In a panic!

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:D Maybe after dinner speaking then ! :D

There used to be a pilot who did it in the 70s/80s. My brother had a tape of some of his repertoire.

Definitely get in touch with that organisation that Northerner mentioned. Things may not be as bleak as they first seem.

Rob
 
There was an Air Traffic Controller who did that too-that's my old job!So far so good over the weekend anyway..his readings are coming in around 18 or so now, and still nothing untoward on the pee front! More appts with GP tomorrow-it's like trying to drink from from a fire hose..so much to take in...thursday all was perfectly normal, now our life is total disarray...

One thing I meant to ask, how are you supposed to dispose of the needles from the machine? Surely they can't go in the bin?? Do we need to get a special bin or some sort?
 
hi clare ...you should have a sharps bin provided for all the paraphernalia ...if not keep seperately and ask for one then put them in there...or you could always use them like this .......heheee

http://diabotica.blogspot.com/
 
AM64, Whats the point.....He He

Clare,
I/we produce a load of this waste. I have a sharps boxs, in which I throw all biohazard stuff - needles, lancetts, test strips. I can dispose of these at my normal chemist. I'm told though that some chemists will not accept such stuff. Other fourm members might advise for this case. Perhaps that deserves a new thread.
Mike
 
clare w said:
Husband went to Docs a week or two ago,as he was really thirsty all the time. They sent him for a blood test yesterday and the Docs called at 6pm last night to say they suspect severe diabetes! Don't know the ins and outs but Doc said "Normal reading is 5, people with diabetes read 12, yours is 24 !" Doc asked him to go back this morning to repaet tests,and he's just called me to say test came back as "29" !!! They are considering sending him straight to hospital from the surgery!!! Can this be right? He feels perfectly well and healthy otherwise??? What do these numbers actually mean??
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G'day Clare

I'm a late arrival to this thread, so I've read right through it.

I notice there has been a tendency for a cyber-diagnosis of type 1. Please stop worrying about his type for the moment, because the important thing right now is how he should manage it at this early stage.

Personally, I will swim against the current and suggest that he is type 2. I have seen several new type 2s appear on forums over the years with initial numbers higher than his.

You wrote later:
Well, he's back..def diabetes type 1 by the looks of it. He has boxes of gear, Metformin pills (??) a Contour machine and urine test sticks....kind of expected some sort of leaflet with advice/info ,but nothing..so much to take in so quickly..all they said was if his urine changes the test stick colour he must go straight to hospital !
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I don't see any mention of insulin or sulfs despite his high initial blood glucose readings. The doctors are treating him as a type 2. If he is type 2 his career may not be over at all, even if he may need insulin initially to get back below glucotoxicity levels. He may be able to continue without insulin or sulfs after the initial period.

I wrote this for new type 2s; please ask HIM to read it: (click on it): Getting Started

Then ask HIM to drop in here himself to have a chat to us. It is much easier to pass on the information he is not going to like about the changes he may need to make to his lifestyle directly. You really don't want to become the "Food Police" for his menu.

Best wishes; I look forward to meeting him.
 
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Thanks Alan-they did say he would need Insulin,and he is to go back this morning to learn more about that....think they just wanted to get him over the weekend initially. Will post more when we know more...but the chances of him coming on here himself are minimal....
 
clare w said:
Thanks Alan-they did say he would need Insulin,and he is to go back this morning to learn more about that....think they just wanted to get him over the weekend initially. Will post more when we know more...but the chances of him coming on here himself are minimal....
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Hope things go well today Clare. If there is anything they say that you are not sure of, then do ask for an explanation, there can be a lot to absorb.
 
Clare W - is your husband really a 747 skipper? If so, diabetes treated with insulin probably does mean the end to career as airline pilot. There is a tendency for diabetes to lead to balnket bans for some professional activities, although amateur activity may still be possible. Sorry to be blunt, when diagnosed, some 15 years ago, but I found ill-informed comments from friends, relatives, professionals etc that diabetes doesn't stop you do anything a bit painful. Most of them didn't even know what SCUBA or marine biology meant when I asked for advice from professionals. Since internet, there are more options to explore personal accounts of experiences, but rules vary between countries etc.

Speaking from experience, it can be too painful to want to pay to do something you used to be paid to do. I resigned my TA commission to travel overseas, aiming to emigrate to Australia or New Zealand, once I'd made some contacts. I had BSc Marine Biology and some BSAC SCUBA experience. While employed as a guide on seal & dolphin swimming tours, I had a medical before beginning my training as a SCUBA diving instructor, paying costs only, as boss employed instructor. Medical revealed diabetes and after getting PADI basic SCUBA qualification, I've never SCUBA dived again, although snorkel and swim in sea whenever possible. Despite lots of arctic exploration experience, some experience working on Antarctic marine organisms (including copepods) in a lab before diagnosis, working in Antarctica became banned. Not even allowed to drive minibuses, so couldn't transfer to another aspect of eco-tourism and couldn't rejoin TA. Since diagnosis, I have worked on more expeditions, including a month on South Georgia, but employment is the ban. Plus every year, my partner, who I met while working at BAS HQ in Cambridge, goes to work in Antarctica for several weeks / months, which is a bit tough.
 
