• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Hello, new and don't know what to expect

andy_hull

andy_hull

Member
Messages
23
Location
hull
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I went to the doctor last Thursday with what I thought was a water infection, there was sugar & blood in my urine. I was worried about the blood, the doctor seemed more concerned about the sugar. All my symptoms only started last week and I had a negative diabetes test in 2007.

I Bought a onetouch vita testing machine and my daytime numbers are between 20-22 last thing at night around 18 and in a morning around 13. I have a constant thirst and because I am drinking so much am constantly urinating all day and night and have wet the bed the last two nights. I am also tired quite a lot of the time.

On Tuesday I had a pub meal cottage pie with chips and a coke as I thought it could not possibly make any difference, on the way home I had to stop for some water as my thirst was like I had not had a drink in days my mouth was also very dry.

I had a fasting glucose test on Tuesday(my testing kit said it was 11.7), on Wednesday one of the admin staff rang me to book me an appointment with the diabetic nurse on the 9th of October when I asked what type of diabetes I had they told me they did not know and I would have to discuss it at my appointment.



What should I expect at my first appointment.

Am I right in thinking I must have type2 because I have to wait a week and would be seriously ill if I had type1 and waited that long.

How good/bad is my 20-22 blood level

I also don't think its good practice for a non medical member of staff to ring up and arrange an appointment I had questions to ask and its just increased my anxiety

sorry for the rambling

Andy
 
sounds familiar (thirsty),

i was diagnosed with type 1 with a BG of 18. i was drinking about 10 litres of water a day

non diabetic BG levels range between 3.5 to 7 and normally remain about 5. i'm no doc but if symptoms came on quick it might be type 1 as type 2 takes a while till noticeable symptoms. T1 most commonly occurs at around age 14 but can happen anytime under 40, some people do get it even older. Type 2's are generally overweight and have had bad diets.

get an appointment to see a doc sooner than the 9th cos that's a joke. i felt fine before diagnosis just thirsty. your right about bad practice from the gp centre i can't see that being acceptable practice. i got a letter asking me to make a routine appointment lol.

howie
 
howie said:
non diabetic BG levels range between 3.5 to 7 and normally remain about 5. i'm no doc but if symptoms came on quick it might be type 1 as type 2 takes a while till noticeable symptoms. T1 most commonly occurs at around age 14 but can happen anytime under 40, some people do get it even older. Type 2's are generally overweight and have had bad diets

howie
Click to expand...

I notice more and more on here that some type 1's have a stereotypical idea of type 2's.

To andy,

Your levels are way too high. Most Dr's would recommend you attend A@E with levels in the 20's.

If you feel ill please do not hesitate to either go to A@E or ring NHS direct.

Hope this helps,

Catherine.
 
Hi Andy,

Blood glucose levels in the 20's aren't good news at all. It's completely out of order for your doctor to leave you to become seriously unwell until it's convenient for him to act.
I agree with Catherine, get yourself to A&E as soon as you can.
Good luck and keep us posted.

fergus
 
thanks for the replys

i went back to the doctors today as i still felt unwell, he has told me i am diabetic (dont know what type i forgot to ask was in a spin when he told me) he also said my blood sugar was sky high and my cholesterol is too (at that point i was in shock i think)

anyway as far as the nhs is concerned i will have to have another test to confirm i am diabetec, my doctor has said i need to start medication now so i have got the following:

500mg metformin twice a day

40mg simvastatin once a day

avoid eating carbs eat plenty of fruit & veg (but not the grapes i bought)

i have my apointment with the diabetic nurse on thu 9th oct

again thanks for the replys i will update you on my progress
 
Dear Fellow Diabetics,

This is to Howie about the (Type 2's are generally overweight and have had bad diets) comment. I'm sick to death of hearing this. I'm type 2, an ex paratrooper and keen boxer and rugby player. I found out that i was diabetic nearly 5 years ago by accident. I had no thirst,tiredness or any of the other well knows sighs that Diabetics are meant to show. What I did have was a problem with thrush that just wouldnt go away. My girlfriend blamed herself for it but after 3 months of it not clearing I went to my doctors for help. He promised me tablets on the condition that I did a glucose test (weird I thought but anything to cure this) so I did teh test and 5 days later he called me to say that I was Diabetic. I was stunned.....

It would then come to life that it runs in a very long line on my fathers side of the family, It can skip a generation but at present it hasn't and as the doctor put it "I've been unlucky"

Now I've always trained well, I 'm a strict vegetarian and I do find comments like your offensive. If anything since being told that I'm diabetic its changed my fitness for the worse, I find that I cant train as long or as hard in the gym as my blood sugar either drops too low too quicly or it strangly goes very high. Its taken me nearly 2 years to re adjust my training and fitness needs to a level that my body seems happy with.

No two Diabetics are the same, I have alot of Diabetic friends now and listening to there eating habits and how each one lives with it seems crazy when we all have the same disease. I'm classed as a grazer?? as since being Diabetic I can no longer eat large meals and prefer to eat small ones through out the day.

