A Dreadful Afternoon!

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MikeyBikey

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Type 1
After a bad start my BG was fine all day. However, after lunch I started getting a migraine which quickly got messy with slight vertigo, nausea and eventually vomiting. I fell asleep about 4'00 and only woke about 8:00. BG 9.6. Can't face any food so just a small bolus and slightly reduced basal I think

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So sorry to hear this.
Hope you feel better soon.
 
I do hope you feel better soon.
 
So sorry to hear you have had a nasty migraine Mikey. You have more than enough to contend with without that on top. Hope you are fully recovered soon.

I am so happy that mine almost totally stopped 5 years ago when I changed diet to low carb. I think I have had one bad one and 2 minor ones since then (in 5 years) and they were either stress and dehydration induced or I can put it down to carb creep.
I used to vomit and get diarrhoea and sometimes pass out with them. The last one I had was last summer and my BG dropped because I had been dehydrated as I had had a very busy day at the Westmoreland Show on a blisteringly hot day and then rehydrated when I got home just as the migraine struck and my levels started to drop. I was so nauseous I struggled to even chew on a JB and couldn't swallow it for fear of bringing it and the medication I had taken for the migraine back up and I desperately needed both to work, so I couldn't afford for either to come back up.
It was really scary as I thought I was going to need to go to hospital and I was on my own. I managed to ring my sister because I knew it was touch and go. I just lay on the floor in the bathroom with my face/eyes covered and took slow breaths and tried not to panic and not to vomit. That was probably the first time an illness has really impacted my ability to manage my diabetes. Even just looking at my BG readings on my reader to check my levels was agony because of the light from the screen. Thankfully I didn't need any help, just supervising and after about an hour I was able to make it to bed. You know once you turn the corner with them you are going to be OK but until the medication kicks in, dying almost seems like a better option at least for me anyway!
Anyway, just wanted to say you have my sincerest sympathy but so pleased you didn't also have low BG to deal with on that occasion. Sounds like you have a good plan of insulin adjustment to keep you safe overnight. Sending gentle (((HUGS)))

When I start to see my carb intake creeping up a bit it doesn't take much of a memory of that evening and all the other days when I have had bad migraines pre diagnosis, to rid me of any craving. It is one of the reasons why I don't resent my diabetes because without it causing me to change my diet, I would still be averaging about one migraine a month. Being more or less free of them is a massive blessing!
 
Phantom Pain has come to play. After an hour of "is life worthwhile" I got very angry! No - after the election I want to get involved in:

a) Earlier and better, diagnosis and treatment of PAD. This country has higher rates of amputation that Western Europe and the US. One consultant tried to argue that there is a higher obesity rate in the UK than most of Western Europe so I pointed out the US rate was nearly double the UK's. A previous GP was pretty unknowledgeable and admitted I knew more than he did and too many vascular surgeons are not up to the job and seem to think "amputation" more "than limb" salvage.
b) Better understanding and treatment of Phantom Pain. Although it has been known about since people started surviving amputation understanding and treatment is crude. The main go-to drug is Gabapentin which is not even a painkiller but an anti-convulsant. It is of minimal use to me. There is another drug Pregabalin but it is not recommended for those with a reduced eGFR like many diabetics and/or elderly people - so not for me.

End of rant (for now)!

With the Phantom Pain my BG has shot up to near 20 so I bloused more and have taken stronger painkillers as the initial one is not touching it!
 
MikeyBikey said:
After a bad start my BG was fine all day. However, after lunch I started getting a migraine which quickly got messy with slight vertigo, nausea and eventually vomiting. I fell asleep about 4'00 and only woke about 8:00. BG 9.6. Can't face any food so just a small bolus and slightly reduced basal I think

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Hooe you feel better very soon.
 
I hope that you feel a lot better this morning @MikeyBikey
 
Thank you for all the kind comments. I think things were made worse by becoming somewhat dehydrated by the vomiting. My BG had dropped to the top of In Range by morning although I still have a muggy head and slightly sore tummy (probably muscular from vomiting). I had tea and a slice of dry toast for breakfast and a piece of quiche for lunch with about 4 pints of water along the way...
 
MikeyBikey said:
Phantom Pain has come to play. After an hour of "is life worthwhile" I got very angry! No - after the election I want to get involved in:

a) Earlier and better, diagnosis and treatment of PAD. This country has higher rates of amputation that Western Europe and the US. One consultant tried to argue that there is a higher obesity rate in the UK than most of Western Europe so I pointed out the US rate was nearly double the UK's. A previous GP was pretty unknowledgeable and admitted I knew more than he did and too many vascular surgeons are not up to the job and seem to think "amputation" more "than limb" salvage.
b) Better understanding and treatment of Phantom Pain. Although it has been known about since people started surviving amputation understanding and treatment is crude. The main go-to drug is Gabapentin which is not even a painkiller but an anti-convulsant. It is of minimal use to me. There is another drug Pregabalin but it is not recommended for those with a reduced eGFR like many diabetics and/or elderly people - so not for me.