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Yes he is, or rather was till recently ! He actually took voluntary redundancy from BA last year and was taking a bit of time out before deciding whether to stay retired, or go back into the fray elsewhere.....
Not much to report from todays appt- they were badly pressed for time so we only had 10 mins with a nurse....we are to go back next week for a 30mins appt where she will explain how they go about defining if it's T1 or T2...his blood test this morning was completely off the scale of the machine 😱..it just read "HI" rather than giving a figure !
 
clare w said:
Yes he is, or rather was till recently ! He actually took voluntary redundancy from BA last year and was taking a bit of time out before deciding whether to stay retired, or go back into the fray elsewhere.....
Not much to report from todays appt- they were badly pressed for time so we only had 10 mins with a nurse....we are to go back next week for a 30mins appt where she will explain how they go about defining if it's T1 or T2...his blood test this morning was completely off the scale of the machine 😱..it just read "HI" rather than giving a figure !
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What was their reaction to this 'HI'? I'm very surprised that they seem to be so laid back about this - a week can be a long time to wait if he needs insulin!
 
Hi Clare.

I know it's obviously not yourself who needs convincing, but it sounds as though they are leaving your husband hanging by a fine thread, which is merely prolonging his misery. If his BG is that high, he should be on medication, whether insulin or otherwise to bring it down. His renal system and others will be under extreme stress at those levels and it seems irresponsible of the clinic to do little or nothing while they try to fit him in.

If it were any of us, post-diagnosis, we would be turning up at A&E with prolonged BGs that high to avoid damage. Just because he's yet to be officially diagnosed, it doesn't make him immune from complications.

Have they given any dietary guidance at all ?

Rob
 
They gave him a leaflet to read with dietary advice,but I already do pretty much everything on it, best practise...they told him off for having sugar on cereal this morning,and said they'd go into more detail next week when he has a 30min appt..
 
clare ..i really dont think this is acceptable ...can you arrange an earlier appointment ...good luck x
 
clare w said:
They gave him a leaflet to read with dietary advice,but I already do pretty much everything on it, best practise...they told him off for having sugar on cereal this morning,and said they'd go into more detail next week when he has a 30min appt..
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I'm sorry if we all seem to be going on about this Clare, but if he is consistently getting levels that are off the scale of his meter (as indicated by the 'HI' reading) then he really should be getting much closer attention than a rushed 10 minute talk with a nurse and a 30 minute appointment a week later.

I would urge you to think about cutting right back on any carbohydrates in order to try and reduce his levels. Lean meats, eggs, vegetables (other than potatoes or sweet potato), cheese - all are preferable for now to bread, pasta, rice etc. - including cereal of any type, as practically all packaged cereal, however 'healthy' it may claim to be, is full of carbohydrate. Try doing a test when he wakes in the morning, and another test an hour after breakfast to see what sort of a difference there is in the numbers. I know the numbers probably don't mean much to you at the moment, but I think you can understand the scale of difference - a non-diabetic will be between about 4 and 6 mmol/l on waking.

I do not understand the delay in providing appropriate education and treatment, it seems far too unhurried given the indicators.
 
Just to add a note to that.

If he's type 1 and producing no, or little, of his own insulin, then he will still get higher than normal BGs due to the liver secreting glucose at a steady rate into the bloodstream (which is normal), but with few carbs going in, it will produce glucose from protein and fat, so without insulin injected, he is going to struggle to maintain a normal BG range.

If his pancreas is working at a reduced rate, he may then find it can cope with the lower levels of carbs. At least it may show you how much insulin he's still producing.

Sorry to add more info to the pile. 😱

Rob
 
Northerner said:
I'm sorry if we all seem to be going on about this Clare, but if he is consistently getting levels that are off the scale of his meter (as indicated by the 'HI' reading) then he really should be getting much closer attention than a rushed 10 minute talk with a nurse and a 30 minute appointment a week later.

I would urge you to think about cutting right back on any carbohydrates in order to try and reduce his levels. Lean meats, eggs, vegetables (other than potatoes or sweet potato), cheese - all are preferable for now to bread, pasta, rice etc. - including cereal of any type, as practically all packaged cereal, however 'healthy' it may claim to be, is full of carbohydrate. Try doing a test when he wakes in the morning, and another test an hour after breakfast to see what sort of a difference there is in the numbers. I know the numbers probably don't mean much to you at the moment, but I think you can understand the scale of difference - a non-diabetic will be between about 4 and 6 mmol/l on waking.

I do not understand the delay in providing appropriate education and treatment, it seems far too unhurried given the indicators.
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He's normally in the high teens on waking,then high twenties after brekkie...
 
clare w said:
He's normally in the high teens on waking,then high twenties after brekkie...
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Could you try bacon eggs and mushrooms one morning - no bread - just to compare, taking readings before breakfast and one and two hours after? Is he taking the metformin still?
 
clare w said:
They gave him a leaflet to read with dietary advice,but I already do pretty much everything on it, best practise...they told him off for having sugar on cereal this morning,and said they'd go into more detail next week when he has a 30min appt..
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I'd tell him off for having the cereal. Has he read this yet: (click on it): Test, Review, Adjust?
 
clare w said:
Yes he is, or rather was till recently ! He actually took voluntary redundancy from BA last year and was taking a bit of time out before deciding whether to stay retired, or go back into the fray elsewhere.....
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Best of luck for finding something suitable - I found lateral thinking the best way forward. However, as others have said, don't lose sight of the search for proper treatment, medication if needed etc. It's tough if you have to use insulin to keep you alive, but that means the end of certain rights / opportunities, no matter how well you control your condition.
 
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