Appointment with diabetic nurse / pain management clinic / hip & knee consultant

[Molly56]

Molly, this sounds SO familiar....... . @CarbsRok is right. When hubbie was diagnosed in January, and was given metformin to take, his BG would not come down below 15 fasting. He was cutting down on carbs, eating really healthily, exercising more and basically doing everything he could within his knowledge at that time. Doc then gave him glicizide (not sure of spelling) to take along with metformin. Still no real improvement. By the time he was referred to see consultant in March,. non fasting blood was 24 and he was put straight on insulin. 10 units of Lantus before bed. This had an immediate effect on his levels. Following morning after first dose of insulin BG was 13, we were ecstatic! It continued to come down. It later turned out he was type 1 and not type 2. He came off the glicizide, still takes the metformin and 8 units of lantus. It sounds like your other half is now making an effort and you are def. doing things right. I'd book that appointment with GP and broach the subject of type 1 and see what the says. I hope it's not but better to explore that possibility. Let us know how it goes over the weekend.

@loobylou thank you for your reply....your husbands scenario does sound very similar apart from one fact ....that he exercised more...

I think that this is perhaps a key factor in why my partner's blood sugar levels are so high....he leads a very sedentary / inactive life despite my efforts to encourage him to move more....a large part of his day is spent in bed (doesn't get up till late / often goes for a lie down) and when he does get up he is quite inactive....he doesn't really walk anywhere and will even go short distances in the car....

Am sure that being more active would get his blood sugar levels down as exercise is an important part of the equation.....diet and exercise....

Obviously this is the next area that I will have to concentrate my efforts on....

 

[iHs]

Molly the fact that yr hubby is spending more time in bed needs to be investigated by GP. High bg can cause tiredness but so can other things. Could you go for a short walk together after a meal? You could say that the high bg is the reason for the walk and that you yourself are worried for hubby's well being and dont take no for an answer. Get his coat and shoes and say come on we are going for a walk together. Short walk will be ok and this can then be slowly lengthened. Once hubby starts to see how much diabetes is having an impact on you, then that should make him realise that he does need to pay attention a bit more. Failing that, then visit to Gp to discuss diet and possibility of referal to see D consultant at a hospital to use insulin or other oral meds.

 

[mo53]

Hello. This sounds like a good idea. I must admit Molly after reading your two threads I was actually wondering what you did together as a couple.

 

[Molly56]

Just thought I would post a quick update...following the high blood results the other day (24.3 & 16.1) I made a point of testing yesterday to see how things were...morning result was 9.8 and in the evening it was 9.9.

Have no idea why the previous days readings were so high.......will keep a check on it again today..

..if there is any good news out of this at least he is now happy for me to test his blood and we are making more efforts at looking at what he is eating .....and talking about it ......

 

[Molly56]

Update ….feels like some progress is being made…

Testing of blood over the last two days has given readings of 9.8 / 9.9 on Saturday and 9.7 / 9.7 on Sunday…..showing some consistency in morning and evening readings…..this morning got a reading of 9.6 so still on par with the weekend….
Not sure how that follows after the readings of 24.3 and 16.1 which were causing me such concern at the end of last week….

Have been addressing the issue of food and looking at how we can improve this….
As far as the fizzy drinks / not drinking enough water …. we have now found an alternative to the fizzy drinks and are cutting those right back….have found a juice concentrate to add to water (....it does contain a sweetener but not aspartame so will have to be cautious -am only using the tiniest amount and diluting as much as possible) so is now adding this to water and have a jug in the fridge…..hopefully drinking more water will help with hydration levels which can only be a good thing (think this was part of the issue as he was hardly drinking any water)…….as it comes in handbag size squeezy containers can even take this on holiday with us to add to a bottle of water!...........progress….tick….

Is now getting into the habit of testing and wanting to know the result…..........progress…tick...
Have also suggested that I take the testing kit in my suitcase when we go on holiday so we can test whilst we are away…this suggestion was not rejected so feel that definite progress in terms of wanting to test and wanting to know is being made….

Personally feeling a bit more calm and relaxed so that has to be good too ...let’s hope that the progress made over the last few days will continue….

