Am I wasting the nurses time

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Rob Wright

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi

I am new to this whole thing and struggling with this and depression.

I am struggling to get my blood sugar below 6 even eating homemade food for all meals for a week (All low to zero carb meals) the best I got was 6.2
When I eat anything with a slightly high carb content (30 - 40 grams of carbs) my level shoots up to over 15
Should I talk to the diabetic nurse or is there something I am missing ?
I am using Gliclazide 40mg twice a day.
My HbA1c was 130 when first diagnosed one month ago.
 
Hello @Rob Wright ,welcome to the forum . How did you come to be diagnosed ie symptoms, was their any unexpected weight loss?
Yes I would speak to your nurse again.
I am going to tag a far more experienced member than I @everydayupsanddowns as I am wondering if you may not have T2 , please don’t let this worry you as all types can be managed well, it’s just that different treatments are needed.
 
Hello @Rob Wright

Welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and that you are also wrestling the black dog. Depression can make things much trickier to see clearly, but you are definitely NOT wasting your nurse’s time.

It may be that while you initially presented with that appeared to be T2 (eg you were in your 30s and carrying a little extra weight) what you were actually developing was LADA, a slower and later onset version of T1. Or possibly another variant!

There are tests that can help (for antibodies and cPeptide) but there are other clues including weight loss, ketones and speed of onset as @Ljc had suggested.

You are not wasting anyone’s time and you deserve good support and to get your diagnosis checked - and therefore more appropriate treatment.

Let us know how you get on 🙂
 
Thanks Lin,
I just got a call from the doctor out of the blue as I get my blood tested for another condition and they said I have diabetes.
I am stressing myself out which is the worst as when my blood levels go over 10 my feet hurt (not sure if this is psychosomatic or not),
I have an appointment for tomorrow but after I made it I started worrying that I was wasting there time and it was me not accepting the fact I could never eat anything I love again ie pies, chips, crisps, chocolate ever. Which in part was depressing me and then causing me to think stuff it and eating it anyway.
I have been suicidal before and so have not treated by body with care when I get into a depression.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Hello @Rob Wright

Welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and that you are also wrestling the black dog. Depression can make things much trickier to see clearly, but you are definitely NOT wasting your nurse’s time.

It may be that while you initially presented with that appeared to be T2 (eg you were in your 30s and carrying a little extra weight) what you were actually developing was LADA, a slower and later onset version of T1. Or possibly another variant!

There are tests that can help (for antibodies and cPeptide) but there are other clues including weight loss, ketones and speed of onset as @Ljc had suggested.

You are not wasting anyone’s time and you deserve good support and to get your diagnosis checked - and therefore more appropriate treatment.

Let us know how you get on 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks Mick

I was nervous of posting here as I hate talking about myself but this has made me feel better.
 
I agree with every word from @everydayupsanddowns.

And don’t worry about talking about yourself, we all do that, and you’ll always find that a few folk have been through what you are going through, so keep in touch.

Best of luck with the nurse, let’s hope she (or he) is on the ball. And tell her about the depression, it’s not unusual after first diagnosis.
 
I had no symptoms of diabetes and like you found out the same way, it sure comes as a shock doesn’t it.
I was diagnosed over twenty years ago others here for much longer, there is a great life after diagnosis,
honest!
It’s only natural for your head to be in a whirl atm , so try to be kind to yourself, it’s also perfectly normal to be worried or even frightened, hopefully we can help ease your fears.

It is going to take you a little time to get your head around things also there is an awful lot if misinformation out there about diabetes.
We do get to eat good tasty meals, I sure don’t live on salads and fresh air.
Yes their are certain changes we need to make to our diet but I am pretty sure we are going to surprise you .
We usually have no problems with protein or good fats. It’s only carbohydrates we have problems with.
Our meals and treats are certainly not dull and uninteresting, yes you’ve read tight their treats 🙂
You might want to have a read through these long running threads

We have some amazing cooks who put their low(er) carb innovations here
recipes. You’ll find a recipe for pizza in there.

On this thread we shine our halos and bare our sins
what-did-you-eat-yesterday
 
Ljc said:
I had no symptoms of diabetes and like you found out the same way, it sure comes as a shock doesn’t it.
I was diagnosed over twenty years ago others here for much longer, there is a great life after diagnosis,
honest!
It’s only natural for your head to be in a whirl atm , so try to be kind to yourself, it’s also perfectly normal to be worried or even frightened, hopefully we can help ease your fears.

