Am i worrying about nothing

[footy]

hello everyone, i am new to this website. I wonder if anyone could throw some light on this subject. I have been feeling less energetic lately and i have been sweating a lot { i was going to blame it on the credit crunch because everything else seems to be Only joking}
What it is, i have not been feeling myself for a few months now, dont seem to have much energy especially in the mornings, my energy levels seem to dip during the course of the day, and i have been sweating quite a lot. i will be 40 this year, my mother in law who is diabetic tested my blood on her meter, my reading was 8.1 this was about two hrs after eating a sandwich, she told me that was slightly high, so i went out and bought a boots home testing kit. the kit allows me to do two tests, you put blood on a testing strip which changes colour and then you match the strip with a colour test chart, my readings were 8 mmol/l when i fasted for ten hours and my second reading was 8 mmol/l 2hrs after eating my dinner, the reading may have been 8.1, 8.5 etc because there is no inbetween on the test card, I would be very grateful if someone could reply to this because i dont know if i am being silly and just worrying over nothing. Thank you

 

[Stuboy]

hey,

There's nothing silly about worry about Diabetes... it's not something to be left alone...

Those readings are definatly slightly high for a non-diabetic... fasting test should be 5.something mmol/L so 8 is high... could be a lot worse mind you, but it is definatly not "normal"

You should make an appointment at your local doctors surgery and get a proper blood test done and find out what's going on!

Do you have an unquenchable thrist yet?

 

[footy]

thank you for your reply so quickly, i am feeling rather thirsty most of the time, i also find if i have something sugary like a chocolate bar i feel better for a couple of minutes. my mother in law is a diabetic but i dont like to keep worrying her because she will start worrying about me if you know what i mean

 

[DiabeticGeek]

This is a classic symptom of diabetes, BUT, it could be many other things too. Get yourself to a doctor to be checked out as soon as possible. If you don't have diabetes, then that will put your mind at rest. If you do, then the sooner you start managing it the less damage will be done. Do take this seriously, but don't panic. Once you get on top of it, diabetes is more of a nuisance than a disaster. However, the longer it gets left undiagnosed the more likely it is to have really bad long-term effects on your health.

 

[footy]

Thank you for your reply looks like i will have to make a appointment at the doctor's for a blood test i also suffer with headaches is this a symptom

 

[footy]

i am going to see the doctor in two weeks time i rang him today do you think he will give me a blood test if i tell him what i have said to you all will he think i am being silly you know what some doctor's are like because i dont know if 8.1mmol/l is somthing to worry about or not i know i am
40 this year but i am a bit scared of the doctor's and all that' i suppose us men are like that well i am

 

[totsy]

hya footy,
try not to worry,
in the meantime lloyds do a free test for diabetes and it could get u seen quicker

 

[footy]

Thank you for all your replies it's nice that people like me who are big scary cats of doctor's can get good advice from people like yourselves they say its good to talk and in this case it has worked for me so thank you.
like i said in my above post i did a boots home test and the reading was 8 mmol/l and i have also done a test on my motherinlaws meter and the reading was 8.1 mmol/l but i did not know what it ment realy but with the symptoms that i have been experiencing i just don't feel right i have been like this for sometime now like today for example i got up ,i felt like i had no energy and i had to push myself to do things. i have realy bad headaches and i feel sweaty, my body aches and i am thirsty and i feel like i am coming down with a cold but it can't be that because i have felt like this for months but now i feel worse my wife has noticed it more than me because i am always full of fun and always have had energy so i suppose it's just crept up on me ,like its a big effort to play with my children, i just thought i was just getting old but it has seemed to have got worse lately but when i feel like i have got no energy ,if i eat something like a chocolate bar or drink some lucozade i feel fine for a couple of minutes. i have also been taking tablets for my headaches but it does not get rid of it ,its more like muzzy, like if i have got a hangover but it can't be that because i don't drink only if we go out for a meal ,i have a glass of wine but lately if we do go out for a meal i prefere a glass of coke to drink so like i said i have made an appointment to see the doctor in two weeks time that's the only time he can see me so i will keep you all updated when i go and see him thank you all again for your advice and i wish everyone well

 

[panda293]

Hello footy,

It's perfectly normal to feel a bit scared about all this. I think I am correct and others will say if not, but you need to have a glucose tolerance test to establish for sure about the diabetes. Your GP will arrange this and it consists of giving a blood test every half hour or so and drinking a special glucose drink. The whole thing takes a couple of hours and is nothing to worry about. I had it done some years back and I was not Diabetic.

Don't delay. If you are diabetic then it is manageable and there is excellent help out there and I am sure your GP will not hesitate to investigate. It's always worse thinking about going to the doc and not half as bad when you get there.

Try not to worry and good luck.

Kind regards,

Panda.

 

[footy]

Thank you panda and everyone who replyed i will keep you updated all the best footy

 

[DiabeticGeek]

I think I am correct and others will say if not, but you need to have a glucose tolerance test to establish for sure about the diabetes.

