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Is this normal?

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GerrieS said:
Ketostix will arrive tomorrow. Doctor is emailling for an urgent referral to the consultant with the aim of managing the condition more effectively and looking at the possibility of Type 1. Thank you for all your help. Will let you know how I get on.
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Great to hear they are responding swiftly @GerrieS

Look forward to hearing what they say though the results can take a while to come back, so do ask for advice on what to do in the meantime!
 
That's good news, it sounds like they are taking you seriously. I hope they put you straight onto basal-bolus insulin (also known as multiple daily injections, or MDI) as that's what you'll need to be on sooner or later if you're type 1, but they sometimes put type 2s who need insulin and slow-onset type 1s onto more old-fashioned (and much less flexible) insulin regimes, at least at first. It's worth asking about MDI if they suggest anything else, as even if you do turn out to be a type 2 in need of insulin it will make life easier to have insulins which you can adapt to your lifestyle rather than having to adapt yourself to the insulin.

In the meanwhile, has the doctor given you any advice about hypos (episodes of low blood sugar)? They should do when they give you the insulin, but it is possible to get hypos with Gliclazide as well, so it would be sensible to watch out for them, just in case. If you get any strange symptoms (like being dizzy, shaky, sweaty, confused, pale, or anything else that feels odd) test your blood sugar and if it's below 4 have something sweet immediately to get it back up again - in theory you should have 15g of very fast-acting carbs and most people use glucose tablets or jelly babies, but half a glass of fruit juice, a couple of teaspoons of honey, or if you have nothing else a couple of teaspoons of sugar should work. Chocolate (or anything else fatty) is not suitable.
 
Hi there, thank you for all your good advice. I will certainly ask about MDI. I got those symptoms three weeks ago when it fell to 6.9. I was warned about hypos but BG is still between 11 and 16 so not an issue just yet. However, the dextrose sweets are on standby.
 
GerrieS said:
Hi there, thank you for all your good advice. I will certainly ask about MDI. I got those symptoms three weeks ago when it fell to 6.9. I was warned about hypos but BG is still between 11 and 16 so not an issue just yet. However, the dextrose sweets are on standby.
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So pleased you are getting appropriate and prompt treatment.

Do carry the dextrose tablets with you at all times including by the bed and in the bathroom.... Hot baths/showers can drop BG levels so it is a good stash hypo treatments around the house now as well as in pockets and handbags (if appropriate) and in the car if you have one etc even if your levels are high at the moment. You can guarantee a hypo will catch you out at some point, especially once you start on insulin, so getting into a habit now of having hypo stashes dotted about the house and in pockets is worth doing. Your first few hypos can be quite debilitating so do be prepared. Also a good policy to take your testing kit to bed with you so that you can test and treat a hypo without getting out of bed if you need to. I find that I don't feel bad whilst I am lying down when I get nocturnal hypos but it can hit me if I need to get up and start wandering around looking for test kit or hypo treatment and definitely not good if you need to negotiate stairs.... so always having stuff to hand is really good practice.
 
GerrieS said:
Hi there, thank you for all your good advice. I will certainly ask about MDI. I got those symptoms three weeks ago when it fell to 6.9. I was warned about hypos but BG is still between 11 and 16 so not an issue just yet. However, the dextrose sweets are on standby.
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You will sometimes get "false hypos" when your blood sugar has been high for a while and then drops fast, when you don't really need the hypo treatment as it's not below 4, but you do really feel the drop all the same - something like a small piece of fruit (eg dried apricot) or a biscuit will help then.

If you turn out to be type 2 @Mrs Mimoo 's advice sounds good to me - but if you're type 1 and they put you on MDI you can eat as many carbs as you want, you will just need to learn to adjust your insulin to match what you're eating. I think I eat abut 250g carbs per day (and my BMI is around 20 and my HbA1c is mid 40s) - on the other hand I believe @rebrascora is still doing the low-carbing she started when she had the initial incorrect diagnosis - so for type 1s it really is a case of eating whatever works for you.
 
Hi there, met the Prof today. He is very thorough. We had a good chat, He's thinking Type 1 but the tests will confirm either way (4 vials of blood taken). I have been put on MDI. First bolus injection at tea time - 4 clicks of Fiasp. BG down to 7.3 - yippee! Basal is Toujeo - 10 clicks and I start that tomorrow morning. Weirdly happy to be on insulin. Finally think that I am getting somewhere. Also saw the diabetic nurse for lots of info plus a new BG and Ketone monitor. Have a big folder to digest and she will see me online once a week for the first month plus have her number and email. Also saw the dietician for a similar amount of info plus lots of YouTube videos will be coming my way. Again have her contact details and will see her once a week too. I am very impressed with the system now that I have accessed the correct help. Thank you all for your help and advice.
 
That's really good news, and I know exactly what you mean about being weirdly happy to be on insulin :D

The doses they put you on at first are their best guess, so don't worry if they need to change them a lot over the first few weeks - if you think they aren't right, just call the diabetes nurse. They started me on 16 units of basal and I had a hypo in the night every night for the first week - after that they dropped it to 6 units!
 
GerrieS said:
Weirdly happy to be on insulin.
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Nothing weird about it: insulin should give you the ability to control your BG. (At least, it offers a fairly direct way to reduce BG. Controlling BG in this direct way is demanding, but if it's what you have to do then that's how it has to be.)
 
Hi there, thank you Juliet and Bruce. All going well. I did not want to bring BG down too quickly and they agreed. Asked for MDI as I am quite disciplined. No issues so far and long may that continue.
 
I'm glad you had a good doctor. It does help!
 
GerrieS said:
Hi there, thank you Juliet and Bruce. All going well. I did not want to bring BG down too quickly and they agreed. Asked for MDI as I am quite disciplined. No issues so far and long may that continue.
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Great to hear you are being so well looked after @GerrieS

Those contact details for DSN etc can be a godsend in the early months/years 🙂
 
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