Blurry Eyes

Helen_S-C

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Hi, I am new to the forum. I was diagnosed in May 2015 and I think I need to take my diet more seriously. For the last 48 hours I have blurred vision and very sore eyes which has scared me a little as its come on very suddenly. My first eye check is next Tuesday but I don't want to wait that long, I rang my gp but the receptionist told me to go to an opticians and said the diabetic nurse had no appointments until after the new year! I take slow release metformin but don't feel in control of my health at all at the moment. Any advice welcome!
 

Clivethedrive

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Hi, I am new to the forum. I was diagnosed in May 2015 and I think I need to take my diet more seriously. For the last 48 hours I have blurred vision and very sore eyes which has scared me a little as its come on very suddenly. My first eye check is next Tuesday but I don't want to wait that long, I rang my gp but the receptionist told me to go to an opticians and said the diabetic nurse had no appointments until after the new year! I take slow release metformin but don't feel in control of my health at all at the moment. Any advice welcome!
Hi Helen_S-C, sorry to hear your scareas you may know diabetes is a disease of the nerves, one of the effects of high bs's are neuropathy,and retinal neropathy is just one of these, my feeling would be to lower your carb intake and limit your proteins too,i would not get any specs yet as with good bs controls your eyesight will settle down again,most of the regular posters here will also help with good advice, have you had the info from @daisy1 for new posters yet? Clive
 
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Oldvatr

Expert
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As Clive says, you could be wasting your money if you get new glasses while your bs is out of sorts. Reducing carb intake will give you a speedy result without waiting for meds to kick in, and it can also save some money. You may find that as a Newbie, your GP will advise you to gradually increase the Metformin dose - they normally start off with an introductory dose, but it will take time to get an appointment etc. You should be able to cut carbs without too much worry since Metformin-only therapy is well known as a safe therapy. Even just laying off the high hitters such as white bread, white rice, and most pastas would help you, and most people here find Pizza to be problematic too. There is lots of advice on the Forum about LC recipes and tips.
 

Helen_S-C

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Type 1
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Thanks for your feedback, I've managed to get a cancellation with my gp in the morning so will see what he has to say. You've both made me feel better saying it can settle down, definitely the kick I needed to sort myself out! Not had the info yet but have seen it on other posts. Let's hope tomorrow brings a positive outcome.
Thanks again!
 
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Clivethedrive

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Ok i'll ask @daisy1 for the advices for you helen_S-Cdo let us know how you get on and come back with any q's you like...someone will answer.clive
 

Helen_S-C

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Thanks Clive you've been very helpful!
 

Clivethedrive

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Thanks Clive you've been very helpful!
Welcomethe help and advice i have received has been a life saver for me and i truly am grateful to all our fellow posters, so keep posting and ask as many q's as you like
 

Trachet

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Hi, I had problems with my eyes and ehded up going to the emergency eye clinic at my local hospital. In my opinion it should be your first port of call if you are seriously concerned. Best wishes for tomorrow x
 
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Helen_S-C

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Thanks I will post tomorrow afternoon and let you know.
 
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uart

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424
Type of diabetes
Type 1.5
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Insulin
Hi, I am new to the forum. I was diagnosed in May 2015 and I think I need to take my diet more seriously. For the last 48 hours I have blurred vision and very sore eyes which has scared me a little as its come on very suddenly.

Hi Helen. You need to know what you blood glucose levels are. Do you currently have a BG meter or can you obtain one?
 

Helen_S-C

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Hi everyone, it's been a long day trying to get myself sorted whilst looking after my 3 and 2 year old sons!
My gp said to get to the opticians asap for the most accurate diagnosis but he didn't think it was diabetes related (I disagree) he also checked my bp which was 100/60 which may explain why I feel light headed and dizzy. I take meds for high bp and it has always been stable so he has halved my dose. He sent me for full bloods, results will be ready in a few days.
I managed to get an optician appointment this afternoon and she is confident it's diabetes related, she suggested I buy cheap specs to start as it is possible they will improve when my sugars improve. It has put me at ease a little though, I've been lucky enough to have excellent sight so far and would like it to return!!
 

