Do I need insulin?

hughinoo said:

I woke a few mornings with blurry vision & optician confirmed its due to irregular sugar levels

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How did the optician confirm that if you haven't been monitoring your blood sugar readings?

hughinoo said:

I did wonder but she said as it was definitely not retinopathy it will be my sugar levels. She had put some kind of liquid in my eyes which I assume helped her check. I woke today with numb fingertips which I havent felt since prediagnosis. I guess it made sense due to my erratic eating in lead up to blurriness

I don't know if it's caused by low or high sugar as I've been extra careful what I eat which hasn't been easy because of christmas. I also worry doing HBAC1 now may not give true reading as just past festive season

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The hb1ac will show what’s been happening the last few months. Why would this not be true despite Xmas? It might show you had more glucose in your blood but that’s accurate if you ate more of it. Stress may well have caused higher blood glucose levels and prolonged it will raise your hb1ac too.

Did the optician do the full diabetic retinopathy checks? I understood it required a qualified expert to view the images above that of a standard optician. Blurry vision, only on waking, maybe dry eyes which apparently is also more common in diabetes. Some drops could easily test that theory.

taking a few metformin late won’t have much of an effect. It’s a fairly mild medication that helps stop the liver dumping extra glucose. It doesn’t actively reduce amounts already there.

You don’t have to eat 3 meals a day. No scientific basis to that as general advice (those on fixed insulin or other meds might have a reason to do so I realise). That’s not to advocate undereating but it could be 2 or even 1 nutrious and filling meal a day.

Whilst I am not a dr I see nothing at all in your information that suggests insulin is anywhere in your immediate future.

edit to add my hb1ac is due to be taken next week. Whilst I think Christmas may have raised it a little it doesn’t make it wrong. Hiding my head in the sand and delaying doesn’t change the reality of what I did or didn’t eat and do in the lead up. It just means I won’t know what it did.

hughinoo said:

Thanks alot. I feel better. I do believe it's anxiety as I lost weight due to effects & it gave me severe insomnia which is only now resolving

I understand HBAC1 covers a few months but I read it does focus more on last 2 weeks before test.

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Yes the more recent the behaviour the more it effects the results.

It measures the effect the glucose has had on the red blood cells. As they are constantly being renewed the oldest most damaged ones get destroyed and the the nice shiny new ones reduce the scores.

I know mine will suffer a little for that but it happened so I might as well know how badly or not. But I will bear in mind the timing of the test and not dwell on it. I’m lucky in that I’m managing to get 3 monthly tests for now so won’t have to wait too long to find out what the next one brings.

hughinoo said:

Thanks alot. I feel better. I do believe it's anxiety as I lost weight due to effects & it gave me severe insomnia which is only now resolving

I understand HBAC1 covers a few months but I read it does focus more on last 2 weeks before test.

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It is easy to become insulin resistant when a) p regnant b) stressed physiologically or emotionally.
Insulin does not really help type 2s but it was important for your baby not to be badly affected by high bgs during pregnancy so I understand it would have been justified then.
Now is the time to keep things stable by eating well and taking your meds, sleeping as much as a 7 month old plus insomnia allows and getting those checks done with the proviso that the latest may reflect that time when you were feeling stressed and not sleeping.
Longer term, going lower carb may stop the need to progress onto further meds or insulin.

hughinoo said:

I did wonder but she said as it was definitely not retinopathy it will be my sugar levels. She had put some kind of liquid in my eyes which I assume helped her check. I woke today with numb fingertips which I havent felt since prediagnosis. I guess it made sense due to my erratic eating in lead up to blurriness

I don't know if it's caused by low or high sugar as I've been extra careful what I eat which hasn't been easy because of christmas. I also worry doing HBAC1 now may not give true reading as just past festive season

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Hi,

Blurred vision can be caused by fluctuating sugar levels. If you were checked for retinopathy? The drops used in the eyes just dilate the pupils so a better view of the back of the eye can be seen for examination.
Ironically these drops by thier action can also cause temporary blurryness & a little light sensitivity?

Best wishes.