Hi everyone i think i need your help quite urgently

[ianMAE]

Hi everyone I am seeking advice quite urgently

i wil try to be as concise as possible but apologies in advance this is likely to be a bit rambling

here goes:

over many years, at least 15, i have experienced mild symptoms i would from a laymans perspective and a tiny bit of research associate with diabetes:

my blood sugar seemed for years to be a real problem if i didnt eat for a while, i seemed to need to take food in every couple of hours otherwise my head got very light, it swims, concentration very poor, shaky feeling, etc, and when i do eat the relief and release is physically palpable.

often when i do eat it seems to spike me, i almost swoon with it, especially if i eat big or very rich sugary meals (actually i have stopped eating large meals and hardly ever eat sweets never eat desserts, etc, as a result, for probably five years or more)

i seem to get thirsty easily and drinking water sometimes has little effect

i also seem to feel the need to urinate much much too often, probably once an hour

other symptoms, my circulation to the extremities seesm poor, my hands are often purple and cold even when it is not that cold

i should also mention i drink alcohol every night, not large quantities but every night for many years

anyway i have come away abroad for a break for a few days and the symptoms have worsened greatly in the last few days, to the extent that it is really worrying me, obviously i will see a doctor as soon as i return but i am hoping i might get some advice in the meantime, because i have been permanently either very low or uncomfortably spiked for the last 3 days, it would be overdramatising to say on the verge of collapse or fainting, but very very uncomfortable. its seemed to start because i didnt get much food on the two flights on the way here and since then, when i have eaten it has invariably spiked me to the point where it has taken me 15 or 2ö minutes to feel normal again

i guess the advice i am after is what foods might be good, i am in a hotel and cant make my own meals so am left with what i can pick up at the not very good supermarkets, or what i can get at restarants.

i have noticed that white bread gives me a nasty spike (wholemeal gives a bit of a spike but not as bad so i can eat some at least so my stomach doesnt feel totally empty) as does any fried food, some fried gnocchi the other night was a particular low point, fruit juice in moderation is ok but more than a small glass gives me a spike, so i have tried to stick to:

cereal bars they seem ok, the belvita ones
rye crispread with some cheese- so far this is the form of carbs that I have found by far to be the least disruptive to my system it was almost a relief to eat some without seeming to have any side effects)
bananas apples
and some wholegrain bread, some milk

i am trying to eat little and often rather than big meals, is that correct? it is an effort though as my stomach seems to have shrunk and my appetite has shrunk, it is a real effort to eat so i seem to lurch from a kind of desperation- minimal maintenance cycle

other information: i am forty years old, 6 foot 2 12 stone and basically fit and active, i have taken up strenuos exercise in the last 3 years (combat sport) and in order to have enough carbs in my system to work out, i preload carbs bigtime, pasta, cereal bar, carb powder, pre workout formula, then after workout a carb-protein rich recovery product, i almost wonder if that process has precipitated things.

anyway i would really appreciate advice as to how i can eat for the next day or so without spiking myself too badly, i am concerned that with about 7 hours travelling time tomorrow i need to have food with me to travel that will keep me full up without sending my blood sugar too high. i would just love to find a happy medium where i am neither desperate for carbs and or food in general, nor with my head swimming unpleasantly from what i have eaten. any advice would be appreciated and my thanks in advance, it has not been a pleasant couple of days at all

on the upside my appetite for alcohol has undergone a drastic decline, so silver linings and all that....

thanks in advance and apologies for the rambling or if i am barking up the wrong tree and not diabetic at all, but the last few days have really unsettled and bothered me (and the diabetes helpline is not open over the weekend)

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

No-one on here can diagnose you. Only a doctor can do that. I suggest you go and see one and ask for a diabetes diagnostic test (usually an HbA1c) which will tell you one way or another. Tell him all your symptoms. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Sorry but we are not medically trained here so can't say what is wrong with you but I do wonder why you are testing your blood if you are not diagnosed pre diabetic or actually have diabetes.You say you have had these symptoms for 15 years have you never seen a doctor in that time to get some proper blood tests done that should be your first step not self diagnose your symptoms as being diabetes. Please go and see your doctor for your own peace of mind

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome.

