Awful thirst and bleeding lips

[Sullipepper]

Hi I was recalled to have a nother hb1c test after it came back abnormal. After a 2nd test it came back type 2 diabetes. I'm still waiting for some one to call me. Hb1c was 7.2 higher than the 1st one. My question is how long will it take to stop the awful thirst bleeding lips and countless trips to the loo. Sorry just not sure where to start.

 

[BlueArmy]

Never heard of bleeding lips before, sounds nasty. Once you get your BG under control the thirst will abate as will the number of trips to the loo. Metformin sorted me out in a few weeks or so in terms of fatigue, thirst and excessive toilet trips

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

I would imagine the bleeding lips are due to dehydration and them cracking. 7.2% for an HbA1c isn't terribly high so whilst it is over the diabetes threshold, it's not huge. so quite surprising that you are suffering excessive thirst and toilet trips at that point. Not sure what you are drinking to quench it but plain water is better than anything else. Avoid anything like fruit juice or sugary drinks or even milk as they all contain carbs which will go straight back into your blood stream and defeat what your body is trying to do in removing the excess glucose through your kidneys.

If you haven't yet been started on medication, and even after you are, the best thing you can do is cut down on the carbs in your diet to help your body cope. That is not just the sweet stuff but the starchy carbs too, so grains and grain products like bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles and breakfast cereals as well as root veg like potatoes and parsnips. Eating more leafy green veg to bulk your food out but don't be frightened to have a nice dollop of butter on them to make them taste good. We can give you lots of tips on food swaps to make your meals lower carb if you are interested. With diabetes, you can't rely on medication alone and lifestyle changes are probably more important than any tablets you can take, so this interim period may be a good time to start getting your head around diet and exercise plans.

 

[helli]

With diabetes, you can't rely on medication alone and lifestyle changes are probably more important than any tablets you can take

I appreciate that the OP has said they have type 2 diabetes.
But please be careful to distinguish between the different types rather than making blanket comments about diabetes like this.
For example, with Type 1, we have to rely on medication (insulin) and many of us do not need to make lifestyle changes.

 

[BlueArmy]

Even for type 2 - not all type 2’s are
overweight.

 

[rebrascora]

I appreciate that the OP has said they have type 2 diabetes.
But please be careful to distinguish between the different types rather than making blanket comments about diabetes like this.
For example, with Type 1, we have to rely on medication (insulin) and many of us do not need to make lifestyle changes.

I appreciate the point you are making @helli but lifestyle changes can also benefit Type 1 diabetics (they certainly did for me) although, as I was replying to someone who had been diagnosed Type 2, I felt it was appropriate to mention and I specifically used the word tablets rather than medication to differentiate between oral meds and insulin, so I felt that I had adjusted my advice to the circumstances but clearly the fact that someone whose judgement I respect, felt the need to comment, suggests that I wasn't careful enough, so I will be more cautious in the future.

 

[Sullipepper]

Never heard of bleeding lips before, sounds nasty. Once you get your BG under control the thirst will abate as will the number of trips to the loo. Metformin sorted me out in a few weeks or so in terms of fatigue, thirst and excessive toilet trips

Thankyou

 

[Sullipepper]

Hi and welcome.

I would imagine the bleeding lips are due to dehydration and them cracking. 7.2% for an HbA1c isn't terribly high so whilst it is over the diabetes threshold, it's not huge. so quite surprising that you are suffering excessive thirst and toilet trips at that point. Not sure what you are drinking to quench it but plain water is better than anything else. Avoid anything like fruit juice or sugary drinks or even milk as they all contain carbs which will go straight back into your blood stream and defeat what your body is trying to do in removing the excess glucose through your kidneys.

If you haven't yet been started on medication, and even after you are, the best thing you can do is cut down on the carbs in your diet to help your body cope. That is not just the sweet stuff but the starchy carbs too, so grains and grain products like bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles and breakfast cereals as well as root veg like potatoes and parsnips. Eating more leafy green veg to bulk your food out but don't be frightened to have a nice dollop of butter on them to make them taste good. We can give you lots of tips on food swaps to make your meals lower carb if you are interested. With diabetes, you can't rely on medication alone and lifestyle changes are probably more important than any tablets you can take, so this interim period may be a good time to start getting your head around diet and exercise plans.

Thankyou for all the information

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Hi and welcome.

I would imagine the bleeding lips are due to dehydration and them cracking. 7.2% for an HbA1c isn't terribly high so whilst it is over the diabetes threshold, it's not huge. so quite surprising that you are suffering excessive thirst and toilet trips at that point. Not sure what you are drinking to quench it but plain water is better than anything else. Avoid anything like fruit juice or sugary drinks or even milk as they all contain carbs which will go straight back into your blood stream and defeat what your body is trying to do in removing the excess glucose through your kidneys.

If you haven't yet been started on medication, and even after you are, the best thing you can do is cut down on the carbs in your diet to help your body cope. That is not just the sweet stuff but the starchy carbs too, so grains and grain products like bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles and breakfast cereals as well as root veg like potatoes and parsnips. Eating more leafy green veg to bulk your food out but don't be frightened to have a nice dollop of butter on them to make them taste good. We can give you lots of tips on food swaps to make your meals lower carb if you are interested. With diabetes, you can't rely on medication alone and lifestyle changes are probably more important than any tablets you can take, so this interim period may be a good time to start getting your head around diet and exercise plans.

The "nice dollop of butter" would have seriously impeded my weight loss on a low calorie diet, and pushed my cholesterol up when I was avoiding saturated fat to bring it down.
I did often get bombarded with the "one size fits all" approach when I was diagnosed as well, but it really doesn't.
Fewer, and healthier, carbs is a good starting point.

 

[trophywench]

In any event cos I'm not engaging with your diabetes - for goodness sake get some Lypsil, or Vaseline with Aloe Vera, and plaster your lips with it VERY frequently. Or if you wear lippy, use that more frequently - anything you can to heal cracks and prevent new ones, cos it's miserable when you have them.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Sullipepper

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Extreme thirst and frequent trips to the loo are usually caused by BGs over 10mmol/L or so. This is about the level of the renal threshold, where the kidneys start trying to flush out excess glucose through increased urination, which in turn leads to excess thirst.

An HbA1c of 7-7.5% might be roughly equivalent to eAG (estimated average glucose) of 8.6-9.4mmol/L - though a direct conversion between the two numbers isn’t possible.

These days it is more usual for your A1c to be given in different units. 7.2% is equivalent to 55mmol/mol, where 48 is the cut off for a diabetes diagnosis.

What is HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).

www.diabetes.org.uk