Hello, I’m new and struggling.

[Mandid]

Hi, I’m Mandy,
I have type 2 diabetes and a host of other problems ie, fibromyalgia, depression and anxiety, asthma and others. I didn’t know I had diabetes until I got a text saying I needed to see a diabetes nurse and I said to hubby that diabetes was the one problem I didn’t have. I thought it was a mistake until I saw my Doctor (I’d had a bloodtest that should have been repeated and wasn’t). So here I am. It doesn’t matter what I eat, my numbers are constantly high, the Metformin isn’t working, I’ve dropped 2 dress sizes and I’m constantly dizzy and sick. Trying to get a Docs appointment has become so difficult. I desperately need some help and advice please.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Mandid Were you on a diet when you lost two dress sizes or did the weight fall off suddenly? I ask because sudden weight loss is a symptom of Type 1 diabetes.

Do you know what your HbA1C test result was? Can you give us an idea of an average day’s food for you?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear what a difficult time you are having @Mandid

A diagnosis with diabetes can come as a real shock, so be kind to yourself and give yourself time to adjust.

Have you been feeling tired, and going to the toilet more? Have you been very thirsty?

Were you carrying a little extra weight before your diagnosis (don’t feel you have to answer that!), or were you normal weight or under weight?

As @Inka says, some people have a slow-onset form of T1 sometimes called LADA which can be mistaken for T2, but which needs insulin rather than Metfromin.

Are you checking your glucose levels at home? If so, what sorts of levels are you seeing?

If they are consistently in the teens, and you are feeling nauseous, breathless, have abdominal pain, or have a ‘pear drop’ smell on your breath, you should seek urgent medical attention, call NHS111, or consider going to A&E.

It’s rare, so don’t worry unnecessarily, but it is something we’ve seen on the forum in the past.

The other possibility is that your body isn’t able to cope with your menu, even with the help of Metformin. If you give is an idea of the sorts of things you eat on a normal day, members will be able to make suggestions based on their experience and things they have found work for them.

 

[EmmaL76]

Hi Mandy, so sorry to hear your struggling. As above it would be great to hear a little more about the circumstances of your diagnosis so we could help you further. Hopefully if you can get some more help getting those sugars down then you may see an improvement in symptoms with your other health issues. I know it’s draining dealing with multiple health problems but with a bit of help and trial an error I’m sure you can start to feel better. Please stay in touch it can’t really help xx

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome Mandy. 🙂

 

[Roozle]

Hello Mandy. Sorry to hear what you are going through. It reminds me of my initial experience of diabetes. I was first diagnosed as type 2 (probably because of my age). My low carb diet and Metformin worked to begin with, but then things suddenly went haywire and I had constant high readings, dramatic weight loss and generally felt rubbish. After 3 months of this, I was eventually diagnosed as type 1. Since I have been on insulin, I have felt so much better and am now back to a healthy weight and good Hba1c.
Don't suffer in silence; insist on getting tested for type 1. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon x

 

[Mandid]

Sorry to hear what a difficult time you are having @Mandid

A diagnosis with diabetes can come as a real shock, so be kind to yourself and give yourself time to adjust.

Have you been feeling tired, and going to the toilet more? Have you been very thirsty?

Were you carrying a little extra weight before your diagnosis (don’t feel you have to answer that!), or were you normal weight or under weight?

As @Inka says, some people have a slow-onset form of T1 sometimes called LADA which can be mistaken for T2, but which needs insulin rather than Metfromin.

Are you checking your glucose levels at home? If so, what sorts of levels are you seeing?

If they are consistently in the teens, and you are feeling nauseous, breathless, have abdominal pain, or have a ‘pear drop’ smell on your breath, you should seek urgent medical attention, call NHS111, or consider going to A&E.

It’s rare, so don’t worry unnecessarily, but it is something we’ve seen on the forum in the past.

The other possibility is that your body isn’t able to cope with your menu, even with the help of Metformin. If you give is an idea of the sorts of things you eat on a normal day, members will be able to make suggestions based on their experience and things they have found work for them.

