) 🙄 I have had small victories within the week though and it is important to acknowledge those achievements and be proud of them as well as learn from the hypos and figure out how to prevent them. Seeing it as a long running "game" helps me to cope better. I don't see myself as a particularly competitive person but I like to challenge myself and do the best I can so my goal is to get as good at "the diabetes game" as I can, whilst still going out there and living my life.
Learning more by asking questions and reading other peoples' stories here on the forum has really helped me to manage my diabetes better and more importantly has given me confidence that I can not just manage this, but manage it well, but that it isn't at all easy and sometimes I will have good days and other times I will struggle and that is normal and OK. My aim is to have more good days than frustrating ones and I can do that my empowering myself with knowledge.
Very conscious I am wittering but hope some of what I have said resonates but if not, someone else will be along with a different approach which may be more up your street. The important thing to know is that you have support here. We understand the difficulty just in facing up to this. There is no judgement about what has gone before. It is what you do now which is important and we are here to support you with that.
Why don't you join our "Group 7-day waking average thread"? We don't bother with the "average" part anymore, we just post our waking reading each day and have a bit of chat and banter. It is like a virtual coffee morning where we exchange thoughts on how we are feeling about our readings, any plans for the day, diabetic and non diabetic stuff. It has a real community feel to it and just posting each day keeps you sort of a bit "accountable" but also helps us get to know each other better and that people care on a daily basis how we are doing. Celebrate our successes and offer support when we are struggling. It's a great thread.... I have linked below, if you fancy joining us. If you want to get a flavour of it, read the last few pages but don't be shy about just jumping in and posting your waking reading tomorrow. You will soon get to know us and vice versa.... Maybe see you there soon....
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Thank you for taking time to reply well I must say you say what's more knowledgeable than my GP. I was prescribed insulin by my GP who just said just take 10 minutes to this in the morning and then just increase every 3 days until you get the right amount have to inject in the morning and then on an evening but I'm finding that I'm having to inject around 25 units in the morning and then the same again for my evening meal and just lately I've been injected at dinner time. Basically I don't look after myself I don't eat much during the day because I've got such a hectic work life I work 50 + hours a week and I am on my feet all day and I average around 25000 steps a day so I am really active. However my eating routine isn't the best most mornings I don't eat breakfast or if I do anything if I do it's it's a couple of biscuits which is completely the wrong thing to eat I know. And when I'm at work I have to grab the most convenient thing which is usually sandwich and a packet of crisps and then by the time I get home which most evenings it can be around 10 p.m. again I'm just starving so I end up eating c**p. I also I'd like to drink alcohol don't get me wrong I'm not dependant but I do enjoy a glass of wine most nights to ease the stress of the day. I recently had two weeks off work annual leave and we went on holiday we had a chilled out week and we didn't really do much but my body really suffered and doesn't like it it when I don't I do nothing and that's when I can feel all the effects of diabetes for example pins and needles in my feet and my hands and general aches and pains so for me getting back to work has been a blessing staying active is the best thing for me. I really do think I need to change my insulin or or as you suggested adding another insulin into the mix I work with somebody who is type 1 and doesn't inject nowhere near to what I'm injecting so clearly the incident that I'm on isn't suitable. I have my blood tests tomorrow and then I with you the following week so I'm just going to hold out till then and then discuss what we can do to make my life a little bit easier because at the moment I'm struggling. Once again thank you for your comments and your feedback and I think I'm going to find this forum really useful
Hi thank you for your reply why yeah I think I'm going to discuss with my doctor at my next appointment as just having this one novamix isn't suiting the lifestyle I'm leading
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Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time @Jules77
But it’s great to hear that you are taking your diabetes meds now, even if the doses are a bit tricky for you to work out.
As others have suggested, premixed insulins can work well for some people, but others find them a bit too restrictive. Depending on how much ‘home grown’ insulin you are also producing it can be a bit difficult if you can’t adjust the ‘background’ and ‘food’ parts of the insulin action separately. MDI (sometimes called basal:bolus) does involve more injections, but it comes with a lot more flexibility.
When I started on mixed insulin as a T1 I had a list of meals and snacks that I had to follow, with the carbohydrate I had to eat (but not exceed) at set times of the day. It was workable to an extent, but very inflexible and felt like everything had to fit around diabetes, rather than my diabetes having to fit in with whatever I was doing.
Are you taking regular BG checks through the day? What sorts of levels are you seeing?
Hopefully as your BGs become a bit less variable and more in-range you will start to see improvements in the symptoms you are experiencing?
But it’s great to hear that you are taking your diabetes meds now, even if the doses are a bit tricky for you to work out.
As others have suggested, premixed insulins can work well for some people, but others find them a bit too restrictive. Depending on how much ‘home grown’ insulin you are also producing it can be a bit difficult if you can’t adjust the ‘background’ and ‘food’ parts of the insulin action separately. MDI (sometimes called basal:bolus) does involve more injections, but it comes with a lot more flexibility.
When I started on mixed insulin as a T1 I had a list of meals and snacks that I had to follow, with the carbohydrate I had to eat (but not exceed) at set times of the day. It was workable to an extent, but very inflexible and felt like everything had to fit around diabetes, rather than my diabetes having to fit in with whatever I was doing.
Are you taking regular BG checks through the day? What sorts of levels are you seeing?
Hopefully as your BGs become a bit less variable and more in-range you will start to see improvements in the symptoms you are experiencing?
