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Appointment with diabetic nurse / pain management clinic / hip & knee consultant


Just following on from my earlier questions about B12 and vitamin D deficiencies….

My partner has an appointment this afternoon with his GP where I was going to ask about blood tests for B12 and D…..he has recently had a blood test for the following:

Full Blood Count
Bone profile
Reactive Protein
Liver Function Tests

….the reason given by the GP for these blood tests being requested was “worsening hip and groin pain, compare xray to last years”….(should also have results of xray today)....

…just wondered if the B12 and D will show up in any of these or whether it is something that has to be requested separately and specifically…

…also any suggestions as to what the above blood tests will show and what the GP is looking for in requesting these….

Thanks
 
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B12 and vit d levels are good to get checked.

Vit D and B12 has personally paid havoc with my wellbeing.

B12 was anaemic and on injections. Injections were stopped almost 5 years ago. Now my levels are way off the scale being far too high. Was tired permanently, dreadful memory and just felt so bad with depression.

Vit D.. Well this has been a wonder pill for me (and 80 yr old mother!). Despite b12 levels being so high that they indicated investigations for leukaemia and liver problems I have never felt better with my life and my happiness and wellbeing.

90% of my supplements come from healthspan. I take omega 3, vit d super strength, garlic, vit c, vit k2.

I would ask GP to test for these levels. No point wasting money...
If OH isn't out in the sunshine a lot, then I think vit D is good for anybody. They are recommending supplements of vit D for under 5 year olds even nowadays.

I'm not sure about B12 as I have no reason why I was so low I had to have injections and infusions and now so high It reads almost 1600 and normal is max of 918 with our laboratories. I don't feel ill as I did when it was too low. Excess is meant to be passed out in urine.
I know I feel so very fit, happy n healthy which I definitely didn't when my levels were anaemic.

Didn't mean to iffend @Molly56 ref biscuits.. I know you go theextra 100 mile for your other half...i just compared you to me and the extreme I went to, to tey n help my partner to stop eating such stupid snacks and extras. It was only getting him to read the big fat surprise book and reading details to him from this website of success stories on weightloss that got him to stop eating extras.. And his willpower Of course....but I still would not buy anything as biscuits or cakes made from flour.. Everything we have as snacks is homemade with almond flour, coconut oil etc and eat so much of them if he wanted to ut really wouldn't matter....so apologies if I sounded as if I was too harsh. It wasn't intentional..x
 

@donnellysdogs No offence taken….am trying really hard to make sure that we buy and eat the right things…I know that I do have a few bits and pieces which I have bought for myself ….I may not be the diabetic one but I am trying to support him by also eating the right things ….but do afford myself a few pleasures which do not fall within the accepted range …

One of these was a small jar of Nutella which I had finished off the other day and washed the jar out for recycling….seeing this he thought he would be helpful when shopping and purchase a replacement jar….to my absolute horror he had replaced it with the largest jar possible at a massive 750g…
…just looking at the nutritional content 100g contains 57.6g carbohydrates of which 56.8g is sugar….clearly not a food to be recommended for or eaten by diabetics…

I promptly put it away in a cupboard (….not a food cupboard….) in the hope that it would go unnoticed / get forgotten…..this morning I decided to open the jar and have some Nutella on toast for my breakfast only to find that not only was it open but also three quarters empty….and clearly eaten with a spoon / no bread involved…

Am really at a loss to know what to do other than either eat the rest of the contents really quickly or just throw the whole jar in the bin…

I thought he was really starting to make the effort but clearly this just goes to prove that he is not…am beginning to dread the thought of mealtimes on our forthcoming holiday as can only foresee a fortnight of having to sit and watch him eating all of the foods he shouldn’t….

....apologies to anyone who thinks it is all a bit petty to get stressed over one jar of Nutella but it is just an example of what I am having to deal with....
 
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If he genuinely is trying, he may be much better on holiday. If he is addicted to carbs, and many, many people talk about this, then he just may not be able to resist anything you have at home. Have you asked him why he opened the jar, and maybe over how many sittings he ate what he did?

