Hello All newbie here :)

[khskel]

I hope you got yourself to A & E. Tiredness and weightloss are not good signs.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

Let's hope so WL x

 

[SB2015]

Reading this thread, I really hope that Samni went to A&E.

 

[Sammi87]

Morning all. I am still here. I fell asleep and awoke about 6 hours later and my sugars had gone down and i felt better rang 111 they told me to observe my levels and if i felt that way again call 999. I have my appointment today at 2:30 here hoping i get a better insulin scheme going because looking at my diary for the week the lowest ive had is 14.4 and midday through till the night remains in the 20s. Im not sure if its a case i genuinely feel ok or im just used to feeling like c**p now.

 

[Wirrallass]

Thanks for being in touch again Sammi87 - we were very concerned & worried for you last night - please do let us know how your appointment this afternoon goes with your GP. x
WL

 

[trophywench]

The trouble is Sammi - when you feel dog tired AND nauseous - it's a major sign that your organs are starting to fail !!! and hence there Is a very great danger that you'll never wake up at all ever again. Seriously - I'm NOT joking!

This is why everyone here has been saying what they've been saying.

The blood test that has to be sent away and takes longer is most likely the C-peptide test.

In any event mate - if the doc doesn't change your insulin then the doses absolutely must be increased because your BG is truly running very dangerously high - and we'd all FAR rather you got seen by someone more expert than a GP.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Jenny is absolutely right. If your appointment is with a GP s/he is unlikely to know much about diabetes, and the same goes for whoever you spoke to when you rang 111. If your appointment is with a diabetes consultant in a hospital, that's good, but make sure you let them know how you've been feeling, because if you have DKA it's a medical emergency and you need to be in hospital. Your levels may be going up and down a bit, but you need lots more insulin to treat them and get them stable, and the best way to do that is for you to be on an insulin drip in hospital, so that specialists who know what they're doing can get them to go down gradually (without risking them going too low or going down too fast), and get rid of those ketones. Otherwise you really are putting your life in danger.

On a minor note - you mentioned you've been drinking squash - is it sugar-free? I wouldn't drink squash at all, I'd stick to water, or at the very least to herbal tea. But certainly not normal squash, because that's sugary! And not fruit juice, or juice drinks, or energy drinks, or coke, or anything else like that, as they are all so very sugary they're used to treat low blood sugar, to make it go up quickly.

 

[Sammi87]

Its a diabetic doctor im seeing not regular GP. I went to hospital before i was on any insulin with the same symptoms and they put me on a fluid drip for dehydration took bloods and sent me on my way and they had the relevent information from my gp who sent me there that i had keytones in blood and urine. I was there for 4 hours. Sadly i dont think the nhs round my way takes my life as seriously as you guys. I do appreciate all your help, guidence and concerns. Im hopinh today things will get sorted as i cannot afford to be off of work any longer either.

 

[Sammi87]

And everything in my house is sugar free i havnt had sugar in my coffee, drinks etc for 4 years now.

 

[Wirrallass]

I'm sorry to say this Sammy but had you acted on advice given here last night you would have been receiving treated in hospital for the last 20hrs - so well on your way to recovery. Also I don't think it's just the NHS round your way that isn't taking your life seriously. I apologise if my comments cause offence. Take care and do update us as soon as you can as we are still very concerned about your health and well being x

 

[Sammi87]

As i said before i was taken in to hospital once and they did nothing and was happy to send me on my holidays to austria with no treatment. I wasnt even on insulin then. My Dr has upped my insulin to 16 am and pm with the thoughts that it will be upped again on monday. They said today that they are awaiting the results from the blood test you guys mentioned before doing anything else as they reckon there could be a chance of type 2 but feel its safer to treat me as type 1 as it stands. I didnt really understand why? Are the needs very different?

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Type 2s aren't normally started on insulin - there are other meds they try first, and insulin is a last resort. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease which causes the pancreas to stop working (ie you can't produce insulin); type 2s have a malfunctioning pancreas and are resistant to insulin. Well, that's a summary of the theory, anyway, but in reality it's much less black and white, and there are various other types.

Given the fact that you've lost a lot of weight very quickly, have ketones, and have all the symptoms of un- or under-treated type 1, I would be quite surprised if you turn out to be type 2. But the test should show for sure.

It's quite common for doctors to assume that if you're an adult you must be type 2, as theoretically type 1 develops in children and teenagers. But on this forum I think there are more people who were diagnosed type 1 as an adult than as a child, so type 1 developing in adults is really not as rare as doctors seem to think. I was 44 when I got DKA, out of the blue, and was rushed to hospital. I was lucky and was diagnosed type 1 straight away - a lot of people here were mis-diagnosed as having type 2 and given the wrong treatment for a while before their diagnosis was changed.