It is going to take you a little time to get your head around things also there is an awful lot if misinformation out there about diabetes.
We do get to eat good tasty meals, I sure don’t live on salads and fresh air.
Yes their are certain changes we need to make to our diet but I am pretty sure we are going to surprise you .
We usually have no problems with protein or good fats. It’s only carbohydrates we have problems with.
Our meals and treats are certainly not dull and uninteresting, yes you’ve read tight their treats 🙂
You might want to have a read through these long running threads

We have some amazing cooks who put their low(er) carb innovations here
recipes. You’ll find a recipe for pizza in there.

On this thread we shine our halos and bare our sins
what-did-you-eat-yesterday
Click to expand...
Thank you I will check out this forum as I think it will get me far more reliable information than Google search. Plus I can asked when I am lost.

That is the worse part for me is the feeling alone as I have been told to take the meds make sure I am not hypo before driving and see you in three months. Here's the info pack good luck.

Then the reality hits you and you have so many questions with no one to ask.
 
Rob Wright said:
Thank you I will check out this forum as I think it will get me far more reliable information than Google search. Plus I can asked when I am lost.

That is the worse part for me is the feeling alone as I have been told to take the meds make sure I am not hypo before driving and see you in three months. Here's the info pack good luck.

Then the reality hits you and you have so many questions with no one to ask.
Click to expand...
That is because Gliclazide can cause hypos.
 
Hi Rob

I too have suffered with depression for many years and I have to say, this diabetes diagnosis may have been the best treatment for it because I have to eat healthily now and try to follow a routine which was something that I have struggled with since I worked rotating shifts for many years and both of those things now have a very positive effect on my mental health and wellbeing.
I would like to say that you have done incredibly well to get your readings down into the 6s in such a short space of time..... My HbA1c wasn't quite as high as yours and it took me 7 weeks to get a 6 reading. I too think that you may have been incorrectly diagnosed. It is a general assumption that you are Type 2 if you have been diagnosed as a mature adult and special testing is needed to identify Type 1 so it might be worth asking your nurse about that. She will probably be liaising with a doctor or possibly a consultant about your case with such a high HbA1c.... I know there were case conferences with a consultant in the early weeks of my diagnosis without my direct involvement, so it is important that you feed information to your nurse so that she is aware of how things are going.....so definitely don't feel like you are wasting their time.

As regards worrying that you will never be able to eat those things you loved, I can remember sitting shell shocked thinking that I would never be able to have another Cadbury's Cream Egg and then when we harvested our new potatoes, I threw a dicky fit, threw my toys out of the pram and sulked because I could only have 3 piddly little marble sized ones whilst my partner had a plateful. I was a serious chocaholic as well as sugar addict and I also ate and enjoyed a lot of bread and potatoes. I now have the odd square of dark chocolate, have cut all other sweets from my diet (although I did use sugar free sweets to help me get there.... Sula Rhubarb and Custard are very nice and even my partner enjoyed them) and I don't eat bread anymore and just a small portion of potatoes which I can now offset by injecting insulin, but the important thing is that I no longer crave all that bad food that I used to eat. I do ensure that I have plenty of nuts and cheese and olives and the odd bag of pork scratchings in the house to treat myself when I fancy a snack. Those things may not appeal to you but it is important to find treats that you do enjoy which will not spike your blood glucose and focus on those instead of the things you used to enjoy which send your BG soaring. Work at it gradually and don't be frightened to try new foods. I can't believe that I now love blue cheese and olives and that I can have a tiny square of chocolate and not want to eat the whole bar as I would have done previously or that I can drink coffee without sugar (I have cream in it instead) and enjoy it! I also really enjoy my meals, despite not being able to pile my plate with tatties or Yorkshire Puddings. I compensate with other things that I enjoy. Cauliflower cheese, leeks done in butter with a dollop of cream cheese, cabbage and spinach cooked in butter and served with a little cream. Homemade ratatouille made with lots of really nice olive oil and topped with gruyere cheese. It takes a lot more planning and time cooking but I am benefitting from it in more ways than just keeping my diabetes under control.
It is still very early days so don't expect too much but definitely keep in touch with your nurse and please keep us updated here too. There will be down days when you struggle and want to pig out .... we all have them.... but try to go for foods that are not too bad when you get those days and don't give yourself a hard time for it. Tomorrow is a new day and you can do better then. Don't feel shy or embarrassed about sharing how you feel with us because we have all been through it and still experience times of weakness or frustration or panic.... we understand.
Also mention to your nurse about the pains in your feet. She can refer you to the podiatrist to have your feet checked. It may be psychosomatic or it may not but the important thing is to get them checked out.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi Rob

