probably singing same old tune

[mk_steve]

Hi,

Name, steve; I am new to the board. Diagnosed type 2 18th dec 2008. Being prescribed Metformin 500mg twice a day. I have seen the amusing name you people have for this drug, but I have to say I have not really noticed this effect; maybe I have always been a boring old fart with or without the drug

I am probably going to say all the usual things newbies worry about and all you veterans have seen over and over. Sorry about that.

I am having trouble maintaining a stable blood sugar reading even though I feel I am eating as directed by the nurse in my diabetic clinic. I am also taking advice from this forum and trying to keep my carbs low. However, and there is always a however, I get very light headed. Before I was diagnosed diabetic, if I skipped meals (as you do) and felt light headed, dizzy or "shaky", I would think my blood sugar was low and grab a snack like a mars bar and the problem would disappear. Well I feel like that now, often in the morning, but now I can't reach for the mars bar!

Trouble is my blood sugar level hovers between, 8.2 and 9.3 a couple of times in the past week as high as 12.5!

I don't feel I am eating much; perpetually hungry keeping to the regime suggested by the nurse at my clinic and attempting to keep the carbs low as suggested here. To be honest, I sometimes think I felt a whole lot better when I was eating all the "wrong" things than I do now when I am trying to be a good boy!

I get to see a different doc in a couple of days and will ask her what's going on.

My biggest issue right now is my foot! That's why I went to the doc in the first place at the beginning of Dec. Red rash over the toes; mottled skin underneath like crazy paving and toe nails that I can only describe as "mouldy". You'd think athletes foot wouldn't you? Doc orders a blood test and couple of weeks later says - diabetic. Metformin, come back 5th Jan. What about the foot? I asks, will it get better? Probably not he says. In the meantime see diabetic nurse. Did that. She says foot won't be cured but won't get worse. It got worse. Back on 5th Jan I tell the doc, foot worse, my guess athletes foot and tell him that's what I have been treating it for. My issue is the "internal" bleeding at the base of the little toe. (can see a scab just under the skin). He goes, yeah probably athletes foot and claims I must have scratched my foot to cause the bleeding. Hmmm, did not. I continue treating it for athletes foot. Seems to get some improvement as far as the "mouldy" toe nails go. But the "bleeding" not getting better. Stings like hell - like someone stabs it; worse between 1am and 4am, but better in the day. Feels swollen at the base of the little toe and difficult to walk on. See the podiatrist methinks. Get an expert not some tired old GP. I Try to get an appointment - must be referred - will send you a form said the nice lady on the other end. I guess there is a need for the bureacracy but my foot doesn't understand this and quite unsympathetically continues to be a pain. OK, form turned up, filled and hand delivered back, earliest appointment 4th Feb. Do you think the foot cares that I can't get an earlier date? You'd think it would understand the pressures on the NHS and let up a while. Nope. Stab - owch! If I catch this phantom who is stabbing my foot I will wring their neck!

I am hoping the doc this friday will get more excited by my foot than my first doctor. If she just accepts I am not scratching it and we fix the bleeding and swelling I will feel a whole lot better. Otherwise will have to wait for the podiatrist verdict on 4th feb.

In the meantime I worry about the unstable blood sugar! I swear I was a lot "fitter" when I was ignorant of the diabetes than I am now being treated for it!

If anyone has similar foot problems do let me know. If anyone wants pics of the foot to see it then let me know also. I can easily oblige.

steve

 

[Jem]

Hiya Steve and welcome to the forum, if you browse around the threads you are sure to pick up lots of useful information, try peeking into the low carb forum, and therein a thread on recipes that might help you stave away the hunger-beast. the hunger might be your body missing the carbs or symptomatic of your diabetic control ... I'm no expert, being a relative newbie myself ... but please do take a look around.

As to your foot, it sounds really painful and although you can self-refer to the podiatrist (thus avoiding referral delays) you're already in the system so that probably won't help, however, if it concerns you greatly (and I get the feeling it is something that worries you) then it's worth getting either an emergency appointment at your surgery and REALLY complaining OR going into your A&E department and telling them how bad it feels.

