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Itchy skin and temper tantrums

Dotlm_

Newbie
Messages
2
Location
Sale
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I am dot and I am a type 2, feeling like a fraud at the moment and a bit low. I have been having really itchy skin lately and being in really bad moods.. I had my hbac1 checked and I went from 60 to 59. I am really struggling trying to keep upbeat by going to the gym but I am not seeing any difference.
 
My skin had got to that point a month or so ago, but hardly at all now. I have reduced my carb eating considerably, not as in keto, but lower to a more moderate level. It seems to have helped a lot.
 

Hello Dot - do you take any medication for your diabetes? I know some people taking Metformin can develop itch you skin sometimes. Is your skin dry and flakey, or does it just itch, with nothing to show for it?
 
Itchy skin was why I went to the doctor in the first place and it led to my T2 diagnosis. A combination of moisturisers and a carb free diet has helped me a lot. If, like me, your itching was in 'a very peculiar place', that's all down to the excess sugar in your blood disrupting your yeast balance (according to my DN). Low carb, high fat diet seems to be the way and there is plenty of information on that here. Good luck - peace and love x x
 

You can get dry and itchy skin in the winter just because.
I get occasional bouts of intense itching on my feet, ankles and lower legs for no apparent reason.
I use baby lotion to moisturise and that seems to clear it up in a day or so.
It may be related to poor short term BG control but I haven't made a clear correlation.
 
Thank you guys. I'm on Metformin and victoza. My legs, arms and back are sore..
 
On Metformin and a statin I had itchy skin, mostly around my upper body and arms - I used to wake up with weals where I had scratched myself. I stopped the tablets and it went quite quickly.
On a low carb diet my skin is so smooth and soft - I always used to have a good complexion and feel that it has returned to what it was a couple of decades ago.
 

hi @Dotlm_

Not sure the gym makes that much difference to diabetics, if i'm honest..helps yes.
but food is route one, to lower the HBA1c scores.

think of it like having a nut allergy...would the gym really help or is the secret to avoid nuts as much as possible ?

we have a sugar/carbs allergy..we don't process those very well.
so reducing the irritant IS the best first step..then the weight loss and exercise comes next.

I also suffer itchy skin..just my left butt cheek weirdly..and only since being on metformin.

good days, bad days..but the metformin to me, has a few benefits,
so i'll keep on taking it and deal with the itching until i HAVE to do something about it..

oh, and welcome to the forum.

i believe @daisy1 has an excellent guide about diabetes that's very useful to new members.
hopefully she'll post up for you, soon.
 
@Dotlm_
Hello Dot and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

If you don't want to go to the gym don't go. I'm not. However... now the weather is getting better I am planning to walk more and do little things like not parking as close to the shop as possible lol. Drink more water. I would only go to the gym if I was feeling it there are loads of other ways to exercise. Have you got a partner eye eye..exercise !!!
 
Prior to diagnosis I also had terrible itching in peculiar places and was treated for thrush 3 times, it was only when coming on to the forums that I realised the connection, as soon as I changed my diet to LCHF it went and I haven’t had a problem with it since
 
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