Advice on water regulation please

johnnyxs said:

well most of the results of the blood samples I gave this morning were back by 7pm this evening. The Doctor rang me and said my 12 hour fasting plasma glucose level this morning was 26.8 mmol/L

He advised me that I have Diabetes but didn't say which.

He is calling on me at home tomorrow afternoon when I should receive the rest of my results .

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With a fasting level that high I think you should go to a&e. It's actually dangerous you know.

Totto said:

With a fasting level that high I think you should go to a&e. It's actually dangerous you know.

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Not that simple Totto unfortunately, the OP has mentioned that he is a full time Carer for his elderly unwell father - he can't just go to A&E. The general consensus of opinion is that urgent attention is needed so it's a very difficult situation. Johnny - I really would get the caring side of things sorted ASAP if you can. If you get taken ill suddenly, somebody will need to care for dad. With such high levels it really needs to be dealt with properly.

Wishing you well.

ladybird64 said:

Not that simple Totto unfortunately, the OP has mentioned that he is a full time Carer for his elderly unwell father - he can't just go to A&E. The general consensus of opinion is that urgent attention is needed so it's a very difficult situation. Johnny - I really would get the caring side of things sorted ASAP if you can. If you get taken ill suddenly, somebody will need to care for dad. With such high levels it really needs to be dealt with properly.

Wishing you well.

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Yes I can read.

Obviously we agree on the need of urgency. Nobody will benefit if he stays at home with his dad and develops DKA.

I know when my Dad was alive social services sorted out respite care so Mum could have a break we were also offered the services of the Macmillan nurses to stay with dad whilst we as a family had a day's break from him. Dad had dementia with lewi bodies not good.
GP's sorted out an assessment to be made so a care package could be put together for dad which included carers coming in 3 times a day and as time went on it was 6 carers 3 times a day.
So please Johnny for your own health insist that help is given, you collapse and your dad has no one

I think you need to be started on insulin in order to normalise you very high BG. HbA1c of 138cis very high indeed. Glicazide just won't do the trick with so high BG.

Understand that your a1c is tremendously higher than pre-diabetes and it suggests you have SEVERE insulin resistance, some other form of type 2, or your pancreas no longer produces sufficient amounts of insulin (generally type 1).

The glicazide should help either way, but it's an incomplete and short term way of addressing the issue and I would be extremely surprised if it helped you even come close to normal glucose levels.

You need to continue to push for a definitive diagnosis and the next steps are to request the C-Peptide (or an insulin test if you're not yet on artificial insulin) and GAD Antibody tests. Those will help you understand if you have type 1 or 2.

This is not something that can wait and it can have permanent (if not life-threatening) implications if left untreated for too long.

I don't want to scare you, but having gone through something very similar 4 months ago, I now understand the importance and time-sensitivity.

johnnyxs said:

its difficult to argue with your Doctor Totto ,especially mine who has a closed mind and is rather bombastic. He hasn't spotted any of the clear warning signs of Pre Diabetes for several years .He did agree that Insulin might be required either short or long term but initially until he gets a current BS level from my meter he thought the Glicazide should help immediately

Its only now after researching Diabetes symptoms I an see all the symptoms I have been suffering with for the past 10+ years were all indicators for anyone who knows what to look for.

I feel he has been incompetant and possibly negligent but I'd be wasting my time trying to take on the Medical establisment with a complaint. It would be a back covering whitewash.

My code free meter and strips arrived this morning so now I can monitor my BS levels minute by minute instead of waiting weeks whilst my surgery faff about getting a simple blood test done.
Sorry for the venting but I am still in a state of shock .I'm angry with my Dr letting it get to this stage and I'm worried for the future .
I'll just have to continue to take responsibility for my own health and use the NHS to provide what I need

Thank you for your kind concern its much appreciated. Its alo comforting to know that there are other sufferers out there too that have experienced this and have lots of help advice and support to give to those that have just been diagnosed .
Johnny

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Johnny, given the need for urgency in your case, would it be possible for you to ask to speak to the practice manager to make a complaint? I understand your situation only too well, but the bottom line is that unless you push for correct diagnosis and treatment, it's going to take forever. Personally, I would suggest making a complaint through PALS (the Patient Liason Service), this can be done over the phone and they could look into your case immediately. Outside pressure on your GP might make him get his ar*e into gear.

You need to have your kidney function looked into too.

Go low carb high fat as in LCHF http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Don't overdo the protein. Fat is good for you, it doesn't raise BG but fills you up.

Your sodium is low, as expected, so some extra salt might help. Half a teaspoon twice a day or so.

You need to get your BG down but not too rapidly as when you've had very high levels for a long time your body will have gotten used to it. Getting your BG down fast can cause further harm.

Glicazide might work if you are type 2 and still producing insulin. If not, you need insulin. I really think you should find a doctor who knows something and that a&e is a good idea.

What is you BG today?

Why don't you call 111?

Porridge is very carby and won't help your BG.

How are you today @johnnyxs ?

johnnyxs said:

I'd be very interested to know what your symptoms were in the 3-4 weeks leading up to your diagnosis. I have several minor unexplained symptoms that are difficult to determine the source as I am also Hypothyroid .

How long before your diagnosis was it when you began drinking excessively ?

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Excessive fluid consumption- as much as 3 gallons/day (if not more)

Frequent urination- probably 20 times a day and every 2 hours during the night

Unexplained weight loss- about 40 lbs over the course of several months even though I was eating as much as 5000 calories in the weeks leading up to my diagnosis

Significant muscle loss- I’m a former power lifter and it eventually become obvious I wasn’t losing just fat. Fortunately, I’ve been able to gain it all back and then some within the past 4 months.

Rapid onset of fatigue- Again, I was eating a ton of calories before I knew what was going on. I’d eat a big meal (~1500 calories and full of carbs) and suddenly get extremely tired to a point that I’d fall asleep in the afternoon just after work and wake up 10 hours later the next morning.

Rash on my back- still unsure if my diabetes caused the rash, or if I had the rash first and my diabetes made it last longer. Either way, it progressed over the course of several months to a point that it eventually covered my entire back and made it difficult to sleep. Within a week of starting insulin, the rash disappeared.

Irritability- It was particularly bad when my glucose levels were high.

Sex drive- just wasn’t interesting to me when my levels were extremely high. Back to normal (and then some) since getting things under control.


The only two things I didn’t seem to have that are very common were blurry vision and chronic fatigue. During the day, I felt fine and rarely felt tired and I never noticed my vision changing (I don’t wear glasses either). My tiredness only set in at the end of the day (I’d assume my blood sugar was easily in the 35-40 mmol/l range).

@johnnyxs why on earth do you eat something as carby as porridge? Don't you know that all the starch will be converted to blood glucose? And if you use milk it's the same, lots of carbs in milk!

Totto said:

@johnnyxs why on earth do you eat something as carby as porridge? Don't you know that all the starch will be converted to blood glucose? And if you use milk it's the same, lots of carbs in milk!

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Give him a bit of a break. He was only just diagnosed two days ago. No one figures things out in two days.

However, I would agree with the underlying point of your message. Until he gets his blood sugar under control, it would be wise to (severely) limit his carb (and not just sugar) intake.