I'm still shocked that they haven't kept you in hospital, but I know how difficult it can be when doctors simply don't listen or do what you know is the best thing for you - even when they are going against the NICE guidelines. I really hope you get better treatment soon, and in the meanwhile, as I've said before, if you start to feel any worse, please do go to A&E, as with something like DKA it is better safe than sorry.

 

[Sammi87]

Theclockworkdod

Type 2s aren't normally started on insulin - there are other meds they try first, and insulin is a last resort. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease which causes the pancreas to stop working (ie you can't produce insulin); type 2s have a malfunctioning pancreas and are resistant to insulin. Well, that's a summary of the theory, anyway, but in reality it's much less black and white, and there are various other types.

Given the fact that you've lost a lot of weight very quickly, have ketones, and have all the symptoms of un- or under-treated type 1, I would be quite surprised if you turn out to be type 2. But the test should show for sure.

It's quite common for doctors to assume that if you're an adult you must be type 2, as theoretically type 1 develops in children and teenagers. But on this forum I think there are more people who were diagnosed type 1 as an adult than as a child, so type 1 developing in adults is really not as rare as doctors seem to think. I was 44 when I got DKA, out of the blue, and was rushed to hospital. I was lucky and was diagnosed type 1 straight away - a lot of people here were mis-diagnosed as having type 2 and given the wrong treatment for a while before their diagnosis was changed.

I'm still shocked that they haven't kept you in hospital, but I know how difficult it can be when doctors simply don't listen or do what you know is the best thing for you - even when they are going against the NICE guidelines. I really hope you get better treatment soon, and in the meanwhile, as I've said before, if you start to feel any worse, please do go to A&E, as with something like DKA it is better safe than sorry.

Thank you so much for explaining things for me. I do feel a bit in the dark about it all really. They havnt tested again for ketones since putting me on insulin. So i may test my urine again myself see whats going on. I do find it difficult as im a HCA so when i first had suspicions i did 3 seperate urine tests over 3 days all showing glucose and ketones and tested my blood sugar and took all this to the drs with me and luckily the dr i see sent me to a&e and then they failed to do anything for me. Ive not been advised on diet or anything and all they ever mention is the hypos when i asked yesterday about the hypers and what i can do when its so high i got told well thats why we are upping your insulin gradually so you dont hypo. But id rather that as a hypo seems to be easier to manage then a high.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

It's very odd, the way they have treated you, Sammi - they say they are treating you as a type 1 in case (which is good, safer than the other way round) but apart from giving you (inadequate and dated) insulin, they have effectively treated you as a type 2, and a very poorly treated type 2 at that - it's quite common for type 2s to be told "you're diabetic - go away and eat healthily, and come back in 6 months" and not given any more help or information. All diabetics should get more help than that, and type 1s normally do.

Theoretically if you are type 1 you can eat anything you want, though that is assuming that you have adequate insulin and know how to use it. In practice you will find there are things you just can't eat because they send your blood sugar up too fast or send it up so high it takes ages to get down again (this is quite individual, but pizza is a common one), and of course there are things like fruit juice which can only be used as treatment for hypos because they send everyone's blood sugar up fast.

The fact that from the sound of it you already have a healthy, low-sugar diet is another reason for suspecting that you are likely to be type 1. The things you've mentioned eating shouldn't be keeping your blood sugar so high, unless your pancreas is really not working. But it does happen sometimes with type 2, or with other rarer types, so it is sensible that they've done all these tests.

A lot of us have found that medical professionals seem a bit unbalanced in their obsession with hypos! But having said that, while hypos are easy to treat, they are more dangerous in the short term than hypers, so should be taken seriously - if not treated they can kill you very quickly. Highs become dangerous in the longer term, when they are likely to lead to complications. The thing which is worrying us about you is not just how high your blood sugar is going, but all your symptoms which suggest ketoacidosis. So yes, I should keep testing your ketones if I were you, and don't be afraid to keep pestering your doctors about them - it's your health, on the line, not theirs.

 

[Sammi87]

It's very odd, the way they have treated you, Sammi - they say they are treating you as a type 1 in case (which is good, safer than the other way round) but apart from giving you (inadequate and dated) insulin, they have effectively treated you as a type 2, and a very poorly treated type 2 at that - it's quite common for type 2s to be told "you're diabetic - go away and eat healthily, and come back in 6 months" and not given any more help or information. All diabetics should get more help than that, and type 1s normally do.

Theoretically if you are type 1 you can eat anything you want, though that is assuming that you have adequate insulin and know how to use it. In practice you will find there are things you just can't eat because they send your blood sugar up too fast or send it up so high it takes ages to get down again (this is quite individual, but pizza is a common one), and of course there are things like fruit juice which can only be used as treatment for hypos because they send everyone's blood sugar up fast.

