Having a wobble

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Hobster

Hobster

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Hi all. I'm really struggling the last couple of days. Newly diagnosed a month or so ago, GP put me on Metformin and now I'm off Metformin. I'm due to start Dapaglifozin when I pick up the script. I feel low at times and overwhelmed with all the information, I have anxiety about 'what if's' that hopefully will never happen like diabetic ketoacidosis (which the nurse went into great detail about) and going low in the night and not knowing. I'm finding that a nice visit to a National Trust for example is a diabetic nightmare with nothing on offer food wise other than soup! I'm not sure if it's in my head but I'm sure I can feel when my sugars are crashing or rising, is that a thing? I'm ranging from 3.9mmol to 12.3mmol at the moment and suspect that some of this will be affecting my mood? Thanks all.
 
You're not the first to feel overwhelmed by a diabetes diagnosis and what it means, nor will you be the last. Been there, got the T-shirt. What have you been doing so far to manage your T2 other than taking meds, eg diet? Also, can I ask when you're testing to get those numbers?
 
I'm sure I'm not. I've been looking at my carbs, completed the Changing Health online programme by the NHS. I have a Libre monitor which is giving me these readings and also backing up some of them with BG tests. Sometimes there is a significant difference which is just adding to the confusion I guess.
 
I know how your feeling but this forums the best it’s really helped me sort my head out some great advice and I’m hoping when I next go to the doctors which is end of may my results will be much better
 
Mavis said:
I know how your feeling but this forums the best it’s really helped me sort my head out some great advice and I’m hoping when I next go to the doctors which is end of may my results will be much better
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I hope so for you too Mavis. Thank you for your support.
 
Hobster said:
I'm sure I'm not. I've been looking at my carbs, completed the Changing Health online programme by the NHS. I have a Libre monitor which is giving me these readings and also backing up some of them with BG tests. Sometimes there is a significant difference which is just adding to the confusion I guess.
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I don't use CGM so I can't comment on whether the range you're seeing is typical of a day's ups & downs - maybe members who do use CGM can comment.
 
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I sometimes think that the CMG although a very useful took and indeed invaluable for those taking insulin can give for people who are Type 2 not taking insulin can be overwhelming in the information and cause people to over react to what are perfectly normal fluctuations in blood glucose.
If you are visiting somewhere like a NT property then all you can do is make your best choice of what to have, it is one day, one meal so enjoy your day. I often choose a sandwich and leave the crusts.
Finger prick testing before you eat and after 2 hours can pin point which meals are OK and which may need some modification to reduce the carbs if the increase in more than 2-3mmol/l or more than 8-8.5mmol/l after 2 hours.
 
I thought DKA was rather rare in type 2s - and going low in the night was due to over medication.
I became really low taking Metformin and Atorvastatin. In a few weeks I was suicidal, so I can't assume that those medications are benign and beneficial, for the susceptible they are a disaster. Fortunately I decided to rely on diet alone and tossed the tablets.
These days I only need to eat twice a day, and not even twice sometimes. It is past midnight and I never made myself any dinner today.
If going out I usually eat before leaving, but if it is an early start I find it easy enough to take food with me and eat when I can get settled. A cup of coffee is normally all I buy out of the house - though some of the things sold as coffee are dreadful and they want to add plastic cream substitutes, so I bought a flask for home made coffee and freezer bricks to put in an insulated bag to keep the cream fresh. I take my own coffee all the time now. All the changes to cope soon become a habit and I find that they make things a lot more pleasant than what is regarded as normal.
 
Hobster said:
Hi all. I'm really struggling the last couple of days. Newly diagnosed a month or so ago, GP put me on Metformin and now I'm off Metformin. I'm due to start Dapaglifozin when I pick up the script. I feel low at times and overwhelmed with all the information, I have anxiety about 'what if's' that hopefully will never happen like diabetic ketoacidosis (which the nurse went into great detail about) and going low in the night and not knowing. I'm finding that a nice visit to a National Trust for example is a diabetic nightmare with nothing on offer food wise other than soup! I'm not sure if it's in my head but I'm sure I can feel when my sugars are crashing or rising, is that a thing? I'm ranging from 3.9mmol to 12.3mmol at the moment and suspect that some of this will be affecting my mood? Thanks all.
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Sorry to hear that you’re finding things difficult at present, and how confusing things can be.