A GTT isn't the only way to diagnose diabetes, although it is the most sensitive method. It has, however, gone somewhat out of fashion now and quite often two fasting measurements of blood glucose greater than 7 (done in a lab, with blood drawn from a vein on separate days) is also considered to be diagnostic for diabetes. A fingerprick test should never be used for diagnosis, although it might indicate that it is likely.

 

[footy]

which test will i have when i go to the doctors i would like to know before hand thank you for your replys all the best footy

 

[barlaysugar]

Footy, I was diagnosed diabetic about 4 years ago. I was sweating a lot, feeling thirsty and also going to the loo a lot to pass urine. I thought I had a urine infection and tested my urine (am a nurse), and lo had 3 + glucose, so I did a finger prick test and my blood sugar was 14 mmol.

Went to my gp, had a blood test (fasting blood sugar) and it was 7. Then had to go back 2 weeks later and had a glucose tolerance test. This involves having blood taken, waiting 1 hour, drinking a sugary drink (think it was lucozade), waiting then having more blood taken.

Was on diet and exercise at first, but was put on metformin 8 months ago. I know what you mean about muzziness in the head, it feels as if you are thinking through fog.

Hope this helps a little.

Barleysugar

 

[DiabeticGeek]

which test will i have when i go to the doctors i would like to know before hand thank you for your replys all the best footy

It is entirely up to the doctor. Some will give you a fingerprick test to get an indication, and then order a venous sample if it looks borderline or high. Some will do a venous test immediately, and then a second test if that comes back high. Some will do a GTT straight away. Most will do a GTT if other tests are inconclusive (it is the most sensitive). If you are diabetic, you will probably have a "full blood screen" (which is a whole battery of tests, but all done with blood taken from the same sample).

From the point of view of what to expect - you will just have one or two blood samples taken, on either the same or separate days. You may or may not be fed glucose (usually a bottle of lucozade), and you may or may not be given a fingerprick test. Don't expect results immediately. With the exception of the fingerprick test, the samples will have to be sent away to a lab - so it will be a few days before the results are available.

 

[footy]

Thank you barley sugar that's what i was trying to explain with headache thing thinking through fog you got it spot on i think i will go buy one of those meter's today to take some readings while i am waiting for my doctor appointment thank you again nurse barley sugar

 

[footy]

thank you diabetic geek for your info. I can prepare myself now for my doctors appointment, the information is much appreciated, all the best footy

 

[DiabeticGeek]

i think i will go buy one of those meter's today to take some readings while i am waiting for my doctor appointment

If you do that then make sure you know how to interpret the numbers. During the day everyone's BG (diabetic or not) goes up and down a lot, depending upon what you have eaten. The main difference between diabetics and non-diabetics is that with the latter it comes down again quickly, whereas in diabetes it takes longer (sometimes a lot longer). If you are diabetic then, in the long run, learning how to interpret this can be really useful for planning your diet and controlling the condition. However, at the moment, the most meaningful figure is going to be a fasting test (i.e. taken first thing in the morning, before you have eaten. Make sure that you take the sample straight after washing your hands - before you touch food (tiny contaminations with food can give you crazy figures).

As for interpreting the results - a non-diabetic should have a fasting BG of less than 6.1 mmol/l (usually a lot less - typically in the 4.5-5.5 range). Uncontrolled diabetics have a fasting BG of 7.0 mmol/l or more (sometimes a lot more - figures of well over 20 aren't unheard of). People with the so called "pre-diabetes" will be in between (i.e. 6.1-6.9). After eating, this becomes much harder to interpret, and even a non-diabetic can sometimes have a BG of 8-9 or even more. This will give you an idea of what your doctor is likely to tell you, but you should remember that diabetes cannot be diagnosed from fingerprick tests - they are far too inaccurate and there is too much that can go wrong.

 

[footy]

i just brought a meter from lloyds chemist it's a freestyle freedom lite i don't know if they are any good but the woman in the shop said they where it cost me £5.87 it came wth ten testing strips but i brought some more test strips fifty for £23.75 the test strips are realy dear but my wife said buy them she said it was not much for piece of mind ,but if i had to buy them regularly i'd have to take out a second mortgage if you know what i mean, god they are dear.
I am going to take some readings and i will see whats happening i just had dinner and i waited one hour and my reading was 8.3 mmol/l i then took another reading two hours after my dinner the reading was 7.2 mmol/l what does this mean i have not got a clue .i will be going to the doctors in two weeks time, its all very strange to me because i have this headache like thinking thought fog thats what barlaysugar said and she was spot on with that ,that's what i feel like but as soon as i had my dinner the headache went for a few moments and all i had for dinner was a sunday roast just like the ones mother used to make and this is what i can't undersand i felt lifeless when i got up this morning but as soon as i have eaten something i feel fine for a few moments so thats all i can say for now but i will post some more readings when i do them. i will wish you all well and bye for now footy

 

[sugarless sue]

If you had roast potatoes with your Sunday roast these would cause your BS to be quite high 2 hours later.What else did you eat ?

 

[footy]

i had roasties and boiled potatoes carrots peas lamb and gravy all washed down with a nice wait for it a nice glass of water did not have much for beakfast piece of toast and a cuppa with two sugars thank you for your reply its much appreciated all the best footy