Hi all. Ive been feeling 'not right' for so long it's actually come as a relief to get this diagnosis. My GP said I wouldnt be getting diabetes symptoms as a borderliner, but the practice nurse disagreed. What Im wondering is, is this why I feel so tired all the time, constantly hungry and burning hot and sweaty?? It's literally driving me to despair, on arriving at work each morning I sweat for about 1 hour and have to put kitchen roll inside my clothing to soak it up. It's completely embarrassing and begining to really get me down. Am nearly 48 and on HRT, also have high BP. Any words of wisdom or advice would be so appreciated!!
Newly diagnosed borderline
- Thread starter Corrina1209
- Start Date
Hi Corrina. I was diabetic and am now back in pre diabetic state. I have been on low carb diet to lose nearly 3 Stone and started sweating a lot again about 2 months ago. I went to doctors today and she has put my HRT up to one daily again but has said that I need also to drink more water! This she said should help replace fluid I could be losing. Water can be flavoured or fizzy or plain. I don't know if this might help you but worth a try. Sweating is awful I agree. Have you been back to your own doctor? Katie43m
Liam1955
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@Corrina1209 - @Katie43M Hello and Welcome to the Forum 
. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive.
. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive. 
chalup
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I dont really know much about HRT but hot flashes can be terrible. I read that your skin temperature can rise as much as 6 degrees C in seconds. I suffered from them something awful during menopause and also night sweats. My hubby joked that he had hot flashes too because when I would heat up all the blankets would land on him. When the sweat started to dry I would be freezing and pull all the blankets on to me leaving him freezing lol. If the heat and sweats is starting in your face and chest area and spreading from there, that is probably what it is. I would also sweat in the oddest places such as the inside of my elbows and behind my knees. This is just my experience, I am not a doctor.
The medical literature names blood pressure control as a top priority in managing diabetes/prediabetes. Higher blood pressure aggravates most of the complications of high blood glucose, including retina, artery, and kidney disease. Diabetic hypertension differs from nondiabetic in up to six ways, one of which is "isolated systolic HT" (only the top number is elevated).
The "complications" of diabetes take years and years to brew (but if there is delay in detecting the hyperglycaemia, the complications may be brewing in the meantime). But as for symptoms, some other people with borderline levels report here having symptoms including frequent infections.
The "complications" of diabetes take years and years to brew (but if there is delay in detecting the hyperglycaemia, the complications may be brewing in the meantime). But as for symptoms, some other people with borderline levels report here having symptoms including frequent infections.
daisy1
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@Corrina1209
Hello Corrina and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Corrina and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Yes chalup - the backs of my knee's sweat!!
Katie, Ive been cutting back on carbs, and trying to drink more water, in an effort to lose weight and be healthier etc. I went back to GP last week and was told to take paracetamol, in case the sweating is a virus!! My BP's been high for years - last week was 156/96, but every time the doctor/practice nurse just comments "oh sometimes your BP goes up when you are at the doctor's" and they all say they will check it again next time. My partner has T1, and in 13 years has never seen a dietician, or had hospital check-ups etc, despite being admitted to A&E with related problems. I dont know what care is like in the rest of the UK, but it's practically non-existant where I am.
Katie, Ive been cutting back on carbs, and trying to drink more water, in an effort to lose weight and be healthier etc. I went back to GP last week and was told to take paracetamol, in case the sweating is a virus!! My BP's been high for years - last week was 156/96, but every time the doctor/practice nurse just comments "oh sometimes your BP goes up when you are at the doctor's" and they all say they will check it again next time. My partner has T1, and in 13 years has never seen a dietician, or had hospital check-ups etc, despite being admitted to A&E with related problems. I dont know what care is like in the rest of the UK, but it's practically non-existant where I am.
Glink
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- Type of diabetes
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- Tablets (oral)
Some prediabetics get symptoms; many do not. I think the way to find out if your symptoms are related to high sugars is to lower your sugars and see if they go away. I know that can be easier said than done, but by lowering carbs and exercising (more/at different times, if you already exercise) you may be able to control it. Do you have access to a test kit & strips? I found that to be invaluable in figuring out what foods I could tolerate without spiking my sugars, and also identifying at what level I started to get symptoms.
Robbity
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It's often quite true - for years my blood pressure's always been very high when checked at the surgery, even through I don't necessarily feel stressed at all. Last autumn my GP got me to check at home at various times over several weeks with a home blood pressure monitor, and when I next saw him I took it in with me together with my (much lower!) results. We then checked my monitor against his blood pressure cuff test and both read high, though my monitor gave a slightly lower result.
Some GPs will lend you a monitor to do this sort of home testing, but you can also buy your own from places like Amazon for around £20 - digital wrist ones are easier to use single handed than the pump up cuff type. Maybe worth asking, if you are at all concerned?
Robbity
Ive cut out all the 'bad' foods I was merrily eating, and feel better for it - less tired etc. I dont have any way of testing my levels as yet, but it would definitely be useful if I did.
Liam1955
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@Corrina1209 - Hi . Have you not thought about purchasing a Meter? You can keep a check on your blood sugars and use it to see which foods you can eat and those to avoid. A lot of forum members use the SD Codefree Meter as the test strips are the cheapest and if you state you are diabetic you don't pay vat. Take a look:
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring
. Have you not thought about purchasing a Meter? You can keep a check on your blood sugars and use it to see which foods you can eat and those to avoid. A lot of forum members use the SD Codefree Meter as the test strips are the cheapest and if you state you are diabetic you don't pay vat. Take a look: http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring
