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New at this, should i call the doctor?

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Emma01745

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Relationship to Diabetes
Hi, my partner has just (last week) been diagnosed with type two diabetes. His father and paternal uncle both also have diabetes and he is worried that he will have this illness for life. He is overweight and we are hoping that as he loses the weight things may get better.

I think he is in a state of denial at the moment. When we saw the diabetic nurse, she told him if he feels unwell, to see a doctor or go to the hospital.

At the moment he is at work, he feels sick, clammy and has a terrible headache. Should i continue to try to convince him to book in for an emergency doctors appointment today?
 
It sounds like he should see a dr, even if not diabetes related he sounds ill. Have you got a number you could phone diabetes nurse on ? Good luck and hope he gets apt and sees dr.
 
His nurse is on leave this week and she is the only diabetic nurse in our practice, he has an appointment booked with her for next week. Ive managed to get him an appointment with a doctor for 3pm so fingers crossed they can do something for him. I dont like seeing him poorly like this, it is worrying.
 
Welcome to the forums Emma01745 🙂

Sadly, diabetes is a life long illness and it never totally goes away. But loosing weight and adopting a healthy (usually lower carb) diet can help a lot and there are many here who feel a lot better once they got their numbers down.

Bear in mind that as a diabetic, it's not just sugar that will make him feel unwell - it's any carbohydrate - which includes bread and potatoes!
 
Hi Emma, I hope that the appointment goes well. It may be that, if he has changed his diet significantly and/or been put on medication then it is a reaction to this. If his blood sugar levels run lower as a consequence then he may experience the symptoms of low blood sugar without them being particularly low - just lower than he has been used to pre-diagnosis.

In terms of having diabetes for life, then I am afraid that is something that he needs to come to terms with eventually, as it can't be cured at present. However, the good news is that it can be managed very successfully and many people are able to keep medication-free (or on smaller amounts of medication) if they work at it. I would recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which will all help him get to grips with things. Many people find that the changes they make in order to manage their diabetes well actually leaves them feeling happier and healthier than they have done for months, or even years, so there really can be a very positive outcome 🙂
 
I was not aware of that Mark. We are very new to this, i have read through everything the nurse gave us but came across the Diabetes UK website today so hopefully i will become a little more clued up and be able to help more.
 
Northerner said:
Hi Emma, I hope that the appointment goes well. It may be that, if he has changed his diet significantly and/or been put on medication then it is a reaction to this. If his blood sugar levels run lower as a consequence then he may experience the symptoms of low blood sugar without them being particularly low - just lower than he has been used to pre-diagnosis.

In terms of having diabetes for life, then I am afraid that is something that he needs to come to terms with eventually, as it can't be cured at present. However, the good news is that it can be managed very successfully and many people are able to keep medication-free (or on smaller amounts of medication) if they work at it. I would recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which will all help him get to grips with things. Many people find that the changes they make in order to manage their diabetes well actually leaves them feeling happier and healthier than they have done for months, or even years, so there really can be a very positive outcome 🙂
Click to expand...

Thank You for the advise, i will have a look at these 🙂
 
Emma, I hope your partner is soon feeling better.

The other posters are right - Diabetes is a life-long illness and won't go away but it can be controlled. I was diagnosed last October and spent the first few weeks doing some intensive research on the net and from books that other 'active' diabetics recommended. I think I read more medical papers and textbooks then than I did when I was a midwife.

But it was worth it. I now have virtually normal (ie non-diabetic) blood levels of everything I'm tested for, I don't feel tired and irritable and the one that makes me really 🙂 is that I've lost well over 3 stone since mid-October without feeling hungry and by eating foods that feel like cheating to someone who's struggled with a weight problem for over 30 years. I now weigh less that I did in my 30s (at 62) and although my loss has slowed down, I'm still losing around a pound a week without consciously dieting. I have more energy than I can ever remember having and feel incredibly healthy even though I still have a lot of weight to lose.

I know I have to stick with this way of eating for life - I don't eat flour, rice or potatoes. Big deal! I'm the one who has bacon and fried eggs for breakfasts, puts cream in her coffee, won't let the label 'low fat' into the house and snacks on pork scratchings. Who needs spuds? :D

Please tell him about this forum and the advice he can find here. And good luck to you both - the changes aren't easy at first but they soon become second nature and are so worth it.
 
Good that you got a GP appointment.

If unsure what to do, phoning 111 (if you live in England) should be a good idea, as actions to take depend on health situation, time of day, day of week, your location etc, as GP, pharmacy, A&E might be the right option depending on situation.

As others have said, diabetes is a controllable condition, provided the person with it and those around them know what to do - and the links already given are a good start.
 
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