I really need any advice or help

[Alexandra100]

@Morgan78 You might find this video helpful:

For anyone outside the US puzzled by Dr Bernstein's numbers, blood glucose in the US is expressed in mgd/dl. To translate these to the UKmmol/L, divide by 18. Thus 100mg/dl = 5.55mmol/L and 83 (which Dr B considers normal) = 4.6mmol/L

 

[DCUKMod]

No. I have been told by several doctors that they would assume I am diabetic but the hba1c test says I’m not. 5 years of not adequately being a father to my daughter and not drinking or socialising or going to see friends etc because I’m usually unable to do anything but lie in a darkened room on one side and having counselling for depression and anxiety because of my slow decline from an active person to being 4 stone heavier and many other things of that nature led me to the idea as a means to not give up on life.
Thank you for your post. I was a busy manager in my former days. I am now largely a depressed recluse. People do desperate things in desperate times.

my time as a drug free powerlifter in no way contributed to my use of insulin.

I was eating a large amount of fruit, pasta, meat, vegetables: I don’t drink, I avoid fat. No butter or margarine. I avoid chocolate. I crave sugar all the time so I was drinking lemonade all the time. I started eating less and less but gaining weight. It’s been a difficult 5 years.

what I have been doing since the insulin experiment is cutting out refined sugar. I was drinking 4 litres or more of lemonade and a bottle of lucozade. Now I’m drinking squash as a compromise.

I have lost inches round my waist in 2 weeks and I’m able to get up and enjoy life. I’m eating a lot of fruit and veg and cutting down meat (which I’ve eaten a lot of because I used to train, but since I haven’t really been able to do that, I’ve still ate like a powerlifter. I’m short but was 14.5 stone of muscle and now I’m over 18 stone.

I’m well aware of the dangers of drug use- it’s not a total crazy thought to think of diabetes. It may run in my family but nearly all the men die before 50 and my father I have not seen in years but am told he’s had 6 heart attacks. My grandfather suffered from it though.
I can tell you that having not had insulin for a couple of days I seem to have retained the effects. I can feel the cold for one thing. I welcome that after dripping in sweat so much that my wife doesn’t share a bed with me anymore. I had ice lollies all day to cool down but it didn’t seem to help but now I don’t need to. I’ve ordered a blood glucose meter and will take readings. Obviously I won’t be using insulin as I can’t get readings if I use it.

I’m grateful for the concern shown here. I read countless things about how metformin helped a group that apparently had fibromyalgia and other case studies where the same conclusions were met. I’m not saying everyone with fibromyalgia has diabetes, but maybe I do. I have handed in registration forms to change my GP as well.

The main question I have isn’t how to misuse insulin or do anything stupid. I’ve already done that, and luckily I’m ok. It’s what to tell the GP? I do not like being dishonest so do I just come out with it? They may know of a glucose intolerance issue. I’ve had so many tests for genetic disorders and been to so many appointments I feel so helpless. Should I withhold what I did from them? I really am at a loss. Someone suggested there may be other ‘afflictions’ so maybe it’s just something rare. Or maybe I’m just crazy.

Thanks to all. Will check blood glucose and see what it indicates.

Thinking of diabetes may not be stupid, but utilising illicit insulin, frankly, is.

If you have been tested for diabetes, there are two tests usually done, for initial views.. The first returns the rough average of your blood glucose of the last 2-3 months. The other tends to be a spot check, looking at your score at that point.

For those at risk of t1, the tests differ, but for most T1s, they are diagnosed in hospital in a crisis situation - sometimes near death. T1 can come on very quickly.

For some people, the hbA1c test may be unreliable. Those people are often those with blood disorders such as serious anaemias and for those of Afro-Caribbean heritage. If you fit either group, a fructosamine test might be helpful.

In the meantime, if you are changing your GP, it is critical you are truthful with him, else he is working from partial facts. That would certainly hinder his progression to any suitable diagnosis.

As I understand it, these days, people changing doctors have to have a bit of a well-man/woman appointment, before going fully onto the books. This helps the new surgery assess your health and help in form them of any relevant monitoring you might require moving forward. Please do be aware though that such an appointment is quite often undertaken by a Practise Nurse or Health Care Assistant, so whilst it is likely to be mandatory, I doubt it is an appointment where a lot of progress would be made.

Again, I will join the others suggesting in the strongest terms that you cease insulin abuse immediately. It is not in your own best interests, or that of your family to have you playing health Russian Roulette.

 

[xfieldok]

Sending you a massive hug, you have had a horrible time.

Weight can be hard to lose if you have thyroid issues.

