Tiredness

nigelho

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227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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I'm seeing a diabetic nurse at my GPs on Wednesday for a review. I usually see a DSN at the hospital but she told me last week that she don't know how further to treat me. I'll ask the surgery for a Vit D test. I'll also ask about porchine long lasting insulin but what about the short term insulin. I'm thinking that I may need to ask for 'animal' based' insulin. I'm really struggling today..feeling drugged up like being in hypo all the time although BMs are fine.
 

anna29

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Hi nigelho.
What insulin are you currently using??? Regime you using?
I myself have 'just' changed from levemir to hypurin porcine isophane insulin last friday.
Can say " already " I feel bit brighter and perkier since starting to use it.
Have you any specific reason for wishing to try a porcine isophane ? I had no choice as was reacting allergic to the levemir I had been using. [hypurin porcine isophane is an intermediate slow acting 12 hr insulin] Taken twice a day covers the whole 24hrs.
As I do NOT eat enough tiny portions n very low carb - am just using a basal regime only.
Yep, I too spent the last 12months feeling like I had to DRAG MYSELF AROUND ....
Worth asking for the vitaminD test too, I did and YES I also was vitaminD deficient too, plus an underactive thyroid gland tooo! Felt exactly as you describe!
Drugged up , mentally sluggish, no energy, no get up and go about myself either!
Am looking forward to getting things done now in my life 'progress' forward to a more active routine and positive focused lifestyle!
Before I was feeling so restricted and held back in a heavy shadow - by the totall lack of energy and weariness I was feeling constantly. No depression just sheer heavy tiredness!
It may be a good idea to use the time before your appt , to read up on here and the IDDT site, I found this an amazing source and help when I had to change insulin last week.
I even phoned up and spoke to jenny , who answered ALL my concerns and questions.
My DSN saw that I was well clued up and informed about animal insulin, so was happy to let me try it. [I was actuallly brainbattered with being up 4.30 am swatting up on it all ! ]
Worth it though . :p :p
Hope this helps.
Anna.x :D
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
yes i the same tired all the time.i can sleep for 24 hrs and still wake up tired.put it down to life now and live with it altho i hate feeling like it all the time
.
 

nigelho

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Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Hi Anna,
I'm carb counting with novorapid and avg 24 units of lantus. Was previously on levemir but had to have time off work as I was exhausted and drugged up. I ended up taking 100 units og levemir with a body weight of 73kg so I was taking too much levemir. DSN put me onto lantus after I asked for something different and been on lantus for just over 1 year. After the change I had 3 months feeling really good but by Nov 2011 the tiredness returned. I struggle walking back to my car after work. I'm also affected by quickly dropping BMs during and after work..online delivery driver. If I do any physical work..DIY..I have ended up in hypo.

It worried me when I changed to lantus when my DSN said she was surprised that I went from 100 units levermir to avg 24 units lantus. Problem is since diagnosed I been telling the diabetic team at the hospital about my quickly dropping BMs into hypo from around 10-12BMs to around 2.5. and about the tiredness. Had lots of different tests for the tiredness but not the vit D test which I'll ask for. I now trying to help myself as DSN said she cannot offer a solution so I'm now going to see the diabetic nurse at my GP. Am also trying to get referred to a diabetic doc in Cambridge which I hope my GP is sorting out. He's put me on fluxetine tablets as things are getting to me.

I'd just like to get sorted as hypos have been frequent lately but I have always sorted it out myself. It just one BIG pain in the bum.
 

Delphinum

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I'm permanently tired. After 8pm, I just feel like sleeping most nights. But hopefully with my referral up to the diabetic clinic, I might get some answers about it.