Final piece of good news to share for now…just checked results of blood tests I personally had last week with the surgery and they all came back as normal, no action required….I think doctor had just done them as a precaution to check that there was nothing wrong with me other than the stress when I saw him about situation a couple of weeks ago……was best to get it checked out though for own peace of mind…

 

[loobylou]

@Molly56, this is real progress, well done, to you both. I hope you have a really great holiday.

 

[Molly56]

Just as a quick update…

Since the weekend he has been continuing to test ….unfortunately the consistency seen over the weekend seems to have gone and readings have gone up to 13.2 / 17.0 / 12.3 / 10.7….not sure why this would be but at least he is getting the idea of testing and wanting to know what the results are.

Did not test last night as had gone out for a meal for my birthday so would not have been a good idea to test then…would probably have been very high.........will get back on track today…

Am pleased that we have now seemed to reach a turning point and that he is now starting to take more notice and more importantly want to do something about it…

Will start to look a bit more closely at what we are eating ….reducing the carbs ….and encouraging him to get a bit more active …list of jobs being made as we speak…

The main thing is we are talking about it more and trying to do something about it…hopefully that will continue…

 

[donnellysdogs]

Molly... Do you work weekends? My guess is that your partner's levels rise after he has had his own choice of food whilst you're not around.

IHs had good suggestion of you encouraging him to go out for a walk together.

It seemed great that he allowing blood tests to be done, but honestly 9's are still too high and I cannot see why he hasn't been put on insulin!! However, if this was the case..I cannot see that he would inject when eating out whilst you're at work.

I fear Molly that you are just going to end up being a full time carer......

 

[loobylou]

Hi Molly

It's progress for sure that he is now not opposed to testing BG bit major fluctuations in readings is not good. Walking together would be good as @Donnellydogs says. My hubbie has always been fit and we have 2 energetic kids to keep us going but when he is a bit high, say 9 or 10, he will go for a brisk 15 minute walk or nip out on his bike for a quick cycle. That usually reduces it. Exercise is key so try to get him moving. Twice round the block might help!

 

[Molly56]

Hi Molly

It's progress for sure that he is now not opposed to testing BG bit major fluctuations in readings is not good. Walking together would be good as @Donnellydogs says. My hubbie has always been fit and we have 2 energetic kids to keep us going but when he is a bit high, say 9 or 10, he will go for a brisk 15 minute walk or nip out on his bike for a quick cycle. That usually reduces it. Exercise is key so try to get him moving. Twice round the block might help!

@loobylou Would be great if I could get him to exercise as I know it is the key but unfortunately joint pain in his hip and knee prevents this .....or so he tells me....

My opinion is that not moving is part of the problem which has resulted in joint stiffness (amongst other things) and hence the pain....and that by moving more or at least walking even a short distance would help to relieve this....unfortunately he doesn't see it that way... ...despite me mentioning it on a number of occasions..

Anyway at least I have made some progress with the testing....perhaps my next challenge should be to get him moving a bit more...I have an exercise bike / cross trainer (have not used it myself for a while) that he has said he would have a go on - I told him today that I would move it into another position where he could use it more easily so perhaps I should make a point of making that my job for this evening....is worth a try I guess

 

[Molly56]

Am just taking stock of where we are since I started this thread…by my reckoning we are now two months on from his last appointment with the diabetic nurse and if I remember correctly she was going to see him again in three months time which makes the next appointment approx. one month from now….

Unfortunately this will fall in the time when we are away on holiday so assuming she will want an up to date HbA1c reading I am wondering if it would be advisable to get this done before we go away or wait until our return.

Since our last visit and certainly within the last couple of weeks he has really been making an effort to try to avoid some of the foods that he shouldn’t be eating and that he was eating before…he did have a small relapse when it was my birthday this week but is now trying to be good again.

He has also started to test (a couple of times a day – this morning’s reading was 9.8) and is wanting to know what the results are. He has said that he wants to set himself an aim to get his blood sugar levels down…..all very positive steps for someone who a short while ago was not taking any of this seriously…

So looking forward to our next appointment with the diabetic nurse…….. I think that we will be going along to this with a more positive approach (and better informed since I have been following this forum and asking questions) than the ones that he has attended in the past….will obviously have to give it some more thought between now and then to consider the options and formulate how we are going to deal with this depending on the nurse’s recommendations.