Sorry I really can't help but just wanted to welcome you and say hi!

j.x

 

[ChocFish]

Hello Steve and welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your foot problem and I for one am almost certain that this problem will go away again, although being diabetic you will always have to be very careful where your feet are concerned, keeping your blood sugars stable and in the non-diabetic range will really help you with that. Having said that if your foot is troubling you so much, you should either aks for the Podiatry appointment to be brought forward or go to A&E, tell them you are diabetic and that you want this to be dealt with NOW.

Can you please tell us what dietary advice your nurse has given you? I think that you will find that you will need to reduce carbohydrates in order to achieve good control of your blood sugars.
Do you have a tester and have you been prescribed testing strips? If not then please insist that you are prescribed some strips, you can buy a tester for around £10-15 from most chemists; testing will help you learn about how the different foods affect your sugar and so you will know which food to cut right donw on or avoid altogether.

Educate yourself about diabetes, get hold of the Diabetes Solution by Dr Bernstein or Diabetes Control by Dr Charles Clarke and soon it will all make sense to you and hopefully you will begin to feel healthy and fit again and have a good chance of avoiding complications that develop from poor blood sugar control.

Please ask away all you want and need to, even if you think that you are asking questions that have been asked before, it doesnt matter, there is always someone here with similar experiences to yours and with the knowledge to give you just the right answer to help you along.

All the best

Karen

Booo, we dont like you, why dont you have Metformins most famous side effects? You lucky horror you!!!

 

[Dennis]

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum.
Only thing I can add to what the others have said is that you could get yourself to your local general hospital and ask if you can be seen by a podiatrist. Every hospital has a podietary dept and what you describe sounds serious (and painfull) enough to warrant more urgent treatment than you are being offered.

Dont' be too disappointed at the lack of metformin trumpeting - at least you are not contributing to global warming!!

 

[IanD]

When I went to St Thomas' Hospital for skin tests, they had a lot of horror posters up warning the need for proper treatment for feet like yours.

As a diabetic, you are particularly vulnerable to foot problems. When I was first diagnosed, the general info given was, "If you have foot problems, go to casualty. Neglect it, & amputation is possible." (Diabetics are 20 times more likely to have amputation.)

I don't think it is a podiatrist problem - the one I went to referred me to hospital. (It wasn't for your problem.)

Please don't wait - get immediate hospital treatment. Hope your problem is solved soon.

 

[HLW]

When you try to make an appointment tell them you are diabetic, it might speed them up, when I was trying to make a dentist's appointment I told them I was diabetic and they told me to see the emergency dentist, so it might be the same for feet!

 

[IanD]

diabetic foot problems

I googled diabetic foot problems & the second item was on this website.

 

[chocoholic]

Hi Steve and welcome.
Aren't docs. lovely, 'eh? They are so optimistic. When I had pain in my feet last year I was thrown surgical stockings to wear and told it would only get worse. I asked for referral to a foot specialist and they said they only referred folk when they get ulcers or their toes turn blue. A bit bloody late in my opinion but hey, the good news is I did not adopt the Norah Batty look. I took dietary advice from folks on here and I can actually sleep at night now because I'm not twisting and turning with painful feet.
Hope this gives you something positive to hang onto.
All the best, chocoholic.

 

[hanadr]

Hi Steve
As a diagnosed diabetic, you can refer yourself to your local podiatry department. Just ring them up and they will tell you how to do it. Generally it just means filling in a form.

 

[witan]

Hi Steve,

I agree with all the foot advice, don't leave it, either push the podiatrist or go to A & E.

On your other points, I think the metformin might have to build up before the dreaded effects occur so don't expect to be in the clear (air) yet

On the light headed issues, I was much like you pre-diagnosis, light headed, swirly vision, all easily corrected with a mars bar from the vending machine - if only I had known my blood glucose levels then :cry:

As you'll see on a number of posts on the forum pseudo-Hypos can occur at any level, if you are used to being hyper a significant drop will make you feel Hypo even if you are still above normal levels. Hunger is a key indicator of an impending Hypo so may be linked to your now falling BG levels. I reckon you've got about a month of this before you start to get used to living at lower levels (depends a bit on how long your BG has been high and how high it has been).

