confused

[fionamac59]

I am 56 years old. 24 years ago I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Been a bumpy ride and need to use a wheelchair apart from in my adapted home. Other neurological problems along the way. About 5 years ago had stomach/bowel problems. Have been told I have inflammatory bowel diesease, bile adid malabsorption, inflamation of the stomach (along with 2 hernias) acid reflux, severly inflamed esophagus and larynx. Take ranititidine, lansoprazole, mesalazine for these. Despite this keep getting severe stomach pain/spasms and a pain central stomach and under the right ribs.

Bear with me. Was diagnosed as diabetic - probably LADA - around 8 weeks ago. Had an ultra sound to check in case there was a problem with pancreas which threw up the fact that my gall bladder is inflamed and I have gall stones - which could account for the unexplained pains. Am on Humulin3 insulin twice daily and already feel so much better. Dietician prescribed the pancreatic enzyme creon which I have been taking for only around 10 days but amazingly so many of the stomach symptoms have already eased up. She suspects that the severe episodes may well have been pancreatitis.

Now there is a thought that my pancreas stopped working a long time ago and all the stomach problems could possibly be directly attributed to that. When i was diagnosed my blood sugar reading were around 24 to 28. For the last 4 years at least when I have had my routine blood tests they have always repeated the fasting blood sugar and said i was border line diabetic. Now I am wondering if I have been diabetic for all these years but just never knew? So far the medics are evading the question.

I have managed to get my readings down to a more reasonable level. Morning one is usually around 7, lunch one around 10, teatime around 8 but bedtime one around the 15/16 mark. My DNS seems quite happy with my progress.

I am confused as to why my bedtime reading is still so high, why levels fluctuate daily even when I have eaten the same thing, and what damage could have been if I have been undiagnosed all this time.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I don't know why your bedtime reading is so high and as for fluctuations in the readings on a daily basis I am not much wiser since we all seem to get that. Sometimes there seems no sense to it but some of us have got a measure of control meaning that the fluctuations are less than before.

If you have had diabetes for some time and your readings have been high then the damage is potentially profound since there seems to be a circulation component in diabetes. Your extremities and eyes affected first for example. All organs could have suffered some damage and not be obvious. You may notice numb areas, pains in limbs, blurry vision etc.

Putting your control right could help in some cases unless any damage is irreversible of course. I hope none of this is the case and that you get some control soon.