Help!

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Wmay1965

Active Member
Hi! I've recently been experiencing hypos and hpers, palpitations, high blood pressure, lightheadedness, dry tip of tongue, irritability, confusion, metallic taste in my mouth, waking at 3am most mornings feeling generally unwell. My GP prescribed Vitamin B12 tablets (I don't have a B12 deficiency according to another GP) but the original GP put me on 1 x 80mg proprananol in addition to the B12 tablets (which I've had reduced to 3 x 10mg by another GP because my heart rate went very slow and I felt zombie like). The palpitations are getting worse (this was apparently why in was given proprananol so the proprananol isn't working) and it's frightening when the palpitations happen. I feel light headed, and get blurry eyesight now every day and also feel weak when these episodes happen. It's at the stage where I don't drive, won't go out by myself and am afraid when my husband is away from home working and I'm on my own. I feel like I'm going to pass out sometimes. One time I did for a few moments after eating a meal. Any ideas if this could be diabetes? I've attended ER twice in the past two years after these faint and strange feeling episodes happened to me but they couldn't find anything wrong after taking my blood pressure. One time they took a urine test and said I had high levels of protein in my urine which I told my doctor but he passed it off at the time (this was about 4 years ago). I keep telling the doctors at my surgery that my mum had type 2 diabetes and later needed insulin and that I could remember her saying her head felt weird on occasions (just like mine does). My doctors keep saying I'm anxious and that's why these things are happening. I keep repeating to them that I'm feeling anxious and stressed only because they are not listening to what I'm explaining!

Ps I'm not sure if the hypo's are the result of me trying to get my weight down. I've cut out all sugar and as much saturated fat and salt as possible suddenly over the past 8 weeks. I've got 4 stone to lose and I haven't a clue what is safe and what's not the way I'm feeling. I'm desperate to find out what's wrong with me. It's frightening. Finally after having to cut short our family holiday, I managed to get a blood test to check for diabetes yesterday! I'm awaiting the results. But from what I've explained, could I have diabetes? Anyone had similar symptoms? They seem like diabetes to me. I know noone can say for sure until.u get my results. The nurse asked me was I having palpitations? Yes, yes and yes!!!! She said I may need more tests in addition to yesterday's test. Wonder how she knows that? I'm so tired. This has been a long haul.
 
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Welcome to the forum
Sorry to hear you are experiencing such unpleasant symptoms but the only way you will know if they are due to diabetes is from the result of an HbA1C test which is in simplistic terms is the average blood glucose over the previous 3 months.
I assume you are well past the menopause as that can cause all sorts of symptoms. Unless you are actually testing your blood glucose with a home monitor it is not easy to be sure that you are having hypos as that is unusual unless you are taking medication to lower blood glucose. Palpitations can be a side effect of blood pressure medication.
You really need to go back to your GP for further investigation.
 
Sorry you’re having such symptoms @Wmay1965 Anything that causes palpitations is very stressful. I see from your previous thread last year that your HbA1C was ok when you were having similar symptoms. It doesn’t sound particularly like diabetes, but you’d need an HbA1C again to confirm that.

W

Thread 'Hello! I am confused - weird symptoms!'

Hi! I am so confused. I have had blood tests carried out a week ago to determine if I am diabetic 2. They returned as being "satisfactory". However, I am having hypos and hypers on/off for the past months but increasingly so this past two weeks. I also have traces of protein in my urine, but my nurse says this is normal.

Yesterdsay, after eating lunch, I lost consciousness for a very short time (seconds maybe) after eating lunch (this was 5 hours after breakfast). I was in the car with my husband and he got a fright too! Said I slumped down in my chair and started shaking my right...

Have you had an ECG?
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum
Sorry to hear you are experiencing such unpleasant symptoms but the only way you will know if they are due to diabetes is from the result of an HbA1C test which is in simplistic terms is the average blood glucose over the previous 3 months.
I assume you are well past the menopause as that can cause all sorts of symptoms. Unless you are actually testing your blood glucose with a home monitor it is not easy to be sure that you are having hypos as that is unusual unless you are taking medication to lower blood glucose. Palpitations can be a side effect of blood pressure medication.
You really need to go back to your GP for further investigation.
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Thank you. I had palpitations pre meds. I have been testing my blood glucose with a monitor at home and that's been giving me results when I feel awful. I test when I feel bad which is every day now. When my sugars are low <4.0, I take 3 or 4 jelly babies which raises it nearer 5.5 after about 5-10 minutes. When it's high, I try and walk about if I can to try and reduce it. I'm doing what I can to try and keep it steady on my own. It's not easy and I feel awful until I get it back in the 5-7 range which often takes time when it's high. The highest I recorded it was 22.3 and the lowest was 4.5. I photographed both times to show my GP. I had really bad palpitations after eating lunch today (salmon with side salad). I really don't know what to eat. Do I eat for hypo's or hypers? I guess I will need to wait for results. It's the throat and chest palpitations that are worse today. The worst I've experienced yet. It's awful. I dread each day at the moment. Life is not life when you feel like this...it's just horrible.
 