I can't even work full time because I'm so exhausted, make mistakes at work and suffer from anxiety and depression as a result of these mistakes. I have recently started a part time position and it's soooo much easier for me but the money of full time hours will be greatly missed. Good healthy food costs lots of money.
 

nigelho

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Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Hi Delphinum,

Are you having lots of hypos ? On an avg I can have 5 hypos a week, it mucks me up. I'm on novorapid and Lantus and when I do any physical work, even DIY and cutting the grass using an eletric mower I can go into hypo having started with a BM of 10. King's lynn DSN says that she cannot offer a soultion to my tiredness,drugged up feeling and quicklying dropping BMs. She has given me a name of a diabetic specalist in Cambridge so I've asked my GP to refer me to him. Even my diabetic nurse at the GPs says the tiredness is most likely due to the hypos BUT cannot offer a solution as to WHY my BMs drop so quickly. I need to solve the WHY!!!!!! Could be the insulin I'm on isn't working and I hope the Doc in Cambridge might try me on the porcine insulin

Took yesterday off work as I was exhasuted..got to work but felt knackered so I had to go home and stayed in bed all day. My concentration is sometimes poor when I really tired and only do 28 hours a week. Gp has put me on Fluoxetine for mood swings as he says that my worrying can also make me feel tired. Lets hope your diabteic is open minded about your insulin etc.
 

Delphinum

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I do have quite a few hypos a week, trying to get tighter control makes my sugar quite low, which I expect. I'm also on Lantus but Humalog with my meals. Luckily I can recognise my hypos really early, around 3.5-4.

I'm struggling with middle of the night hypos - which I wake up for and drink Lucozade, shove a mini Lion bar or something in my mouth and chew until I fall back asleep - and also have them mid morning too. I can usually time them exactly to be honest! 7am I have breakfast and 10am I'll have a hypo. I think it's the way Humalog peaks. If I have 3u of insulin to 10g of carbs, I go hypo and if I do 2.5 to 1, I get hyperglycaemia. Can't win! I've even had a previous employer accuse me of drug taking because I couldn't cope with a 40 hour working week and was zombified every day. I've never touched illegal drugs in my life and barely drink alcohol! I was mortified!

I hope that the specialist can help you. If you want to drop me a direct message when you see them, feel free. :) I'm going to try to get an insulin pump when I'm referred to the hospital by my GP (which she was doing last week) and see if that will help. Perhaps a dietitian might be able to help you with low GI foods which will keep your sugars more stable instead of peaking and dropping?

Good luck with it! :)
 

Riesenburg

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Hi there,

Feeling tired right after or during a hypo is pretty much to be expected but that should only last a short time. A constant feeling of fatigue could mean something else is wrong. I had the same problem and it is very annoying how the medics are quick to put it down to your diabetes. Before looking beyond your basic diabetes are you sure you are getting out of the hypos? What I mean is that sometimes you hypo, get back up and go back into the hypo before stabilizing. A pattern would be hypo-> normal -> hypo -> high -> normal. That type of fluctuation would cause fatigue which lasted for a longer period of time.

I would check out the IDDT as suggested very good source of info, I too was on an analog for my basal insulin and switched to Porcine Isophane which did work a treat not only for the fatigue but also for memory and brain too.

But before you do go pushing on insulin changes make sure you have other things such as vit D checked out, levels of iron in your blood, your thyroid and other hormones too... It might be something unrelated to your insulin.

Also have a look at your sleep patterns, sleep is often underestimated and can have a massive impact. If you have a hypo and it knocks you out of a deep sleep cycle it will cause you to be groggy and tired for the whole day. Ideal sleep cycles are in 90min waves, and optimal is 5 per night in other words 7hrs 30mins.

Hope that helps,
Frankie
 

nigelho

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Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
Hi Frankie,
I've had all the usual tests for the tiredness like thyroids, adrenal glands, iron and even my prostate as I'm still getting up at least twice a night for a pee. I know that sleep pattern can muck you up but I've already told the my DSN and the consultant about it. I'm an online delivery driver, lifting and driving so it's physical work and I'm testing a lot during my shift as my BMs drop very quickly. I can go into hypo within half hour of taking my drops to the van. After my shift ends I usually check my BMs and sometimes even at 10 plus, I'll sit down to relax in the canteen and boob...20 minutes..hypo or I'll drive home 10 minutes away and hypo..I usually breakfast around 6.15am then have to eat something like a banana before driving off around 8.30am eat a sandwich sometimes without injecting as if I around BMs of 7-8 I cannot inject as within a short time I go into hypo. I'm now trying to cut down on carbs in an effort to reduce all my insulin. Basically I'm trying things as my DSN cannot offer any further soultions. I've been told that I'll have to wait for any insulin changes until I can be referred to a diabetic specalist in Cambridge. I live in king's lynn. My GP has written to my DSN but she's been on holiday. I hope she comes back this week so that the GP can refer me. Since being on levemir and lantus my tiredness pattern has been 3 good followed by 4-5 months feeling bad. I usually have to take some time off work to recover from being exhausted then I seem to be ok for another few months then I notice that I'm walking very slowly and the tiredness hits me again..when I'm feeling good The quickly dropping BMs still persists. If it during work time I can eat at regular times to stop the hypos but I sometimes get hypos at night which wales me up to eat something.

