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Don't put it all down to diabetes

M

Marzeater

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Two nights ago I thought I was having a low blood sugar episode and treated it as such.
Blurred vision lack of coordination all the symptoms I've previously experienced and I was actually having a mini stroke. My wife was working late so never saw what i was like.
I had a couple of pieces of toast and went to bed. I woke with a banging headache the following morning and went to work.
As the morning wore on I was still feeling **** so I phoned my GP for an appointment. As usual I just thought the receptionist was being nosey wanting to know the symptoms and seconds later my G P told me to go straight to A&E.
I was lucky this time. Please remember it's not all about diabetes.
 
Thanks for that good point @Marzeater , I hope all is OK for you.now.
We all should take note, and ensure that we take care of heart as well as our control of diabetes.
Did your Doctors give you any indication what led up to your mini stroke, and what care you should now adhere to.
 
I'm seeing my GP later.
At the moment I can't think of any changes I could make to my lifestyle. Non smoker, non drinker and lost over 4 stones since type 2 diagnosis.
OK I haven't given up on occasional pizzas or kebab but they really are once in a blue moon. I walk at least 10 miles a day either working or with the dog.
Last hba1c 5.6 and cholesterol 2.6.
 
Gosh .. Many years ago I had a few TIAs (mini strokes) they were caused by stress I think .. The Dr increased my asprin dose .. Have been ok touch wood since then ( about 18 years ago I had my first one). Hope your ok now .. i took a few days to get back to normal .. Still have some words missing .. Sounds odd but some everyday words were just erased from my memory .. Lawnmower and slippers were two and I still have to ask the wife what the indoors shoes are called .. And the thing that shortens the grass is ... There are a few others but these were the funniest that I had missing.
Hope your ok now, TIAs can be very strange and scary
 
Hope you are feeling better and your wise words that not everything is down to diabetes is something we should always think about.
 
Did you have any other symptoms? just so we can keep an eye on it too as I am feeling very dizzy and cant even walk straight at times but its not all the times, I was diagnosed 3 months ago and have my sugars under control between 4.5 to 5.5
 
As I said, i just thought it was due to low blood sugar. I had a few hypos when on gliclacide and that's just what it felt like.

i thought it was a bad one because i was struggling to get the test strip in the monitor and couldn't even see the reading. my right eye felt like it had dropped. A stroke would be the last thing i imagined.
 
Thanks for the reminder!
And it is quite possible that it was a real hypo, and the stroke coincided... which muddies the water even further.

Hope your recovery continues, and you don't have any lasting symptoms.
 
Hi. I am new to this site so please bear with me. When 42 I had pancreatic cancer and had half my stomach, the dueodum, gall bladder, part of the pancreas and part of the bowel removed and told I had 4 years to live. After spending quite a few sessions in hospital over the years, when I was 64 (3 years ago) stones were discovered in what was left of my pancreas and I underwent an 8 hour operation to remove this and my spleen. I am now Type 1 diabetic and have loads of problems trying to keep my sugars regular. It seems that due to the lack of digestive 'components' I am an enigma(!!!!). Please, is there anyone out there who can
Identify with some of the probs. Also, my pancreas has been kept by Swansea University to help medical students - as I am one of the very few who has survived pancreatic cancer!
 
Please take care and look after yourself ....best wishes ...Kat
 

Wow! You really are a survivor!

You may get a better response if you started a thread asking if anyone else has similar experiences. It's more likely to be seen by more people.

But in the meantime, welcome to the forum!

 
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Hi, your in the right place .. But do open a new thread, you will get a better response from the T1's if you post it in a post of its own.
 
Marzeater said:
I was lucky this time. Please remember it's not all about diabetes.
Click to expand...
That's a good point, and you are lucky your GP spotted the problem. Not only we but also medical professionals fall into the "existing condition" trap. I've read that the patients most likely to have stroke symptoms dismissed by A&E doctors are migraine and epilepsy sufferers, and I suspect doctors are equally likely to put down new symptoms to the diabetes or obesity already on a patient's file.

So glad you got the medical attention you needed.

Kate
 
Symptom of a stroke is often weakness on one side.

So for example: lift both arms and hold them up for a while. If you find it difficult to keep one of them up this may be a sign of stroke. I do that a lot when I feel a bit strange, and clench my fists and make funny faces to check it feels the same on both sides.

The reasons I do these checks are that I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation this summer and hubby suffered a stroke at the age of 48, so I know it can hit unexpectedly.
 
I can't fault the care I've received from my GP practice or Whiston hospital. Both have been fantastic from first diagnosis of type2.
I had a phone call from Whiston last night giving me my first appointment at the stroke clinic today.
The only disappointment was being told not to drive. I really never expected that .
 
Good luck with your appointment and treatment Marzeater, I fond this information which some may find useful.

The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time.

  • Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have drooped.
  • Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm.
  • Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
  • Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.

More information here http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stroke/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
 

Great to hear of your survival from pancreatic cancer, there seem to be so few who get through it. Chris Rea the blues singer/guitarist is one of the most well known survivors, he had his pancreas and part of his colon removed and is now a T1 diabetic.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...lfish-celebrity-egomaniac-says-Chris-Rea.html

And of course the most recent celebrity to go through similar surgery is the Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the end of 2012 but refused treatment until in April this year underwent a new surgical procedure which also involved removal of his pancreas along with part of his stomach and spleen and a football sized tumour, he is reported to have made a good recovery and is looking to return to his former role in the Game Of Thrones TV series.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29727632

The video on the BBC page is Wilko speaking recently after receiving an award at the Q Awards and is a wonderful feel good story (no pun intended)

It is great to hear of people who beat the odds where cancer is concerned, I wish you all the best for the future Marzeater
 
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We should definitely look after our heart but mini stroke is to do with lack of oxygen to the brain, not the heart. Good point from OP though as many people assume diabetes is the cause of most health issues but clearly this is not always the case.
 
Well it's not got any better.
Head and doppler scans show a growth on the brain and narrowing of the arteries in the neck. I was not expecting that. Now waiting for a more in-depth scan an possible brain surgery
 
I am so sorry to hear that.
When will you hear the results of the scan?
Please keep posting, and let us know how it goes.

Are your blood glucose levels ok? The stress won't be helping!
 
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