I was diagnosed after going to the Dr with very bad athletes foot, toes bleeding like mad - stabed finger - you have diabetes, wow - given drugs and told to come back in 2 days, 2 weeks later went to france for 4 days drove down through france ok - got up the following morning and could not see through my normal vision glasses - I had a pair of bi focals on me which I could see perfectley through the reading section of the lens, I never got an explanation for this -- (I did try) but afer 4 months my eyes changes again to near the original lenses!
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Hi - Andrew
- Thread starter Andrew
- Start date
- Status
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Andrew, welcome to the forum 🙂 It's very common to have vision changes when you are newly-diagnosed - this is due to the high blood glucose levels altering the way the eyes work and is usually temporary once treatment is started and blood sugars return to more normal levels. What medication are you on, and how has your first year been?
Sheilagh1958
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Welcome to the forum Andrew 🙂
Hi there, welcome to the forum.
I was the same (re: eyesight) when diagnosed (I believe it is very common). Fortunately, I was warned that it was likely to happen and to leave it for atleast a couple of months for things to settle before going to see the opticians!
As it happens, my eyesight settled and a visit wasn't necessary in the end. In fact a couple of times, my eyesight was better without glasses than with (not the case now though!).
Andy 🙂
I was the same (re: eyesight) when diagnosed (I believe it is very common). Fortunately, I was warned that it was likely to happen and to leave it for atleast a couple of months for things to settle before going to see the opticians!
As it happens, my eyesight settled and a visit wasn't necessary in the end. In fact a couple of times, my eyesight was better without glasses than with (not the case now though!).
Andy 🙂
Thank you
Hi
Due to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing it would seem that I sent individual responses so sorry I am not used to this sort of web site thing.
Thanks for the greetings.
How has my first year as a diabetic been?? That is a big question.
Medication. Metformin- aspirin – satins, ( I seem to be getting more upset stomachs than I ever used to – is this the medication?)
I got sent on the desmond training session.
Every one was telling me that this would answer all my questions. Nice bright sunny day. Got to the medical centre in Bridgewater. The nurse had called in sick. So the other girl, a nutritionalist ran the day on her own, got the feeling that she had never been left on her own in her life!!. Any questions posed were answered with the statement that the answer is in the book. So no answers.
The photo of the retina. Wonderful – I had no perception of any reaction to the drops at all. Bright sun no pain, no screwed up vision, none of the horror stories I had been fed were true! wonderful---- the driver I had taken with me drove home anyway they insisted. About an hour later I could not see with out 2 pairs of sun glasses and that in a dark room!! I was still like it at bed time ok in the morning,
My wife has an interesting take on meal times. Unless she is HUNGARY it is not a meal time!
Trying to keep off of cheese to control cholesterol has been very hard, I have always grabbed a cheese sandwich when peckish -
I now seem to get head aches which seem to last a couple of days, I have never really suffered from head aches so this is annoying.
Feeling tired in the day when I have never felt tired before.
A Mother who seems to think that I am going to die.
A Sister has been told she is diabetic as well (she is super obese and has been for 30 years)-
So how has my first year been?
Frustrating. (I could have done with finding this web site a year ago!) Other than to take the tablets take more exercise – watch what I eat and make it up as I go along.
Getting information all my own work- and as for the eyes very worrying.
No info from the Dr-Nurse-Optician-Desmond. It took me ages to get any info on that (and not much then) ---- I had visions of my eyes changing over night repeatedly!!!! Thinking of the cost of glasses every couple of months. I keep rubbing my toes on the floor to make sure that I can feel the carpet. And squinting at fine print to make sure that I can see good edge definition!
Hi
Due to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing it would seem that I sent individual responses so sorry I am not used to this sort of web site thing.
Thanks for the greetings.
How has my first year as a diabetic been?? That is a big question.
Medication. Metformin- aspirin – satins, ( I seem to be getting more upset stomachs than I ever used to – is this the medication?)I got sent on the desmond training session.