I too have suffered with depression for many years and I have to say, this diabetes diagnosis may have been the best treatment for it because I have to eat healthily now and try to follow a routine which was something that I have struggled with since I worked rotating shifts for many years and both of those things now have a very positive effect on my mental health and wellbeing.
I would like to say that you have done incredibly well to get your readings down into the 6s in such a short space of time..... My HbA1c wasn't quite as high as yours and it took me 7 weeks to get a 6 reading. I too think that you may have been incorrectly diagnosed. It is a general assumption that you are Type 2 if you have been diagnosed as a mature adult and special testing is needed to identify Type 1 so it might be worth asking your nurse about that. She will probably be liaising with a doctor or possibly a consultant about your case with such a high HbA1c.... I know there were case conferences with a consultant in the early weeks of my diagnosis without my direct involvement, so it is important that you feed information to your nurse so that she is aware of how things are going.....so definitely don't feel like you are wasting their time.

As regards worrying that you will never be able to eat those things you loved, I can remember sitting shell shocked thinking that I would never be able to have another Cadbury's Cream Egg and then when we harvested our new potatoes, I threw a dicky fit, threw my toys out of the pram and sulked because I could only have 3 piddly little marble sized ones whilst my partner had a plateful. I was a serious chocaholic as well as sugar addict and I also ate and enjoyed a lot of bread and potatoes. I now have the odd square of dark chocolate, have cut all other sweets from my diet (although I did use sugar free sweets to help me get there.... Sula Rhubarb and Custard are very nice and even my partner enjoyed them) and I don't eat bread anymore and just a small portion of potatoes which I can now offset by injecting insulin, but the important thing is that I no longer crave all that bad food that I used to eat. I do ensure that I have plenty of nuts and cheese and olives and the odd bag of pork scratchings in the house to treat myself when I fancy a snack. Those things may not appeal to you but it is important to find treats that you do enjoy which will not spike your blood glucose and focus on those instead of the things you used to enjoy which send your BG soaring. Work at it gradually and don't be frightened to try new foods. I can't believe that I now love blue cheese and olives and that I can have a tiny square of chocolate and not want to eat the whole bar as I would have done previously or that I can drink coffee without sugar (I have cream in it instead) and enjoy it! I also really enjoy my meals, despite not being able to pile my plate with tatties or Yorkshire Puddings. I compensate with other things that I enjoy. Cauliflower cheese, leeks done in butter with a dollop of cream cheese, cabbage and spinach cooked in butter and served with a little cream. Homemade ratatouille made with lots of really nice olive oil and topped with gruyere cheese. It takes a lot more planning and time cooking but I am benefitting from it in more ways than just keeping my diabetes under control.
It is still very early days so don't expect too much but definitely keep in touch with your nurse and please keep us updated here too. There will be down days when you struggle and want to pig out .... we all have them.... but try to go for foods that are not too bad when you get those days and don't give yourself a hard time for it. Tomorrow is a new day and you can do better then. Don't feel shy or embarrassed about sharing how you feel with us because we have all been through it and still experience times of weakness or frustration or panic.... we understand.
Also mention to your nurse about the pains in your feet. She can refer you to the podiatrist to have your feet checked. It may be psychosomatic or it may not but the important thing is to get them checked out.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the support
 
I have spoken to a nurse which was not much help basically saying I have already do a feet check please wait until your next review and keep taking the pain killers.
I have though since had my DERIK meeting and after that I feel a lot more confident in what I am doing and eating. I know now I no longer need to worry about my day to day sugar levels (you can have bad days and great days) as it is the 3 month levels that really matter. Also completely cutting out all carbs from my diet was not a very good thing to do as I was missing out on a health diet and nutrition.
I have changed my diet and and i am far less stressed which in turn has made me feel better my sugar levels when I do test them for driving are far better now as well.

So I am hoping that my HbA will be far lower than 130 in my next review.
 
Rob Wright said:
Thank you I will check out this forum as I think it will get me far more reliable information than Google search. Plus I can asked when I am lost.

That is the worse part for me is the feeling alone as I have been told to take the meds make sure I am not hypo before driving and see you in three months. Here's the info pack good luck.

Then the reality hits you and you have so many questions with no one to ask.
Click to expand...
Have they told you the other DVLA rules ?
 
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