• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Blood Glucose

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
J

Javelin

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone. Newly diagnosed in November as type 2 diabetic. Hba1c was 55 on first test and 53 on diagnosis. Referred to Oviva support but they couldn’t fit me in until until tomorrow so don’t know an awful lot other than trying to cut carbs, which I have been doing. Have been advised I won’t have another test until after 1/3/21. Anyway, went for cataract surgery yesterday and the admitting nurse was really antagonistic. She did Bg and it was 14, which I know is high but all I’d had for breakfast was weetabix and unsweetened almond milk. She berated me for having poor control and that the first thing I should have done on diagnosis was go to Boots and buy a monitor. She said I was very ‘lucky’ that the surgeon on yesterday was lenient because the others would have sent me home without my op. She went on at great length about the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. Now while part of me understands all this I am really confused as I have been really really ‘good’ with my diet, so much so that my husband says I’m taking the carbs thing too far. My question comes down to this I suppose: could the prospect of the operation have caused enough stress to raise BG or could it part if the ‘dawn phenomenon’ I’ve been reading about? I’m really down now after being excited about being able to see properly and feeling I was doing really well with my diet. I have an op for second cataract sometime in feb and am already worrying about what to expect. I know I have whitecoat syndrome as my bp rockets when I see a doctor and wondered if it’s the same for blood glucose? Thanks for listening to me ramble on and for any insights you’re able to give. It’s hard as all as I’ve had so far is a phone call to confirm diabetes diagnosis and feel clueless.
 
Hi @Javelin. A warm welcome to you! I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Regardless of your level of control, I don't think any healthcare professional should have been antagonistic towards you.

I can only speak from my own experience as a Type 1, but I do sometimes find that stressful or worrisome situations can cause my BGs to rise. I think it might be the adrenaline! So it could well be that if you were somewhat stressed about your op then your BGs could have risen. Maybe you could ask about this at a future diabetes checkup?

And not to worry about rambling! This is what we are here for! Feel free to ramble anytime!
 
Well for many Type 2 Weetabix are not good then many other cereals are not either.
I would wait to see what they say on the Oviva course tomorrow, even in more normal times some do not get on any sort of course immediately.
 
admc26 said:
Hi @Javelin. A warm welcome to you! I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Regardless of your level of control, I don't think any healthcare professional should have been antagonistic towards you.

I can only speak from my own experience as a Type 1, but I do sometimes find that stressful or worrisome situations can cause my BGs to rise. I think it might be the adrenaline! So it could well be that if you were somewhat stressed about your op then your BGs could have risen. Maybe you could ask about this at a future diabetes checkup?

And not to worry about rambling! This is what we are here for! Feel free to ramble anytime!
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for your speedy response and reassurance. At least if you think it’s a possibility it makes me feel a whole lot better!
 
grovesy said:
Well for many Type 2 Weetabix are not good then many other cereals are not either.
I would wait to see what they say on the Oviva course tomorrow, even in more normal times some do not get on any sort of course immediately.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding. Your info is interesting as I had been told to choose weetabix or oats as although high carb they were ‘good’ carbs so ok. I will definitely raise this during Oviva session tomorrow. I wasn’t complaining about the wait btw, it’s just that the nurse seemed to think I should know lots of stuff even though I haven’t had any formal ‘info’ sessions and nit due any more tests until March.
 
Javelin said:
Thank you for responding. Your info is interesting as I had been told to choose weetabix or oats as although high carb they were ‘good’ carbs so ok. I will definitely raise this during Oviva session tomorrow. I wasn’t complaining about the wait btw, it’s just that the nurse seemed to think I should know lots of stuff even though I haven’t had any formal ‘info’ sessions and nit due any more tests until March.
Click to expand...
Despite everything, the advice to get a BG monitor and self-test was good. Everybody reacts differently to different carbs and you can't know what does what to you, unless you test.

Weetabix: Many people's BG gets elevated a lot by grain foods. If you self-test, you might see that happening to you with Weetabix. The standard advice to eat whole grains is really based on thinking that people are always going to eat grains anyway, and whole grains are better than white bread, white rice etc for general nutrition.
 
Thank you. I think I will follow up on your suggestion and have a look at that then. Can I ask for another bit of advice please? What monitor should I look to buy as there seem so many on market?
 
First time I've ever heard of Oviva - had to look them up! - hope it helps, anyway.

