THANK YOU SO SO MUCH

[Snoopyj]

Thank you so so much to every wonderful, empathic, knowledgable person on this forum.
I started this diabetic journey 1 month ago with no obvious symptoms but overweight and a high Hbac1 reading. With your help my BS readings and weight are coming down.
BUT WHAT I AM MORE GRATEFUL FOR IS:-
My OH 18 months ago lost 2 stones in a month after a virus, which along with fatigue we put down to post viral syndrome.
During the next year he started to eat a lot more, (not putting any weight on), constantly with a drink in his hand and going to the loo up to 5 times a night, lost count of during the day.
He took interest after my journey started and read some info and postings on this forum.
Bear in mind it is about 15 years since he has seen his doctor and really dislikes visiting hospitals.
Yesterday he asked me if I would do a finger BG test on him (It was in the 20's). We rang the doctors straight away and he went this morning for his blood test.
If it wasn't for you wonderful people who took most of the fear away and wrote in a user friendly manner he wouldn't have rang them, just carried on.
I will let you know how he gets on.
Again THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for helping him to get to the first step.

 

[Northerner]

Ah, that's good to hear 🙂 I hope that with your help and our help your OH can also begin get things under control 🙂

 

[Ditto]

Thank goodness he tested! Keep us posted. 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Thank goodness he tested! Keep us posted. 🙂

Thank goodness his wife just happened to have a Glucometer to hand!! ROFL

Thankyou, for saying Thankyou.

 

[SueEK]

Well done to both of you and you can make this journey together now

 

[Flower]

That's really good to hear, I hope things start to improve and settle for your OH.🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Goodness! How lucky you were so clued up and took action @Snoopyj - well done you.

Let us know how he gets on with the results of the BG checks. Will he join here too?

 

[Snoopyj]

Thank you all for kind comments and yes I will let you know the results expected on Tuesday. But it was mostly because of all of you, I wouldn't have had a meter without you suggesting one (The DN said I didn't need one 🙄 ) So please don't underestimate what you do for others and give yourselves a pat on the back. Sending Hugs

 

[KARNAK]

Hey @Snoopyj best you get the OH to pick an Avatar? were all waiting.

Where would we be without each other? I was going to send you a message
about how quickly you have integrated yourself into the forum.

A real pleasure, thankyou.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thank you all for kind comments and yes I will let you know the results expected on Tuesday. But it was mostly because of all of you, I wouldn't have had a meter without you suggesting one (The DN said I didn't need one 🙄 ) So please don't underestimate what you do for others and give yourselves a pat on the back. Sending Hugs

If you have online access the results will be posted within 24 hours. I had bloods tues AM all results bar A1c were back by 4pm that same afternoon A1c was back lunch time the next day.

 

[Snoopyj]

Hi update.
Receptionist rang 2 days after bloods being taken. She said she had made an appointment with the nurse in two weeks time. Asked for results over phone, she said the nurse would go through them at the appointment. OH took this as "It can't be that bad"
Just back from appointment. Nurse "the results came back and you are a type 2 diabetic, Cut out sugars and lower your carbs and take Metformin and we will have it sorted in 6 months"
Luckily I was allowed in with him. I asked what his HbAc1 was, she replied that they were high. I asked for a number.
171!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[trophywench]

Blimey - and that's with a third of it being low carbing. The 4 weeks prior to the blood being drawn for the HbA1c test, count for more than 50% of the end result. What on earth are his normal day to day BGs now?

 

[rebrascora]

I think her Type 2 diagnosis may be awry, particularly in view of your recent change of diet (unless your other half has been eating all the carby foods you have cut back on) and his sudden weight loss a while back also points to him possibly being Type 1. Unless they did c-peptide tests there is no way that she can be sure he is Type 2 and with an HbA1c that high he should be getting hospital treatment in my opinion. I admire her optimism in getting those levels down in 6 months by cutting out sugar and lowering carbs.
Did she give him any means of testing for ketones and did she test his urine for ketones whilst he was there.

If he starts to get respiratory problems or abdominal pain or if his breath smells of pear drops, get him to A&E pronto. Those levels are dangerously high!

