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Complications

C

christine belfield

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Since being diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago I have lost 8 stone and eat a very healthy diet my latest blood test shows my level is 43, my blood sugars average out at approximately 5.5, so I don't understand why I am having complications protein in my urine sample and my latest eye test shows r1 retinopathy. I am at a loss to know what to do next?.
 
Even if your blood sugars are good now you’ll still have had high blood sugars in the past to be diagnosed with diabetes, which can cause complications now and in the future.
 
@Lucyr is right and it's estimated that one in five people are living with undiagnosed diabetes, in which case some of the damage that high BG can do might begin before an actual diagnosis. If you've lost weight, sorted your diet and are getting good numbers now then that's the key to managing any complications.
 
Lucyr said:
Even if your blood sugars are good now you’ll still have had high blood sugars in the past to be diagnosed with diabetes, which can cause complications now and in the future.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information it makes a lot of sense, think I am panicking a bit I have a morbid fear of going blind so my latest eye results have sent me into a spin, I know the problem with my kidneys is more dangerous than my eyes but can't help how I feel. All messages are most appreciated wish I had used this forum years ago.
 
christine belfield said:
Since being diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago I have lost 8 stone and eat a very healthy diet my latest blood test shows my level is 43, my blood sugars average out at approximately 5.5, so I don't understand why I am having complications protein in my urine sample and my latest eye test shows r1 retinopathy. I am at a loss to know what to do next?.
Click to expand...
The retinopathy test has a pretty high false positive rate. It's fairly common for people with no actual disease to get a spurious "r1" (ie the earliest stage) indication on one test & then a clear indication on the next.

Protein in urine can be due to a bunch of different things, I believe, so I think you'd need follow up and further testing to confirm whether it means much.

But either of these could also be real indications of microvascular disease, retinopathy and kidney disease, as a legacy of uncontrolled BG and/or blood pressure and/or cholesterol in the past. In any case, continued good control should rein in progression.
 
@christine belfield

Are you mild CKD 2 like me? The GP is not bothered about it. Healthy diet without too much protein (e.g. grams per dayless than 1.2 x body weight in kg) seems prudent. I'm 70 kg so less than 84 g/day.

In case you have not seen it the NHS says:

Stage 1: background retinopathy​

This means that tiny bulges (microaneurysms) have appeared in the blood vessels in the back of your eyes (retina), which may leak small amounts of blood. This is very common in people with diabetes.

At this stage:
  • your sight is not affected, although you have a higher risk of developing vision problems in the future
  • you do not need treatment, but you'll need to take care to prevent the problem getting worse – read more about preventing diabetic retinopathy
 
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