New to diabetes but waiting to be given definate type is this normal?

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

harryharry2012

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Two days ago i was told that i have diabetes and that i have to be very careful as after a week i still have very high sugar levels and am waiting to see the specialist.
I am 34 and it has all been very sudden and quite upset. My normal doctor, who is excellent has given advice and explained things.

However i am still not feeling very well at times due to me waiting to be given the insulin so decidied that i needed some time off work as i work in a very high pressured job. Unfortunatley he was not in today to give me a sick note so had to see another doctor.

I had to argue to get a sick note as she said diabetes is no excuse to be off sick.

I know in time i will get the medication to level out and deal with everything but felt really fed up at her response as she tried to write stress due to work. Is this what its going to be like until i have been given the correct meds?
 
hi and welcome to the forum 🙂
you have come to right place for advice and and no question is silly:D

lets hope your normal dr gets back soon the other one you saw sounds like a waste of space
 
Hi Harry, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry you have had such a diffcult and stressful time, the diagnosis is going to be enough to give you that in addition to the fact that high blood sugar levels will be making you feel unwell. The doctor should have realised and known all this, in my opinion. Maybe diabetes is not a reason to be given time off when managed well and under control, but since you are not yet even receiving treatment then that should certainly have been taken into account! I'm glad to hear that you managed to persuade hime eventually. The specialist doctor may presumably do other tests which can determine your type and suggest the appropriate treatment (they can test if you are producing insulin or not). When will you see the specialist?

We do seem to be getting more and more new members who have not been properly diagnosed recently, which is really not good enough. If you continue to feel worse, then please get back in touch with the doctor and try and speed things along. In the meantime, try to limit your carbohydrate intake in order to reduce your need for insulin and keep your levels lower. Part of the problem with diagnosis can be your age - type 1 is more common in younger people, but by far from exclusively so (I was 49!).

Please let us know of any developments, or any other questions you may have and we'll do our best to help.
 
Hi there Harry and a warm welcome to the forum.
 
thankyou for your quick response. My actual doctor has put me on 4x metformin and another drug but i am still getting levels of 23-28 during the day and wake up with levels above 16. He has said he thinks it type one because of the sudden nature and some of the blood tests and the fact that the medicine is not bringing down my levels. I have also gone onto a very healthy diet low gi but dont know whether that is right. Hense why i wanted to be signed off to try and work things out and get to an even keel.
 
Hello Harry, welcome to the forum.

When my brother was diagnosed recently, he was booked off work for atleast a couple of weeks and his diagnosis was pretty much immediate (Type 2, like me) and he was on medication almost straight away.

Anyway, what Northerner says is spot on.

I hope you get the diagnosis and treatment pretty quick.

Meanwhile have a snoop around and feel free to ask any questions. I suspect that you'll have lots of those!

Andy 🙂
 
harryharry2012 said:
thankyou for your quick response. My actual doctor has put me on 4x metformin and another drug but i am still getting levels of 23-28 during the day and wake up with levels above 16. He has said he thinks it type one because of the sudden nature and some of the blood tests and the fact that the medicine is not bringing down my levels. I have also gone onto a very healthy diet low gi but dont know whether that is right. Hense why i wanted to be signed off to try and work things out and get to an even keel.
Click to expand...

The metformin would probably take a little while to take effect, so its effect (if any) may not be clear yet. Did he measure you for ketones (or even mention them). If you get these when levels are high, this can be an indication of Type 1. You can get urine testing sticks to indicate their presence, plus it can be detected by a smell of pear drops on the breath. Have you been given a meter then? When is the specialist appointment? I'm asking all this because my experience was of going downhill very quickly and I ended up in hospital for a week - that doesn't always happen, but do keep a close eye on your levels and ask your doctor for ketostix or a ketone test if you suddenly feel much worse. I had a virus at the time, but ketones can also make you feel very sick and cause you to lose weight rapidly, so keep an eye on that too.
 
The appaointment is in 10 days time and i do have the sweety breath. i am watching levels very carefully and now off work resting when i need too. but i will watch out and get some of these urine tests. Thanks
 
harryharry2012 said:
The appaointment is in 10 days time and i do have the sweety breath. i am watching levels very carefully and now off work resting when i need too. but i will watch out and get some of these urine tests. Thanks
Click to expand...

Good to hear Harry. Don't be afraid of going back to your doctor or A&E if you find things getting worse, which I hope they don't.
 