Have you been testing your blood glucose with a meter, or just reading physical feelings and symptoms? If it is the latter, they can be rather misleading, since we often get the same feelings for both low and high blood glucose. You really need a meter and test strips to know what it going on.

Also, as @Bluetit1802 says, we cannot diagnose you or give you medical advice.

But in your circumstances (away from home, different eating patterns, and feeling dreadful) I can make a few suggestions.

First is to have a read of @daisy1 's welcome post. She will post it here as soon as she sees that I have tagged her. Thanks Daisy.

Secondly, drink lots of water and non sugary drinks. Avoid fruit juice and full sugar anything. Avoid beer. You said that you have a drink daily. Is that spirits or beer? Beer has a lot of carbs in it, spirits less so. Red wine is OK, sweet wines aren't. Don't know if you can realisitically avoid alcohol on hol, but if you can, it will help.

Yes, eat small meals regularly, and avoid carbs where possible - avoid pasta, potato, rice, bread, sweet fruit, sugary anything... Fill up on non-starchy veg and salad, eat normal amounts of meat, fish, eggs and cheese. The veg and protein are slower release and have a stabilising effect on blood glucose. If you ARE swinging low- high- low, then this will help.

If your symptoms are caused by something else, then none of the above will do you any harm!

- and obviously see a doc as soon as you get home.

One other thing - when you are settled, and have more time, have a read through the Reactive Hypoglycaemia section of the forum. You may find the discussions ring a few bells, or you may not. Worth a read in your spare moments.

Hope that helps

 

[ianMAE]

Sorry but we are not medically trained here so can't say what is wrong with you but I do wonder why you are testing your blood if you are not diagnosed pre diabetic or actually have diabetes.You say you have had these symptoms for 15 years have you never seen a doctor in that time to get some proper blood tests done that should be your first step not self diagnose your symptoms as being diabetes. Please go and see your doctor for your own peace of mind

Hi, I didn't mention testing my blood?

The symptoms for 15 or whatever years have been relatively mild and I assumed not abnormal from missing meals or as I saw it not having enough carbs


As I said I am out of the country and will see a doctor as soon as I return, in the meantime in the absence of a doctor and as the diabetes helpline is shut over the weekend this was the only place I could think of coming to for advice

 

[ianMAE]

Hi and welcome.

Have you been testing your blood glucose with a meter, or just reading physical feelings and symptoms? If it is the latter, they can be rather misleading, since we often get the same feelings for both low and high blood glucose. You really need a meter and test strips to know what it going on.

Also, as @Bluetit1802 says, we cannot diagnose you or give you medical advice.

But in your circumstances (away from home, different eating patterns, and feeling dreadful) I can make a few suggestions.

First is to have a read of @daisy1 's welcome post. She will post it here as soon as she sees that I have tagged her. Thanks Daisy.

Secondly, drink lots of water and non sugary drinks. Avoid fruit juice and full sugar anything. Avoid beer. You said that you have a drink daily. Is that spirits or beer? Beer has a lot of carbs in it, spirits less so. Red wine is OK, sweet wines aren't. Don't know if you can realisitically avoid alcohol on hol, but if you can, it will help.

Yes, eat small meals regularly, and avoid carbs where possible - avoid pasta, potato, rice, bread, sweet fruit, sugary anything... Fill up on non-starchy veg and salad, eat normal amounts of meat, fish, eggs and cheese. The veg and protein are slower release and have a stabilising effect on blood glucose. If you ARE swinging low- high- low, then this will help.

If your symptoms are caused by something else, then none of the above will do you any harm!

- and obviously see a doc as soon as you get home.

One other thing - when you are settled, and have more time, have a read through the Reactive Hypoglycaemia section of the forum. You may find the discussions ring a few bells, or you may not. Worth a read in your spare moments.