Tbh I rarely checked my bloods as I was trying not to scare myself but I will be honest and say that they were shocking sometimes in the 20s. I have been taking insulin religiously now for a few weeks and am now seeing low teens and yesterday 6.6 but that's come with 2 hypos in one day just got to find the right balance , I am researching best snacks to eat before bed. I am quiet emotional today and this forum is really making me feel like " I can do this!" Onwards and upwards ,
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Are you checking your levels when you get the hypo symptoms? It sounds like you are making great progress, and taking your insulin is really going to help, but if the body has got used to running at a high level for a while it can sometimes give quite full-on warning signs when your levels are still above 4.0.
It might take a short while for your ‘glucose thermostat’ to reset, but soon enough you should only be getting warning signs at or just below 4.0.
It might take a short while for your ‘glucose thermostat’ to reset, but soon enough you should only be getting warning signs at or just below 4.0.
Yeah I woke at 4 am yesterday sweating , shaking and I tested 3.5 then yesterday afternoon I felt unwell and tested 4.2.
I have pins and needles in feet and hands, also the only was I can explain it is I have a feeling like vibrations in my legs it's not painful it's just annoying so I do think I have got neuropathy I was prescribed pegagaptin ( sorry can't spell that one lol ) but I'm trying not to take it as it is awful and makes me feel like a zombie or like I've had 10 gin and tonics lol. I'm also experiencing sensitivity to light and have a little light patches in my vision I have booked in for an eye test and a retinopathy test and I expect them to say that have changes to my retinopathy vision hopefully this can be treated or I can prevent it from worsening. Not sure if this is related but I also have what I can described as a high pitched buzzing in my head which is a form of tinnitus and I believe can be caused by nerve damage. I'm hoping by changing my lifestyle cutting down on alcohol and keeping my blood sugars within range I can reverse or prevent the symptoms from worsening. I do have a very stressful job and I can be on my feet for up to 10 hours a day so I am very active however I don't think the stress of the job helping my situation.
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Sorry to hear you sounding so worried and anxious @Jules77
It is only natural to be concerned about any changes that diabetes may bring, but you are doing really well with taking your insulin. Some of the things you are experiencing may not be permanent damage, they could be your body settling and reacting to your newly in-range numbers. This can happen both with eyes and nerves where BG levels have improved rapidly.
Either way, aiming to keep your BGs as in-range as you can will help slow the progression of any changes that may have happened.
It’s important to match your food intake with your doses though, so perhaps ask your nurse for some guidance around those hypos - especially with the eating habits you have described. It may be that a dose adjustment, or scheduled snack might help?
Thanks for your advice , honestly it's really helpful and make me feel as if I'm not alone
Good morning Jules 77, I hope that you are well, and to reply to your post I'm really sorry to hear that you are having trouble but I hope the advice that you have been given on the forum helps as it is good advice , but if I may can I also say list all the things that you really want to discuss in your appointments and work on them and then at your next appointments go in with more questions until you are less anxious about everything, also if you can keep in touch with your Diabetic specialist nurse via phone that will also help you with any issues. Take care.
rebrascora
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Hi Karen
I totally agree with you about making a list for an appointment and prioritizing the key points on it as sometimes you may not get through the full list in one appointment.
Sadly your point about a phone contact with a Diabetic Specialist Nurse (DSN) is unlikely to be relevant as Julie is Type 2 and therefore just under her GP practice for care which is far from ideal as most GPs have little understanding of the intricacies of insulin usage and certainly in this case it sounds like Julie has been left far short of the support she needs. Getting a referral to a specialist diabetes clinic where she would have access to a DSN would be ideal but they are so over stretched at the moment that waiting times are long in many places even if you can get a GP to make the referral. Always worth a try and to keep trying if they refuse to make a referral at first, particularly if they give you little or no support at the GP practice. It is an example of the 2 tier system for diabetes care based on your type of diabetes.
Good luck Julie. Hope you can push them to give you more help.
Hi, I haven’t read all the responses you have received so apologies if I repeat what someone else may have said. I also had gestational diabetes or was just in the cusp at age 20, had blood sugars just below prediabetic until I was 43 then diagnosed diabetic. Although I am positive antigad I’ve now been diagnosed officially as LADA. A couple of things, dry eyes are the main cause of light sensitivity, could be seasonal or at our delicate age hormonal. Pins and needles can be just as likely in vit deficiency and electrolytes imbalance. I have under right rib pain, was Ct scanned etc absolutely nothing of concern, however this is a prime place to feel pain for many digestive issues, including trapped windows and bloating (again this happens a lot during peri menopausal age with drops in hormones) reflux/gerd, and just general indigestion. When I was diagnosed I got hypersensitive to every little bodily sensation and immediately thought it was the diabetes, although I can’t say it’s definitely not in your case, there are numerous possibilities for your symptoms most of which can be remedied.
Also I get the not wanting to talk to other people, Nobody really understands how difficult and draining it can be. But you got us now 😉
Also I get the not wanting to talk to other people, Nobody really understands how difficult and draining it can be. But you got us now 😉
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Thank you for taking the time to read my post and to responding I am now 45 and my body has changed I'm thinking that I may be perimenopausal your comments makes sense and I found it a little reassuring to think that maybe I'm pinning all my symptoms on my poor control of diabetes hopefully whatever is happening my body can be prevented from getting any worse or may be reversed once again thank you for your response and I'm glad that I join the forum as I find it really comforting
Just got back from bloods and speaking to the nurse who was very helpful and reassuring she has booked me an appointment with the diabetic nurse tomorrow as my results should be back I feeling a little less anxious as she said they will get me on the right track and change my meds had my blood pressure taken and surprising me it was 130/84 let's see what tomorrow brings
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