Pounding Heart/Dizziness & Dry Skin

[Zosema]

Hi there, can anyone let me know if the following symptoms might be diabetes related? I've had both these problems for 5 years (I'm newly diagnosed with diabetes, about 2 weeks ago):

1) Quite often my heart will pound and I'll feel a bit dizzy after eating a meal (not every meal though). I mentioned this to my GP about 5 yeas ago and he said he could think of no medical condition that would cause this phenomenon.

2) For the last 5 years I have been suffering with very itchy and dry skin on my lower legs, especially around the ankles and the front and back of my calves. I had various blood tests done over the course of the last 5 years to try to get to the bottom of this, to no avail. I was finally told it was eczema, but having received my diabetes diagnosis and looked into I've discovered that diabetes can cause these issues.

I'm just wondering if these problems are down to diabetes and whether I've had it for far longer than I or my GP realise!

Many thanks.
Zosema

 

[Northerner]

Hi Zosema, as you say, these problems can also be associated with diabetes so it does seem surprising that it doabetes doesn't appear to have been considered. Although, of course, it may have been tested for but perhaps your blood sugar levels were OK at the time of testing. I presume you can't remember having something like an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), or that diabetes was ever brought up? Despite its prevalence unfortunately a diagnosis is often overlooked it seems - we have had reports here of people displaying several classic symptoms and still being sent away without being tested for diabetes.

Sometimes the symptoms of diabetes can be confused with other conditions, and the reason a lot of people may live for some years without realising they have it is because symptoms might be very mild and put down to age etc. The good thing is that you have now been diagnosed and receiving treatment. Hopefully, if the diagnosis was overlooked in the past then all the tests you will receive will show that you have suffered no permanent damage.

 

[KateR]

For the last 5 years I have been suffering with very itchy and dry skin on my lower legs, especially around the ankles and the front and back of my calves. I had various blood tests done over the course of the last 5 years to try to get to the bottom of this, to no avail. I was finally told it was eczema, but having received my diabetes diagnosis and looked into I've discovered that diabetes can cause these issues.

I'm just wondering if these problems are down to diabetes and whether I've had it for far longer than I or my GP realise!

Many thanks.
Zosema

I've had this for several years and was told it was related to my poor circulation, but I think diabetes plays its part. I just rub the same cream into them that I use for my feet and it keeps it at bay.