In a panic!

Status
Not open for further replies.
The jobs not a huge issue-in all probability he was going to stay retired,it's just closed a door that was open,that's all.
More worrying is his lack of interest/ability to take this seriously. He's been scoffing bread all day,put soy sauce all over his healthy home cooked stir fry,and forgot to test his blood as per docs instructions..it was 32....!!!! :(
 
clare w said:
The jobs not a huge issue-in all probability he was going to stay retired,it's just closed a door that was open,that's all.
More worrying is his lack of interest/ability to take this seriously. He's been scoffing bread all day,put soy sauce all over his healthy home cooked stir fry,and forgot to test his blood as per docs instructions..it was 32....!!!! :(
Click to expand...

Hi Clare - at the moment he is in denial. Some people stay in it longer than others. He's also possibly feeling hungry as his brain will be confused into believing its not getting enough fuel.

Has he been told why its important to get his levels under control - does he know what levels non-diabetics would see - the difference might shock them.

In the meantime - you are probably getting quite stressed and worried - vent as much as you like. Hope you get some resolution soon.
 
Would imagine he's going through the grief/loss cycle and, as margie says, is in the denial stage.

He'll be angry at diabetes for taking away his freedom of choice and I would guess he's going to show it who's boss.

As Margie suggests, there are some pretty graphic examples of what can happen if he doesn't start accepting it. Do you think it possible that the doctors have tried to get him onto insulin and he's rejected their suggestions ?

It still seems odd that they're dragging it out so much when he clearly needs more medical intervention than he's had.

Rob
 
Yes,he is aware what normal should be-we tested mine and it was 5.....
The staff at the GP don't go into detail,they (I guess)grow used to having to speak to the lowest common denominator, and just don't do details,or say why they ask you to make changes. Now, he is used to being in charge,given all the information and making a decision on his own,based on that knowledge. He hasn't been told all he needs to know,so is just doing same old same old...

On another front, the Metformin is not "going down well".....

Hey Maggie-whereabouts in Liverpool are you? We are both "expat" Scousers..
 
Last edited:
clare w said:
The jobs not a huge issue-in all probability he was going to stay retired,it's just closed a door that was open,that's all.
More worrying is his lack of interest/ability to take this seriously. He's been scoffing bread all day,put soy sauce all over his healthy home cooked stir fry,and forgot to test his blood as per docs instructions..it was 32....!!!! :(
Click to expand...

In some ways (and please don't take this the wrong way!) it's a shame that he hasn't had an acute problem, as you say he has had little major in the way of symptoms. I was the opposite when diagnosed - I have never felt so ill and was literally an hour away from coma and not being found. I was extremely sick and dehydrated and at risk of major organ failure. Tests indicated I had a heart attack the day after being admitted to hospital. I lost 17 pounds in weight in 3 days. Prior to this I had been very fit and active, although prone to the occasional heavy alcohol binge.

Suddenly being that ill made me realise I never wanted to feel that bad ever again, and because of this I have always taken diabetes very seriously. The consequences of not doing so are truly horrible. I hope that he soon accepts that doing the right thing for diabetes is the only way to go, and pushing your blood sugar levels up to six times what the body is capable of dealing with safely by eating the wrong things is certainly not the right thing! 😱 The attitude of the healthcare people he seems to have encountered si probably not helping to hammer the message home, unfortunately!
 
clare w said:
...More worrying is his lack of interest/ability to take this seriously. He's been scoffing bread all day,put soy sauce all over his healthy home cooked stir fry,and forgot to test his blood as per docs instructions..it was 32....!!!! :(
Click to expand...
I hope you are doing OK in all of this - it can be a shock for the partner as much as it can be for the diabetic.

Do you feel the need to kick him out of the denial stage? You could hit him with a blunt hint, like brochures for funeral firms or review the life assurance. Although that could equally also be very counter-productive if he has moved to a more childlike psyche.

