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Am I over/under reacting?

M

Mum23boys

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi,
I am a recently diagnosed Type 2 (Monday).
I attended an eye test due to noticing a decline in my vision (assuming due to not getting any younger). Optician concerned about diabetes and recommended I contact my GP to request testing urgently, and to stop driving as my sight did not meet legal requirement. Explained glasses would help, but if due to diabetes, chances are prescription would change once on treatment, so opted to await outcome of testing and go on sick leave from work (26 miles away, no suitable public transport option) for a month (optician recommended re test at that point, believing that in that time, I will have been diagnosed & started treatment & make glasses a more viable option).
It took 3 weeks for formal diagnosis, and only started medication Tuesday (eye test yesterday (Thursday)). I have ordered glasses so I can at least drive, and regain a little independence.

I have spoken to my senior at work who has said ‘this is a lot to deal with, take as much time as you need off, get sugars stabilised and then think about coming back.’

I already feel guilty about having been off as I feel that people live normal lives with Type 2, and I should not use as an excuse to be off work. However, I am worried about what the next few weeks will look like whilst I adjust to medication & my sugars (hopefully) reduce.
I don’t want to feel ill as I have obviously been living with high levels for sometime (HbA1c 100) and have to take another episode of sickness.

I hope this makes sense, and someone can offer advice from experience, and apologies for long post. Just want to know if I am overreacting, and that I won’t be affected by sugars reducing, and should just go back to work, and under reacting by ‘brushing off, taking it in my stride’ and should be taking more seriously. Just to add, I have & continue to make lots of changes in diet & exercise, so I am aware that this is important, but everyone around me is acting like I have weeks to live!

Thanks in advance.
 
do you have any reasons to be off work ?
diabetes should not prevent you working with no other causes
re the sight it depends what treatment you have regarding driving and meds see what your DN/Dr says when you get results and what treatment you get. I started at a Hba1c of 129 last feb last time i was checked 45
 
Hi and welcome to the forum,

It would help our members comment if you could tell us what medication (type and dose) you have been given.

In general being diagnosed with diabetes shouldn’t stop you working. What side effects if any you get from medication will depend what you have been prescribed.
 
I assume your optician thinks you wouldn't be able to pass the sight test for driving. This is a link to the relevant rules:

Driving eyesight rules

The eyesight rules to pass your driving test and for whenever you're driving.
www.gov.uk

The issue with vision is that as the level of glucose in your body changes, the refractive index of the liquids in your eyes (the aqueous and vitreous humours) also changes. This usually isn't noticeable as glucose is rising (slowly) but can become an issue for some people as BGs fall, which they can do fairly quickly. My prescription did alter a bit, and then stabilised. It never stopped me driving - just that for a while some things were not quite as sharp as before.

It would help people to advise you if you could list the meds you've been prescribed. There are some common side-effects.

You might find that a cheap pair of glasses from a supermarket would sort the issue in the short term - there's no point in spending on a proper pair of glasses right now if your prescription might alter in the next few months. You may also find that many people do not quite understand the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and assume some things that won't actually happen.
 

Not once I get glasses to enable me to drive. I am not talking long term being off, I just wondered whether anyone had experience after first starting medication of being unwell as their sugars lowered until they adjusted to ‘new normal’. I think work are just trying to ensure I am ready to return, and not need to go off again.
 

Apologies, I got carried away and forgot that bit!
I am currently taking 10 mg Dapagliflozin once a day and on an increasing dose of Metformin over next 4 weeks.
 

I will be legal once I get the prescribed glasses. We were trying to avoid temporary glasses, hence why I didn’t get them initially.
However as has been suggested, it should not stop me working (diabetes), so I have had to go with prescription glasses to enable me to drive to get to work.
I guess I will just have to suck up the cost of changing prescription if it means i can drive/work.
 
Mum23boys said:
Apologies, I got carried away and forgot that bit!
I am currently taking 10 mg Dapagliflozin once a day and on an increasing dose of Metformin over next 4 weeks.
Click to expand...
No problem!

The most common effect of dapaglifloxin is needing to wee more as your kidneys work to push the sugar out. Some people don’t have any problems with Metformin, in others larger doses can cause diarrhoea.

Neither of these drugs are likely to cause your blood sugar to fall too low, so other than probably needing the toilet more often, and maybe some eyesight changes as sugars improve you are unlikely to be unable to work. Of course the type of job you do will have an effect.

I was diagnosed at 50, commuting to london daily working in an office and didn’t have any time off work due to diabetes until I retired.
 
I had a very high BG when diagnosed, I didn’t feel unwell exactly, in fact I felt better within a couple of weeks, but I did experience what they call “false hypos” which mimic all the feelings of a real hypo, shaking, disorientation, brain fog, blurred vision etc. these are not true hypos though, your body is so used to having high BG that it tries to get you back there where it was comfortable. and they are best trying to get through them as if you treat them your BG will remain high

As long as you are 5 or above when you drive and you can see properly either with or without glasses then I wouldn’t have thought you’d need more than a few days off. Just to get used to things and getting your head round things. There is the mental health aspect of a shock diagnosis that is sometimes forgotten.

Your boss sounds like an understanding person, not many would have that attitude, but at the same time personally I wouldn’t take advantage of the fact they’ve said take all the time you need. Maybe a couple of days to get your head round things then back on the horse
 
The DVLA have recommendations on their website regarding driving and diabetes.
My diagnosis was quite dramatic, I became ‘vacant’ as I put it, lights on no one there! Taken to A&E emergency and spent a week in hospital!
I control my T2D with Empagliflozin and now Sitagliptin. Couldn’t tolerate Metformin.
 

This would be my thinking

GP’s start medications on low doses and raise the dose or add more over time

Most diabetes medications will not cause hypo’s

So bearing in mind it may take many months or longer to get better control, I would say to the boss that I want to return to work, but may need a little time if start having really bad effects from the medication

In 15 years since diagnosis I’ve not had a single unplanned day off work due to diabetes

You may actually find getting out and working to be better for control than sitting at home doing nothing
 
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