Evening All

[Treborsenoj]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 4 months ago. Tried all the tablets but wasn’t working. I now take an injection once a week. I suffer from depression and anxiety and don’t know if me feeling like c**p is because of diabetes or my mental health. I constantly have nausea, acid and I’m constantly tired. Yet when I go to bed I can’t sleep. I’m fed up xx

 

[Billychick]

Hi Treborsenoj, sorry too hear that you are fed up. I was diagnosed in January and have had a tough time with Metformin, but slowly getting there. There are some lovely people on these forums who will give you lots of helpful and useful advise. I too get very tired and have anxiety, I am starting some therapy on Friday which I hope will put things into prospective. Chin up and remember you are not alone. 🙂

Billychick

 

[Treborsenoj]

Thank you so much for replying. It’s so nice to hear from you x

 

[Billychick]

My pleasure x

 

[CathyB]

Hi, I’m so sorry you are having such a difficult time, it’s a lot of life changes to deal with so don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone here is really friendly and there is a lot of knowledge and experience shared so feel free to ask questions. You are not alone

 

[Treborsenoj]

Hi, I’m so sorry you are having such a difficult time, it’s a lot of life changes to deal with so don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone here is really friendly and there is a lot of knowledge and experience shared so feel free to ask questions. You are not alone

Thank you so much for replying. I’m just exhausted and don’t know which way to turn.

 

[Martin Canty]

Welcome to the group, sorry to hear you are having a tough time

 

[Treborsenoj]

I just can’t establish if it’s rhe diabetes or my mental illness.

 

[Maz2]

Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. Welcome to the Forum. There is lots of help and support here and I hope you will feel better soon.

 

[Mark T]

It might not be either; most of my tiredness and general aches has been put down to Vitamin D imbalance. Anxiety is just a consequence of feeling s*** for me.

 

[Martin Canty]

It might not be either; most of my tiredness and general aches has been put down to Vitamin D imbalance.

Been hearing a lot about vitamin-D recently, my levels are half of what they should be so I've started taking the fish oil tablets

 

[JMyrtle]

Hi there
I understand how you feel but don't think of it as a mental illness.
What has happened to you causes disbelief and shock as it did for all of us at the point of diagnosis.
As others have said we are all here to help you and as your blood glucose goes down so will the anxiety and depression.
If your haven't done so already try reducing your carbs ( bread, pasta,rice,potato, and anything containing white flour) and that will reduce your b/g and make you feel better.

 

[Graham Follett]

Hi all. I too was diag type 2 a few months ago but I'm refusing Metformin and any other drug as I prefer to try diet and exercise. I got my bike out and signed up with the local gym and embarked on the 5:2 diet.
So far so good. Lost 4 kg and beginning to feel fitter. Sugar level's down too to 5.9 mmol.
Staying calm and not letting it all stess me out is my idea.......i THINK it's working. Seeing nurse in 2 weeks time and then I'll find out the truth!!
Graham

 

[Northerner]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 4 months ago. Tried all the tablets but wasn’t working. I now take an injection once a week. I suffer from depression and anxiety and don’t know if me feeling like c**p is because of diabetes or my mental health. I constantly have nausea, acid and I’m constantly tired. Yet when I go to bed I can’t sleep. I’m fed up xx

Hi Treborsenoj, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear you are feeling rubbish Do you measure your blood sugar levels using a blood glucose monitor? If you levels are high or fluctuating then this may be exaggerating your mental health problems, as poorly-controlled levels can have a big effect on your moods What injection are you on and how long have you been on it? Some of these once-a-week injections produce symptoms such as nausea and acid, so it could be that your body is still adjusting to it and will hopefully the symptoms will reduce in time.

How did your diagnosis come about? What sort of levels have you been getting that have persuaded the doctor that the usual tablets weren't working? Do you know what your HbA1c was at diagnosis? Sorry for all the questions, but it does give us a better idea of your situation and how we might be able to suggest things to improve it for you 🙂

Often, people don't get good information about how to go about managing their diabetes at diagnosis, unfortunately. I would recommend 'starting afresh' and putting the past 4 months behind you. Have a read of the excellent Maggie Davey's letter and get yourself a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. These should give you a good understanding of what it all entails and hopefully put you in a streonger position when discussing things with your nurse or doctor - rather than just being told what to do, if you understand things better you will be able to make more informed judgements about the advice you are being given.

Depending on the circumstances of your diagnosis there is a possibility that you have been misdiagnosed. If your symptoms appeared over a short period, your HbA1c was high, and the initial programme of medication had little effect then I would press your GP to consider whether you may actually be a slow-onset Type 1 (sometimes referred to as LADA - Latent Autoimmune Deficiency in Adulthood - or Type 1.5). It's important that you get a correct diagnosis so that you can receive the most appropriate treatment 🙂

If you don't currently test your blood sugar levels at home I would highly recommend asking for a monitor and a prescription for test strips. If the GP turns you down then it is worth funding your own for a short period whilst you gather evidence to show the GP that it is helping you to understand how your food choices affect your blood sugar levels and improve - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this can be achieved. Faced with the evidence, many GPs will then give a prescription for test strips. The cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50.

Remember, you are not alone in this and there are many knowledgeable, friendly people here who will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have, so please let us know if we can help in any way 🙂

 

[Treborsenoj]

Th

It might not be either; most of my tiredness and general aches has been put down to Vitamin D imbalance. Anxiety is just a consequence of feeling s*** for me.

Thanks for replying Mark.