I know someone who has woken up with her partner dead in bed next to her from a heart attack, it's a very unpleasant experience. I'm sure if he could imagine what that would feel like he would think twice.
 
Hi Clare.

I don't want to be an alarmist here,but like others,I'm concerned about the readings considering the (in my opinion) ridiculously long wait to be seen, and what comes over as a rather lax attitude from your health care team.

I'm not wanting to scare you,but it might be worth having a read of some of the signs of what's known as DKA. It's good that you're testing for ketones, and I'd keep doing that, as to be honest, I'm surprised that they've not made more of an appearance already.

http://www.isletsofhope.com/diabetes/complications/diabetic_ketoacidosis_dka_1.html

The information here is quite good. Just so that you've got an idea of what to look out for.

When I was diagnosed, my housemate was EXTREMELY keen that I saw a doctor, because he saw alarm bells ringing that I didn't see,(being confused, uncharactersistic behaviour, being very unsteady on my feet, being pale, my eyes greying over, having emotionally violent outbursts, near fainting) and I was very resistant to be persuaded that there was anything wrong. Just so that you're aware that he may not want to admit feeling bad,even if he is, so just to keep your eyes open.
 
Clare

I do half feel sorry for hubby

He's only just been told, so no surprise that he's sort of rebelling against it more so if he doesn't particularly feel unwell in himself, I very much doubt that it's really started to sink in...

As you know that his job involves managament and being in control but even facing disaster in a plane he would all relevant info to make a management decission and take control.. At the moment he hasn't got all the information he needs to take control of his diabetes (yes I'm another one who thinks his surgery needs a boot up the backside to shift them into gear) Hopefully has he gets this information he will see that he can take control and manage diabetes... Couple blips and bumps along the way same as with flying...

As to the metformin playing him up, he an ask for the SR (slow release) version which can be kinder on the stomach, I would actually make an appointment to see GP to sort this and then say that it's getting worse not better, he's not prepared to wait and wants it sorted now even if it means a stay in hospital etc..
 
clare w said:
The jobs not a huge issue-in all probability he was going to stay retired,it's just closed a door that was open,that's all.
More worrying is his lack of interest/ability to take this seriously. He's been scoffing bread all day,put soy sauce all over his healthy home cooked stir fry,and forgot to test his blood as per docs instructions..it was 32....!!!! :(
Click to expand...


Don't worry abut the soy sauce - it may be high in salt but it has almost no sugar. It's the bread and any rice he had with that stir-fry that caused the high blood glucose levels.

Please ask him to read those links in earlier posts.
 
clare w said:
Alan-no bread,no rice..just lean meat n veggies....

Why would diabettes cause a heart attack??
Click to expand...

Hi Clare, I think it may have been your earlier reference to hubby eating a lot of bread that Alan meant.

Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Basically, the body can cope with levels of between around 3.5-7 mmol/l, when it goes higher than this then your blood vessels are having to deal with something they are not meant to and this can lead to thickening/hardening of the arteries which can hugely increase the possibility of a heart attack. When I was in hospital, in the Cardiac ward, every single person in that ward had diabetes, either diagnosed or undiagnosed - all had had heart attacks.

Perhaps even more worrying are the increased risks of blindness and kidney disease, as these involve the tiny blood vessels and can be compromised much more quickly. The thought of blindness or dialysis is a big motivator for me, I can tell you! 😱

Sorry if this is all very gloomy, I know that it is very early days for you both still, but really you need to be extra careful at this point until he is getting proper treatment, rather than relaxed until you find out more.

I'm just hoping that the next appointment is better than the attention he has received so far!
 
clare w said:
Alan-no bread,no rice..just lean meat n veggies....

Why would diabettes cause a heart attack??
Click to expand...

