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Advice Please Been A Tough Journey

2130keith

2130keith

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi all I'm new to the group, I've not been told I'm diabetic yet but being tested in the next couple of days. I was searching for some symptoms I've got and if lead me to this website with someone describing the except symptoms I'm showing.

For the past year my legs and feet have been numb regular trips to doctors, my walking is terrible I don't seem to be able to walk in a straight line zig zag, I can walk for 100m my legs will kill I'll need to sit down rest for 5 and then another go, stairs are difficult don't seem to have the strength when trying to walk seems like I've walked miles with the hurting but I've only done 20m some on this app described exactly how I felt but I found it by chance would love to talk direct with the person and ask more questions all I know was they were diabetic.
I always seem tired and don't sleep brilliantly, if I eat chocolate about hour later don't feel great then this subsides after 30-1 hr dizziness comes and goes I normally get up 1-2 times per night needing a wee, my main worry is my poor numb feet and legs this has been going on to long without any solution from doctors, I also have twitching from legs when trying to relax or during the night when sleeping.

Age 34 male

Grateful to who ever reads and has and advice
 
If your avatar pic is what you look like now then you are fairly young and not overweight? I would get the doc to run a GAD antibody test as well as a c-peptide if he is not already. If they are testing for diabetes then they should be testing for both kinds. I would strongly suggest you get a meter and learn how to use it today if possible then come back and tell us what your blood sugar is running. Test before eating, 1 hour after eating, and between 90 minutes-2 hours after eating or when the dizziness starts. I will tag @daisy1 for an information packet that you should read thoroughly and follow the links as well. You are right to be concerned with those symptoms and I am glad you are getting them checked out. Welcome to the forum and please keep asking questions, this is the best place possible for you to have found yourself.
 
Hello mate and welcome to the forums.

What you're decribing could be related to diabetes but could equally be related to a host of other illnesses. Whilst I appreciate you want to know what's going on, it would be wrong for anyone here to try and diagnose you over the internet.

Get the results of your blood tests before worrying too much about diabetes.

Good luck.
 
You need the test results to get a proper answer. Tiredness, getting up to urinate in the night (accompanied with thirst), and not having the strength to tackle a lot of stairs could be indications of diabetes, but I'm not a medical professional and it could also be something that I know nothing about. (I know a bit about diabetes, and not a lot about most other conditions).

Best of luck with getting to the bottom of this.
 
Yes I do feel the need to add that I completely agree with the two above posts and in no way was I telling you that you have diabetes. Checking your blood sugar will simply give you some clues but the doctor is the only one that can diagnose anything be it diabetes or something else. I hope my first post was not misleading in any way.
 
Many thanks for you all taking the time to read and reply, yes that avatar photo is me and was taken in April this year o have lost weight, I do drink a fair amount and as I said I have doctors Wednesday but I'm doubtful of getting anywhere as these symptoms have been going on for a long time and I'm now considering a checkup with bupa as I am struggling at work with me legs the way they are will keep you all posted thanks, I also understand you are all giving advise from you personal opinions and it's not medical.
 
Have you had your Vitamin D levels tested?
A lot of your symptoms are exactly how I have felt years, and put it down to being Diabetic. Then after a blood test, we found out that I was extremely deficient in Vitamin D. The supplements have been a godsend, and I now feel 36 instead of 96.
 
I am truly grateful to each and every one for taking the ten to read and comment I thought about vitamin D before and will try a supplement until docs appointment and may well be getting a neurological referral
 
You might like to consider asking your GP if a vascular assessment (of legs) might be of benefit.

If this has been going on for whole year, then perhaps it's time to become more forceful, choose some adjectives that really describe the impact this is having on you, that it's affecting your daily living at home and work, you have little more tolerance to cope with this, etc. etc. etc.
Sometimes you have to "knock a little harder" on the GP's metaphorical door to get the best of them.
I am just, yet, another friend, giver of encouragement. God speed mon ami.
 
Hi and welcome!

Good advice above - the only thing I can think to add is to suggest asking for a Vit B12 test. Some of your leg symptoms match B12 deficiency symptoms too - and we have had posters in the past whose docs have diagnosed diabetic neuropathy when it turned out to be B12 deficiency, so always worth asking for it to be checked! :)
 
@2130keith

Hello Keith and welcome to the forum :) As suggested above, even though you may not have diabetes, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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