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Below 4 is ok if you’re not on glucose lowering meds. Non-diabetics have blood sugar in the 3s. I also seem to remember that you weren’t using a very reliable meter? Blood sugar shouldn’t be “steady”. It naturally moves up and down within a normal range. It doesn’t have to stay between 5 and 7.
 
Wmay1965 said:
Thank you. I had palpitations pre meds. I have been testing my blood glucose with a monitor at home and that's been giving me results when I feel awful. I test when I feel bad which is every day now. When my sugars are low <4.0, I take 3 or 4 jelly babies which raises it nearer 5.5/after about 5-10 minutes. When it's high, I try and walk about if I can to try and reduce it. I'm doing what I can to try and keep it steady on my own. It's not easy and I feel awful until I get it back in the 5-7 range which often takes time when it's high. The highest I recorded it was 22 and the lowest I managed to record was 4.5.
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What sort of things are you eating as if your diet is very high carb that could explain the high level which then induces your pancreas to over produce insulin which sends you low.
 
Inka said:
Sorry you’re having such symptoms @Wmay1965 Anything that causes palpitations is very stressful. I see from your previous thread last year that your HbA1C was ok when you were having similar symptoms. It doesn’t sound particularly like diabetes, but you’d need an HbA1C again to confirm that.

W

Thread 'Hello! I am confused - weird symptoms!'

Hi! I am so confused. I have had blood tests carried out a week ago to determine if I am diabetic 2. They returned as being "satisfactory". However, I am having hypos and hypers on/off for the past months but increasingly so this past two weeks. I also have traces of protein in my urine, but my nurse says this is normal.

Yesterdsay, after eating lunch, I lost consciousness for a very short time (seconds maybe) after eating lunch (this was 5 hours after breakfast). I was in the car with my husband and he got a fright too! Said I slumped down in my chair and started shaking my right...

Have you had an ECG?
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Yes. They said it was normal, i.e. my ECG that is.
 
Inka said:
Below 4 is ok if you’re not on glucose lowering meds. Non-diabetics have blood sugar in the 3s. I also seem to remember that you weren’t using a very reliable meter? Blood sugar shouldn’t be “steady”. It naturally moves up and down within a normal range. It doesn’t have to stay between 5 and 7
Click to expand...
That's helpful to know. Thank you.
 
Leadinglights said:
What sort of things are you eating as if your diet is very high carb that could explain the high level which then induces your pancreas to over produce insulin which sends you low.
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No, I've been cutting out carbs wherever possible, i.e. white rice, pasta, etc and choosing wholemeal instead.
 
Wmay1965 said:
the throat and chest palpitations
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Have you been tested for thyroid function? This was how I felt (and your other symptoms) when my thyroid was overactive. Sometimes, in the early days it was intermittent so was difficult to pin down till it became constant. Good luck
 
It's the weird feeling I get in my head that's upsetting - that and sudden body weakness. It happens for a few minutes up to 30 mins and I'm exhausted afterwards for a time. My GP asked me to record my heart rate when this happens, but I haven't noticed much difference. It maybe raises by 10-15 bpm (higher if I'm able to walk, but not much higher). The episodes I mentioned previously on this forum were infrequent. They are happening every day now - sometimes two or three times per day. If this is not diabetes or POTS then goodness knows what it is! It's so unpleasant that it's getting to the point I'm afraid to get out of bed in the morning.
 