Of course, if he is truly addicted, then you're either into some sort of secure carbs arrangement or or only having your own "treats" away from home. Would that be an awful thing to do; to simply not have them in, at home?

(Obviously, he can buy and eat whatever he wants whilst out of the house, but that's probably not really solvable, I'm afraid.)
 

@AndBreathe to be honest I don't think he will be any different on holiday...in fact he is probably far more likely to give into temptation as the food on offer is all inclusive and so tempting..
..the other thing is that I don't really think he knows or understands what carbs are....he still works on the "well I haven't eaten anything sugary lately" principle...am constantly trying to explain that it is not the sugary things that are the problem and to introduce alternative foods such as nuts to his diet which I hope are better than some of the other alternatives he may choose to snack on...

With regards to the said jar of Nutella I did confront him about it this evening...the answer was that he knows he shouldn't be eating it but couldn't resist it...have told him and suggested that he doesn't buy it again...
....in the meantime I have hidden it right at the back of the saucepan cupboard so hopefully it will be out of sight, out of mind until I have managed to finish it...

I take your point about only having my own treats away from home but then on the other hand, why should I?.....I am sorry but I am just getting a bit resentful about the situation in terms of the fact that there are perhaps a few foods that I would really enjoy to have on the odd occasion and that I can't even do so in my own home......as I mentioned in a previous post I have given up a lot of foods in order to try to help the situation and all I get is to be made to feel guilty about a few biscuits, an odd dessert and a jar of Nutella!............apologies ....rant over ...but it does annoy me...

I guess the bottom line is that this whole situation has made me look at food in a whole new light....not a bad thing but I do find that in consequence I have developed a bad relationship with food and often find it difficult to enjoy it ....particularly in the situation as I describe on our forthcoming holiday where I am literally dreading mealtimes....surely this can't be right.......surely I shouldn't be made to feel guilty about the food that I eat.....as I said before and will say again, I am not the diabetic one....

Will now wait for the comments about me being selfish etc etc but do think that I have a valid point to make....am guessing my frustration is showing through once again.....
 
As I was out tonight with girlfriend my hubby had picked up a ready meal of m&s spag bol. We never eat pasta, bread or potatoes or anything premade anymore... Normally..

As soon as he had it, literally within 15 mins he said he was still hungry and he never felt this way with our fishcakes n veg or salmon n salad etc .

For the first time in 11 months he said he NEEDED more food.

I went out for my meal and left him to it....

However this one portion of a small carb laden meal had him wanting more carbs within 15 mins.. I was staggered. Carb addiction to me now after his reaction is very real.

We normally have less than 50g carb per day. This was 57g in one meal and his appetite wasnt satiated.

@Molly56, you must be devastated. I know I would have been. See if he can do more on his hol to burn off any excess food... Incidentally did he just eat straight from jar? Or on more bread??
Please don't get stressed over this hol. You need it. And you need to be able to enjoy it.
 
@donnellysdogs ....no bread was consumed....just eaten straight from the jar with a spoon...the spoon was in the sink!........
.....not sure which of those options is worst...bread or no bread...even more carbs or just lots of carbs...

As for the holiday I guess I will just have to shut my eyes, let him get on with it and keep repeating to myself "it is not my problem"......will be difficult though...
.........am thinking a few long walks along the beach on my own will be required....or better still eating at a separate table so that I can enjoy my food!.
..probably only joking on that last one but is a possible solution / something I have thought of ....
 
@Molly56 He really does need to take control of himself and unfortunately all you can do is encourage or stay out of the way and let him get on with it. Just make sure that he knows you aren't going to nurse him when he loses his leg, eyesight, etc to D. As for your snacks and food likes you need to eat them and not hide them away. He needs to get use to people eating the things he cannot around him.