I think Mark was making a rather extreme point about the possibility of a severe medical event that might follow unheeded extremely high blood sugars (as Alan mentioned, at diagnosis he was told he was close to coma and organ failure 😱). It would seem your clinic certainly are treating your husband as type 2 (where the immediate problem of DKA is much less likely), with metformin and fairly relaxed attitude to appointments. In your shoes I would want the diagnosis to be confirmed as soon as possible.

Diabetes does carry an increased risk of heart disease as a long-term complication (hence the increased monitoring of cholesterol and blood pressure for diabetics), but I'm not sure I've heard of it as an immediate effect at or near diagnosis.
 
Diabetic Keto Acidosis. Really nasty

At or around Dx with Type 1 your body can't get glucose from carbs (no/not enough insulin) so you start burning fat. By-product of this is the ketones you've been advised to test for. If ketones build up in the bloodstream the blood turns acidic. Anytime a T1 gets ill or has a reading over about 14-15 they are advised to check for ketones.

If untreated DKA can lead to coma and death.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
I think Mark was making a rather extreme point about the possibility of a severe medical event that might follow unheeded extremely high blood sugars...
Click to expand...

Yep, I was intentionally being very very extreme. He isn't likely to have that issue, say next week, but sticking you head in the sand means there is a very real chance of it being part of the future.

But you got him on kippers this morning - so well done to you 🙂
 
No ketones in urine is good. His BG levels though are still very concerning.

M
 
DKA isn't pleasent experience at all😱

It starts with low levels in the urine, normally you will have raised BG's as well if you don't take action (know as sick day rules) it escalates and can do so very quickly...

Other signs are a peardrop. damp straw or acidtone like nail varnish emover of the breath, as acidtone is also a by-product by this can be expelled through the lungs..

Other symptoms

Larthargic
Pale glammy skin
Fast pulse
shallow breathing
Feeling sick/being sick
Stomach pains

Once you've start to go into DKA the only treatment is insulin

You get a list of sick days rules, this helps to avoid a crisis point and the need for hospilisation..

Baiscs of this, is that if at anytime you BG goes above 12mmol/l you start checking for ketones (either with urines sticks or via a ketone meter) if you find ketones you start a process of increasing your fluid intake which helps to maintian hydration, and do a insulin correction then you wait 2 hours, repeat urine test and BG if still high you take another insulin correction and note if ketones are staying the same or getting worse, you keep this up every 2 hours until under control.. If you find that your ketones are continually increasing or you start showing any of the above symptoms, then its time to call medcial help via 999

You start testing at around 12mmol/l because not only do individual's have a different tollerance level, but the tollerance level can be individual to the situation.. So one time you start to show signs at 18mmol/l another time it could start at 12mmol/l and the earlier you can detect that your body is starting to struggle the more likely you will be able to resolve it yourself..

Even though it's always a concern for a diabetic and something to watch for, you do find that it's occurrance is individual, most won't see it after their first diagnoses, such as my husband had it 32 years agao and not seen since! For me it was a major problem when I was pregnant 20 years ago (spent more time in hospital being treated for DKA than out) but I've not seen it since even though I do check if necessary.. But others seem to have a constant problem and easily hit the first stages of DKA at a blink..
 
Well so far his urine has remained clear...but his BG levels are still high 20s/30s...although he hasn't yet tested today as the diabetes nurse put him on diagonal testing (??) so today he will do it 2 hours after evening meal...
He had kippers for brekkie, and salad with mackeral for lunch...tea is turkey and veg.....sounds like an episode of master chef!!!! However we will see if it makes a difference to BG levels after yesterdays bread n cake fest !!

Thanks again to you all for your time on this steep learning curve!!!
 
clare w said:
... the diabetes nurse put him on diagonal testing (??) so today he will do it 2 hours after evening meal...
Click to expand...

Diagonal testing - this sort of thing?
Once a day, randomly, either one of: Before Breakfast, Breakfast+2 hrs, Before Lunch, Lunch + 2 hours, Dinner, Dinner+2 hours?

If so, I've also seem to referred to as the "week profile", but it probably has different names in different PCT's.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top