Hello, new and don't know what to expect

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

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.

Whatever else you do, stick with your doctor's advice and cut down on the starchy carbohydrate!

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.