Is my diagnosis correct?

[mole147]

I had a hernia repair operation on 26th March 2013 which became infected with Staf Aureus, I was readmitted and put on IV antibiotics eventually the wound dehisced I was sent home and the wound was kept open and draining (which meant daily visits to hospital for dressing), I was also on a vac pump and had two courses of oral antibiotics. It was decided by my consultant that the mesh repair was infected and needed to be removed. I went for my pre admission check and my blood sugar was found to be high at 14, I then had fasting test and it was still 14. The blood sugar needed to be reduced so I was put on an insulin clamp for 24 hours and the operation was performed the following day. I was then told I was suffering from type 2 diabetes. I was very well looked after and had lots of advice and was sent home with Gliclazide 80mg to be taken once a day but I have some doubts. I have also been suffering from very high stress levels in the last few months due to selling my house to developers and agonising whether to move my family to another area or not, I mean really stomach turning stress with sleepless nights.

I have read that infections raise blood sugar levels significantly and stress has the same effect. I was told by the diabetic doctor that the hba1c test was conclusive and that the infection and stress were not the cause because the test examined what your blood sugar levels were over the last 90 days.

My concern is that at my pre admission check in March my blood glucose was normal and within 13 weeks it was high, during that time I have had this awful infection that was producing pus every day with the added stress as well. The hba1c test time frame is exactly the same as the infection. I have been given this medication and told to see my G.P. and I have not been given a blood monitor. My appointment with the GP is in 8 days time. I am a 61 year old man and there is absolutely no history of diabetes in my family also I have not had any symptoms whatsoever. Could I have been misdiagnosed or am I "clutching at straws". I am really concerned that if the diagnosis is wrong that the medication could be very harmful to me. Does anyone have an opinion?

 

[janeecee]

Infection can raise blood glucose levels, but should resolve in a nondiabetic. Stress can play a role in the development of diabetes. Why not buy a meter from the chemist or online and monitor your own readings? In particular, measure your fasting/waking BG and before meals and after, which is 2 hours after your first bite. You may well find that your BG levels return to normal, or alternatively discover where your problem lies. Go along with your GP for now as you will have further blood tests to see if there is any long term improvement. If your condition resolves the GP will no longer be all that interested anyway.


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[peter_s]

I had some similarities with your case. I am male and 65 now. I had a hernia op about 3.5 years ago. All went well, no real problems that I was aware of. However, shortly after, I noticed that I was peeing a lot during the night. I assumed prostate - I had had a TURP operation about 15 years before - but it turned out to be "Type 2 Diabetes". I was only fairly marginally so, and as I was barely overweight and a non-drinker it came as a surprise; I have very little family history of diabetes. I was put on Metformin, although at the first meeting with the Diabetic nurse, she said that she would not have done so; the diagnosis and prescription were by a newly qualified doctor in a training year. Still, I persevered. Last December, my routine blood test for the diabetes showed a high iron level (Ferritin, should be 20 - 320, I was over 470). Repeat tests confirmed this and after various consultations and a DNA check I was found to have a condition called Haemochromatosis. This is a genetic defect, which is inherited from both parents, which causes my body to extract too much iron from food, and build it up in my body. One of many side effects of this is a form of Diabetes which the World Health Organisation recognise as a variant of "Type III". This is commoner than you might think, possibly as much as 1 in 200 people. I have not got sufficient evidence to prove it, but the Hernia op could have been the trigger for the diabetes. Since you will be tested for blood iron, if your Ferritin is over the normal range, ask for a full blood test; there are other confirmatory tests and the newish "Gold Standard" is the DNA test. Unfortunately, high Ferritin is also a symptom of heavy drinking, so the test result is often ignored, or put down to that cause, especially so for "Type 2 Diabetics". The answers are there, you just need to find the right questions, and the right person to ask. The treatment for Haemochromatosis is blood letting; pretty much like giving blood, but sometimes weekly, until the blood iron level is down to a low value. Not fun, but not impossible.