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Hi, I'm a bit worried...?

G

Gnot

Member
Messages
5
Hi there,

Basically, I'm worried I might have diabetes. I'm planning on making a doctor's appointment this week but as it's Easter, the surgery won't be open until Tuesday and I'm pretty much obsessing that there's something "wrong" with me and I just wanted to ask the opinions of some people who know what they're talking about.

Well the thing that make me think about diabetes was the fact that over the past year and a half I have gradually been putting on weight and there's nothing that makes a difference. I've been trying to do my 30 mins of exercise a day and having less fatty, less sugary food. A simple thing I've done is switch to sweetener instead of sugar in my tea.

However, it seems nothing is happening and I'm just getting heavier. It's mainly worrying me because I can't seem to lose any weight.

When I was younger I used to be able to eat ANYTHING, and it not make a difference on my body, I was pretty much always hungry, and even a few years ago I got upset when I was hungry. I was pressured into going on the pill when I was 16 and that make me look a bit chubby (not to mention I've had a constant runny nose every since >_<). But my weight didn't change, I was around 7 and a half stone then. I went up to about 8 stone when I was 17 and stayed like that for ages. I went off the pill as soon as I was single and regained my shape but it seems from then on I just put on loads of weight. About a year and a half ago I was 8 stone and now I'm nearly 10. I'm 5 foot 3 and though they say it's not an unhealthy weight, I've really noticed the extra chunk all over me, and if I keep getting heavier...

That's just a bit of backstory. Onto the bits that make me worry about diabetes. It's mainly the fact that I've felt rundown, tired, and completely unable to get out of bed since I switched to sweeter in my tea. I've had headaches and I feel really lethargic. I don't really like sugary things and the sugar in my tea is almost the only sugar I have. I've been keeping a record of what I've been eating (in aid of trying to become healthier), and I generally only have about 30g of sugar a day since I switched to sweetener.

I looked at the symptoms of diabetes on the net and I noticed it said about frequent urination and constant thirst. These are things I've been putting up with that I just put down to something silly my body was doing. I always need a glass of water at night as I often wake up in the night thirsty. And I've been drinking my 6 glasses of water a day, but you know it feels like it goes right through me! A lot of them time I haven't even finished my drink and I need the toilet.

Anyway, I'm going to the doctor this week regardless, I just want my mind to be put at rest and for other people to say they think I might have it or I might not. I've switched back to sugar in my tea for now and I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Thanks for reading this, it means a lot x
 
Hi Gnot

Welcome to the forum. The bad news is we can't diagnose on here, so no one can tell you whether or not you have diabetes. We're not doctors! But you have sufficient annoying symptoms of "anything" that you are right to be doing what you're doing and getting a doctor's opinion. The reassurance we can give is that if it turns out to be diabetes then this forum has loads of people willing to help. So you won't be alone. Keep in touch and let us know the outcome.

No good me saying don't think about it in the meantime - that's like trying not to think of pink elephants when you're told not to! How about taking on a specific task to do till then - maybe some spring(ha!) cleaning? Gardening one border? Some hobby, some planning for something - anything that needs 48 hrs concentration. Maybe even write a story? No need to have someone to read it. Just do it. It will involve your mind and give you some respite.

Hope that helps!
DG
 
hya,
just see your gp as there are a thousand and one things those symptoms could be, let us know how u get on
 
yes its a good place to learn,ive been here nearlly 2 yrs now hope u dont have diabetes but if u do ...welcome
 
I saw my doctor today and asked for mainly advice on my weight gain. She brushed everything I said aside and gave me "generic advice" assuming I'm an unhealthy young women. Her main advice was "binge drinking is a bad idea" and "cut down on sugary foods like chocolate". I don't drink and I hate chocolate, so it's nice to know she cared... :evil:

Anyway, so I said I was worried about diabetes even though I was scared to bring it up in the midst of "I have other patients to see", so she gave me a tube and told me to give a urine sample and hand it in to the receptionist. I was just wondering if this is the usual way to test for diabetes as she seemed really uninterested and more like she was trying to get me out of the office.

I thought diabetes was to do with how much sugar is in your blood and not being used up. She said "if you have diabetes, there will be sugar in your urine". So I just wanted to know if this was usual, as I remember reading somewhere about doing blood-tests to find out about diabetes. Perhaps the web page was outdated?

Anyway, so I got home and had a drink of water (knowing for a fact it would come straight back out within ten minutes) and to be honest, I don't think it looks any different than how it went in :S. Are there really going to find some sugar in some water that took 10 minutes to pass through my system?

Thanks for your help guys
 
Lots of pharmacies (Lloyds do for sure, and i'm pretty sure Asda do) offer free blood testing- it's a finger prick. My freind had it done recently, you have to have not eaten for at least two hours.
It's not definative but a good indication and if they are concerned re result it's a good lever to go back tp your GP and ask for a full blood test.
I was diagnosed following two fasting blood tests at my GP's.
Good luck and keep us posted!
 


A urine test may or may not detect sugar because the sample will be influenced by the time you last had food and what the food consisted of, and your GP should be aware of this.
If you are in any way worried, return and ask for a FULL screening to eliminate/confirm diabetes.
Diabetes is a serious condition that must not be ignored and will require life style diet changes, so I suggest you go back to get your urine results and then take it further if negative and you want to put your mind to rest.
Your GP has a duty of care and if they deny your request then they must justify their decision.

Good luck and please come back and let us know how you got on.
 

To have sugar in your urine your blood sugar level has to be over roughly 12 mmol/L !! This is where kidney damage begins! :shock:

Perhaps you should seek a second opinion from a more diabetic knowledgable doctor in your practice.
 
I thought it sounded a bit off. Well if nothing comes back I will go and see another doctor, or sometimes you can talk to a pharmacist? That might be a good idea as they don't have a time limit in which to give you advice.

I definitely will not see this doctor again as I mainly felt like she thought I was being silly. She didn't even ask why I was worried about diabetes.

Lol, I doubt I have a blood sugar level of 12 mmol/L, I don't know much about the whole BS level thing, but I have a feeling 12 is very high! And I even told her I don't eat many sugary things, so in any case, it's really unlikely there'll be any sugar there, huh? Well at least they'll let me know if there's something else wrong with me as they test the sample for everything.

Also, thanks a lot for your help guys. It's good to hear all this from people who know a lot about diabetes. You're a great lot and I'm really greatful for your help
 
You don't have to eat a lot of sugary food to have elevated blood sugars (if you're diabetic). Carbohydrates are turned into sugars when they're digested so any carbohydrate rich foods (pasta, bread, rice, potatoes etc) can elevate your blood sugar levels if you have poor insulin sensitivity.
 


In the grand scheme of things 12 mmol/l is high.....but NOT VERY high.

As you don't test you really have no idea what your Bg levels are at any point in time. As SophiaW says it isn't sugar you need to worry about it is all the things packed full of carbohydrates. If you look at a food product label you will see total carbs listed. that is what you need to take account of as all carbohydrates convert 100% to glucose in your blood. The total carb figure also INCLUDES sugars so looking at them on their own is not really much use.

Even a non-Diabetic can get high Bg levels after eating certain foods and drinks.......it is how that is dealt with by the Pancreas that is important......a non-Diabetic should get back to normal levels pretty quick whereas a Diabetic will probably take much longer to get back to normal levels and may also may need medication to assist.

Get a second opinion if you are still not happy.

Ken
 
Thanks again guys. Well I've not heard anything back from the Surgery, they said it would only take a day or so, so if I don't hear anything back tonight I'll make another appointment to see a more suitable Doctor. Do you think it's worth asking the pharmacist?
 
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