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Doddy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
Just joined. Looks like I might be diabetic, and just waiting for the drs appointment to comfirm.

The last 2 weeks, I have been home testing, my waking bloods tend to be around 10.6, although this morning, it was 13.8. During the day I range from 10 up to an average of 16, but has 18 on a couple of occasion.
The app I am using to record all the information has averaged me to be 12.6.

I know none of you can diagnose on a forum, and it isn't a good idea to, but do these figures seem high and confirm possible diabetes.

I find myself in unfamiliar teritory with this...and in a way it will be a relief to actually get to see a dr about it!

Thanks
 
Hi Doddy, welcome to the forum 🙂 From the numbers you have given I would say it's almost certain that you have diabetes. A person without diabetes would normally range between about 3.5 to 6.5 mmol/l. However, if this is confirmed then it is not the end of the world - diabetes is a disease that can be managed well as long as you have the necessary knowledge, treatments and motivation 🙂

Please let us know how you get on at the doctor's appointment and comeback to us with any questions you may have and we will do our best to reassure you and help you understand what everything means 🙂
 
Doddy said:
Just joined. Looks like I might be diabetic, and just waiting for the drs appointment to comfirm.

The last 2 weeks, I have been home testing, my waking bloods tend to be around 10.6, although this morning, it was 13.8. During the day I range from 10 up to an average of 16, but has 18 on a couple of occasion.
The app I am using to record all the information has averaged me to be 12.6.

I know none of you can diagnose on a forum, and it isn't a good idea to, but do these figures seem high and confirm possible diabetes.

I find myself in unfamiliar teritory with this...and in a way it will be a relief to actually get to see a dr about it!

Thanks
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Welcome to the forum Doddy, as you say none of us can diagnosis - when is your GP appointment?
 
I can't get to see my dr until 30th April! It's ridiculous really, but it's not an emergency, so i will just have to wait. I am unsure whether to keep testing daily....will the dr take any notice of what has been happening...or will he just want to start fresh?
 
Northerner said:
Hi Doddy, welcome to the forum 🙂 From the numbers you have given I would say it's almost certain that you have diabetes. A person without diabetes would normally range between about 3.5 to 6.5 mmol/l. However, if this is confirmed then it is not the end of the world - diabetes is a disease that can be managed well as long as you have the necessary knowledge, treatments and motivation 🙂

Please let us know how you get on at the doctor's appointment and comeback to us with any questions you may have and we will do our best to reassure you and help you understand what everything means 🙂
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Thankyou for the warm welcome....I have so many questions and don't even know where to start! I haven't got a clue about how to help myself, so once I have seen m dr, I am sure will be annoying you all with my questions!
 
Doddy said:
I can't get to see my dr until 30th April! It's ridiculous really, but it's not an emergency, so i will just have to wait. I am unsure whether to keep testing daily....will the dr take any notice of what has been happening...or will he just want to start fresh?
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I would suggest your GP will start from fresh and probably do a random and fasting test - did you buy a testing machine because of your symptoms or does diabetes run in your family? As Northerner states diabetes is a condition that can be managed and managed effectively - the most difficult time, well for me, was when first diagnosed because it was a bombshell..but 8 months on I'm slimmer; healthier; and happier with my life choices... Try not to worry and ask as many questions as you need to. 🙂
 
Hi Doddy, as Amanda suggests the doctor will probably take note of your numbers but still conduct his/her own tests. Whilst you are waiting for your appointment it would help if you try to limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat - things like potatoes, rice, pasta etc., and also sweet things like cakes, biscuits and the like. Avoid white bread and change to a seeded bread - Burgen soya and linseed bread is thought to be one of the best because it releases its energy slowly and steadily so you body is better able to cope with it. Basically, a healthy diet for people with diabetes is a healthy diet for everyone, so don't worry that you are going to be severely limited in your future food choices. You may need to make adaptations, but it is surprising how your palate can change - and as Amanda says, you may find yourself healthier and fitter than you have felt for some time! 🙂

If you want a good book so you can learn a little about Type 2 diabetes before your appointment, I would recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - it will be better to go into the appointment with some understanding of what may be in store. 🙂
 
Welcome Doddy. How did how did you guess it might be diabetes? It came as a huge shock to me, I had no clue until the ambulance man did a finger test on the way to hispital. Mind you there's no history in my family so I couldn't have known.
 
Ironically, I was testing to keep an eye for low blood sugars due to an unrelated condition! No chance of it going low I dont think!!!

I could do with losing weight so that will be a bonus. And I am fed up with feeling exhausted all the time, so hopefully that will be dealt with too. The "not knowing" for sure is frustrating me....hence why i was wondering if I should just stop testing, and just continue as I normally would.

My old man (long story, no respect for him hence the old man title) is diabetic, type 2. And my mum was borderline.
 
Doddy said:
Ironically, I was testing to keep an eye for low blood sugars due to an unrelated condition! No chance of it going low I dont think!!!

I could do with losing weight so that will be a bonus. And I am fed up with feeling exhausted all the time, so hopefully that will be dealt with too. The "not knowing" for sure is frustrating me....hence why i was wondering if I should just stop testing, and just continue as I normally would.

My old man (long story, no respect for him hence the old man title) is diabetic, type 2. And my mum was borderline.
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I would say don't waste the test strips by doing random tests - use them to learn about how different foods are affecting you. Record all your food and drink in a food diary, making note of the carbohydrate content and have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter so you understand how to test efficiently. Since you are clearly already getting high levels it would make sense to start straight away at trying to tackle them 🙂
 
Northerner said:
I would say don't waste the test strips by doing random tests - use them to learn about how different foods are affecting you. Record all your food and drink in a food diary, making note of the carbohydrate content and have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter so you understand how to test efficiently. Since you are clearly already getting high levels it would make sense to start straight away at trying to tackle them 🙂
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Thankyou....I will give it a go. can I just ask...the levels I seem to be at...are these levels that could cause any sort of damage???
 
