Type 2 BG and Painful Medical Appointments

I'm just back from my MRI for my back and it went really, really badly.

Knowing I'd have to lie on my back in the machine, I took a double-Tramadol / Naproxin (NSAID) well ahead of the appointment in an attempt to get myself through it (pain killers and general opiate haze inducers), but to no avail. I couldn't get the MRI done because the pain of trying to be flat enough to get into the machine was too great and we had to stop when, after about 3 minutes of trying to get my legs straight, they went completely numb.

I generally don't feel pain too much (which is how my back got this bad anyway), so to feel it all so sharply was shocking enough as it is - apparently my (wonderful) friend who had come along to support me heard me in the waiting room and knew it wasn't going well. Also, though, it means that my back is in far worse shape than anyone had thought and the implications of that aren't amazing and I'm trying not to think about them too much at the moment. And, of course, not being able to cope with the scan means treatment options are severely limited because we still don't know either the extent or cause of the damage.

None of this is fabulous. Immediately after the scan, my friend said I'd gone quite pale and noticed I was shaking. My BG had shot up to 8.5 and stubbornly stayed there for a couple of hours. She's an amazing trooper, my friend - when we got to the cafe afterwards (to wait for another close friend who'd had Euan for a couple of days to come and met us), she talked me out of cake, fruit and panini and ordered me a low-carb coffee. Good girl. She also fixed my mascara

Now., three hours later, my BG is still super-high (for me). Generally it bounces happily along in the 5's, peaking at the 6.5 either immediately after food or when I get my liver dump at 5am. Right now it's 7.8. I'm also still very thirsty, shaky and tearful, I have a low-grade headache and I'm quite clammy and sweaty.

I have no idea how to get my BG down, which is the first part of my question. But, more importantly, I know an MRI is critical to getting the right care for my back. So my main question is... how can I get that test done without messing up my BG? I know there are several members who cope with bouts of pain regularly - how do you maintain good BG levels and do you have any suggestions on how to cope better with painful tests in the future?

Many thanks, gang,

Sock x

Double-post: Apologies.

Have just found this, could be a life-saver (or mobility saver?). Does anyone else have experience on this?

http://www.uprightmri.co.uk/

I'd taken what I could to chill out and had been able to have some quiet time (Euan wasn't home, so I could take a few minutes to straighten my head out and have a talk with myself) before leaving the house. Once in there, I was doing my HPDB (Happy Place Deep Breathing). I'm not scared of the machine - or, indeed, of pain - but I was shocked at how hard that whole experience was.

I'm going to book a phone appointment with my GP to see if she's got any suggestions before we try again (and whether that Upright MRI thing is a possibility - there's one in Birmingham where Said Amazing Friend's family lives). I had lots of padding under my head and knees, but it just wasn't enough - my spine just doesn't go that way anymore. It was also the first time I'd lost my legs when not being upright; every time before this, they've only gone numb when I've walked too far.

The radiographer was utterly sympathetic and compassionate, giving lots of support and letting me take my time trying to move around. She did say that the Children's Hospital (across the way) had a scanner that was 10cm bigger, which could possibly allow my legs to be a bit more bent as it had more clearance and, because it was newer, the imaging would be a much faster process. She said it's hard to justify the need for adults to use it, but it wasn't unheard of and that she'll see what she can do before letting my GP know if there's any point in re-referring, but to use the Childrens' one.

I take it the BG will just come down as my cortisol and adrenaline drop? Keep it low-carb and let nature do the rest? Maybe I'll put a movie on and nap on the couch for a bit - I also slept super-badly last night, which isn't helping anything at all.

I've filled out Exceptional Costs forms for families I've worked with - they're quite complicated but they're not difficult. But they do need the GP's support (which, I know, Dr Jenny won't oppose but I don't know the Practice Policy on this), I've got contacts in the Children's Commissioning Team, who might be able to give me some advice ahead of submitting my application, so who knows?

Once again, I'm so grateful to have this forum and you wonderful folks to turn to. Thank you, both those who have posted and those who might post later on. Your words mean the world to me.

It's funny. I just had a mental health assessment because I'm not processing my increasing immobility at all - I've completely squashed all anger, anxiety and upset and just gotten on with it (a strong aversion to personal drama combined with a natural determination to just keep on going make me a strong candidate for denial). I think, however, today's events have broken through that denial shield - I feel dazed, like I've been hit by a train.

Actually, I feel much like I did the day Euan was diagnosed with ASD.

You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for yesterday. Your kind words and compassion really carried me through, and I could write an essay on what it means to me to have such brilliant support.

Thank you, particularly, to @JohnEGreen for that wonderful research - I'll let you know how it goes when I chat with my doc about it tomorrow.

Bloods are still a bit skewy, but I've decided not to care much. I've also decided not to fuss, worry or plan too much. On the cards are a couple of movies, some with Euan and playing some Mass Effect 2.

For anyone who's interested (there's no test!), I wrote about this more fully just now. It's quite long and a bit sweary and there's no obligation:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-mri.1706/

@donnellysdogs I don't know what ACT is, but I'm going to look it up now. And, yes, distraction will be the fulcrum of my day today. I'm laying off the pain meds to get a feel for how bad it actually is at the moment and probably going to get a bit more sleep very soon.

Thank you all, again. I hope that I can be of as much comfort to you guys as you were / are to me.

Sock xx


EDIT: ACT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy

Oh, I did smile. That's always struck me as just the sensible way to live! That someone made money out of turning it into a form of therapy? Part of me thinks "Good for them!" the other part thinks, "You really missed a trick, Kiddo."

Have always been a big fan of people like Skinner, Asch and Zimbardo. Interesting to see how they've rubbed off on me. Thanks, Boys!