 

[Treborsenoj]

Hi thank you so much for replying. I’m overwhelned with the support. I take trulicity 1.5mg once a week. My hb1 was 69. They told me not to measure and they would repay the test. I’ve constant nausea, acid and bloatedness. I have no appetite and weight is dropping off me. I sometimes feel really shaky. Other times I get a really bad headache. I just feel exhausted. I can’t sleep either xx

Hi Treborsenoj, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear you are feeling rubbish Do you measure your blood sugar levels using a blood glucose monitor? If you levels are high or fluctuating then this may be exaggerating your mental health problems, as poorly-controlled levels can have a big effect on your moods What injection are you on and how long have you been on it? Some of these once-a-week injections produce symptoms such as nausea and acid, so it could be that your body is still adjusting to it and will hopefully the symptoms will reduce in time.

How did your diagnosis come about? What sort of levels have you been getting that have persuaded the doctor that the usual tablets weren't working? Do you know what your HbA1c was at diagnosis? Sorry for all the questions, but it does give us a better idea of your situation and how we might be able to suggest things to improve it for you 🙂

Often, people don't get good information about how to go about managing their diabetes at diagnosis, unfortunately. I would recommend 'starting afresh' and putting the past 4 months behind you. Have a read of the excellent Maggie Davey's letter and get yourself a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. These should give you a good understanding of what it all entails and hopefully put you in a streonger position when discussing things with your nurse or doctor - rather than just being told what to do, if you understand things better you will be able to make more informed judgements about the advice you are being given.

Depending on the circumstances of your diagnosis there is a possibility that you have been misdiagnosed. If your symptoms appeared over a short period, your HbA1c was high, and the initial programme of medication had little effect then I would press your GP to consider whether you may actually be a slow-onset Type 1 (sometimes referred to as LADA - Latent Autoimmune Deficiency in Adulthood - or Type 1.5). It's important that you get a correct diagnosis so that you can receive the most appropriate treatment 🙂

If you don't currently test your blood sugar levels at home I would highly recommend asking for a monitor and a prescription for test strips. If the GP turns you down then it is worth funding your own for a short period whilst you gather evidence to show the GP that it is helping you to understand how your food choices affect your blood sugar levels and improve - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how this can be achieved. Faced with the evidence, many GPs will then give a prescription for test strips. The cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50.

Remember, you are not alone in this and there are many knowledgeable, friendly people here who will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have, so please let us know if we can help in any way 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Hi thank you so much for replying. I’m overwhelned with the support. I take trulicity 1.5mg once a week. My hb1 was 69. They told me not to measure and they would repay the test. I’ve constant nausea, acid and bloatedness. I have no appetite and weight is dropping off me. I sometimes feel really shaky. Other times I get a really bad headache. I just feel exhausted. I can’t sleep either xx

I'd highly recommend testing so you can try and relate how you are feeling to what your blood sugar levels are at the time. Having another HbA1c in a few weeks/months time might tell you that things aren't great - but you will have no idea what might be contributing to the problem unless you measure your response to what you eat on a daily basis. People are told they don't need to test because the test strips can be quite expensive, but it's a false economy in the longer-term if it leads to you not gaining good control and perhaps needing more medication or other treatments. Have another read of the links I suggested and see if they make logical sense 🙂

The nausea, acid and bloating may be side-effects of the Trulicity and may settle down as you become accustomed to it, but do go back to your doctor if things don't seem to be improving, or are getting worse. You may be feeling shaky on occasions because you blood sugar levels are lower than you have been accustomed to before starting the medication. Usually, these will be 'false hypos' i.e. your levels are not dangerously low, but your brain misinterprets the information it is getting. This is another reason to test, so you know what level you are when you feel shaky.

How much weight are you losing? Again, if this is alarming you, please press your GP or nurse for an explanation or to review your diagnosis - if they can't offer anything then ask to be referred to a specialist - many GPs are only used to dealing with fairly straightforward cases and yours sounds a little out of the ordinary. Good luck, please let us know how things go for you 🙂

 

[Brando77]

I'd highly recommend testing so you can try and relate how you are feeling to what your blood sugar levels are at the time. Having another HbA1c in a few weeks/months time might tell you that things aren't great - but you will have no idea what might be contributing to the problem unless you measure your response to what you eat on a daily basis. People are told they don't need to test because the test strips can be quite expensive, but it's a false economy in the longer-term if it leads to you not gaining good control and perhaps needing more medication or other treatments. Have another read of the links I suggested and see if they make logical sense 🙂

The nausea, acid and bloating may be side-effects of the Trulicity and may settle down as you become accustomed to it, but do go back to your doctor if things don't seem to be improving, or are getting worse. You may be feeling shaky on occasions because you blood sugar levels are lower than you have been accustomed to before starting the medication. Usually, these will be 'false hypos' i.e. your levels are not dangerously low, but your brain misinterprets the information it is getting. This is another reason to test, so you know what level you are when you feel shaky.

How much weight are you losing? Again, if this is alarming you, please press your GP or nurse for an explanation or to review your diagnosis - if they can't offer anything then ask to be referred to a specialist - many GPs are only used to dealing with fairly straightforward cases and yours sounds a little out of the ordinary. Good luck, please let us know how things go for you 🙂

Yep, I got a free accu-chek tester because they put me on a pill that causes hypos. If I come off it then I don't get free strips which are expensive....so....first thing I'll do is buy the codefree tester and much cheaper strips. It's worth testing to see what's happening to your bg levels. Test away.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Treborsenoj

You;ve had loads of great advice already, so I just wanted to say hi. As Northie says, do keep in contact with your clinic/GP/nurse and let them know about your mood and how difficult you are finding things.

Also do let them know about your weight. High BGs and rapid weight loss can be a number of things, but it is possible that you have one of the rarer sub-types of diabetes (like LADA) which may explain why the tablets were not effective to start with.