Hello everyone. So as this doesn't turn into massively long and over involved tale of woe, I will try and be as brief as possible: I have been seriously unwell for two years, undiagnosed and bumped all over the place because of it. My doctor recently flagged up an 'unrelated' pre-diabetic test result and I have just had another surgery test, but am too ignorant at moment to know how I should be tested in non-cursory way. Hence this post. It takes weeks to get a doctor's appointment at my surgery, so I need as much information as I can get before I see the doctor at the end of this month. And information on what self testing (or inexpensive private) to do now and how, and whether, from the description below, I could be diabetic, or something related. It has always felt to me that something is just systemically 'out of whack' (like not having oil in your car). The NHS is not at its best with non-standard diagnosis, and one gets ignored - and dismissed as anxious or hysterical - though they think they have nice, understanding ways to say that! So one is on one's own seeking diagnosis, or more importantly, relief.
I have had episodes of hypoglycaemia for years (sudden blood sugar crashes: shaking, faintness, feeling about to black out if don't eat NOW, and an overwhelming weird feeling that defies description) which I learnt to control pretty well myself and though the symptoms I get now are not identical they are nearer that than anything else. They are, however, chronic and not easily controllable when they flare. They are certainly exacerbated by not pacing food intake (a late evening meal will be hugely debilitating) as they certainly are by stress, tiredness and a recent heavy cold. Symptoms do not go away if I eat, however.
Major symptoms: intense internal shaking that tends to escalate during day and interfere with sleep at night, with random extra severe attacks, sometimes with racing or irregular heart rate. The shaking is no small thing. Not anxiety. It is accompanied by an intense sort of dizziness (made worse by suddenly moving head or something) and spaciness, often nausea (especially if physically exert self for any reason) and that overwhelming weird feeling that defies description. Sound seems warped (a bit like when super tired). Disorientation and confusion, this can make navigating a train station or map problematical, familiar places don't 'sit right'. A feeling of thinking through drunkenness which is really challenging. Though my 'in the moment', intellectual capacity is not affected, I do have memory problems that I never had before, which means I totally blank things in a non-normal way, and thus also have 'continuity' problems in my work. I have put this down to the amount of energy diverted to think at all through the 'fug', but it may be more than that. Other things: frequent urination; two years ago when this condition first started (with intense severity and difficulty getting about), I had what was described as an 'unrelated' retinal tear (but I have always questioned how 'unrelated' that was). I do not have 'fatigue', have not had weight loss (I am not overweight either, my BMI is very low on the scale), do not have excessive hunger or thirst; I am in my late fifties; my father had late onset diabetes (after his pancreas packed up a few years after acute pancreatitis, so not sure that counts as family liability).
I would be hugely grateful for feedback on whether this all sounds blood sugar related. As I said, my doctor dismissed the idea. Any help on how to proceed with self help and especially, interfacing with doctors, massively appreciated.
I have had episodes of hypoglycaemia for years (sudden blood sugar crashes: shaking, faintness, feeling about to black out if don't eat NOW, and an overwhelming weird feeling that defies description) which I learnt to control pretty well myself and though the symptoms I get now are not identical they are nearer that than anything else. They are, however, chronic and not easily controllable when they flare. They are certainly exacerbated by not pacing food intake (a late evening meal will be hugely debilitating) as they certainly are by stress, tiredness and a recent heavy cold. Symptoms do not go away if I eat, however.
Major symptoms: intense internal shaking that tends to escalate during day and interfere with sleep at night, with random extra severe attacks, sometimes with racing or irregular heart rate. The shaking is no small thing. Not anxiety. It is accompanied by an intense sort of dizziness (made worse by suddenly moving head or something) and spaciness, often nausea (especially if physically exert self for any reason) and that overwhelming weird feeling that defies description. Sound seems warped (a bit like when super tired). Disorientation and confusion, this can make navigating a train station or map problematical, familiar places don't 'sit right'. A feeling of thinking through drunkenness which is really challenging. Though my 'in the moment', intellectual capacity is not affected, I do have memory problems that I never had before, which means I totally blank things in a non-normal way, and thus also have 'continuity' problems in my work. I have put this down to the amount of energy diverted to think at all through the 'fug', but it may be more than that. Other things: frequent urination; two years ago when this condition first started (with intense severity and difficulty getting about), I had what was described as an 'unrelated' retinal tear (but I have always questioned how 'unrelated' that was). I do not have 'fatigue', have not had weight loss (I am not overweight either, my BMI is very low on the scale), do not have excessive hunger or thirst; I am in my late fifties; my father had late onset diabetes (after his pancreas packed up a few years after acute pancreatitis, so not sure that counts as family liability).
I would be hugely grateful for feedback on whether this all sounds blood sugar related. As I said, my doctor dismissed the idea. Any help on how to proceed with self help and especially, interfacing with doctors, massively appreciated.