The fact that from the sound of it you already have a healthy, low-sugar diet is another reason for suspecting that you are likely to be type 1. The things you've mentioned eating shouldn't be keeping your blood sugar so high, unless your pancreas is really not working. But it does happen sometimes with type 2, or with other rarer types, so it is sensible that they've done all these tests.

A lot of us have found that medical professionals seem a bit unbalanced in their obsession with hypos! But having said that, while hypos are easy to treat, they are more dangerous in the short term than hypers, so should be taken seriously - if not treated they can kill you very quickly. Highs become dangerous in the longer term, when they are likely to lead to complications. The thing which is worrying us about you is not just how high your blood sugar is going, but all your symptoms which suggest ketoacidosis. So yes, I should keep testing your ketones if I were you, and don't be afraid to keep pestering your doctors about them - it's your health, on the line, not theirs.

They havnt mentioned anything to me about diet. Im not going to say im perfect i like a take away now and again and i do love a haribo but im not as bad as some. I instantly thought type 2 coz of my weight etc. Ive lost a stone and half but im still classed as obese for my weight to height ratio. Yes i understand the dangers of hypos but as you say they do seem to concebtrate on them more then hypers. Surley both are just as important. The diabetic nurse is ringing me again monday to go through my bm results for the week with the intention of upping my dose again. Im currently on 16 units am and pm. My levels have gone down ut are still in double figures but i am begining to feel much better in myself now.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

i am begining to feel much better in myself now.

Thank goodness! That is a relief for those of us who were worried about you, must be much more of a relief for you!

 

[Sammi87]

Thank goodness! That is a relief for those of us who were worried about you, must be much more of a relief for you!

Yes definatley i have been so worried. You know when your reading peoples advice but at same time you doubt yourself and worry you will waste peoples time and that ypur over thinking things. But yeah feeling much more alert, the thirst is still there but seems worse in the evenings when i wake up in the night. Its more the issues regarding my ermmm how can you put it, my personal areas (ladies you get me) that are effecting me now lol

 

[Sammi87]

I return to work tuesday any suggestions on how to break myself back in? What to take? Do? Say? I work 12 hour shifts.

 

[Pigeon]

Hi Sammi, best of luck with going back to work. I only had 1 week off after diagnosis, it was quite nice to go back and keep myself busy. I was diagnosed age 26 and like you I was put on mixed insulins at first, it seems it's just what some consultants do! I would say take some hypo treatments with you, fizzy drinks in small bottles and a tube of glucotabs too that you can stuff in your pocket. Don't know what you do at work but if you're out and about or walking round it's always good to keep some glucose on you. Keep some longer acting carbs with you too, or at your desk or locker, e.g. oatcakes or cereal bars, in case you need a snack or a meal gets delayed. On the fixed insulin I needed a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack and lunch had to be pretty fixed in time and carb content too, so I used to take a packed lunch and didn't really hang around for anyone else before eating it. I always took my insulin with me, even if I didn't expect to be out at tea time, just in case there was a change of plan. Keep a spare pen and needles at work too, in case your pen jams. Take your meter and plenty of test strips.

About telling people, I told my boss and office colleagues first. I explained that I might have hypos and if I went really low I might not know it but might act drunk and they should get my lucozade if this happened. They were fine about this- it never did happen yet. Ended up telling everyone else in one go over lunch as someone asked why I'd been off (the urban myth was that I'd been run over!)- it was a bit of a daunting moment but everyone was lovely about it and more curious than anything else. I remember one colleague asking how I treated the diabetes and I said I had to do injections, and he asked how long that would be for, I just said "for life" and there was an arkward silence after that... but then I explained that I felt so much better on insulin than I had been feeling for months so it wasn't a big deal. And it meant they understood why I occasionally ran out of meetings to swig lucozade or declined cake, which helped.

Make sure you can test BG when required- I just test at my desk and keep everything in my handbag, make sure you have access to your equipment. If anyone has a problem with this make sure your boss knows diabetes is covered by the disability discrimination act- but very few people have problems that require this, in my experience.

As everyone says, you will be better on MDI (multiple daily injections) long term, so keep on at your medical team about this. I changed after about 4 months and quality of life was so much better- no more worrying about snacking or delayed meals. Work gave me time off to go to a carb-counting course, it helped loads. But it is all perfectly do-able for now on your mixed injections, so don't worry.

And finally, be kind to yourself. There will be some good days, some rubbish days, and some days when everything is fine and everyone's lovely and you still come home and cry becaause you're feeling totally drained and you want your old life back, but you will get there in the end. Best of luck!

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I was about to reply, but I think @Pigeon has covered it all! The main thing is to make sure at least one of your colleagues knows about hypos, and that you have some glucose tablets or jelly babies or something like that with you at all times, just in case.

Re your previous post, if you're talking about thrush, then I recommend live organic plain yogurt, applied last thing at night!