extreme thirst

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LisaLQ

LisaLQ

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hey folks.

I was diagnosed type 2 a few weeks ago, since then I've been on a very strict diet (no sugar, no fat, low calorie, no salt) and I've already lost about a stone. Several more to go of course, you cant see it lol.

But I'm still getting the extreme thirst, and the increased trips to the loo, and headaches when I've slept and not been drinking. I'm drinking tonnes to keep up but it makes no difference.

My fasting glucose before the diet was only 7.8, so relatively low - apparently I shouldnt be getting symptoms at this level so I'm a bit odd. But surely on the diet I should be feeling better, not worse? I've not seen the nurse or doctor since my diagnosis, but I've got more blood/urine tests this week, and am due to talk over the results and plans from there with the nurse on 11th. But just wondered whether someone could go over what I eat and tell me where I'm going wrong?

Bearing in mind this is the diet sheet I've been given (not even a diabetic one!):
http://www.bhsoc.org/pdfs/Healthy_Eating_Diet_Sheet.pdf

Average day:

Breakfast: bran flakes or plain oats, skimmed milk, some days I have a cup of coffee (with skimmed milk/sweetener)
Lunch: ryvitas or wholegrain bread (seedy type) with cottage cheese, cucumber, or 1-2 times a week I'll have a boiled egg instead.
Dinner: very lean grilled chicken/fish/quorn/pork, veggies and/or salad, small baked potato/brown rice/brown pasta - sometimes a Weightwatchers sauce (third of a jar - which is smaller than the recommended 1/2 jar portion).

In between meals - fruit (oranges, apples). Water, water and more water.

I'm not cheating, I've had no sugar, high fat, or naughty food at all since my diagnosis (unless you can spot anything in there?).

Am I to assume that diet alone is not going to work if I'm still having these symptoms? I dont test my blood as I was told not to, and wasn't given a kit anyway (although I may buy my own if they dont give me one after my next appointment).

Anyhoo - sorry for wittering on - I now have to go as I'm gagging for a drink and busting for the loo 😛

Lisa
xx
 
Do you have a glucose meter so that you can see how high you are when you are feeling very thirsty?

It is carbohydrate that pushes glucose levels up, so you may be eating healthily, but still causing blood sugars to rise too much.

Edit: Sorry I have just read again and see you don't have a meter. It would be worth testing just to see if you are actually high when you are feeling thirsty.
 
That's what I thought - when I had gestational diabetes 7 years ago I was told to eat a low carb low GI diet, and yet this time they told me that's not necessary any more, and to eat a normal healthy diet. And obviously a normal healthy diet includes carbs. :confused:

I think my sister may have a glucose monitor (her son gets ketotic hypoglycaemia) I'll see if she has any strips I can pinch. When should I test and what should I be aiming for? It's been so long I cant remember...
 
Bran flakes are high in sugar and so is milk believe it or not! 20g of lactose in 200 ml of milk, thats 100g a litre!! and it makes no difference to lactose content if skimmed, semi skimmed or full fat.
After diagnosis i was put on metformin and the thirst stopped virtually overnight apparently. i would check with your doctor that there are no other underlying problems!
hope you get better soon.
 
LisaLQ said:
That's what I thought - when I had gestational diabetes 7 years ago I was told to eat a low carb low GI diet, and yet this time they told me that's not necessary any more, and to eat a normal healthy diet. And obviously a normal healthy diet includes carbs. :confused:

I think my sister may have a glucose monitor (her son gets ketotic hypoglycaemia) I'll see if she has any strips I can pinch. When should I test and what should I be aiming for? It's been so long I cant remember...
Click to expand...

They seem to be scared to tell people to reduce carb intake. It doesn't mean everyone should go on the atkins diet or stop eating any carbs at all, but if reducing carbs helps make your levels better, it can only be a good thing. It can still be a balanced diet!!

I'm not type 2, so hopefully someone will come in and give you some advice about when to test, but if you want to see what effects a certain meal has on your levels it is best to check 2 hours after eating. Type 2's are aiming to be less than 8.5mmol/L, 2 hours after eating, according to NICE guidelines.
 
I had metformin in the past for the PCOS, it made me really sick, but I'd rather go through feeling sick all the time than thirsty and having this dehydration type headache (you know - where your brain feels dry!). 😱

If you read the diet sheet I was given, I was told to stick to column one. That says I should be eating wholegrain cereals daily. I was having Special K, but then I read in one of my diabetes books that bran flakes were better. The advice is so contradictory - on one hand I have the docs telling me to stick to a normal diet, then on the other I have books saying the things they've said are safe, aren't. And then people on the forum saying starchy carbs are out too, and then some friends saying I dont need to cut out any foods completely at all.

