Whilst I am awake... how do you deal with the tiredness?

[annemaria]

Having only just been diagnosed with type2 I am experiencing the worstest tiredness ever. I even get tired by yawning..... I know that tablets and control of the diabetes will help this I just hope I am awake to notice! Life is passing me by whilst I go around in a daze. Any stay awake techniques or foods all you clever lovely people know of? other than cold showers......... i fall asleep in mine..

 

[kirsty-ann]

I had similar problems when I was first diagnosed with type 1. The only answer was caffine (coffee and diet coke), exercise and better control. Try to eat smaller portions in the evenings and avoid too many carbs or highly processed foods.

 

[paulnicholls]

Anne Maria, regular portions of food and stacks of water seem to be helping me. The water seems to be particularly good. I can still drink a pint of water straight down, and another immediately following.

You and I are in the same boat. I'm trying to work out the best foods. I'm asking my Mrs. to grab me a pile of carrots and celery to munch alongside fruit in between drinking plenty of water.

 

[Dizzydi]

I was the same

I could quite happly of slept morning, noon and night. I think with time and when your meds have kicked in properly the tiredness will reduce. Food wise stick to a good balanced diet. the diabetesuk website is great for showing you what portions of what to eat it helped me a great deal. (I love food and feel like I'm eating all day - which I do I just snack on different fruits)

 

[Admin]

Paul - Drinking lots of water can actually help reduce your bs readings - a fact! Which is why it will be helping!

 

[paulnicholls]

Blimey, so much for my last post. My last reading about 10 mins ago was 22.1

Would anyone advocate I contact the hospital emergency dept? I felt like death last night, and if my levels continue to rise, I'm concerned I may go very hypo / hyper like my first episode on Sunday.

I've tried the number at Diabetes org and it's constantly engaged for my region.

doh!

 

[ang1988]

Paul do u have anything at home to test for keytones with? If u do i suggest u do this first and see what your keytone level is

 

[Daisy]

Stay off the carbs tonight and tommorrow am - keep drinking water - and go and see you doc in the am. Personally I do not think this warrants A&E. Can't you go and see you doc now - it is only 16.08?

 

[paulnicholls]

Hi Guys, spoke to someone on the care line - really helpful.

I'm to monitor bloods and only think about getting attention if it goes 25+ No Ketones as far as I am aware as that was tested Sunday.

Drinking lots of water as I myself advocated! Will keep an eye on bloods and get back to GP soonest.

The lady who was on the careline thought I may be type 1. I've had probs for around 5 years on and off.

Just another interesting piece in the tapestry that's weaving.

I'm just so new at all this I'm not really au fait with what to do yet, but I'm getting there.

Cheers guys and gals!

;-)

 

[annemaria]

water water water watch me go, along with the gas these tablets are meant to cause i can just propell my way between the tap and the toilet! lol. joy, but at least i will be awake. thanks folks. x

 

[tracey w]

Hi Paul,

You know im not at all convinced you are type 2. You dont seem to be responding to tablets and neither did I! Seriously demand to see your gp soon as, and I really think you should be on insulin with those readings, (not that I am a doctor of course).

The only real way to tell if you are type 1 or 2 is a special blood test which takes 6 weeks to come back. is formality but to me sounds like you are presenting as typical type 1. take care

 

[tracey w]

Also Paul, dont worry about going hypo (low) just yet, you can only have a hypo when taking insulin not meds. Its an imposibility

 

[Vanessa]

Paul, Tracey,

Just to let you know it is possible for Type 2 diabetics to have hypos if they are taking certain types of drugs. Diet, exercise and metformin are ok but I take gliclazide as well and unless I have a mid-morning snack am likely to have a hypo. Gliclazide is also "weight positive" so balancing food intake and exercise to continue to lose weight is a challenge. Never mind as I feel so much better than I was at the point of diagnosis a year ago and my Hb1Ac is now 6.5 rather than the 11.2 it was at first. Also conscious that the irritations of a hypo are worth it to keep the risks of further deterioration to my eyes at a minimum



Vanessa

 

[tracey w]

Vanessa, glad you are feeling so much better.

OOps, show you what doctors know eh? They told me can only get hypos if take insulin! Good job we have this site to put us right.

 

[Mikey 10]

Hi Paul,

You seem to be following exactly the same pattern as me. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 in September 2005. Two and a half years on tablets -glicazide- with wildly fluctuating levels (I would be fine for a month, then they would go out of control for weeks) eventually led to a revised diagnosis of Type 1 in May of this year.

My error was letting it drag on for too long. I have been on 4 injections a day now for 6 months. My blood sugar control has improved beyond recognition and I feel as if I have got my life back (despite my initial horror at the thought of having to inject so many times in a 24 hour time period).

So, as others have said, get to your GP or specialist!

 

[VBH]

Seems to be a lot of misdiagnosed late type 1s around the web lately. Sounds like a distinct possibility here.

See if this helps Paul: Jennifer's Advice (link)

Diabetic Ketoacidosis can occur with ketones and BG over 18. Yes its more likely at 25, but its still possible at 18. Also if you are running BGs over 10 then you are drastically increasing your risk of complications (i.e. blindness, kidney failure, amputation). So get those BGs down quick.

In particular you need to beware of exercise with high BGs. Exercise raises the BG level then it falls off considerably afterwards. So if you are already approaching 18mmol/l then its probably wise not to exercise much and force the BG higher, increasing the chances of DKA.

As already mentioned, the claim "its impossible to hypo on oral meds" is a complete fallacy. Its a distinct possibility with sulphonurea meds and still possible with metformin, although considerably harder to do. I only take met and have been at 2.6 and falling before. Those were unusual circumstances, but its still makes the point that its very much possible whatever drugs you are on.

 

[VBH]

p.s. in response to the original question, tiredness is a consequence of high BGs, so it tends to hit particularly around 1-1.5 hours after eating. So get those BGs down. One of the fastest ways to achieve this is to reduce the quantity of carbohydrate you are eating, particularly the starchy carbs such as potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, cereals. You can substitute these with other foods a lot of the time reducing the carb content. Burgen instead of wholemeal or white bread for example has a great effect.

But use your meter to find out what effect foods have on you. Experiment and use the results to guide your future food choices. See what you can "get away with" and go from there. We all react slightly differently to different food combinations, so see what effect a particular combination has on you personally.