As for no bread and just a spoon. Well that is a step in the right direction I am like that with peanut butter or any form of roasted peanuts actually.; they are my Achilles' heal. Although just yesterday I bought a bag of liquorice (140g and about 110g carbs) and once I started I finished the whole bag. I had been on a low carbish day to that point a few berries and a small apple about 90 mins previously so definitely the addiction that is carbs drove me. Wasn't my fault, I wasn't in control. It was the devil. I just couldn't pick them up and lock them away or throw them away I was a puppet and some other master was pulling my strings. It is just rubbish, I am an adult with a brain, I can see what I was doing, I could have stopped but really didn't want to. [luckily for me I have my BS under control and this did no harm - up to 7.5 only and back to 5 at 2.5 hours - but still absolutely stupid]!

Note that I had no issues around binging on things when I was on the very low calorie diet. So maybe suggest he try that for a while with some exercise and a cup of tea/coffee when he is feeling peckish.
 

@Molly56 I was going to suggest sitting at a different table!!)

That was a good suggestion though from other OP to tell him upfront that you are not going to be his carer when his eyes etc go wrong.... Again, I did something similar this week... My hubby collapsed totally unconscious twice during night having got up to go to loo. He refused ambulance. I still went to my dogsitting and made him make appt with gp... (Normally I would do this)
Outcome was that I told him afterwards that he needs to decide if he's going to have a DNR and to get his will updated. Again, something I have always done this sort of thing but told him outright that he got to sort out... Because his collapsing brought it home to me that I do everything.
(You'll laugh at this though).. I still emailed the Practice and told them what happened exactly and asked the info to be passed on to the clinician assessing him!! (And they did) the GP had the email in front of her according to hubby she was interested how far I travel to house n dog sit!!! I still couldnt let go of my caring hat I always wear...

Makes me wonder if some men pick us women as partners because they see us as their mothers in some way? Because of our hands on approach at sorting everything out for them. I had backed off from doing this and like you doing more of my own thing, like going out by myself doing upholstery, PPG and meeting friends.

Like other OP said.. At least he didn't shovel it on tons of bread. I think carb addiction is so real.. And worse than smoking/drinking. It is a very hard cycle to break..

You're right to go and do things alone on holiday if you can do this. I used to pre hubby go on so many holidays abroad by myself. Still did up until a few years ago. Now since becoming less hands on at home and giving myself more activities away it makes the time I do spend with him a lot more enjoyable and fun.

Do what makes you happy Molly but do consider telling him direct that you don't enjoy being his Carer and if (when) due to his ignorance he gets more poorly then he will have to arrange for others to look after him, not you. That you are his partner and lover not his mother....(i used those words for my hubby too!)
 

@Andrew Colvin ....some good advice there, thank you.....as you say I shouldn't be having to hide food away and he needs to get used to people eating the things he cannot around him.......I shouldn't be made to feel guilty for wanting to eat the food that I like or want...

....am getting a thought about dessert for later - roulade with extra thick double cream. one of my favourites but something that I have avoided buying lately...if I am right in thinking the extra thick double cream would be a good thing as it falls within the high fat category so perhaps not a bad choice after all...will add it to my shopping list.....

Will try to find a balance between encouragement and staying out the way and letting him get on with it ....will also try to stress less about the Nutella and the spoon following your comments and confessions about the peanut butter and the liquorice (not together!)....thanks ..
 
Just to prove that there is some good news within this ..
...this morning he tested his blood sugar levels when he got up and got a reading of 8.6.....I know that some will think this high and aspire to much lower readings first thing in the morning....but this was his first ever reading under 9 (in fact, his lowest previous reading was 9.3)
....in my books this indicates that we are making progress....(despite some of my recent comments)....so something has to be working...
Fingers crossed for continued improvement........
 
That is good news - especially if he tested off his own bat
 
Andrew Colvin said:
That is good news - especially if he tested off his own bat
Click to expand...

@Andrew Colvin ..this is certainly good news and real progress from the man who once refused to test / didn't see the point of testing...it seems curiosity is getting the better of him and he is now often testing without any prompting from me....


....also following your message yesterday I did go out and buy that roulade for dessert.....it was delicious....gave him a very small slice to include him but made sure that I topped it off with plenty of double cream and extra thick double Jersey cream (high fat content!)....mmmm...