 

[rebrascora]

You can buy Ketostix over the counter at the pharmacy if you want to be safe and test him if she hasn't given you any, but you have every right to push for them to be prescribed with that HbA1c reading.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to heat about your OH’s diagnosis @Snoopyj

@rebrascora’s warnings about abdominal pain, vomiting and ‘pear drop breath’ are certainly worth looking out for, but hopefully the nurse’s optimism of an instant turnaround will bear (low carb) fruit 😛

 

[Snoopyj]

You can buy Ketostix over the counter at the pharmacy if you want to be safe and test him if she hasn't given you any, but you have every right to push for them to be prescribed with that HbA1c reading.

Thank you. To be honest I thought it would be a hospital journey when she told us the result. She has made an appointment for a months time. I will be keeping a close eye on him and will get the test strips. Also if he hasn't shown any improvement in the month, I will push for the c-peptide test.

 

[Snoopyj]

Sorry to heat about your OH’s diagnosis @Snoopyj

@rebrascora’s warnings about abdominal pain, vomiting and ‘pear drop breath’ are certainly worth looking out for, but hopefully the nurse’s optimism of an instant turnaround will bear (low carb) fruit 😛

Thank you. I will be keeping a close eye on him

 

[rebrascora]

I would have wanted and expected the nurse to be having weekly updates via the phone, at least, with that high an HbA1c result and I would have expected his metformin to be steadily increased during that first month. Please keep testing his BG levels and if they head up into the high twenties or thirties or you get an appreciable ketone test on his urine with high BG levels then please seek urgent medical assistance.

 

[Drummer]

I was left thinking that I was going in for a simple follow up appointment for about 10 days before being told that I was a very bad diabetic. I was given a prescription and sent on my way before I had time to think about it, but if I had seen a doctor since then I might just have mentioned it.
I think that with such a high Hba1c as that - I don't think I have ever read of one so high a little bit of a hint or a more immediate appointment should, really should have been given. With a GP surgery giving that level of care and attention you really would be as well sidelining them as much as possible.
If your husband really is a type two then he might well have 'wobblies' as his blood glucose levels reduce with fewer carbs in his diet. These are 'false hypos' as the brain throws a little tantrum at not being in a nice warm sugary bath - BG levels are just not what it is used to. I found that a warm drink and a few grapes - like 4 or 5, eaten slowly, was enough to solve the problem. It would be as well though not to cut back too quickly but aim for gently bringing down the levels after meals as it is a matter of returning balance to the metabolism and I suspect that being too severe pushes things out of kilter just as much as the original problem.
Once I managed to lower my levels into single figures I kept to the same meals and my levels kept on going down without making any more changes, and no more 'wobblies'.
As others have warned though - the advice and medication given is for the boring and ordinary type two - like me. Hopefully it will prove to be nothing more exciting.

 

[Snoopyj]

I was left thinking that I was going in for a simple follow up appointment for about 10 days before being told that I was a very bad diabetic. I was given a prescription and sent on my way before I had time to think about it, but if I had seen a doctor since then I might just have mentioned it.
I think that with such a high Hba1c as that - I don't think I have ever read of one so high a little bit of a hint or a more immediate appointment should, really should have been given. With a GP surgery giving that level of care and attention you really would be as well sidelining them as much as possible.
If your husband really is a type two then he might well have 'wobblies' as his blood glucose levels reduce with fewer carbs in his diet. These are 'false hypos' as the brain throws a little tantrum at not being in a nice warm sugary bath - BG levels are just not what it is used to. I found that a warm drink and a few grapes - like 4 or 5, eaten slowly, was enough to solve the problem. It would be as well though not to cut back too quickly but aim for gently bringing down the levels after meals as it is a matter of returning balance to the metabolism and I suspect that being too severe pushes things out of kilter just as much as the original problem.
Once I managed to lower my levels into single figures I kept to the same meals and my levels kept on going down without making any more changes, and no more 'wobblies'.
As others have warned though - the advice and medication given is for the boring and ordinary type two - like me. Hopefully it will prove to be nothing more exciting.

Thank you @Drummer for your advice, I really do appreciate it. We will take it gently, although if I hadn't got access to this site I probably would have panicked and cut out everything straight away. As for his doctor's surgery, luckily I am with another surgery who is a little more on the ball so at least I can compare, but as I have said before without the wonderful people on this site I don't know where we would be.