Clivethedrive

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Hi everyone, it's been a long day trying to get myself sorted whilst looking after my 3 and 2 year old sons!
My gp said to get to the opticians asap for the most accurate diagnosis but he didn't think it was diabetes related (I disagree) he also checked my bp which was 100/60 which may explain why I feel light headed and dizzy. I take meds for high bp and it has always been stable so he has halved my dose. He sent me for full bloods, results will be ready in a few days.
I managed to get an optician appointment this afternoon and she is confident it's diabetes related, she suggested I buy cheap specs to start as it is possible they will improve when my sugars improve. It has put me at ease a little though, I've been lucky enough to have excellent sight so far and would like it to return!!
Well done,if there's anything else can help answer,please do ,clive
 
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uart

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424
Type of diabetes
Type 1.5
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but he didn't think it was diabetes related (I disagree)

Helen. Do you know what sort of levels your blood glucose has been at lately, or are you going to need to wait on a HbA1c result before you know anything. I don't see how anyone can rule out this as diabetes related unless at least something is known about your recent BGL status.

Repeating my previous question to you. Do you have a meter and self test at all?
 

Clivethedrive

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Type 2
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Helen. Do you know what sort of levels your blood glucose has been at lately, or are you going to need to wait on a HbA1c result before you know anything. I don't see how anyone can rule out this as diabetes related unless at least something is known about your recent BGL status.

Repeating my previous question to you. Do you have a meter and self test at all?
No meter yet
 
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Helen_S-C

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26
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
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Mood swings
No meter yet
Doctor just called with results and since October my bloods have gone from 50 to 73 - I don't know what these numbers mean, can you help? Also I have low sodium levels - no wonder I feel rubbish!!
 

Clivethedrive

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3,996
Type of diabetes
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Hi Helen 48 is considered diabetic so welcome to the club, clive
ImageUploadedByDCUK Forum1449697980.786283.jpg
as you can see from this chart your bs is getting quite high,i would recommend.clive seeing your doc soonest
 
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Helen_S-C

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Messages
26
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
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Mood swings
Thanks Clive this is helpful. I had gone from 60 to 50 but unfortunately it's now right up. My metformin have been increased from 2 to 3 a day and I have been strict with my diet so hopefully things will improve quickly!
 
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Helen_S-C

Active Member
Messages
26
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Mood swings
Helen. Do you know what sort of levels your blood glucose has been at lately, or are you going to need to wait on a HbA1c result before you know anything. I don't see how anyone can rule out this as diabetes related unless at least something is known about your recent BGL status.

Repeating my previous question to you. Do you have a meter and self test at all?

Uart I don't have a testing meter, it's not practice at my gp for T2 to receive them. I'd prefer to have one.
 
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LucySW

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1,945
Type of diabetes
LADA
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Insulin
Hi Helen,

Don't worry. This totally rings a bell with what happened to me, and many others. What you're describing almost certainly isn't nerve damage to the eye: it's the temporary (and completely reversible) effect you get when the lens in your eye changes shape (temporarily) in response to the fluid it's in having a much higher sugar content. This happens when you have high blood sugar.

If this continued for a long, long time, damage in your eyes probably would result, but you can prevent that happening by getting your blood sugar down.

I'll tell you what I did. I was so horrified by the diabetes diagnosis (I was originally dX Type 2, but they found I was actually late-onset Type 1) that I just stopped eating high-carb foods. So bread, pasta, potatoes, fruit, anything starchy, and sweet things, of course. It was easy, because I regarded them as poison. I ate normal protein (eggs, chicken, meat, fish), but massively increased the green veg and salad to fill up. My BG dropped from 16 mmol to 6 within three weeks. It took my eyes about two and a half months to settle down completely. First my vision got better and better (less and less short-sighted), then it got better than it had ever been, then in the end it settled down about where it had been before. For a month I didn't need any glasses! (That was wonderful.) So, first of all, don't worry, this almost certainly isn't permanent.

But, second, don't stand for that Type 2s don't need to meter rubbish. Your eyes won't normalise till your BG is a lot lower, and you won't do it fast if you don't change what you eat. Metformin is a great drug, but it can't work miracles alone. Take ownership of your health and get yourself the Codefree meter from Amazon. It and the strips are the cheapest, and it's fine. If you want to get well again, you cannot really do that unless you can test out the meals you eat and learn what raises your blood sugar and therefore what to avoid.

It is awful, yes, that Type 2s don't get the support of their doctors to meter. But you can do it yourself anyway, and it'll be the best thing you ever did for yourself.

You'll get a lot of help here in Jenny Ruhl's page, here with her nutritional calculator, and here at Diet Doctor, a good all-round site for how to eat low carb.

Good luck.
 
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carty

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3,379
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Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
I definitely recommend getting a codefree meter and checking your BG levels before a meal and 2hours after this will tell you how the food that you ate has affected you .This way can help you be in control of the levels and also feel that you are having a control of your diabetes
CAROL
 
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