Hope the eye's going on alright anyway? Have to say - I hated having both mine done, though as I said to the doc who did the first one for me cos he asked - I can confidently say, I think that was the worst 15 minutes of my life so far - but if you ask me if that will stop me coming back and having the other one done - NO!! it won't ! I recently commented on here, fist bloke was English and really did communicate well whilst doing it - but the second one wasn't English and was constantly saying things like 'You're doing well and I've nearly finished already!' whereas I was thinking 'You're a bloody liar then, cos I already know (from having the fist one done of course) that you've hardly started!' They were and are, both OK, anyway. Truly hope yours are too. Very little tends to go wrong with them these days all in all.

Think you need to pass the Nurses comments on to your GP, because simply referring you on elsewhere and thus getting rid of you, is NOT enough TBH.
 
Javelin said:
Thank you. I think I will follow up on your suggestion and have a look at that then. Can I ask for another bit of advice please? What monitor should I look to buy as there seem so many on market?
Click to expand...
Loads of useful reading material - thank you!
 
trophywench said:
First time I've ever heard of Oviva - had to look them up! - hope it helps, anyway.

Hope the eye's going on alright anyway? Have to say - I hated having both mine done, though as I said to the doc who did the first one for me cos he asked - I can confidently say, I think that was the worst 15 minutes of my life so far - but if you ask me if that will stop me coming back and having the other one done - NO!! it won't ! I recently commented on here, fist bloke was English and really did communicate well whilst doing it - but the second one wasn't English and was constantly saying things like 'You're doing well and I've nearly finished already!' whereas I was thinking 'You're a bloody liar then, cos I already know (from having the fist one done of course) that you've hardly started!' They were and are, both OK, anyway. Truly hope yours are too. Very little tends to go wrong with them these days all in all.

Think you need to pass the Nurses comments on to your GP, because simply referring you on elsewhere and thus getting rid of you, is NOT enough TBH.
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding. I’m really impressed with the eye surgery tbh - yesterday was sore but today’s so much better and I can see!!!! The world had become a very dark place thanks to that cataract. Strange to say I’m looking forward to getting the other one done although I am now concerned about blood glucose levels after yesterday as I still won’t have had the next hba1c unless I get a surgeon who won’t do it if it does turn high for whatever reason. However, the info given on here has made me feel a bit more confident and I AM going to get a monitor and try and find out what is going on. I just feel if they could find a way to get consistent info to you quickly you could get a better handle on it right from the start. I feel like I have worked really hard on the carbs but may have made my blood glucose worse not better over the past month. But I know a lot more from this thread than I did before so I’m going to look at it as a useful learning experience!
 
Hi javelin. I really think that the nurse was out of order. However i know that all hospital services are stretched at the moment. I hope that you get help from the course. Stress always makes my blood sugars rise. Having a meter will be really useful but as someone else has said its the strips that are an extra cost. I get mine on prescription but i have no idea if type 2 diabetics can get this?
 
Thank you ! As I’m not yet on any medication I’m told I wont qualify for testing strips at the moment, which is fair enough I suppose. But I’m going to invest in some as most responders feel it gives you insight into what triggers personal spikes etc. I want to get a handle on this ASAP rather than making things worse.
 
Ever wonder how many T2s they get in the cataract clinic who are equally clueless and how frustrated that must make those nurses? Cos there are disinterested patients who however much you explain things to them, STILL choose to ignore it and expect taking a few tablets to sort it out for them without doing anything they don't fancy bothering with. Just being truthful ! I'd want to have a rant when too frustrated by the same thing time and time again - and yeah, so was the nurse - cos it's a fact that some surgeons do refuse to operate - this was actually stressed to me all along at Nuneaton hospital from the first time I went to see them about mine, so I'd have no excuse had mine been high those mornings. There they usually try to get the diabetics done first - a T2 chap was a bit grumpy in fact on discovering he was second after me when I had No 1 done! I laughed and said well - we can't both be first, mate.
 
Yes I do get it but I haven’t been one of those and have tried to be as proactive as I can given very limited contact. I get we’ve had covid but I feel I’ve now wasted at least a month potentially worse because of lack of/misinformation. When I got the call from the diabetes nurse to say I had it I asked about self monitoring and she said no because I wasn’t on meds and that it was pointless until I’d had another hba1c test after 1/3/21 so I’m also frustrated about the difference in opinion of two ‘professionals’ while I’m playing piggy in the middle trying to guess the way forward.
 
Inamuddle said:
Hi javelin. I really think that the nurse was out of order. However i know that all hospital services are stretched at the moment. I hope that you get help from the course. Stress always makes my blood sugars rise. Having a meter will be really useful but as someone else has said its the strips that are an extra cost. I get mine on prescription but i have no idea if type 2 diabetics can get this
Click to expand...
Many Type 2 do not get prescribed test strips unless they are hypo inducing medication, even then they get limited amounts.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top