I was just handed the sheet and a very basic leaflet on diabetes and sent off for a month. I've no idea whether it's working or not without a glucose monitor, and it's unlikely I'll be given one (nurse said "I'll tell you if you need one, and you dont need one now" - saying most people with type 2 test too often and dont act on their results, therefore wasting the test strips).

Sorry for the rant, it really pees me off that I feel worse when I'm supposed to be feeling better. The nurse says it's odd that I have symptoms as most people with symptoms are over 10, symptoms at 7.8 arent common. So what if my next blood test says everything's fine and she leaves me feeling like this thinking all is going well?
 
To test or not to test - that is the question..

Lisa I totally understand your confusion and frustration. I was diagnosed on the 6th November and saw the practice nurse on the 9th. I was given very similar diet information and my nurse also recommended that I don't test. Give her credit though, when I asked for a meter she did give one to me and told me to get reception to add the strips to my repeat prescription - although she was at pains to point out that she didn't expect me to use that many, what with them being so expensive and all..

She told me to follow a healthy diet and try to cut down on the sweet stuff. Now off you go and come back in 3 months time....

I've bought strips off online pharmacies and ebay to allow me to test to my little hearts content - I am extremely fortunate that I can afford this. I have increased my exercise and modified my diet, I have lost about 11 pounds so far and my fasting glucose has gone down from 7.2 to under 6. By testing I've found out that muesli and weetabix put my levels up to 10.9 after 1 hr and still over 8.5 after 2 hrs. Special K works for me, levels come back within guide range at the 2 hr mark. Exercise usually brings me down to 5 or less.

Without the ability to test, I would have lost heart by now and would have no inclination of what works for me and what doesn't. Testing should be encouraged, I believe that without it they are setting us up for failure. I hope you get them to see sense (this goes for recyclequeen too).

Good luck and keep up the good work - give yourself a pat on the back 'coz you're doing really well with the diet. Hope you get the symptoms under control soon.

Karina 🙂🙂
 
Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Are you on any medication yet? I agree, beg, steal borrow or buy a meter just to keep an eye on your levels. If you are still thirsty and drinking lots go back to see your doctor, don't wait for the 11th. It might be something else. For me personally if I get a raging thirst and pee a lot it is the begining of a cold and I just keep an eye on things for a few days.
 
I bought a second meter a one touch ultra easy from Lloyds pharmacy and it was ?7..
 
Thanks everyone. I dont think it's the beginning of a cold, as I've had the thirst for weeks, since before my diagnosis (it's why I gave in and took the test), just it's got worse, not better.

It's only a week and a half til my next appointment, I have my blood/urine tests this week too so that should pick up anything out of the ordinary. I forgot to ask whether I needed to fast for them this time - this is what I'm having done:

Urine MicroAlbinum Creatinine (ACR), U/E, L.B.P., cholesterol, HDL/LDL and HbA1c

Doesn't mention fasting on the note, but I'll ring and check before I go.

Shall cut the bran flakes, any breakfast suggestions? I knew milk had lactose in but didnt know it was so much that it would affect blood sugar - is that all milks, or just cows?

Can medication affect your blood sugar too? I'm not being treated for the diabetes yet, but I am on low dose amitriptyline and dihydrocodeine for chronic pain. I'm sure they'd have said something though if it does. :confused:
 
My levels are fairly similar to yours & I have had extreme thirst, many trips to the bathroom etc since well before I was diagnosed & I still get it now. I have never been told I shouldnt be getting those symptoms by any of the medical staff. I have accepted it as part of life, an annoying part of life!

I am going back to the Dr & am going to ask to be referred to a diatician as there are so many different stories on advice out there that I would like some clarification. Also although I am not very overweight I need to shift a stone & just cant seem to do it

edit - I noticed you said you snack on fruit. The one thing they made a point of at my "education session" was trying to make my 5 a day less fruit & more veg as the sugars are lower in veg. I munch carrots & cucumber on a regular basis - they are very filling as well as tasty :D however dont eat too many carrots or you can turn a gentle shade of orange..
 