Every one was telling me that this would answer all my questions. Nice bright sunny day. Got to the medical centre in Bridgewater. The nurse had called in sick. So the other girl, a nutritionalist ran the day on her own, got the feeling that she had never been left on her own in her life!!. Any questions posed were answered with the statement that the answer is in the book. So no answers.
The photo of the retina. Wonderful – I had no perception of any reaction to the drops at all. Bright sun no pain, no screwed up vision, none of the horror stories I had been fed were true! wonderful---- the driver I had taken with me drove home anyway they insisted. About an hour later I could not see with out 2 pairs of sun glasses and that in a dark room!! I was still like it at bed time ok in the morning,
My wife has an interesting take on meal times. Unless she is HUNGARY it is not a meal time!
Trying to keep off of cheese to control cholesterol has been very hard, I have always grabbed a cheese sandwich when peckish -
I now seem to get head aches which seem to last a couple of days, I have never really suffered from head aches so this is annoying.
Feeling tired in the day when I have never felt tired before.
A Mother who seems to think that I am going to die.
A Sister has been told she is diabetic as well (she is super obese and has been for 30 years)-
So how has my first year been?
Frustrating. (I could have done with finding this web site a year ago!) Other than to take the tablets take more exercise – watch what I eat and make it up as I go along.
Getting information all my own work- and as for the eyes very worrying.
No info from the Dr-Nurse-Optician-Desmond. It took me ages to get any info on that (and not much then) ---- I had visions of my eyes changing over night repeatedly!!!! Thinking of the cost of glasses every couple of months. I keep rubbing my toes on the floor to make sure that I can feel the carpet. And squinting at fine print to make sure that I can see good edge definition!
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Eyes - glasses -
Hi
I really did drive across France with a transit and trailer, I was running support for a motorcycle trip around France -- got to the Hostel we were staying at, had dinner and some wine, when I got up and put my glasses on I just could not get anything in focus, Why I put the bi focal?s on I have no idea -- but I could see perfectly through the reading lens, so drove around France with my head tipped back far enough to see the road!!!! For a week!
Went to Dr and Optician and got no where other than to pay out for new glasses. After about 3 months my eyes changed again closer to the original prescription, but not close enough -- more glasses.
My Dr seemed to be totally unaware about this option - so did the first 2 opticians I saw!!
Hi
I really did drive across France with a transit and trailer, I was running support for a motorcycle trip around France -- got to the Hostel we were staying at, had dinner and some wine, when I got up and put my glasses on I just could not get anything in focus, Why I put the bi focal?s on I have no idea -- but I could see perfectly through the reading lens, so drove around France with my head tipped back far enough to see the road!!!! For a week!
Went to Dr and Optician and got no where other than to pay out for new glasses. After about 3 months my eyes changed again closer to the original prescription, but not close enough -- more glasses.
My Dr seemed to be totally unaware about this option - so did the first 2 opticians I saw!!
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Andrew, I'm sorry to hear that your introduction to diabetes has been fraught with lack of good information and confusion. Usually, people gain a great deal from DESMOND, but if you didn't have a knowledgeable instructor then it can be very frustrating. Are you able to test your levels? It's really the only way you can know what is working for you and will help you to establish a diet and routine that will help you reduce your levels and make a real difference to how you feel. You're not alone in finding a lack of support or information from members of the medical profession, it can be very hit and miss and some are depresssingly poorly-informed.
Never fear! There are thousands of people here with masses of varied experience, so whatever your questions or concerns there is usually someone who has been through the same thing and can share their experience and hopefully give you the benefit of how they tackled things. Have a look in our Useful links thread for some good information and book recommendations. I would say that, given your experience over the past year, it would be worth getting hold of the Gretchen Becker book (Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year) - many of our members have found it tremendously helpful.
Never fear! There are thousands of people here with masses of varied experience, so whatever your questions or concerns there is usually someone who has been through the same thing and can share their experience and hopefully give you the benefit of how they tackled things. Have a look in our Useful links thread for some good information and book recommendations. I would say that, given your experience over the past year, it would be worth getting hold of the Gretchen Becker book (Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year) - many of our members have found it tremendously helpful.
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