I would certainly have a bash at low carb. I went keto when I was diagnosed, purely to get my numbers down. Weight loss was a byproduct.

I had problems with hips and knees. These disappeared with the weight.

 

[Jaylee]

It was Levemir. I’m 110kg so according to the dosage info I should be using quite a bit. I was using 5 units a day. I ate quite a bit. I had energy I haven’t had for years. I went out with my family at the weekend. My eyesight came back- I usually have this gloopy whitish stuff in my eyes constantly with blurry double vision. This stopped completely. I could play with my daughter and do some gardening. I haven’t had any energy for 5 years or so. I was heavily active until I ruptured my bicep back then and I stayed home with my newborn and my wife had to go to work instead. I put on a lot of weight and felt ill all the time. I stopped exercising. I’ve been ill constantly. I get bruises that stay for months. Cuts don’t heal for weeks. I eat small amounts now as if I ate big meals I would feel like passing out. I survive by drinking lucozade all through the night. I constantly need to wee and I’m thirsty all the time.

The way I see it. The past few years have seen events for you that could cause depression.
Physical injury, bereavement & job loss. Then there is the family dynamics changing with your wife working.
I empathise, fortunes change & sometimes when they dip it can be a knock.

You play an important role too, bringing up your kid. This shows as a positive that you wish to retain energy to keep up with the running about.
Go check in with a new GP, don't mess with unnecessary drugs.
... Let us know how you get on with some lab results.

Best wishes.

 

[HSSS]

I’ll focus on the future rather than the past but concur that if you haven’t already please stop the insulin immediately.

reading your symptoms and diet my immediate thoughts went to type 2. For which extra insulin is a very short term help but long term it makes it worse. Your diet is extremely carb and sugar heavy and blood glucose levels too high can give all the symptoms you list. So a blood glucose monitor testing first thing, before and 2 hours after meals will give an idea of how your body is reacting to food and if your hb1ac corresponds. It seems an eminently sensible next step and will give you evidence to put in front of the new dr if need be.

Regardless of diabetes status you’ll probably feel much much better without all that glucose if you modify your diet both weight and mood wise and quite likely it will reduce inflammation and pain. Be aware cutting carbs and unregulated/unmanaged insulin use simultaneously is definitely a hypo risk, even prescribed and under a dr it needs very careful monitoring and management.

I’d also agree thyroid would be a good thing to get checked.

 

[Morgan78]

Thanks everybody for your input. Been having a rough couple of days with no energy.
Didn’t really eat on Friday and Saturday as felt too rough. Had some bread and apples yesterday which for someone 112kg isn’t a lot but I got up after my usual 3-4 hours of broken sleep and got my first 8hr fasting reading with a glucose meter. That was 5.4 mmol/l. I made breakfast (cup of tea (2 sugars) and just a few slices of bacon. Didn’t want toast or eggs or anything. So I did the blood test and it was 4.7 mmol/l. Waited 2 hours and it was 11.9 mmol/l.

I don’t know whether that’s normal (I checked again 15 mins later as I wanted to make sure I hadn’t screwed up the test somehow and it was 11.7 mmol/l.

Is this anything I need to show the docs or is that normal? I don’t even think the GP are taking appointments for general things at the moment.

 

[HSSS]

Thanks everybody for your input. Been having a rough couple of days with no energy.
Didn’t really eat on Friday and Saturday as felt too rough. Had some bread and apples yesterday which for someone 112kg isn’t a lot but I got up after my usual 3-4 hours of broken sleep and got my first 8hr fasting reading with a glucose meter. That was 5.4 mmol/l. I made breakfast (cup of tea (2 sugars) and just a few slices of bacon. Didn’t want toast or eggs or anything. So I did the blood test and it was 4.7 mmol/l. Waited 2 hours and it was 11.9 mmol/l.

I don’t know whether that’s normal (I checked again 15 mins later as I wanted to make sure I hadn’t screwed up the test somehow and it was 11.7 mmol/l.

Is this anything I need to show the docs or is that normal? I don’t even think the GP are taking appointments for general things at the moment.

Drs are screening appointments with phone calls first in many instances rather that not dealing with issues. That call allows them to decide the best way forward. Many issues can be dealt with by conversation, others then need an in person appointment.

The fasting readings look normal enough but 11.7 two hours after two sugars in a cup of tea seems high to me. I think you need to continue checking before and after eating whilst also noting what that food is to see if this continues. Keep a log of it in case you do need to take to the dr.

What did you decide to do about the style of eating you have? The bread, apples even and definitely the sugar are all higher carb options.

How long ago was the hb1ac of 39?