Hope that helps

Hi I haven't been testing with any meters I can only go on the physical symptoms which have seemed to.become quite acute

Note please I do not expect medical advice and I am well aware I am not asking medical professionals I just wanted to know if my experience struck a chord with anyone on here who may have gone through the same thing and may be able to offer some informal pointers, which you have done thank you for taking the time to do so, as is probably clear I am a little panicked

 

[TorqPenderloin]

We see these posts pretty frequently: someone reads a bunch of symptoms online and convinces themselves they have diabetes.

Now, you may or may not have a blood glucose disorder (diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia, etc), but like many before you, you've failed to mention the most important symptom: ACTUAL blood glucose readings that confirm hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. EVERYONE spikes after they eat carbs even people without diabetes. It's EXACTLY why you "carb load" before your workouts so you can have extra energy (glucose/glycogen) in your body to use. The difference for diabetics is that we are not able to manage that spike for one reason or another.

Just like the other posters before me, I am not a doctor. However, many of the symptoms you mentioned also could be attributable to your drinking (and certainly smoking if you do that too).

If you're worried and can't wait until you see the doctor, go buy a glucometer and test your blood sugar as others mentioned. Otherwise, quit scaring yourself and wait until your appointment.

 

[daisy1]

@ianMAE

Hello Ian and welcome to the forum In addition to the useful replies above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[ianMAE]

We see these posts pretty frequently: someone reads a bunch of symptoms online and convinces themselves they have diabetes.

Now, you may or may not have a blood glucose disorder (diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia, etc), but like many before you, you've failed to mention the most important symptom: ACTUAL blood glucose readings that confirm hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. EVERYONE spikes after they eat carbs even people without diabetes. It's EXACTLY why you "carb load" before your workouts so you can have extra energy (glucose/glycogen) in your body to use. The difference for diabetics is that we are not able to manage that spike for one reason or another.

Just like the other posters before me, I am not a doctor. However, many of the symptoms you mentioned also could be attributable to your drinking (and certainly smoking if you do that too).

If you're worried and can't wait until you see the doctor, go buy a glucometer and test your blood sugar as others mentioned. Otherwise, quit scaring yourself and wait until your appointment.

I'm not sure using the phrase 'symptoms I might from a laymans perspective associate with diabetes' quite amounts to 'convincing myself I have diabetes', nor that an informs request on an internet forum, in the absence of any other or better information, amounts to it either, but your advice is appreciated. I'll have to see

 

[Pinkorchid]

Hi, I didn't mention testing my blood?

The symptoms for 15 or whatever years have been relatively mild and I assumed not abnormal from missing meals or as I saw it not having enough carbs


As I said I am out of the country and will see a doctor as soon as I return, in the meantime in the absence of a doctor and as the diabetes helpline is shut over the weekend this was the only place I could think of coming to for advice

I assumed you were testing because you said certain foods spike you so are you just going by how you feel. How we feel is not always a very reliable sign of spikes many of us can have spikes and never feel any different to when our blood levels are good and we can only be certain of what's happening by testing our blood

 

[ianMAE]

I assumed you were testing because you said certain foods spike you so are you just going by how you feel. How we feel is not always a very reliable sign of spikes many of us can have spikes and never feel any different to when our blood levels are good and we can only be certain of what's happening by testing our blood

Ok thank you I cant find a chemist open to get the tester thingy but will do so tomorrow thanks

 

[ianMAE]

To update, I managed to get a glucometer and just about worked out how to use it

The first test I did was pretty much 2 hours after breakfast and gave a reading of 5.3, I think the instructions are telling me in Hungarian that 3.9-5.9 is relatively normal, is that correct? Thanks.

 

[azure]

To update, I managed to get a glucometer and just about worked out how to use it

The first test I did was pretty much 2 hours after breakfast and gave a reading of 5.3, I think the instructions are telling me in Hungarian that 3.9-5.9 is relatively normal, is that correct? Thanks.

5.3 two hours after breakfast sounds perfect That's not a 'diabetic reading'. It's normal.

