Hi There
I am hoping that the fabulous community here will post replies on this thread about the subject in the title.
or possibly provide links to people's blogs on the subject , or even copy a link to an old topic that covers this area
this topic could then hopefully be something that could be shown to gather support from family members, it could be helpful to newly diagnosed families as well as families with a D peep going through issues at the present time.
thanks so much for reading and for posting if you are able.
all the best !!
Hi
@himtoo, I could literally send a whole book, but here are some extracts! First is about Hyperglycaemia:
As in so many instances medically, this is a dyslexic’s nightmare derived from three Greek words, Hyper (above), Glycos (sweet, as in Glucose) and (H)aemia (blood), and is the bane of all diabetics. Egyptian papyrus indicates that they knew about sugar in urine even before the Greeks, who coined the word diabetes, which means “a flowing through.” Yes, I’m afraid “doctors” displayed weird fetishes even then. Who in their right mind would dream of tasting any urine, let alone a complete stranger’s? Toddlers perhaps? But I am eternally grateful they did. This meant that until 1978, the only way a diabetic would have any clue (however inaccurate) of their sugar level was by testing urine. So from my first year I was the owner of my own “chemistry set” made by Ames, of Stoke Poges (wonderful name) called Clinitest. There was a stand for several tubes (I would guess this version was designed for laboratory or hospital use), 2 tubes, 2 little droppers with remarkably thick rubber, and a prescribed bottle of Clinitest reagent tablets which would fizz engagingly at the bottom of the tube (which contained five drops of urine and ten of water), changing the urine either to deep blue (no glucose present), army green (trace) camel (1%) orange (2%) and brick red to brown any percentage above. That is when Ketostix would be dipped into the urine to see the result. I would always know when I was in ketosis, because my breathing became very laboured, all my muscles felt as though I had run ten miles and performed fifty press-ups, I had an overwhelming feeling of nausea, would drink vast amounts of water without slaking my thirst, would shun social contact, and my family would notice the all too familiar reek of nail polish remover or pear drops. In later years I realised that it would cloud my vision. Until 2010 I was the only member of the family not to need glasses or lenses, but when I was standing on Shoreham Station platform, aged 13, I was unable to read the nameplate on the opposite platform. Panic set in. Was I already going blind? Or was I suffering from cataracts? My mother took me to an optician that weekend, who could find little worth discussion. However they charged my mother for some placebo gold rimmed glasses. I later realised that it was blood sugar affecting my eyes. The glasses were to serve as props in School plays.
One of the strangest manifestations of Hyperglycaemia is nonsense talk. Very early in my childhood, I would sit on my parents’ bed and utter “phrases” such as “Ee sassa de diddlydee”, and my father, with his analytical mind, would say “What’s ee sassa?” or “What do you mean diddlydee?” I would collapse into uncontrollable giggling and utter yet more nonsense, all the while being ecstatic until the level rose too high. Even now I catch myself inventing bizarre expressions such as “homuntuline moomeat”. I suppose this is cheaper than Class 1 drugs. It took a while before my father observed that there was a relationship between blood chemistry and mental balance (dare I say normality?) My assessment has been slightly challenged by an utterance I made while asleep, with very low blood sugar. In 2004 I clearly uttered the word “Dursit”, with the stress on the first syllable. Imagine my dismay on discovering that the word already existed in a Thai restaurant in Thistle Street, Edinburgh and in place names in Albania. I shall have to consider copyrights.
High blood sugar and disturbed digestion have already been referred to above, as has uncontrollable temper. Even with moderately high levels such as 10.5mmol/L, I lose my natural patience and become irritated by what are normally trifles. One of my employers commented that diabetics ought not to be crossed after lunchtime! Non-diabetic children are known to behave more excitedly after a “sugar fix”, as anybody with children in their charge will tell you. It is only in the last thirty-nine years that the carbohydrate content has been stated on food and drink. Yet the public don’t usually know how much sugar they are ingesting in a standard can of fizz. There is the equivalent of eight teaspoons of sugar or two thirds of my lunch starch allowance. Certain chocolate bars have thirteen spoons of sugar...To me and similar people, doughnuts, treacle tart and apple crumble are “Death on a plate!” I have also noticed that my nose runs when I am high. Is this because the brain is using this system to get rid of excess sugar, as it does colds? [Beginning of paragraph refers to acute diarrhoea caused by either excessively high blood sugar or highs over a long period. Not discussed at any clinic in 54 years of Type 1 apart from in 1985 when my GP referred me to the local hospital to investigate its cause]
Probably the most damaging effect of hyperglycaemia is lethargy. Often an overwhelming tiredness can put the patient to sleep extraordinarily quickly, and after maybe three hours sleep there is no sign of benefit. Before blood sugar meters in the late seventies, my parents used to make me run “round the block”. Unbeknown to them, I should have taken an extra injection of fast acting Insulin and waited for the result. Blood sugar meters have progressed enormously in thirty-five years. When I first encountered one in 1978, on loan from King’s College Hospital, University of London, they would not have fitted in any pocket, nor even in the average handbag. Strips were prohibitively expensive, working out at £1 each. The Hospital very kindly supplied me with strips in my capacity of bankrupt student and weekly visitor. I remember taking the machine back to my room in Hall and a Rugby playing Chemistry undergraduate asking if he could test his own blood sugar. It was quite amusing to see a hulk of a man recoil when I told him he would need to obtain blood from a fingertip or ear lobe. His inability to carry this out made me feel momentarily superior. When dealing with high readings I have worked out a scale, which usually works for me, but not necessarily for others. For readings of 10 – 13mmol/L, I add 10% of my normal quick acting dose of Insulin.
14 - 16 mmol/L 40%
17 - 18 mmol/L 50%
19 - 22 mmol/L 60%
23 - 24 mmol/L 80%
Anything above I add 100%
Sometimes I can be caught out. Either the Insulin is a duff batch, or something else has artificially raised the reading. It could be that instead of injecting Insulin, the patient is only receiving air. This is now a much easier mistake to make since the rubber disk at the top of the phial may have a small cylindrical channel inside which can stop liquid entering the syringe. I now draw out a fraction more than I need to ensure that expelled liquid appears. Slow acting is cloudy and therefore visible when it mixes with the clear fast acting. Stress, especially before playing the organ in a big service or concert can have a far reaching effect: Illness, or more irritatingly, when my immune system is fighting a prevalent bug, has a similar outcome. Many such horrors sweep through my work at regular intervals. I rarely show symptoms, but my readings and Insulin regime are increased for maybe days on end. Diabetics are advised to have a ‘flu jab every autumn, but every time I do, the diabetes is thrown out of balance. The Old Enemy always wins. Another cause of Hyperglycaemia is over-use of injection sites. I injected into my thighs from 1966 – 1985 and many areas had become more like hard knobbly rubber. They had become de-sensitised and therefore less likely to be a challenge. The problem is that the Insulin is eventually released, but not necessarily at the expected time. This can lead to waves of
Hypoglycaemia. [To be followed]