- Messages
- 583
- Type of diabetes
- Family member
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
My husband was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago after being rushed into hospital with a suspected stroke. It turned out to be Bell's Palsy but his HBA1C was sky high at 122 and raised ketones (1.3). He was kept in hospital for four nights whilst they stabilised his levels, which was a challenge due to the high dose steroids used to treat the Palsy. He has extreme anxiety and depression and all of this has been extremely distressing for him.
A fortnight on, we are still adjusting to the regime of insulin 3 times a day and glucose monitoring. The problem is that his vision is so poor at the moment, that he cannot do the monitoring himself. This is also taking it's toll on his mental health. He not only has blurred vision, which seems to fluctate, but also has flashes, wavy lines and grey clouds. He has had problems with visual disturbance over the past 18 months, but would not seek medical attention due to his anxiety. He is convinced he will lose his sight and no longer be able to work. It is heartbreaking.
On the positive side, levels are right down (I understand this may be the reason why his vision has worsened so quickly). We are tapering the insulin doses now, hopefully with a view to coming off the insulin.
We speak with our DN tomorrow and will ask if retinal screening can be prioritised due to the changes in his vision and on mental health grounds. Any idea how long it usually takes? I'm at a loss at what else to do.....
A fortnight on, we are still adjusting to the regime of insulin 3 times a day and glucose monitoring. The problem is that his vision is so poor at the moment, that he cannot do the monitoring himself. This is also taking it's toll on his mental health. He not only has blurred vision, which seems to fluctate, but also has flashes, wavy lines and grey clouds. He has had problems with visual disturbance over the past 18 months, but would not seek medical attention due to his anxiety. He is convinced he will lose his sight and no longer be able to work. It is heartbreaking.
On the positive side, levels are right down (I understand this may be the reason why his vision has worsened so quickly). We are tapering the insulin doses now, hopefully with a view to coming off the insulin.
We speak with our DN tomorrow and will ask if retinal screening can be prioritised due to the changes in his vision and on mental health grounds. Any idea how long it usually takes? I'm at a loss at what else to do.....