Can anyone offer advise PLEASE!!!

Hi my name is Katie I am 18 years old and I have a few symptoms that I think are related to diabetes, but am not sure, at this present I am not known as diabetic, it's just I've been feeling unwell recently.

I am 6ft female who weight 14 stone 5 lbs.

Medical history:

I have an auto immune disorder called lichen sclerosis and have been diagnosed for 3-4 years know, and am on medication for it, it includes me having regular blood test to check liver and kidney functions as medication can cause complications.

I also have mild left ventricle systolic impairment (dilated cardiomyopathy) and on losartan potassium for that.

They think I might have Reynauds as get cold hands and feet.

Ino I have a lot wrong with me for my age, but there are people with more serious illnesses in their life and mine are manageable, just would appreciated advise of if it sounds like symptoms of diabetes or any other advise, as doctors don't like giving me antibiotics due to my conditions and medication for my auto immune disorder make my immune system lower so I am more vary of catching things. There is no family history of diabetes

Recently in August I had an extreme flare up of my auto immune condition that I have never experienced before, I felt ill like fever and nauseas and stomach ache, body aches had one set of antibiotics and than a week later after finishing them I had another flare up so had more antibiotics, since than I have had flare ups of extreme stomach and a different bowel routine than normal to as go 1 or 2 maybe more a day, this includes stomach ache and growling of stomach.

Recently I haven't felt 100% since August as before that in May I got coldsores and they didn't go until late June/July.

most every day I feel unwell like stomach ache, feeling sick, headache, shaky, cold than hot, clammy hands, my urination alters from strong and cloudy and painful to normal, I have slight memory issues like I will forget what someone has told me and than remember when it's brought back up. Just sit in house most days as no energy or determination to go out only to college and I get shaky hands...

...Also I have reoccurring thrush and infections take long time to heal from wounds, fatigue and really tired even when slept 8+ hours, clumsy and loss of balance, ringing in ears and rapid breathing when do anything feel like can't get breath, than palpitation due to breathing and heart condition, blank stare and feel weak, numbness and tingling in hands and feet, mood swings, blurred vision and I do where glasses and have blurred vision with them on, dry mouth and metallic taste, increased and decreased hunger, urination more often but not loads around 10-20 times a day depending when I get up, and I feel worse if I eat anything and it's makes me not want to eat and just want to feel OK as feel really unwell.

I have college and other commitments that I can always have time off and have had to recently due to flare ups and the way I am feeling.

Kind regards,
Katie

P.S sorry for long message

CarbsRok said:

Hello Katie, wow you do have a lot on your plate. We can't diagnose on the forum so you need to visit your GP ASP so bloods can be taken to check for diabetes an other condition's.
Wishing you well.

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Thank you, ino you cannot be diagnosed on a forum, was just wondering wether my symptoms where connected to diabetes in any way, it's just I feel like if I go my doctors they won't listen, as young and have conditions already they relate things down to age or over exaggeration and I'm fed up of not being listen to as it took 2 plus years to get diagnosed with my previous auto immune condition.

CapnGrumpy said:

Hello Katie, parts of that potentially fit - some I'm not so sure about, but the only way to find out for sure is to have a doctor do blood tests. Without meaning to sound unhelpful, you can't be diagnosed by some people on the internet.

Then if is diabetes (as well as the other conditions) your doctor will be able to prescribe suitable medication and you can ask the forum all the questions you like.

Long messages are fine, by the way.

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nk you, ino you cannot be diagnosed on a forum, was just wondering wether my symptoms where connected to diabetes in any way, it's just I feel like if I go my doctors they won't listen, as young and have conditions already they relate things down to age or over exaggeration and I'm fed up of not being listen to as it took 2 plus years to get diagnosed with my previous auto immune condition.

CapnGrumpy said:

Hello Katie, It's OK to feel fed up. We all get that from time to time and it's why we have the Scream thread. Auto immune conditions do go hand in hand to some extent. (Yeah, CarbsRok already said this, but they do!)

You should initially ask for your blood glucose to be tested as well as HbA1c (gives an idea of how high your blood glucose has been over a few months). If they're not good, then C-peptide and GAD antibody tests are the next step.

Sometimes it can be an uphill struggle. If you get nowhere with your regular GP, you can try asking for a second opinion.

Let us know how you get on.

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Thank you and I will do, I just feel like if I ask them for something specific like a test they look at you as if you've got two heads and over-exaggerate, as I've been over blood test before over my other immune condition and the consultant in hospital said that if there was a problem with my bloods than she would call me and she did call me later that week and said they were all fine and than about a day later I got a letter of the doctors and is said regarding bloods and I made an appointment and the dr said yeah it's your liver function come back a bit abnormal but it's nothing to worry about and didn't say why it was a bit abnormal or nothing no explanation.

CarbsRok said:

Hi Katie,
take a list of all your symptoms into your GP and ask if there's any chance you have developed diabetes due to your other autoimmune conditions. If he says no then ask to be tested just to put your mind at rest.
There's a very good saying........... There's more than one way to skin a cat.
Do you see a consultant for your other condition's if so then ring his or her sectary and ask for an apt.