At the last appointment his diabetic medication was increased (to 2000mg metformin plus 320mg gliclazide per day) so hopefully the blood test will reflect whether this is working or not….if not then I think the next step would be going onto insulin which is where I originally came into this discussion a couple of months ago.

So I guess my question at the moment is …
.bearing in mind we are going on holiday….should I suggest that the blood test is done before or would it be ok to leave until we get back….clearly I am hoping that he will choose to eat relatively sensibly whilst we are away but I guess everyone is likely to overindulge whilst on holiday…..how much would this affect the result if it is measured over the 8 – 12 week period that Hb1Ac is designed to reflect…

….any thoughts would be appreciated….

 

[loobylou]

Morning Molly

Re your query about the Hb1Ac test, it might be worth asking your diabetic nurse about this. If you have it done when he comes back from hols, where he has not perhaps been as strict, it may skew the result. I'm no expert and some others more learned than me on here may be able to give you better advice. We were on holiday in August, hubbie wasn't able to get many of things he eats at home and did the best he could (with a few slips, large pizza on last night... oops ). His readings were a bit higher but he got back on track when he got home. His next Hb1Ac is end of this month. Last one was 44. Hoping for same or better, type 1 but still producing some of his own insulin so we really do not know what to expect. See what the DN has to say Molly. Good luck!

 

[Molly56]

Morning Molly

Re your query about the Hb1Ac test, it might be worth asking your diabetic nurse about this. If you have it done when he comes back from hols, where he has not perhaps been as strict, it may skew the result. I'm no expert and some others more learned than me on here may be able to give you better advice. We were on holiday in August, hubbie wasn't able to get many of things he eats at home and did the best he could (with a few slips, large pizza on last night... oops ). His readings were a bit higher but he got back on track when he got home. His next Hb1Ac is end of this month. Last one was 44. Hoping for same or better, type 1 but still producing some of his own insulin so we really do not know what to expect. See what the DN has to say Molly. Good luck!

@loobylou .....thanks for reply....will see if I can get in touch with diabetic nurse this week and ask...have got a few weeks before our holiday so perhaps we can arrange for test before we go....and make appointment for our return

 

[nooboots]

Hello, OP, I have just joined the forum and wished I had joined earlier really. I have posted a thread about my OH who finally has taken control of his diabetes, but I must say, I felt like I was reading about myself and my OH reading your thread.

He was diagnosed 10 years ago and really didnt take it all that seriously, tending to think that as he was on medication, as long as he didnt eat masses of cake (which he wasnt that keen on anyway) he was ok. He would pack away huge amounts of bread, potatoes and rice daily, often eating takeaway fried rice at work during the day and throwing away the carton so I wouldnt find it.

I had long championed for him to cut most of the carbs out but he wouldnt have it.

Anyway, cut a long story short, he was threatened with insulin in the summer. I was absolutely horrified and so was he for once, as the thought of possibly losing his licence worried him. On 1st May we cut out rice, pasta, pots and bread. He has now lost nearly 2 stone and within days, I mean literally within 2 days his levels came down frm 9-12s to 4-6s. The diabetic nurse was speechless and I am really proud of him.

The irony is that I am more overweight than he is and I have only lost nearly a stone and a half, possibly because I keep sneaking in the odd roll or pizza here and there.

None of that is very helpful sorry, but I can empathise with the frustration of knowing he has to make changes and him not really grasping that.

Our next step is to get him off a lot of the meds that he is still on, as this weekend his levels went to 4 and just under which is too low for him and he has been shaky and sweaty. He has been drinking chopped up okra in water left over night to go gloopy. I was skeptical of this at first but it does seem to be bringing down his levels even more so we have to now be careful because of all the meds he is still on.

 

[Molly56]

Hello, OP, I have just joined the forum and wished I had joined earlier really. I have posted a thread about my OH who finally has taken control of his diabetes, but I must say, I felt like I was reading about myself and my OH reading your thread.

He was diagnosed 10 years ago and really didnt take it all that seriously, tending to think that as he was on medication, as long as he didnt eat masses of cake (which he wasnt that keen on anyway) he was ok. He would pack away huge amounts of bread, potatoes and rice daily, often eating takeaway fried rice at work during the day and throwing away the carton so I wouldnt find it.

