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Denial - Is a very dangerous river in Egypt

I

Iolanthe

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
Location
Birmingham
Dislikes
Carrots, parsnips, beans and pulses. People who don't get to the point!
Dear All,

You may have seen posts from me on this forum, sounding off recently, and I was just in denial I guess. Firstly just wanted to thank you all for the previous comments, advice patience and kindness, for someone who is truly scared.

Well I have turned a corner a small one, and I have still not started the journey but I'm heading for the starting line. Basically, I've told my husband and Dad, that I have had a diagnosis. I was away with my husband over the weekend in Edinburgh and I finally told him, I wept buckets but felt better about it.Whether it is because I had to say it, I don't know as previously me and this fab forum are the only people who knew.

Also have had a wake up call with this and please don't yell at me when you read this. But basically went into a private hospital yesterday for a minor op and failed to tell them of my diagnosis. I was due to go to theatre at 10.00am but did not go down until 14.00pm - had not eaten since 8.00pm the night before or drunk since 6.am that day. Although I only had sedation, but I was quite sick and ill afterwards thankfully my consultant asked them to test my BS, which was down to 2.3(!) and he took immediate action. I had a BP of 189/97 - they put me on a heart monitor and I then ended up on a drip overnight. I'm fine by the way, but my consultant, who is a lovely guy, read me the riot act this morning and has told me to get my act together. He said for an intelligent, professional woman, I was quote "very stupid."

My GP had also called me last week, as I think he was genuinely concerened he was on the phone for over 15 mins but I was not budging. Anyway left a message for him this evening and asked him to call me when it is convenient. I will ask for appointment to go in and see him, so I can talk everything through with him - including the side effects from the other drugs (BP etc) he wants to put me on. If I am going to have this then I need to make the decisions and be in control straight off - that's the way I run things in my life.

Just want a spot of advice as well. I have actually been monitoring for a week (had to pay of course!) and seem to swing from 3.6 - 12.9. I have been on a diet for the past 2.5 months and have lost nearly two stone, now my diagnosis with fasting, was made while on this dietr so it does not control it. But my doc had originally said my HB1 was excellent but given the recurring symptons I think I havefrom hypo to hyper - so should I actively be asking for diabetes medication and if so what? I want to be in control of this because I have a fairly stressful job, which does not lend itself to routine. So what I should be asking?

Thank you for your help and support.
 
Iolanthe,denial is often the first stage we go through in any traumatic experience.You have been there and now accepted it so you can now move on and start getting to grips with your diabetes.We are here for you to ask questions,and hopefully help you because we have all been where you are now.
 
Iolanthe.

As Sue says you are through the first phase. Now it's forward with a plan.

I don't think you should be too worried about the medication side of things. The usual first step is a low dose of Metformin for a while and see what that does to your bg readings.

You need to sit and discuss your concerns with your GP and make sure you understand all that is said. Take a notebook and pen. Ask him/her to explain why/what/how etc to you. If you are still unsure come back here and we will try and give you answers. One step at a time for now.

Ken.
 
I think there is a positivity running through your posting now. You've had a wake up call and it's obvious you now want to get on top of things and wanting that control is half the battle.
Now you can test your blood sugars,then test, test and test again. You'll find out which foods send your B.G. up and which ones your body can tolerate more happily.I'm sure, within no time, you'll be gaining good control and seeking the right care from your doctor is also a good thing.
As Sue rightly says, we've all been where you are now. It's hard to accept at first and we each have to adjust to a new way of doing things but before long you'll be the one giving advice to newbies. It's amazing how quickly you learn about diabetes and for most of us, that learning never stops.
This is a very supportive forum, so I hope you'll stick with us now.
All the best, chocoholic.
 
Aw, know that feeling well hun. I think we've all had a blub at some stage, I know I did and I was a 23 and half stone ex rugby player LOL Theres so much info to take in, just take it one stage at a time. Your weight loss will help your insulin resistance a lot. Go see the doctor and take a list of questions with you. I did that and it helped a lot! The good news is that your are now strong enough to begin 'fighting back' and we're all behind you.
 
Iolanthe,

I too was diagnosed back in March this year, unfortunately for me I was prescribed Insulin and Metformin from the start, and perhaps that's why I didn't have the denial problems you have had, I realised from the time I first 'shot' a dose of insulin into my abdomen that I needed to take control of this thing and make some lifestyle changes. I made up my mind that I was going to manage this thing and that it would not rule my life. And touch wood I seem to be managing my diabetes pretty well up till now.(touch wood LOL)

As a professional person you should accept the things you can not change and deal with the things you can. Diabetes is a very common problem affecting 2.5 million people in the UK. So please don't keep your diagnosis secret, tell everyone you know and educate them. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I would recommend you take this bull by it's horns, read everything you can on diabetes because knowledge is power, pretty soon you will know more about your condition than your doctor who probably learned his/her stuff 5, 10, 30+ years ago, remember that doctors are 'jack's of all trades' not masters of one.

The future is brilliant, you only get one life so enjoy it to the max.

Kind regards
Kim
 
Hi, Iolanthe,

The first stage in dealing with any problem is to recognise you have one. As Kim says in the post above "knowledge is power". On diagnosis a year ago I have managed to turn my life around. I've found many of the posts on this forum, and the books I've read, to be far more informative than the standard NHS advice. Open your eyes ...
 
Well you got there in the end!

Have a read of this

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

and this

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2008/06/grazing.html

Sounds like you are doing what I used to do, shooting high after eating then your pancreas goes into panic mode and drops you low, try doing a series of tests 1/2 hour after eating then go out hourly to about 4 hours.

The best treatment is to drop the carbs to a level where you don't spike, which will also knock out the rebound lows. You may find it better to snack with a *small* quantity of carbs every couple of hours rather than just have three meals a day to even out the swings.
 
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