Ignorance, Neglect, and Consequences!

[Octave88]

Hallo,

:wave:

I hope that you and yours are well and happy! I have a somewhat complex medical history, most of which I became used to, with good pain management etc; gradually though, things became worse. After all kinds of scans and tests; my legs were found to be in a bad way, and the left leg was diagnosed as being the result of a birth defect. This diagnosed by a very good neurologist, whom I initially wanted to see because of pains in my fingers, and numbness. Many here, I am sure, will know of this. A shock though, for me, as I am a pianist. All this came about as the result of long-term neglect. (Though I was not diagnosed 'til last year) My message here is, even if one feels silly or embarrassed, one should take oneself to the doctor. My question is:
The neurologist wrote in his report that: my glucose was 16.2 with an HBA1C of 88; how serious is this? Metformin made me quite ill, so I am waiting for my GP to prescribe something else. I am advised that damage is done, and I am resigned to the reality that my playing will be radically affected.
Any other musicians here with similar? I realize that one should always find time to listen to and attend to ones body. Having said all this, there is always hope, and it could be a lot worse

Kind Regards

:wave:

Jon

 

[Indy51]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Here is a link to basic information for newly diagnosed diabetics:
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=26870

Your blood glucose levels are quite high and the sooner you can reduce them to normal levels, the better off you will be. Many diabetics with neuropathy (if that is what you are describing in your post) find that their symptoms will gradually improve once they get their BG down to normal levels.

Best wishes and you will find lots of useful information around the site.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Octave and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be able to 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 well over 30,000 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 ... rains.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

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 blood glucose 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.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Yes, your sugars are quite high. Were you prescribed Metformin SR (Slow Release) or the plain version? The former can cause stomach upset so if that is what you had do ask for the latter which is slightly more expensive. Do review your diet in line with Daisy's information. Get hold of a meter such as the SD Coedfree from Amazon etc which has low cost strips and reduce your carb intake to get you blood sugar readings down. The Metformin won't have a great effect on your sugars but will help. There are further meds such as the ones I'm on which can help further reduce your sugars depending on the cause of your diabetes.

 

[carty]

It is the plain metformin that is most likely to cause stomach upsets and the SR is kinder on the digestion
CAROL

 

[Octave88]

THANK YOU for your kind, informative responses. My carer came here to jot down your advice, and has drawn up menus; etc; However, since I posted my question, I became rather sick, with tooth and gum problems, abscesses, and infections in the jaw bone; a bladder, and a chest infection. So, I am still on a course of v powerful antibiotics; consequently, all I do is sleep, which does not help with the diabetes. My GP; said this is something we must review, and he will prescribe a different remedy, bar Metformin. So, we shall see! Again, Many Thanks

Jon