I have to say this site is very good and helpful🙂 thank you. I think i am going to be on here alot as i find out more!
 
Hi Harry, welcome to the forum 🙂
 
Another question, sorry is it normal for my legs/ mucles to feel funny when lying down. it is not like the cramps i get at mo in it is just a strange sort of tingleing:confused::confused:
 
harryharry2012 said:
Another question, sorry is it normal for my legs/ mucles to feel funny when lying down. it is not like the cramps i get at mo in it is just a strange sort of tingleing:confused::confused:
Click to expand...

A lot of people experience this when their levels are going up and down, or also when their levels are high for some time. This is hopefully a transient thing that will disappear after your levels are being properly controlled, although they may persist for a while whilst you are achieving good control. Have you reported this to your doctor? Best to give them all the symptoms you are experiencing, whether they appear strange to you or not, so your doctor can assess them and advise.

I had this for several weeks after diagnosis but rarely experience it nowadays.
 
Another day, another question, sorry ..... I am finding it increadibly hard to focus or read for any length of time. I am also very snappy at times, which i then get upset about because i have a go at my 7 year old or wife, who are both being very understanding. Its a bit jeckle and hyde. I this common? I feel like locking myself away not to upset or offend anyone!
 
Don't worry about asking questions Harry 🙂 This is very common, as high or swinging blood sugar levels affect your sight and mood. This is a temporary thing, and both will improve when you start getting better levels, although it will take a little time. If you normally drive then it's probably not a good idea whilst your eyesight is affected like this. Do explain to your family that these are extremely common symptoms. You will feel dramatically better when you start getting the right treatment. It might even be worth pestering your doctor to try and get you an earlier appointment to decide your type - the sooner they decide your type, the sooner you can start to feel well again. Did you buy any ketostix for ketone testing? If not, ask your doctor for some. Also, because you are on metformin, you are entitled to free prescriptions, so ask the doctor for a form.

If things are getting worse, then get back to your doctor and tell him you are considering going into A&E - don't feel bad about this.
 
harryharry2012 said:
Another day, another question, sorry ..... I am finding it increadibly hard to focus or read for any length of time. I am also very snappy at times, which i then get upset about because i have a go at my 7 year old or wife, who are both being very understanding. Its a bit jeckle and hyde. I this common? I feel like locking myself away not to upset or offend anyone!
Click to expand...

You will find that your eyesight will start doing some pretty odd things once your diagnosis has been sorted and your treatment begins. During this time (could be a few months, but decide that with your GP), do not go off and buy any new glasses! You may well find that your prescription changes quite drastically.

I found that some days, I could even read better without my glasses and then on others everything was blurry. But, it should eventually settle down.

Been there, done that with the jeckle and hyde thing. Just have to breathe a few times before saying anything and just 'bite your tongue'! Again, it is something that should pass. I find that I'm much more measured in my responses to people now (I hope!).

Andy 🙂
 
Last edited:
your situation sounds very similar to the one I was in about a month ago (diagnosed with probable type 1 at late age of 28, put on metformin by GP, waited weeks for hospital appointment with rising glucose results) I didn't have ketones but I felt very tired and thirsty all the time and had bad muscle cramps at night. I would strongly urge you to go back to your GP and ask them to phone the local diabetes centre for advice. I wish I had insisted on this when I was first diagnosed but waited 4 weeks to see a specialist who confirmed my suspicions that metformin was doing nothing for me at all.
 
Thankyou for all the advice. My levels seems to be coming down today but i feel like i am constantly in a state of hang over. BS has come down today from 20 to 11.8, lowest over two weeks. Still feelin very tired and dizzy but maybe the mass of metformin and the other drug i am on (cant remeber what that one is called) are having some effect. I plan to get some testing stixs soon, tried today but to knackered to keep searching after boots said they did not have them. Also trying to keep by stress levels down

Again it is great to have the advice!🙂
 
Well sugar levels today have stayed below 20 (Between 14-19) which is better but i do not feel any better, I am guessing I am going to feel rough until I see the specialist, got hopes up that maybe if they came down all would be good with the world .... even thought mmmmm could get back to work earlier but I think it is slowly sinking in that if I push my self i will be even worse and quite frankly, i cant see how much more crappy I could feel. I shouldnt moan as people have a much worse situation than I but I just find being able to post as a bit of therapy. Please dont think I am always moaning!!!!:confused:!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top