If you have had higher glucose levels for a while before diagnosis, your body will get a bit stroppy (not a medical term I know) about you bringing your levels back into range and you might feel the symptoms of having a hypo (low BG) but it can be a false hypo, so worth testing to see what your actual levels are.

You mention that the finger prick tests do not match the Libre info. These are measuring different things: blood glucose (finger prick) and the glucose in your interstitial fluid (Libre). I find that there is a time lag of about 10 minutes with my sensor. The sensors are great at showing patterns of what is happening ra5er than specific readings at any moment in time.

The what-ifs are scary, but this is a manageable disease, so it is best to focus on what is happening now (easier said than done sometimes) and I hope that as you get more used to what works for you the anxiety will reduce. There is a wealth of experience to tap into on here, so keep questions coming. Nothing is considered silly.
 
Hang in there - it's truly tough at the start. But, my experience is that things do get easier, and stuff that seems incomprehensible at first eventually makes sense (I felt there were often 'of course! light bulb moments'). There's lots of helpful people offering good advice to be found here.

steve
 
Thank you for your support and helpful insights, it really does help to know I'm not alone in the feelings and that indeed it has got better for you. I'm away this weekend with no cooking facilities to hand, so spending the day prepping and taking things for the room that I can eat. I have even made some low keto biscuits from sugarfreelondoner to enjoy. I think there is a part of denial going on to be honest, and I'm being stroppy at just accepting what it is, because in reality I don't want what it is!

I think the advice about monitoring trends with libre is good but with BG being more of right now reading, that makes sense to me. Thanks again all.
 
SB2015 said:
If you have had higher glucose levels for a while before diagnosis, your body will get a bit stroppy (not a medical term I know) about you bringing your levels back into range and you might feel the symptoms of having a hypo (low BG) but it can be a false hypo, so worth testing to see what your actual levels are.
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Really good point, I had a really even BS day the other day (kept within recommended ranges) and actually felt quite horrid! I was surprised, but as you say the body has probably been used to feeling in a higher state.
 
Hobster said:
Hi all. I'm really struggling the last couple of days. Newly diagnosed a month or so ago, GP put me on Metformin and now I'm off Metformin. I'm due to start Dapaglifozin when I pick up the script. I feel low at times and overwhelmed with all the information, I have anxiety about 'what if's' that hopefully will never happen like diabetic ketoacidosis (which the nurse went into great detail about) and going low in the night and not knowing. I'm finding that a nice visit to a National Trust for example is a diabetic nightmare with nothing on offer food wise other than soup! I'm not sure if it's in my head but I'm sure I can feel when my sugars are crashing or rising, is that a thing? I'm ranging from 3.9mmol to 12.3mmol at the moment and suspect that some of this will be affecting my mood? Thanks all.
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Yes - I have noticed this with National Trust. Sometimes there are salads but mostly I have soup. The trouble with NT is that they are cafes and staffed by volunteers.

Most restaurants and cafes in the UK have very little low carb food but I usually find I can have some fish, meat or poultry and just ask for veg or salad with it and leave it at that.
 
My wife and I are NT members too but whilst I agree that pre-made sandwiches and a selection of cakes & pastries appears to be the norm in their cafes these days, I agree with @Leadinglights - it's one day, one meal. Even their soups will contain carbs.
 
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Martin.A said:
My wife and I are NT members too but whilst I agree that pre-made sandwiches and a selection of cakes & pastries appears to be the norm in their cafes these, I agree with @Leadinglights - it's one day, one meal. Even their soups will contain carbs.
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I suppose most foods contain carbs but some are worse than others. You are correct about "it is only one day." My hubby keeps saying that to me when we are out. He always says it won't matter if you have more carbs just for one occasion as long as it is not day in and day out.
 
Hobster said:
Really good point, I had a really even BS day the other day (kept within recommended ranges) and actually felt quite horrid! I was surprised, but as you say the body has probably been used to feeling in a higher state.
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I felt the same when my BS were in range, i actually thought i was coming down with a bug but gradually it got better, it took se real months but now i feel fine most of the time, I have had issues with readings with Libre 2 but its still worth having.
 
Drummer said:
I thought DKA was rather rare in type 2s - and going low in the night was due to over medication.
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DKA is a risk with dapagliflozin
 
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