Hi, thank you for replying, sorry about late reply I have been ill with a chest infection, which with my asthma has been so tough.
Ok, to answer your questions:-
I am always exhausted due to the fibro and now the diabetes, I also suffer with insomnia (I’m an overthinker and sometimes struggle to sleep as I can’t stop my brain from thinking about relevant stuff (do penguins have knees? ) Sorry I use humour to try to help me cope.
When it comes to peeing, I had my bladder bypassed in 2014 and I have a urostomy (a bag on my tummy collects my urine), I finally had my bladder removed completely due to repeated infections in 2016 and I wear a bag which I connect to a bigger nightbag when I nap/sleep but yes I pee a lot cos I drink a lot (I need to drink 3 litres a day).
I am 5ft 5” and I started at 12 stone 5 lbs, now after 6 months I’m 10st 9lbs (size 14 to a size 10) without trying. I never looked overweight but now I look skinny.
I check my glucose levels but the lowest reading I get is 11 and it’s been as high as 23.7. I don’t eat a huge amount and I’ve cut sugar out almost completely but I cannot get the reading down no matter what I do, it’s often 17.7 or higher even if I eat like a rabbit or not at all. I’ve lost my appetite recently due to feeling what I call ‘jangly’when I know my glucose levels are high and that’s on wholemeal toast with just plant based spread on top. This makes me throw up and feel very dizzy.
A days menu for me is wholmeal toast with plant spread or something on toast or sugar free cereal. For lunch I eat an open sandwich or wrap with chicken and salad and at night I have lean beef with noodles or chicken with brown rice. I drink water with a tiny amount of sugar free juice in it just to taste. I’m always careful about what I eat, I snack on small amounts of fruit and when the weather allows I walk my dog slowly, to get around I use a stick to walk or for longer distances I have a mobility scooter.
I have been ill on and off since I was 18 years old. I had a full hysterectomy when I was 24 due to constant pain and bleeding, ( I was sterilised at 21 after I had my second child as my Doc thought anymore pregnancies would wreck my kidneys which always became infected when I got pregnant). I had both my ovaries removed when I was 27 due to repeated salpingitis and scar tissue and I’ve been in and out of hospital ever since. I’m on a long list of medications including slow release morphine and oral liquid morphine which I’ve been on a long time. I don’t like metformin as it makes me zombiefied and with no mojo.
So there it is. I have a bloodtest on wed 18th so will let you know what they say. Thank you so much for trying to help me, so grateful.

 

[Mandid]

Welcome @Mandid Were you on a diet when you lost two dress sizes or did the weight fall off suddenly? I ask because sudden weight loss is a symptom of Type 1 diabetes.

Do you know what your HbA1C test result was? Can you give us an idea of an average day’s food for you?

Hi, I wasn’t on a diet, the weight just fell off me in last 6 months. I went from 12st 5 to 11st 1 to 10st 9 ( my hubby says I’m losing my boobs and bum). I have a very good attitude to food usually but I’ve been constantly very dizzy and throwing up a lot.
I eat something on toast or sugar free cereal for breakfast, I eat a chicken salad wrap at lunch and for dinner I have very lean beef with noodles or chicken with brown rice. I snack on fruit and I drink sugar free tea with lemon or water with a sugar free juice just to taste.
I have a blood test on wed so will let you know what Docs say. I’m going to be coming off metformin as I hate it, it makes me feel like a zombie with no mojo also dizzy and sick. My blood glucose level is always between 11 and 23. Lowest ever been is 9.7 it doesn’t matter whether I eat or not.
Thank you for replying, so grateful.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sounds very difficult for you @Mandid

Do you have a means of checking for ketones? You can buy urine strips at a pharmacy for £5ish for a pot of 50. It might be wise precaution to check to see of you have ketones spilling into your urine? Blood ketone strips are more accurate and more immediate, but are very expensive, and much harder to get hold of.

If you find ketones in your urine it would suggest you should seek urgent medical attention. The BG levels you have mentioned, and the vomiting sound quite worrying.

Perhaps a call to NHS111 would be a good idea?

 

[Leadinglights]

Some of the things you mention, loss of weight combined with high blood glucose send up a red flag that you may not be Type 2 but Type 1 or LADA . It would be worth asking for some further tests which might clarify your Type those being C-peptide and GAD antibodies. Unfortunately those results take a longer time to come back than the HbA1C test resulys which I assume that is what you are having this week.
Your diet doesn't appear to be particularly carb heavy to be giving the high glucose levels you mention. However it might be worth keeping a food diary with everything you eat and drink with a carb estimate just to check on the carbs you are having as some things can be deceptively high. Cereal for example can be sugar free but still high in carbs, similarly the wraps can be high carb as they are essentially flour (high carb) and water.
The diary along with some blood glucose test results before and 2 hours after eating would help your GP in a treatment plan.

 

[Mandid]

Thank you to everyone who offered me some help, I am grateful to you all.
I have just had an abnormal blood test, my liver has become fatty and I’m still not sure how that happens or what it means for my health (the Doctor just went on about numbers and abbreviations that I didn’t understand). Also my white cell count was high so I am anaemic again and have to have iron tablets which I hate taking. My urine has been sent to the lab as that was also abnormal. I feel like I’m trapped in an ever lasting nightmare. Xxx