DianeD said:
Have you been tested for thyroid function? This was how I felt (and your other symptoms) when my thyroid was overactive. Sometimes, in the early days it was intermittent so was difficult to pin down till it became constant. Good luck
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I had tests done recently for various things apparently - they didn't say all of which exactly, and when I phoned for my results, they said everything was 'within the normal range' and I do remember being told my thyroid was okay - this was recently (within the last few months). My cholesterol was high though (6.3). I've since got it down to 5.5 which is still high. I'm trying to cut out saturated fats as much as possible but I need to exercise. I notice these episodes I've been having often happen after exercise as well, so I'm afraid to exercise much until I know what wrong with me. I am overweight (4 stone). I've got heavier this past year. I wasn't overweight before all this started. Think things would improve if I could lose weight.

To top it all, I'm having nightmares on proprananol (side effect of these particular meds) and waking up anxious - the very thing I was given them for!!! No wonder I'm feeling anxious though - nightmares, lack of sleep, plus these unexplained and increasing episodes which are frightening and upsetting. I can understand why the doctors are confused. I'm confused too.
 
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Wmay1965 said:
It's the weird feeling I get in my head that's upsetting - that and sudden body weakness. It happens for a few minutes up to 30 mins and I'm exhausted afterwards for a time. My GP asked me to record my heart rate when this happens, but I haven't noticed much difference. It maybe raises by 10-15 bpm (higher if I'm able to walk, but not much higher). The episodes I mentioned previously on this forum were infrequent. They are happening every day now - sometimes two or three times per day. If this is not diabetes or POTS then goodness knows what it is! It's so unpleasant that it's getting to the point I'm afraid to get out of bed in the morning.
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I’m wondering whether it’s possibly a physical cause @Wmay1965 . I had vertigo a few years ago, and it’s nothing like I imagined it was. It was absolutely awful, and wasn’t so much dizziness as a horrible feeling in my head that made me feel like I was going to pass out. Some months afterwards, I spoke to a woman who’d had it too and she said it was more common in women over 40. It can last for months and also be intermittent, depending on the cause. It can be caused by a virus, deposits in the ear, or a physical problem such as a misaligned neck or back.

Don’t be fixated on just two possible causes. For a start, when you had the symptoms last year, diabetes was ruled out. POTS can also be ruled out with an ECG and blood pressure monitor warn for 24 or 48hrs, I believe.
 
Inka said:
I’m wondering whether it’s possibly a physical cause @Wmay1965 . I had vertigo a few years ago, and it’s nothing like I imagined it was. It was absolutely awful, and wasn’t so much dizziness as a horrible feeling in my head that made me feel like I was going to pass out. Some months afterwards, I spoke to a woman who’d had it too and she said it was more common in women over 40. It can last for months and also be intermittent, depending on the cause. It can be caused by a virus, deposits in the ear, or a physical problem such as a misaligned neck or back.

Don’t be fixated on just two possible causes. For a start, when you had the symptoms last year, diabetes was ruled out. POTS can also be ruled out with an ECG and blood pressure monitor warn for 24 or 48hrs, I believe.
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Yes. I have a sore stiff neck so possibly that has something to do with it. Ear infections already ruled out, although I've had vertigo in the past. It was horrible too and lasted a few weeks as I remember. All this back and forth to my GP surgery makes me feel like a fraud when they can't find anything. I so wish this was just my imagination, but it's definitely very real. The palpitations seemed to increase in severity and times happening since I ad my first and second pheizer injection tbh and I mentioned this to my GP back last year at the time of first posting on this forum. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I'm thinking of going private to see a cardiologist if my bloods come back as not diabetic which after being on this forum I fully expect. Will post again when I get results.
 
Some of your symptoms sound similar to Meniere's disease, there is a test that can be done.
 
So as I understand it you had anxiety and palpitations, and because of this you were given proprananol - have I got this right?
The proprananol is a beta blocker, so it slowed your heart rate in order to try help control the palpitations, but you felt it slowed it too much.
You mention high blood pressure as well. Do you track your BP, and do you know what your last reading was (was that at home or at the doctors?).
How are you tracking the bpm you say rises by 10-15 beats when walking? I would regard a rise of 10-15 beats as pretty normal myself.
If you are having increased palpitations and light headed spells that have resulted in passing out then your doctor should be seeking the cause. If your doctor is convinced that light headedness and passing out are purely due to palpitations then it may be time to review your anxiety meds. I would press them on this as passing out is where issues would normally be looked at more closely.
A HbA1C to confirm / deny diabetes would be useful


If it's any help then heart rate is entirely individual, my friend has a very fast pulse, mine is very slow, generally around 48 or so BPM sat at my desk. So a lower heart rate is not an issue.