Doddy said:
Thankyou....I will give it a go. can I just ask...the levels I seem to be at...are these levels that could cause any sort of damage???
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I'm afraid that it is likely if they were to persist over a long period of time, but you can make a little headway now and start to reduce them, and once you have seen your doctor you may be given medications that will also help. Have you had any of the 'classic' symptoms (peeing for the UK, constant thirst, tired, moody etc.), and have you had them for long? There are a lot of frightening possibilities with diabetes, but only if you don't take control of it and be vigilant - if you learn about it and respect it then, to quote a great saying, 'Well-controlled diabetes is the major cause of....absolutely nothing!' 🙂

Once (if!) you are diagnosed then tests will be done to check your eyes, feet, kidney function etc., and also a blood test called the HbA1c that gives and indication of how your levels have been over the previous 6 to 8 weeks, and this will be your 'starting point'. The good thing about being diagnosed is that they will do regular health checks that you might not otherwise have had, so if anything untoward appears it can be spotted early and treated more easily 🙂
 
Hi Doddy and welcome to the forum. Am still learning myself almost 12 months after diagnosis. It seems that the not knowing is troubling you and the thing is that stress can also affect your blood glucose. Northerner and Amanda are right, although armed with your own info, the dr will still want to test to confirm diagnosis. Your numbers are, if correct, high enough to confirm a diagnosis according to the NICE guidelines, so getting this confirmed asap is important. Lots of people display these kinds of numbers for months without having a clue there is anything wrong. Try not to worry too much and as advised, try and cut down on refined carbs and switch to low GI foods ie. wholegrain products. Also, cutting down portion sizes will help. In the meantime what about getting an earlier appt with the nurse practioner in your practice or is there a diabetic nurse there? They can at least set the wheels in motion by testing you. Alternatively, my GP surgery offers telephone appointments so that you can at least talk to someone. Keep posting on here and asking as much as you need to know. This forum is the best thing I have found and I have learnt so much from the wonderful, supportive people on here. Good luck and keep us posted. Katie.x
 
I shall be sure to try all your suggestions, thankyou 😉 I am not very good with foods, am useless at diets, and restricting what i eat. It's not easy when money is short and you have to feed a family of 4 with what money you do have :(

I don't pee for England, but I do get a sudden urge to go. I do get extreme tiredness...where I literally have to close my eyes and sleep, and my moods have been very erratic lately. I can be fine one minute, and then flip out the next...to the point where I have hit my hubby with a boot! Im not proud of it by the way!!

I do occasionally, get to a point where I get very shaky, and I go on the hunt for sugar....i feel shaky, get palpitations and feel sweaty.

When I rang the surgery, I was told the first step was to see the GP...and the first available appointment was 30th April!
 
Welcome to the forum Doddy 🙂

It's very poor that you can't get into your surgery for 2 weeks. Unfortunately it's not something that you could easily pop into a 24/7 drop-in center or drop in at A&E for.

You high sugars will be effecting your moods. Unfortunately it's all the high carbohydrate foods that tend to be the most cost efficient but it's not always the case - the low GI Burgen bread I tend to eat is often cheaper then the white bread my wife has.
 
Doddy said:
I shall be sure to try all your suggestions, thankyou 😉 I am not very good with foods, am useless at diets, and restricting what i eat. It's not easy when money is short and you have to feed a family of 4 with what money you do have :(...
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It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to eat healthily for diabetes, and all the family can eat the same things, so no messing about with different menus fr people. One of the best approaches is the GL (Glycaemic Load) diet. It's not a diet in the 'weight-loss' meaning of the word, but a way of selecting food that will digest slowly and steadily, rather than producing a blood sugar 'spike'. You just need to know the properties of different foods and how they are likely to affect you. A great introduction is The GL Diet for Dummies - you might be able to get a copy from your library if money is tight. 🙂
 
Hi Doddy, welcome to the forum. You could ring the reception again and say that your figures are high and you are feeling as you described. You may get an earlier appointment, as it sounds like you have to get past the receptionist.

You say you are not good at diets, neither was I, so I concentrated on changing what I eat, as previously suggested, by cutting down on the carbohydrates. I then found the weight was coming off too, and my readings started going down.
We are all different, but most agree that changing the carbs is good. perhaps you could start with no white bread, rice or cereals, go for wholemeal, or swap it for some protein instead.

Just make some small changes until you see the GP, and see if you feel better. Test 2 hours after your meal, that way you can get a consistent result.

Woops, posted same time as Northerner, he talks more sense than I:D
 
I'm very annoyed at your surgery.

It IS urgent! - it may not be a matter of life or death at the moment, in which case you'd have gone to A&E anyway - but good God! and I presume you conversation was with the recpetionist, who I would unrespectfully point out has no medical qualifications anyway.

What if your palpitations AREN'T just the effects of high blood sugar? - what if you have a heart problem?

If they are insistent on trawling your symptoms before deigning to allow you to use their service - then tell em you are now having palpitations and have lost consciousness a few times - tell them anything. LIE completely if you have to!

In 1972 I didn't think I was urgent either and waited a week for a 'convenient' after work appt - got a RIGHT telling off for that one. Don't.
 
Welcome to the forum.
So sorry they are making you wait to see a doctor.
Can't you speak to the triage nurse at your practise. Whenever I need to see someone I ask them to call me and they fit me in straight away.
You will feel pretty bad until they get you sorted.
Dont beat your up about the moods. I use to feel awful and still do as when my levels are very low I get short tempered and even my children now say mum do you need some lucozade.
 
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