Sometimes I feel that the carb counting with novorapid and lantus is too servere for my system. My DSN did say that I'm resistant to insulin so it could be all my quickly BMs and hypos and broken sleep is the problem BUT my diabetic team already know about these facts but cannot offer any solution and now I'm tired/drugged up most of the time and I struggle to work/function and concentrate hard to not make mistakes. I don't know long it'll take to be be referred but I hope it very soon.

Thanks for your views.
 

Herbie72

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Messages
85
In response to SarahW's original post, I am ALWAYS tired! Often wonder whether it's the diabetes; even before having kids I was always knackered, so it's an interesting idea...
 

nigelho

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227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
Hi folks,
I've been on porcine neutral and porcine isophane for almost 2 weeks after coming off novorapid and levemir and lantus and I have to say that I'm already feeling better. I know its early days but my work mates and family have said that I'm much brighter and not like death warmed up. I am no longer walking very slowly and dragging my feet but I feel that I have a spring in my steps. I am now trying to get my doses correct but I happy that my BSs are much better than when I was put on humulin about 1 month ago. Things went to POT.

I had a lot of trouble getting myself off analogue and human insulins and I had to fight my case with info from the forums and info from the IDDT and the hospital trust who backed me with all the info.

To anyone out there still having the tiredness/fatigue and drugged up feelings, assuming you've had all the usual tests for tiredness etc, it's a good chance that your body just cannot deal with analogue insulin. If you're struggling with lantus, levemir may help but like me I had levemir first then lantus and found both HELL. Heres' hoping that my improvement will continue on the procine.
 

noblehead

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All sounds good Nige :thumbup:
 

Sheffield27

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HI,

I have recently worked to lower my HB1C and feel the same, tired/lack of energy. I imagine it would be something to with that? My not very medical theory would be that as your body is used to having more suggar to help it function the decrease in sugar may have this impact?

Just a thought...
 

nigelho

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Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Sheffield 27,
I know it's a pain when you feel that you need some surar/CARBS, as you feel tired. However, your tiredness could be lots of other things like the usual low iron, thyroids etc. However, after 3 years of having various tests for the usual 'problems' have your Vit D tested and check your blood pressure. Also what insulins are you on??? A lot of diabetics that have been put on analogue insulins i.e novorapid and levemir and LANTUS(glargine) have run into the tiredness/fatigue/drugged up feelings even though their BSs might be quite good.

I have trouble with novorapid and levemir and lantus and after a lot of fighting am now on PORCINE and feeling MUCHHHHH better. BSs have improved. I'm looking forward to my next HBA1C. My last one was 7.9. Now I'm feeling better I'm hoping that It'll come down. Hope things improve for you. It's such a trial and error situation for diabetics.
 

anna29

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Hi All...
Have to comment here!
After much investigation and studying of differing insulin's...
Spent many days and hours swatting up on them all !
I swapped over from levemir to PORCINE, find am so clear headed and focused plus loads of fresh energy...
Whilst on the levemir felt completely fog headed and so drained and tired!
The PORCINE has "better" control with my blood sugars too AND excellent hypo awareness also.
Far better than the levemir I have found.
I 'too' had to push and insist to try the PORCINE insulin they were far more keen on trying to get me
on the lanctus glargine!!!!
Thankfully my DSN was willing to let me try the PORCINE insulin.
My real comment is sometimes we 'do' know what may be better suited for our own bodies?
I certainly 'did' and it has paid off ... :thumbup:
Feeling much improvement since losing the fog head, and draining tiredness that I had on
the levemir insulin.
Anna.
 
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