In someone without diabetes, blood sugar is very roughly between 3.5 and 8.0, but can occasionally go higher briefly after a large meal.

If I was you, I'd get a general check from a doctor when you get home as you're not feeling right in yourself.

 

[ianMAE]

Thank you. I'm still reacting violently to either eating or the lack of it so something is definitely up

 

[azure]

Thank you. I'm still reacting violently to either eating or the lack of it so something is definitely up

Whatever it turns out to be, I hope you get it sorted and are feeling better soon

 

[Patricia21]

Try not to panic Ian it will make you feel worse.stress can be realy awful.
I would pop to a Doctor and get your mind at rest or it could spoil your holiday,your BS levels look fine to me.

 

[ianMAE]

Thank you all for your advice and support, I didn't even know I could buy a device to test blood sugar myself so its enabled me to put my mind at ease, and I will definitely be going to the doctor as soon as I get home as a few things definitely don't seem right. And you're probably right Patricia stressing about it didn't help but feeling terrible for 4 days when I was beyond the safety net of the NHS was very disconcerting

Thanks again this is a very supportive and welcoming community

 

[Ambersilva]

@ianMAE

Also check your blood glucose at any time that you feel odd, just to see what is going on. Note what you were doing and what you ate for the meal before the test. Eventually a trend may emerge...

 

[Nicnak1997]

It is always good to

1. Don't miss meals
2. Eat regularly and don't leave big gaps between meals.
3. Try to eat a low glycaemic diet ie stay off all processed carbs such as white bread, white pasta, white rice
3. Eat healthy slow releasing carbs plenty of fresh vegetables and good sources of protein. Potatoes will make your insulin spike. Brown rice is good, wholemeal products. I was advised to eat protein first, then veg then carbs.
4. Stay off the sugar and sorry to say alcohol is not good if you are looking to regulate blood glucose.
5. If you have fruit have the whole fruit, do not drink in smoothies or fruit juices. Too much of a sugar rush. Whole fruit takes time to become absorbed into your system. My endocrinologist is diabetic and he nibbles his way through a bag of fruit every day between meals. There are just certain fruits you need to avoid. Melon is the worst its like putting pure sugar straight in your stomach. Stick with apples, pears, berries, peaches etc.
6. Ten minutes exercise just before bed and on waking will help to get your insulin stable particularly for sleeping well. Insulin naturally is higher in the evening, overnight and first thing in morning.

I hope you are feeling better soon. Remember sugar is your worst enemy.

 

[Totto]

It is always good to

1. Don't miss meals
2. Eat regularly and don't leave big gaps between meals.
3. Try to eat a low glycaemic diet ie stay off all processed carbs such as white bread, white pasta, white rice
3. Eat healthy slow releasing carbs plenty of fresh vegetables and good sources of protein. Potatoes will make your insulin spike. Brown rice is good, wholemeal products. I was advised to eat protein first, then veg then carbs.
4. Stay off the sugar and sorry to say alcohol is not good if you are looking to regulate blood glucose.
5. If you have fruit have the whole fruit, do not drink in smoothies or fruit juices. Too much of a sugar rush. Whole fruit takes time to become absorbed into your system. My endocrinologist is diabetic and he nibbles his way through a bag of fruit every day between meals. There are just certain fruits you need to avoid. Melon is the worst its like putting pure sugar straight in your stomach. Stick with apples, pears, berries, peaches etc.
6. Ten minutes exercise just before bed and on waking will help to get your insulin stable particularly for sleeping well. Insulin naturally is higher in the evening, overnight and first thing in morning.

I hope you are feeling better soon. Remember sugar is your worst enemy.

I'm not sure I agree with you. Carbs will play havoc with BG regardless of if it's white, brown, fruit or sugar. Actually things like bread and potatoes can be worse than sugar. Alcohol often normalise BG. Eat when you are hungry. Don't overdo the protein. Eat healthy, natural fats like butter and olive oil, keeps you full longer and don't raise BG and are packed with good vitamins.