Hyperglycaemia

rogervansteeden

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
After stopping my medication since last August my blood sugars have rocketed to an average of 26mmol i am type 2 diabetic how long will it be before i start to get retinopathy and heart and kidney problems as the side affects from the medication were too severe to continue taking i am 53 and was taking other medication for Heart palpitations underactive thyroid gland,cholesterol but since ceasing all meds i dont get drug side affects but my eyesite is blurred
 

Ebenezer

Member
Messages
19
You are living dangerously. Does the dr know you've stopped taking your medicine? There is a range of medications available. I would hope for instance that insulin would not cause side effects as it simply replaces the natural substance in the body.

Blindness is a serious risk. Diabetes is THE major cause of blindness in the under 60s.
 

Dennis

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2,506
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
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People who join web forums to be agressive and cause trouble
Roger,

With levels that high I would say your chances of seeing next Christmas are pretty slim.

You blurred eyesight is telling you that retinopathy is already setting in. It won't be very long before that is followed by loss of feeling in your feet, then legs, then hands.

You have two choices
1) do something about it now and save your eyesight and your life
2) carry on as present, but don't start to read any long books.
 

rogervansteeden

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
i was on pioglitazone 30 mg but when i was taking it i had to stay close to the toilet,i wanted to try and bring down my hyperglycaemia by exercise and my Dr must be aware by now as ive not requested my drugs for six months
 
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rogervansteeden

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
Sorry if i come across as s bit pathetic but what is the highest glucose reading your blood glucose can go to as my booklet says 33mmol is dangerous and i should seek medical advise,but i know you are all right in what u say and i thank you
 

Dennis

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,506
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
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People who join web forums to be agressive and cause trouble
Hi Roger,

Your monitor will quote 33mmol as that is the highest that they are usually calibrated to measure. At under 30mmol a problem called ketoacidosis will have already started. This is where your blood sugars are so high that insulin cannot deal with them so your body metabolises stored fats to produce the energy that tissues need to remain alive. Ketoacids are a by-product of fat metabolism. Untreated ketoacidosis results in loss of consciousness, coma and finally death.

As Sarah said, your BS levels are not just high, they are <b>DANGEROUSLY HIGH</b> and by not taking medication you are literally killing yourself. You appear to be very concerned about the side effects, more so than you seem to be concerned about dying. There are many different treatments available to Type 2s some of which have common and severe side effects (like the glitazone family of drugs) and some of which have little or no side effects other than in rare cases.

PLEASE make an urgent appointment to see your GP and talk to him/her about your fears. He will be able to prescribe something that will help to control your blood sugars. It may be a case of experimenting with a variety of meds to find the one that works best for you.

Just remember that you have a great deal more to fear from untreated diabetes than you do from the medication.
 

Ebenezer

Member
Messages
19
My friend Sarah has been diabetic-2 for many years. She went totally blind with glaucomaabout 10 years ago, so cannot manage insulin or a BS meter.

A year ago her HbA1c was about 9, so they started her on insulin - 6 units Glargine administered by the district nurse each morning. They measure her BS at that time, normally at 15-20. Over the year the Glargine has been increased to 14 units.

Seems odd to me that as Glargine starts to act an hour after injection, & lasts for about 20 hours, they are not in fact measuring the effect of insulin as it is spent, & hasn't started acting.

I see her on Sunday afternoons, & measure the BS several hours after lunch at around 20 when proper control would give a reading of 10. The nurses have objected to me writing results in their book & contacting the diabetic specialists at the hospital. Most recent readings: before a church meal - 24. Two hours after the meal it was 32. She says she feels OK.

Any advice on helping her & dealing with such professionals?
 

zip929

Member
Messages
8
You need to get to the doctor or the emergency department at your local hospital.
I would say that you already have a high level of keyones in your urine.
As Dennis says, the next stage is coma and death if untreated.

I was diagnosed early November and had ketone levels between 4 and 5.
BS was in the mid to high 20's.
A day on insulin and the ketones had all but vanished.:D

I felt unbelievably better within a few days as my BS started to drop. Slept all night without 3 trips to the bathroom, and stopped drinking 20 litres of water a day.
Now BS is between 6 and 10 on most days.
I still have slight blurred vision (only when reading), but this is gradually getting better.:)

Do yourself a big, big favour Roger. Get down to the hospital NOW, not tomorrow, NOW.
 

sugar

Well-Known Member
Messages
135
Roger,

As you can see from everyones posts above, your levels are considered high. Theer is no magic number that says, above this number, this happens...but they recommend that your HbA1C is 7 or below.

I can understand that you have taken this course of action because of the problems you were having, and not because you didn't think about it, but you really should go and get help, as others have said, there may be more palitable treatment...and running with a blood sugar of 26 makes you feel pretty dreadful anyway.
I am paying teh price for bad control earlier in life, and would give anything to go back and change things. Hopefully you still have time to stop the retinopathy/kidney problems before they really kick in.

I am not going to write comments about funerals etc, as you clearly know the risks, and I don't want to insult you, but please go and seek professional help before it really is too late...even if the problems have started already, you can still do a great deal to help your self and improve teh quality of your life. Don't rely on you GP to actually notice you have stopped taking your meds...this can take a while.