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Confused, worried and overwhelmed.

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Snapdragon

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Hello all, my husband has just been diagnosed as diabetic, about a week ago. We are not sure what type, awaiting more tests. His HbA1c test was 121, finger prick test this morning 15.6. He has been given some meds that can cause hypo’s and needs to check blood every 2 hours as he drives for a living. He is finding it difficult to use the testing equipment And has very little apatite. i am very worried about him, he is very thin, 60 years old! has a lot of leg pain. Just feel really out of my depth and need some support.
 
Welcome to the forum. It is a shock to many to get a diabetes diagnosis but sometimes it can be a relief as it explains symptoms they may have been getting. From you description of high HbA1C and thin, particularly if he has lost weight rapidly fits with the possibility of being Type 1 rather than Type 2 in which case he will need insulin.
What medication has he been prescribed and has he been given any dietary advice. Where is he being seen, hospital or GP, it would be a good idea to press for those test results as soon as possible as the sooner he gets appropriate treatment the better.
The usual thing is that a reduction in carbohydrate intake will help lower blood glucose but depending on what medication he has been given he would need to be cautious so as not to have low blood glucose.
What problem is he having with the equipment, there are YTUBE videos on how to use various monitors which you may find useful. If it is getting a small drop of blood then making sure the hands are warm and pricking just to the side of the pad and applying gentle pressure should yield the pin head size of drop needed to apply to the test strip.
 
Thank you for your reply, he has been given Gliclazide, only been seen by nurse specialist at GP who thinks he may actually be type 1 also. Quick weight loss started a number of years ago but he refused to see a dr. Only discovered diabetes following a urine dip as he had a UTI. Not much info in the way of diet given and I don’t want him to lose any more weight. He finds the blood testing device fiddly to use and the skin on his finger tips is quite thick as he has worked outside manually for many years.
 
Snapdragon said:
Thank you for your reply, he has been given Gliclazide, only been seen by nurse specialist at GP who thinks he may actually be type 1 also. Quick weight loss started a number of years ago but he refused to see a dr. Only discovered diabetes following a urine dip as he had a UTI. Not much info in the way of diet given and I don’t want him to lose any more weight. He finds the blood testing device fiddly to use and the skin on his finger tips is quite thick as he has worked outside manually for many years.
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It can be a problem if your skin is quite tough but he may need to adjust the lancing device to a higher (deeper setting) and try more on the side of the finger rather than the middle of the pad. Technique is everything and it is something he will need to master to keep safe. I used to find it quite hard to get blood from somebody who played the guitar as the skin was quite tough.
Gliclazide encourages the pancreas to produce more insulin if it is able but if Type 1 then it may struggle to make much difference.
Have a look at the Learning Zone (orange tab at the top) as it will explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 and the treatment for each.
 
Sorry to hear about the worrying time you and your husband are having @Snapdragon :(

Hope he gets some clarity about his diagnosis and classification soon, as it would be good to get an appropriate treatment regime started (if he does turn out to be T1, gliclazide most likely won’t work properly

Is he using the sides of his fingertips or the pads? The sides have fewer nerve endings, so it will be less uncomfortable, and the sides are likely to be less calloused. An Accuchek Fastclix is the preferred finger-stabber of choice for many members. Good depth adjustment and a drum of 6 lancets which you can change as often or as rarely as you like 🙂
 
Sorry to hear about your husbands difficult time, hopefully they’ll soon know what type he is. What kind of driving does he do for a living? If it’s a group 2 vehicle eg a bus or lorry then does he know he needs to inform the DVLA that he’s taking gliclazide?
 
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