To anyone new to Diabeties it will take you a bit of time to get to grip with it, but you will in the end !

PS My girlfriend is also diabetic (type 1 ) When i sent her to the doctors to get tested (not my doctor) he asked her to stick her tongue out and said your not diabetic your not over weight !!!!

I then went mad and got her to see my doctor who confirmed she was and she was rushed to hospital to get it all sorted......even doctors get it wrong

Keep smiling

D
 
I agree with you D - most of the health authorities seem to treat diabetes like a problem caused by being overweight. There's no wonder that the national figures on diabetes show no sign of declining or for that matter that the conditions of most patients simply progresses and the patients continue to get worse! It wouldn't surprise me to hear that the health authorities had decided to start sending all their diabetic patients to the Weightwatchers organisation. :roll:

I had the situation yesterday where someone high up in the Rotherham Primary Care Trust (PCT) put my improvement down to my weight loss. I know very well that it wasn't - it was due to changing my diet - and mainly from managing the type and quantity of carbohydrate that I eat. It really does make me angry too!

I've come to the believe that it is the weight that causes the problem. In fact, I believe the point that I think that Dr Charles Clark makes in his book Diabetes Revolution - i.e. that it is the diabetes that causes the weight problems.
 
yeah apologies for generalising, my friends mum has T2 and she is well slim, healthy, active etc.

just sometimes it's obvious why someone ended up with T2 and is the case of the other 3 T2's i know. but not true for all by a long shot.

all the best andy you'll get some great advice from this forum,
howie
 
Andy
500mg metformin twice a day This is a minimal dose for a 2 diabetic. It won't work for T1, so if it does help, you'll have your answer.
Merformin can only lower Bg by about 1.5 and can upset the guts. it doesn't usually take long to adapt to it, but you'll need to follow the diet advice too.

avoid eating carbs eat plenty of fruit & veg (but not the grapes i bought)
If your doctor gave this advice, he/she is more clued up than most. Get yourself the "Collins Little Gem Cabohydrate counter" that will help you identify carb rich foods. It's cheap and pocket sized.
Simvastatin is about cholesterol, but if you drop the carb level low, cholesterol will go down naturally.
 
hanadr said:
Andy
500mg metformin twice a day This is a minimal dose for a 2 diabetic. It won't work for T1, so if it does help, you'll have your answer.
Merformin can only lower Bg by about 1.5 and can upset the guts. it doesn't usually take long to adapt to it, but you'll need to follow the diet advice too.

avoid eating carbs eat plenty of fruit & veg (but not the grapes i bought)
If your doctor gave this advice, he/she is more clued up than most. Get yourself the "Collins Little Gem Cabohydrate counter" that will help you identify carb rich foods. It's cheap and pocket sized.
Simvastatin is about cholesterol, but if you drop the carb level low, cholesterol will go down naturally.
Click to expand...

hi

i have been taking the metformin but it has no effect but has upset my guts (i also suffer with ibs), my last blood sugar was high 20-22 so i doubt a drop of 1.5 is goung to stop me peeing for england, but will stick it out untill i see the nurse on thursday. i also dont know my blood sugar now as i have ran out of strrips and i am not paying for any more as the cost too much.

my doctor looked about 12 so maybe he has a more recenr knowledge of diet, i have noticed that the nhs choices/direct website advises you to eat plenty of starchy carbs, the opposite of what he told me.

again thenkyou all for your input, i know i am going to be learning a lot over the next few weeks
 
hi all

had my first visit with the diabetic nurse. I am probably type2. Had my weight, blood pressure & feet checked & wee wee tested for keytones. She was also happy with me using a bllod sugar meter so i can see how it is effected by what i do to my body

I am booked in for some sort of eye scan & am having the seasonal flu jab on saturday. i also have the contact for the local diabetic group which i will attend

My weight is 105kg and bmi is 32, bp is 195/95 and fasting glluclose was 15, but i do do exsersize and i have also learnt that diabetic drugs do not work instantly -- i really thought they did

the things i forgot to ask for my stats that you all publish on the bottom of your posts and how do i get free prescriptions for my diabetic meds and how to get a blood sugar meter with strips and lancets on prescription too -- i will ring the surgery about that tomorrow.

the hard work now starts for me, healty diet (for life), eating at regular times, daily exersize and generally looking after myself. i have agreed a 2lb a week weight loss.
 
Applying for a Medical Exemption Certificate.

Have a read of this link. It explains the procedure clearly.
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/2095.aspx

If you suffer from one of the specified conditions ask for an application form FP92A, available from your doctor's surgery. You need to fill in parts 1 and 2 and your doctor (or an authorised member of the practice staff) will sign to confirm the information youve given is correct.

The surgery will arrange to send completed application forms to our office, using pre-paid envelope PPAEXENV, at:

NHS Business Services Authority
Help With Health Costs
Medical Exemption
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1DB

As for the meter, lancets and strips discuss this with your GP. You may get one supplied. If not then you will have to buy your own from any reputable Pharmacy.
 
Back
Top