End of rant (for now)!

With the Phantom Pain my BG has shot up to near 20 so I bloused more and have taken stronger painkillers as the initial one is not touching it!
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Respect to you for your strong drive to do something positive with the cards you have been dealt.

Apologies, but I can't recall where you are, but have a look at the NIHR website, and consider becoming involved in PPI (Patient and Public Involvement). The NIHR are encouraged to have PPI representatives on all their research projects and sometimes on research boards.

That route can give you a voice at various stages of research programmes, including in the planning stages. PPI are often asked for suggestions for topics.

Not all ideas are developed or funded to become bona fidelity research programmes, but without a voice “we” will never influence anything.

Since the pandemic a lot of PPI work, like workshops, focus groups and steering boards take place over MS Teams, so physical attendance is not often required. Out of pocket expenses are reimbursed, and for deeper involvement a decent hourly rate is sometimes paid.

In so many ways it is SO worth the effort.
 
Currently I am in the Three Counties (Herts, Beds, Bucks). Within them there is huge variation between the county and town councils, and the NHS Trusts with some of these sadly lacking.

Thank you very much for the information - it seems very useful. Some years ago, and two parliamentary constituencies ago, I got an invite to meet my MP at the Houses of Parliament. It was interesting to have a tour with an MP to join it up as I had visited it as a contractor 20+ times over ten years with limited access. The subject of the NHS came up and he made very positive noises even saying I was the sort of person who could have a useful input as a) I mentioned I had been under endocrinology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, vascular and cardiology, and b) was awaiting bypass surgery. During the visit I had a bad angina attack and wonder now if I had let an ambulance be called if I may have had my bypass six months earlier. Subsequently he shifted from the centre to the right to climb the greasy pole and I was never contacted. Hopefully it will be the Job Centre for him on Friday morning! :rofl:

As you can tell I am up in the early hours. Sadly with Phantom Pain again.
 
MikeyBikey said:
Currently I am in the Three Counties (Herts, Beds, Bucks). Within them there is huge variation between the county and town councils, and the NHS Trusts with some of these sadly lacking.

Thank you very much for the information - it seems very useful. Some years ago, and two parliamentary constituencies ago, I got an invite to meet my MP at the Houses of Parliament. It was interesting to have a tour with an MP to join it up as I had visited it as a contractor 20+ times over ten years with limited access. The subject of the NHS came up and he made very positive noises even saying I was the sort of person who could have a useful input as a) I mentioned I had been under endocrinology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, vascular and cardiology, and b) was awaiting bypass surgery. During the visit I had a bad angina attack and wonder now if I had let an ambulance be called if I may have had my bypass six months earlier. Subsequently he shifted from the centre to the right to climb the greasy pole and I was never contacted. Hopefully it will be the Job Centre for him on Friday morning! :rofl:

As you can tell I am up in the early hours. Sadly with Phantom Pain again.
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Honestly, reach out to the NIHR.

I am proud to say that by participating, I have influenced a handful of pieces of research, including one piece which has just been awarded 5yr funding.

There are also lay people on the NICE panels, guiding their guidelines.

Medics and researchers (medical research is not always conducted by medics) are really interested in what the end user want/need and often admit that their medic colleagues don't have a truly realistic view of user experience.

In my view, it is imperative people like us (on here, with views) get involved in these things. If we sit silently, we'll get what we get and often we don't like that much.
 
AndBreathe said:
Honestly, reach out to the NIHR.
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Very interesting. I knew very little about NIHR, thank you for flagging this up.
AndBreathe said:
I am proud to say that by participating, I have influenced a handful of pieces of research, including one piece which has just been awarded 5yr funding.
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There's some quite big money being spent by my region: NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, £18.3m budgeted for 2023/24.
AndBreathe said:
There are also lay people on the NICE panels, guiding their guidelines.

Medics and researchers (medical research is not always conducted by medics) are really interested in what the end user want/need and often admit that their medic colleagues don't have a truly realistic view of user experience.

In my view, it is imperative people like us (on here, with views) get involved in these things. If we sit silently, we'll get what we get and often we don't like that much.
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I am very tempted to find how I might get involved and help. I strongly agree with your last sentence. I was indoctrinated during my end of teens and subsequent years that "if you see something wrong and walk on by, you condone that wrong and by condoning it you approve it". I am no saint, but that has been a a strong reminder for me when my moral compass points me towards a better direction. Better to participate than walk on complaining!
 
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