-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
-
Learn more about joining the Diabetes UK Support Forum team here: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/volunteering-opportunities-why-dont-you-join-us.112862/
Worried Newbie
- Thread starter junik53
- Start date
- Status
Hi Thankyou for replying. I was diagnosed with T2diabetes about a year ago . My HBA1C was 49 I think ,there was no meds or finger prick tests , just advice about diet . Then about 6 months ago had eye screening and was told I have retinopathy which worries me greatly . I just kept to my diet and the HBA1C has steadily come down and is now 44 good I thought , but Recently have been having what I think are Hypos and alarmingly I have had 2 at night , got up to go to loo and felt dizzy and shaky and heart beating fast ,and stomach ache , but oddly hungry. I really felt like I was going to die ,didn’t know what to do as to be honest I was sort of burying my head in the sand , health care didn’t seem worried so niether was I , so eventually went back to sleep. My son in law who’s type 1 diabetes told me I should do something about it as he says I could have died in my sleep . Now I am alarmed and really worried , is it that serious , should I see Fiabetic nurse ? Sorry post is so long x
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
If you’re not on diabetes meds @junik53 it’s very, very, very unlikely you’d have a hypo that would kill you. First question - do you have a blood glucose meter to test your blood sugar at home? If not, that’s a priority. You can then test when you feel shaky and at other times to see what’s happening with your blood sugar. Perhaps you’re going too high then low, giving you a good average, but causing symptoms for you?
It’s also possible that your symptoms are nothing to do with your blood sugar. The dizziness and shakiness could be low blood pressure, thyroid issues or any number of things so if you can test your blood sugar at the time and rule out a hypo, then you should see a doctor to find out what’s causing it @junik53
It’s also possible that your symptoms are nothing to do with your blood sugar. The dizziness and shakiness could be low blood pressure, thyroid issues or any number of things so if you can test your blood sugar at the time and rule out a hypo, then you should see a doctor to find out what’s causing it @junik53
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
You have done really well making those changes to get your blood glucose down. If you take blood pressure medication then losing weight when you reduce carbs can mean your medication needs reducing as blood pressure can go down.
A wobbly feeling is sometimes due to your body adjusting to lower blood glucose levels, they are referred to as false hypos.
However it is better to get checked out as it could be a number of things. How often does it happen.
A wobbly feeling is sometimes due to your body adjusting to lower blood glucose levels, they are referred to as false hypos.
However it is better to get checked out as it could be a number of things. How often does it happen.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
It could actually be a good thing - indicating that you have emptied out some of the storage being used to try to keep your organs safe from too much glucose in your blood.
I got wobbles when my blood glucose numbers fell below 8mmol/l after eating, I found that a drink of water and a few grapes - like 3 or 4 was enough to stop them, and after a week or so they stopped happening. That was probably around the time I really began to lose weight, though I did not notice at the time as it was so effortless.
If you are not taking medication which lowers blood glucose then dying from a hypo is very unlikely, if not impossible.
I got wobbles when my blood glucose numbers fell below 8mmol/l after eating, I found that a drink of water and a few grapes - like 3 or 4 was enough to stop them, and after a week or so they stopped happening. That was probably around the time I really began to lose weight, though I did not notice at the time as it was so effortless.
If you are not taking medication which lowers blood glucose then dying from a hypo is very unlikely, if not impossible.
Oh thanks for the reply . My son in law has given me all the bits I need for pin prick test , so I will do the test whenever I get symptoms. You could be right that it could be something else as I have a fair few health issues and am on a lot of meds , 20 pills daily to be exact, so it could be my meds or one of my other conditions
Thats very reassuring. I have had 2
You have done so well to loose all that weight. Unfortunately I loose very slowly ,it’s taken a year to loose 1stone , it’s a age thing it’s much harder now I’m 70 than in my 30s
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @junik53
Sorry to hear about the scary symptoms you have been experiencing. Sometimes the body (which has become used to running at high levels) hits the big red panic button when levels get back down to a healthy range, just because it is so much lower than it is used to. And people’s BG levels often dip a little in the early hours as that’s when cortisol levels tend to be at their lowest.
Hopefully you’ll get some reassuring results from your glucose meter, which will put your mind at rest. For most new members it doesn’t take long for their ‘glucose thermostat’ to reset itself to a more natural range.
Sorry to hear about the scary symptoms you have been experiencing. Sometimes the body (which has become used to running at high levels) hits the big red panic button when levels get back down to a healthy range, just because it is so much lower than it is used to. And people’s BG levels often dip a little in the early hours as that’s when cortisol levels tend to be at their lowest.
Hopefully you’ll get some reassuring results from your glucose meter, which will put your mind at rest. For most new members it doesn’t take long for their ‘glucose thermostat’ to reset itself to a more natural range.
Thanks for replying. I must sound reall stupid but which end of test strip goes in meter , and just to clarify which end has the blood on it. My excuse is if you don’t know , you don’t know lol
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Gentle exercise, eg going for a walk, can reduce BG. Vigorous exercise, on the other hand, can raise it so you might have got a lower reading if you hadn't just exercised hard enough to make you sweat. Having said that, 8 is not especially high. When I was diagnosed I was told that I should be aiming to keep my BG, at the very least, in single figures.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
People will normally test 2 hours after eating and be aiming at 8mmol/l, however early in diagnosis they will be looking at the increase resulting from their meal so test both before and 2 hours after when no more than 2-3mmol/l would indicate they have tolerated their meal ok.
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
The meters come with manuals.
Meters can do things like giving averages over week, month, 3 months, so really useful to work out which button to press.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well done on working out how to take a reading @junik53
8.0 is a great reading after a meal. It would be interesting to see what your level was at 2hrs after eating, rather than 3hrs, and without the effect of the exercise, to see how your body responded to the meal itself.
And there’s no such thing as a silly question on the forum 🙂
8.0 is a great reading after a meal. It would be interesting to see what your level was at 2hrs after eating, rather than 3hrs, and without the effect of the exercise, to see how your body responded to the meal itself.
And there’s no such thing as a silly question on the forum 🙂
Welcome to the Forum Junik53. I am not as experienced as other members as pre-diabetic, normal, now pre-diabetic again. I didn't think you got retinopathy at hba1c 49 as it is only just over the 47 for diabetes. Obviously I am wrong on that.
I have sometimes felt light headed on standing up but I do sometimes have low blood pressure. Those episodes must have been very frightening for you. I hope you find out what it is.
I have sometimes felt light headed on standing up but I do sometimes have low blood pressure. Those episodes must have been very frightening for you. I hope you find out what it is.
I didn't know that Drummer. Will have to check mine. Would be interested to see an average over 3 months.
Hi it’s been a while since my last post , but I have been doing prick testing and mostly they are ok from 5fo 8 just one was high at 10.2. Interestingly I did a test when I had one of the shaky light headedness and it was 5.2 which is normal isn’t it ?I think it may be due to something else. Have you any thoughts ?
Can you get retinopathy due to other conditions, maybe blood pressure , as mine was high for a few years before I got treatment . Or maybe something else?
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yep, 5.2 is completely normal. Other possibilities are blood pressure, dehydration, anaemia, thyroid - lots of things. A general check up should put your mind at rest, I hope. If you keep feeling shaky and have palpitations, you should speak to a doctor anyway so you can have heart-related things ruled out too.
I think you probably can but I am not certain. Your Optomotrist at the Optician would know more. Not sure if I have spelled the "Optomotrist" correctly. They are the ones who exactly do all the eye examinations.
- Status