I had long championed for him to cut most of the carbs out but he wouldnt have it.

Anyway, cut a long story short, he was threatened with insulin in the summer. I was absolutely horrified and so was he for once, as the thought of possibly losing his licence worried him. On 1st May we cut out rice, pasta, pots and bread. He has now lost nearly 2 stone and within days, I mean literally within 2 days his levels came down frm 9-12s to 4-6s. The diabetic nurse was speechless and I am really proud of him.

The irony is that I am more overweight than he is and I have only lost nearly a stone and a half, possibly because I keep sneaking in the odd roll or pizza here and there.

None of that is very helpful sorry, but I can empathise with the frustration of knowing he has to make changes and him not really grasping that.

Our next step is to get him off a lot of the meds that he is still on, as this weekend his levels went to 4 and just under which is too low for him and he has been shaky and sweaty. He has been drinking chopped up okra in water left over night to go gloopy. I was skeptical of this at first but it does seem to be bringing down his levels even more so we have to now be careful because of all the meds he is still on.

@nooboots...thank you for your reply....have read this and the other information posted on your own thread...as you say both stories sound similar in terms of denial in past years....my partners view was I know probably the same ....that providing he was taking his prescribed medication that this would be sufficient in 'controlling' his diabetes....how wrong was this.......however I do think that it was probably a lack of information or understanding that led him to this conclusion.

As I was not with him when he was originally diagnosed I have no idea what he was originally told but I do know that since I have been going to appointments with him the information given by the nurse about the importance of diet and exercise I would describe as being very poor or almost non-existent. I have learnt so much by joining this forum that I would never have got from any GP / nurse....it is just invaluable as I hope you will find out.

Anyway, well done on getting your OH on the right road....it sounds like he is making good progress and hopefully once you have sorted out the current issues he will be on track to take control of this.

In terms of medication it sounds as if he is on similar to my partner.....my partner is on 2000mg metformin plus 320mg gliclazide per day, plus medication for high blood pressure (including ramipril), for nerve pain and for depression.

In terms of your situation it could possibly be the gliclazide that is causing the crash in blood sugar levels / hypo symptoms - I say this because it was when the diabetic nurse increased the dosage of this one that my partner was given a monitor and told to test before driving....this is because gliclazide has a potential to cause hypos....fortunately it has not had that effect on my partner but neither does it seem to have brought his blood sugar levels down.....
......I would obviously suggest that you speak to the GP / nurse before changing the medication but perhaps this will help you to ask the relevant questions when you see them....

Anyway, good luck and keep in touch

 

[nooboots]

Thanks you too.

To be honest, before I started learning more about diabetes, I too would have thought that you just take the drugs and be 'sensible' and it should be ok, obviously so did my partner. But to live with constantly high levels does so much damage that I didnt realise many years ago. I havent got diabetes but I am a severe risk of it as Im very overweight, so its helpful for me what we are doing too.

 

[this is too difficult two]

You have not answered for a long time Molly. Is everything OK?

 

[Molly56]

You have not answered for a long time Molly. Is everything OK?

@this is too difficult two ......I could say the same.....is everything ok with you....

 

[Molly56]

Am coming round to the conclusion that perhaps deficiencies in B12 and vitamin D are part of my partner’s problem having followed other people’s experiences on the forum and looking at the symptoms….can see definite similarities ….

One of my main reasons for thinking that B12 may be an issue is his long term use of metformin and now being on the maximum dose of 2000mg per day........Metformin can cause malabsorption issues and a deficiency in B12 can cause neuropathy symptoms......neuropathy is one of his problems as is tiredness / fatigue / depression /memory problems......

On this basis I have the following questions…

• Am seeing the GP next week so will mention this and ask whether blood tests already done have tested for this….if not, will request a blood test to check for this….

• In the meantime though would it be OK to look at getting some supplements for B12 and vitamin D…would it do any harm to start taking these without knowing what current levels are…

• Is there any reason not to take these supplements such as conflicts with current prescribed medication …would probably check it out with our local pharmacist first….

• Where is the best place to get these supplements and what strength should I be looking for….

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

@this is too difficult two @donnellysdogs @Scouser58

 

[Bluetit1802]

Personally I wouldn't take any supplements without first checking with the doctor that he actually needs them. Too many can be as bad as too few.