I had palpitations and was prescribed nebivolol (this is also a beta blocker). In my case I now have low blood pressure. I have extremely brief light headed spells which I blame on the combination of erratic heartbeat combined with low blood pressure and a slow pulse, but so far have not lost consciousness, and my light headedness is limited to repeated extremely brief moments. My lowest recorded pulse while doing BP would have been around 42 BPM.
 
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I monitor my BP with a blood pressure machine at home. I follow instructions, e.g. I ensure no clothing tucked in strap, my feet flat on floor, I keep still and don't talk, I also ensure the arm strap is in the correct position and not too tight or loose (i.e. I can slip 2 fingers between it and my forearm), etc. The arm band is the correct size as well. I monitor my heart beat using a fitbit watch which one of the GP's advised me to get because they don't have an overnight heart monitor (it's broken) and they won't replace it because apparently it's not funded by the NHS. I have an app on my mobile which I can watch live. One of the GP's said he'd refer me to hospital if I felt worse after my holiday which was this past week. We came home early because I felt so unwell. I did not get to speak to the same GP and only got a telephone appointment as The receptionist said they ad no appointment spaces left. This same receptionist refused me an emergency appointment a few weeks ago despite me telling her I had a EGG print-out to take with me to give to the doctor from a paramedic who attended me when my BP shot up and heart rate was at 200 bpm!!!! I was on my own at 5am and terrified I was having a heart attack. When I did finally get an appointment a week later!!! I was given the proprananol. I was not on any meds prior to this. I think the constant knocking at The GP surgery trying to get them to listen has led to anxiety which I didn't have previously, it it's been a long road. The episodes I'm having don't seem to last long (between 5-30 mins), but are extremely unpleasant and scary when they happen. My meds are giving me nightmares every 2nd night it seems and this wakes me, so they are adding to my problems it seems. I feel like a non fit. Doctors can't work out what's wrong and ER doctors only take my BP and send me home. Mind, one time they did take a urine sample and said I had raised glucose levels according to the sample. I think everyone thinks it's a mental health problem, but it's definitely not all in my head (although the symptoms seem to start with a strange feeling in my head). As you know, Noone knows our own body better than ourselves. I'm at my wits end and fed up constantly contacting my GP this past month almost weekly!!! I feel like a freak and am embarrassed having all these tests come back normal. P.s. One time I did pass out briefly after eating lunch. I came round gasping for air and hubby got a fright. Took me to ER. Same old same old, BP checked and sent home. That particular incibciden happened last year. Sorry te: typos. On a kindle which alters what's being typed.
 
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Wmay1965 said:
I monitor my BP with a blood pressure machine at home. I follow instructions, e.g. I ensure no clothing tucked in strap, my feet flat on floor, I keep still and don't talk, I also ensure the arm strap is in the correct position and not too tight or loose (i.e. I can slip 2 fingers between it and my forearm), etc. The arm band is the correct size as well. I monitor my heart beat using a fitbit watch. I have an app on my mobile which I can watch live. One of the GP's said he'd refer me to hospital if I felt worse after my holiday which was this past week. We came home early because I felt so unwell. The episodes don't seem to last long (between 5-30 mins), but are extremely unpleasant when they happen. My meds are giving me nightmares every 2nd night it seems and this wakes me, so they are adding to my problems it seems. I feel like a non fit. Doctors can't work out what's wrong and ER doctors only take my BP and send me home. Mind, one time they did take a urine sample and said I had raised glucose levels according to the sample. I think everyone thinks it's a mental health problem, but it's definitely not all in my head (although the symptoms seem to start with a strange feeling in my head). As you know, Noone knows our own body better than ourselves. I'm at my wits end and fed up constantly contacting my GP this past month almost weekly!!! I feel like a freak and am embarrassed having all these tests come back normal. P.s. One time I did pass out briefly after eating lunch. I came round gasping for air and hubby got a fright. Took me to ER. Same old same old, BP checked and sent home. That was last year.
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These things are very frustrating when the cause is eluding the medical professionals. I was a first aider at work and kept getting called to somebody who kept collapsing unconscious and every time we were required to call the paramedics but they could find nothing so they refused to go to hospital even though they advised it. They were banned from lab classes as there was no warning to when they collapsed. It happened once on the stairs and I was trying to support them and then they started fitting so the paramedic had to give them an injection. The only thing they found was low potassium. We never found out any more as they finished their course.
Do not worry about pestering your GP, that is what they are there for.
 
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