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I thought fruit was the healthy alternative for my chocolate cravings (my bedtime snack!). I dont think cucumber will do it, but I'll give it a go (I love carrots though, but didnt want to eat them daily in case I turned into an Oompa Loompa)! :D
 
All the people in this formum suffer, or know someone who suffers, from "diabetes mellitus". However there is a rarer condition called "diabetes insipidus" that also causes excessive thirst and urination. They are not mutually exclusive so it may be worth running past your GP. The website is http://diabetesinsipidus.org/
 
Thanks for that info, I'll have a read.

I've got my check up and blood/urine test results (listed earlier in the thread) on Friday, when they might decide whether I need medicine or not, and see if the diet's working. I dont think I was this scared when they diagnosed me! :(

Still incredibly thirsty (and so tired), I'm sticking to the diet 110% though so I dont know why I'm not improving. The only time I (might have) broken it is when we went to the cinema the other night. I asked for diet coke, but it didn't taste like diet and the lady got it from the other end of the machine. Although that might be paranoia rather than fact, and I still drank it! 😛

Feeling low about Chrimbo too - I am feeling really Christmas-y but cant bring myself to let myself get into it too much knowing that while everyone else is enjoying themselves, I'll be thinking about how much sugar is in things, and what I can and cant eat (instead of just going mad for a day). If I feel this crap on the diet, how bad would I feel eating "normal" food?!

Hey ho - I should remember what Christmas is really about - family, and I'm very lucky to have a lovely one. One of our triplets (7yrs old in a week or two) has chickenpox, and he's not complained at all - obviously takes after his dad! 😎
 
Just got back from docs. Hb1Ac was 6.4, cholesterol was 5.7, so I dont need diabetes medication yet, just statins (Simvastatin - 40mg) and aspirin. Starting them tonight. I've lost 7kg in a month, just over a stone :D

She said the thirst will be a combined thing - because I'm on amitriptyline, which causes thirst in many people, plus the diabetes, that'll make me twice as thirsty - so I dont have to worry about it, it should subside in the next month or so. She also said she has patients who've stayed diet controlled for several years, so fingers crossed I'll be one of them.

She refused a blood monitor though, saying that while I'm so early stages and not on medication, I dont need one. She said that it was due to so many people getting obsessed by their glucose levels but not doing anything about it (eg those who expect medication to solve their problem that dont change their lifestyle). So instead I get my HbA1c done every 6 months, and my cholesterol done again in a month to see if it's working.

I also mentionned that the diet sheet she'd given me said to eat starchy carbs, whereas the forums tell you to avoid them, and she said that there is an old school of thought that people need to avoid carbs, and for some it is helpful but it isnt necessary for me. She said they do a carb counting course at the hospital, but that carb counting was more for people on insulin, and if I stick to a healthy diet I'll be fine. I forgot to ask about a dietician appointment. 🙄

Does that all sound ok?
 
Sounds like you got quite a bit of information from your doctor and you are doing all the right things. Think I'd agree there are two schools of thought with regards carb counting. As your diet is a good one, do whatever feels comfortable for you.

If you want a dieticians appointment go back and see the docotor.
 
Well done on your A1c thats a good result. I don't know where this obsession idea comes from really. I understand that some people will be testing and not doing anything with the results which is pointless. Thats why I believe they should be prescribed after individual assessment. What you could do is buy your own and then demonstrate how constructivley you have been testing and the changes you have made as a result, she might then agree for them to be on prescription for you.

Your A1c is good and you are losing weight so whatever your diet it seems to be working 🙂
 
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Totally agree with Sofaraway so this is a bit of a repeat! Meters are quite cheap, or even free, these days. I would suggest buying one and investing in strips. If you then use the results to adjust your diet to improve your BGs and take these to your GP there is a possibility he will prescribe further strips. As he said recording BGs and not acting on the results is pointless. I suspect most Type IIs on this forum that measure their BG use the results as they are interested in their condition. Sadly tens of thousands are not!
 
TBH being on benefits for the foreseeable future, I doubt I'll be able to afford ?25 for the strips alone, not including lancets etc. I should have said it was the nurse practitioner I saw, not a GP. She said they are not allowed to prescribe test strips to people who aren't medicine controlled, so I dont think I'd be able to change their minds unless I end up on medicine, which I'm planning not to! I said I wanted to be able to see if certain things triggered higher glucose levels, but she was adamant that I dont need to test as the 6 monthly HbA1c is all I need when my levels are fairly low. She said obviously whatever I'm doing is working, so there's no need to test to know that. :confused:
 
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