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I will do thanks and I do see consultants for my other conditions but there either use an ornament as the saying goes haha

Shar67 said:

Hi Katie, when they told you your liver function was adnormal did you ask why, GPs tend to make sweeping statements which if you don't ask they just go on to next thing.
Have you had your thyroid function tested, I would be more inclined to that rather than diabetes.
Also ask your doctor for print out of blood test results, it is easier to get help from forum when we know what is there

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Yeah I did ask and she just said that its sometimes happens to people where I can be elevated. And I did have a thyroid test when I had weight on me as couldn't shift it, but luckily lost it all since about 3 years ago with calorie counting and trying to eat as healthy as possible and they said that was fine.

graj0 said:

Sorry to hear that you have so many things to contend with. As has already been mentioned, it's best to see your GP or one of your consultants to get the relevant blood tests done.

My diabetes was originally diagnosed because of a high glucose in urine reading which then led to me having the blood tests. You can get test strips for testing your urine but or should I say BUT , high glucose in urine readings does not necessarily mean you have diabetes because it could be a sign of something else and if kidney function is affected by anything, that can cause high readings. So, the urine test strip might be useful before seeing the GP but is not in anyway a positive indication of diabetes.

As for the liver function I can empathise a bit, my liver function deteriorated rapidly as the result of taking a prescribed drug, Rosiglitazone. I was taken off that drug about 10 years ago and my liver function has been poor ever since, in fact I used to get fed up telling the GP that I didn't drink and I also threw a real wobbly when I saw the term alcoholic in my notes, especially as no doctor had ever said to me that I was alcoholic and I didn't drink. The good news is that in the last two weeks my liver function test came back as normal, for the first time in 10 years, whether that had anything to do with the Milk Thistle I was taking I have no idea, it's supposed to help, but . . . . . . Try not to worry too much (I know, easier said than done), if your consultant is saying it's OK and the GP says "a bit abnormal", you might like to mention your concern the next time you see the consultant or even drop him a line. At least they will be keeping an eye on the situation, just a shame they don't sing from the same songbook.

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I will do thanks for your advice, and ino if only they talked to each other

azure said:

Hi @multikatie

Sorry you're feeling unwell. It must be very stressful having health issues like that.

I notice you posted here about having diabetes a couple of years back and were advised to see a doctor. I presume all was well, but if you're still feeling ill, please do go back to your GP or nurse and explain your fears. They can test for diabetes to put your mind at rest, and give you a general check over

Best wishes,

Azure

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Hi yes I did, back then I had weight on me was 18st so I think most of it was related to that plus and undiagnosed heart condition.

Since then I have lost 4+ stone and continuing to try and eat as healthy as possible and I done that by calorie counting, but I've only not felt 100% since I have had flare ups of my immune disease and again are getting my antibiotics today for another flare up, it's like a constant thing since August not getting rid of infections and keep becoming ill and when not ill I feel not well, and I will see my doctor when I can get an appointment.

Tora1982 said:

Don't hesitate with these things - your body tells you . Definitely go to gp ASAP - my symptoms were recurrent thrush and then an abscess all caused by high blood sugars . Xxx good luck

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Thank you I will, it's just trying to get an appointment with my GP is nearly impossible, by the time you see them it's either your better, worse and they treat me like I am an invisible person because I'm young and as they think I've already got slot of health issues, so they either put it down to that or think your over- exaggerating.

Thanks for the reply

Tora1982 said:

Don't hesitate with these things - your body tells you . Definitely go to gp ASAP - my symptoms were recurrent thrush and then an abscess all caused by high blood sugars . Xxx good luck

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P.S with my other immune condition, they said that the abscesses I was getting was related to that, but I can tell you since my four years of being diagnosed with it, I have never in my life had abscesses ever before that and the amount of pain and how ill I felt with it.

As I had my driving test August 28th and it was in the 24th I started with one abscess, by the Friday I couldn't walk, sit due to where they was and the pain, but I had no choice I couldn't cancel as was second test and would have to wait for another 2-3 months, thankfully passed which I passed, as shock due to how I felt, I was sure I was going to fail.

As I had antibiotics for it and it went, than it came back again a week later, so another cause if antibiotics, than about 2-3 weeks later it came back, they said I couldn't have antibiotics so gave me a cream and went to see consultant in October, but seen understudy which obviously was saying things I wasn't even saying and said she couldn't understand me, so she took me off my medication even with one of the most severe flare ups I've ever had, but another patient said she done the same to her.

After that had reoccurring stomach ache, nausea feeling, dry mouth, metallic taste, really tired, reoccurring infections, achy, shaky, headache, hot than cold, than sweating, blurred vision even with glasses on, urine strong and has a sweet odour, can be cloudy and painful , going the toilet more often via other way, used to go once a week could be 2-3 times every other day and about 4-5 times week...

P.S sorry for long paragraphs

...Also weak in general, generally don't feel well, feel like I cannot catch my breath and breath deep and fast and than my pulse increases (which is also related to my heart condition), also mind block where i forget how to spell words I can spell and cannot think how to spell them and it's not like me and cold hands and feet and pins and needles in them and my tinnitus (ringing in ears has recently come back after not suffering for years.

But haven't had common symptoms, like drinking loads, urinating more, losing weight or any other Symptoms, mine all started after first abscess flare up.

Regards,
Katie

uart said:

Hi Kate. If you can afford it then get yourself a blood glucose meter and some test strips, and do some tests on yourself. The thrush and the blurred vision do sound like diabetes. You may be getting some spikes or anomalies that the doctor isn't seeing in your blood tests.

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I will try an get an appointment for next week ASAP, and when ever I get blood test done it's normally the normal full blood count and special ones for my liver and kidney function to rule out the medication I was on from causing damage and sometimes when I get results there are things in red, but the never say why or what they are and if you as, all they say is it's fine.