...also to cut down on carbs didn't give him any potatoes but substituted for cauliflower instead...

Am getting there slowly but surely.....am reminding myself that it was the tortoise that won the race....
 
I understand your other half. I still do not like the taste of vegetables. So apart from my raw carrots (don't like them cooked) and some green beans (which, actually I quite like - the rawer the better) I try and keep away from. Oh mustn't forget the sweet potato chips (yummy)

Did he test his blood sugar levels at 1 hour and 2 hours after the roulade. Would be interesting to show him what those sweet things are doing to his blood sugars. Being a man he obviously needs to visualise the impact of foods and also then be able to visualise the impact of the high levels. Not sure how to best achieve this last part if he will not join the dots for himself but the first part is easy.

Good luck with the continued successes. Baby steps....
 

@Andrew Colvin ...the good news is that he will eat most vegetables though for some reason he does not like peas...last night he had cauliflower, carrots, green beans, broccoli and leek...so upping the veg and ditching the potatoes is not a problem..

The not so good news is that he didn't test after the roulade..and I didn't suggest it either.....I know what you mean about him knowing the effect these are having on his blood sugars but don't want him to stop testing because of a bad result....will suggest testing next time, or may just eat the rest myself....as you say he has got to get used to other people eating what he cannot...

The small steps will get there in the end.......
 
I think you did the right thing not testing after the roulade. Some people only like tests when they know they are going to do well. For them, the best incentive to be strict about diet is to get some really good BG readings and then they won't want to spoil the good run (male competitive edge kicks in). When shock tactics don't work then competitive spirit might. When neither works tell him that we are going to get a forum possee together to go round and hit him.
 
@equipoise ....as you say probably not best to test after the roulade....however this morning's reading of 12.8 probably includes the after effects so hopefully enough incentive for me to suggest that he avoids it in the future....in which case, all the more for me.
.....there is some method in my madness....
 
And so the progress continues...it seems that he is happy to test in the mornings without much prompting....I just leave the test kit out on the side when I go out and perhaps just out of curiosity he will test when he gets up....the readings for the last couple of days were 10.8 and 10.1...not great but better than previous readings...

Will perhaps have to introduce the idea of testing at other times of the day ....before meals and after ....but for the time being at least we have some indication about what is going on.....three months ago we were completely in the dark until the diabetic nurse supplied him with the kit and testing strips at his last appointment...

Have already suggested that I will put the test kit in my suitcase when we go away next week...(.this time next week I will be lying on a beach in the Caribbean)....but will have to see if he wants to test while we are away....will not push it but will make it available should he want to..

Am hoping that he will take a bit more care with food choices when on holiday compared to previous years...he has indicated that he will try to be good and is starting to recognise that it is not just the sugary things that he needs to avoid.....slowly but surely I am continuing to reinforce that the carbs are the issue and it does seem to be working to some extent.....

.....I just have to keep reminding him (and myself) which foods contain carbs and trying to keep these down where possible....can always check on my ipad whilst away and hopefully steer him in the right direction at the all inclusive buffet...

Am aware that he is probably due for another review with the diabetic nurse when we get back so will just have to hope that the Hb1Ac results are not skewed too much by our holiday...
 
Just a brief update before I go on holiday....blood test results for the last few mornings have been reasonably consistent ...10.1 / 8.7 / 10.4 and today 9.2 so much better than a few weeks back when figures in this range were thought to be unobtainable....feel some progress has been made...

Also cutting the antidepressant from 200mg to 100mg per day and moving it from the morning to the evening does not seem to have had any adverse effects....in fact it has probably been a bit better as he seems a little less tired during the day (i could just be imagining this though)....he is still in the habit of going for a lie down in the afternoon but he has been trying to make some effort to get up a bit earlier in the morning...in fact one day he was up by 9am so just proves he can do it...

Will have to see how it goes on our holiday....more or less packed now and ready to go tomorrow...dropping cases off at airport tomorrow and flying on Tuesday morning...fingers crossed that all is well while we are away....
 
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