Going lower carb and increasing proteins and fats may help a bit with the hunger - it will get better but make sure you fight your corner with the NHS and use as much information/help from this forum as possible

 

[Trinkwasser]

You're lucky with the metformin, some patients are immune to the side effects.

Have a read round here

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

also check out the stickies and the Success Stories for dietary ideas

This may also be of use

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/dpn.htm

I suspect you may have a chronic fungal infection, very common and worsened by poor BG control and poor circulation which may also be a factor of peripheral neuropathy.

You REALLY need to get it looked at ASAP by someone competent, unlike your doctor. I see a podiatrist privately. Usual treatment is Lamisil Once. Belive it or not Vick Vapour Rub can also have antifungal effects but as my podiatrist put it, "what would you rather smell of, Lamisil or Vick?" <G>

Did I mention you really need to have it looked at by a professional? Come to that perhaps you should ask around your friends, pharmacists and any other diabetics you know, see if they can recommend a more proactive doctor.

 

[mk_steve]

Thanks for the replies. When I read some of you talking "amputation" I thought ,"what are they on?" A tad dramatic that eh? But hey, recent events have convinced me you are all absolutley right to be so concerned with foot complications. I had no idea! Here's what happened ....

Yesterday (Friday) I saw a different doctor. What a difference! The first doctor I have been seeing since December was totally uninterested in my foot, but yesterday, the second doctor got really excited. So much so she called in the nurse to have a look who then called another doctor to have a look. Upshot is - antibiotics to combat any deep infection, return Monday and get fast trak'd to the diabetic foot clinic at the hospital.

I am a tad anxious by it I have to say. What I thought was dried blood under the skin, one of the doctors looking at my foot yesterday mentioned to the other, "necrosis has set in". (they must think I don't know what that means). It's only a tiny area so I am not yet predicting amputation but when he said that I immediately thought of the people here who advised me to get immediate help and warned of "amputation"! You were right to be alarmed as it happens. I had no idea. Having seen my first doctor 3 times over the foot and his apparent lack of interest I figured it couldn't be serious. How wrong was I? And he apparently! How could he be so wrong?

I am constantly surprised by how toxic sugar is when the body decides it isn't going to deal with it anymore!

I will update you when I know more. Hopefully this will get sorted in the next week, one way or the other! At best they remove a tiny area and worst case I reckon would be loss of little toe since that is where this "necrosis" patch is situated. But woa!!! I have gone from an "apparently" healthy male, never been to the doctor before, not so much as a cold in years, to diabetic with foot complication in the space of 2 months!

My next big issue now is - I am a driving instructor. Foot complications can lead to a loss of licence and consequently loss of my livelihood. Certainly if the quack is correct and it is necrosis (not dried blood as I naively thought!) then it will have to be removed. That's going to put me out of action for a while.

Sometimes I feel I am no longer in control of my own destiny here. Not a situation I am used to at all. My family is very supportive, but again, support is not something I have ever needed either; quite the contrary, I am usually the one providing the support; playing the archetypal alpha male role all my life. It is very hard to come to terms with in such a short period of time!

watch this space .....

 

[Trinkwasser]

Yesterday (Friday) I saw a different doctor. What a difference! The first doctor I have been seeing since December was totally uninterested in my foot, but yesterday, the second doctor got really excited. So much so she called in the nurse to have a look who then called another doctor to have a look. Upshot is - antibiotics to combat any deep infection, return Monday and get fast trak'd to the diabetic foot clinic at the hospital.

Good news! (Although it may not sound like it)

Mother is not diabetic but gets raised blood sugar from (chronic) steroid use. Also this has thinned her skin, plus she has poor circulation just from her age.

A small knock on her lower leg ulcerated rapidly, fortunately we have an excellent "leg clinic" locally and while taking her there I heard not a few horror stories. It's important to have proactive doctors and even more so when you're diabetic.