New Type 2. Had pancreatitis.

Sorry to hear about the pancreatitis @paddyirish.
I will tag @daisy1 to provide you with some basic information to help you.

@paddyirish

Hello Paddy and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Many members will reply here and share their knowledge of diabetes with you and how they deal with it. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to reply.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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

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.

Hi. If you had pancreatitis, it's possible you are T1 and not T2 as a result of possible beta cell damage. Do bear this in mind at your next review. Do you have excess weight or are you slim?

paddyirish said:

Did any one ever have pancreatitis
i did 10 years ago now
i have type 2 diabetes, probably due to the above.
only diagnosed 2 weeks ago
I would not wish this on anyone

Click to expand...

I was wondering this too I had it 12 years ago and was really ill with it and I wondered if there could be a link although I have a very high BMI too so it might just be because I'm so heavy ??

Hi did you just have one acute attack of pancreatitis or do you have chronic pancreatitis, if you have chronic then you would be a type3c (insulin dependant so we get named type 1, slowly getting 3c recognised)

One acute attack for me when I had gall stones took about 2 years for my pancreas to heal X

Pancreatitis is horrendous when I had it I did not know what it was I thought mistakenly that my appendix had burst the pain was terrible welcome to the forum

paddyirish said:

Did any one ever have pancreatitis
i did 10 years ago now
i have type 2 diabetes, probably due to the above.
only diagnosed 2 weeks ago
I would not wish this on anyone

Click to expand...

Hi and welcome.
I had pancreatitis last new years eve,I was abroad and was taken into hospital in agony and was their for three days,not much they can do only pain control,It was thought to be caused by a gall stone,I have now had my gallbladder out,but still getting a few bouts of pain which feels the same.Im T2 but well controlled

Hi Paddy
I had a real bad bout of pancreatitis in 2008 and then again in 2011 both times I had pseudocysts which had to be drained. In 2009 they opened me up and removed around 50% of the pancreas along with my gall bladder, in 2012 diabetes turned up to the pancreas party and I've managed it well with a minimal amount of pills and loads of exercise but lately my BG has been creeping up and I'm being monitored at the moment to see if I need to start taking insulin. Pancreatitis is the worst thing I have ever had to face including the worst pain. My attacks have just about ceased now since I stopped smoking but that could be with my pancreas been just about useless .
Hope your coping well with the diabetes. Take care my friend

paddyirish said:

Did any one ever have pancreatitis
i did 10 years ago now
i have type 2 diabetes, probably due to the above.
only diagnosed 2 weeks ago
I would not wish this on anyone

Click to expand...

I had pancreatitis and had 50% removed and IHave been type 2 for a few years but treated with diet only, and now just started metformin with daily blood glucose tests. I am not having problems at the present time.

paddyirish said:

My own doc says i am under weight now at 11:5 stone and i should be able to survive on tablets to keep it under control
but my levels seem to be still up around and varying from the lowest at 7.5 up to 13.5 since i have been put on the 1000mg tabs nearly a week now, the consultant told the doc in the hospital and he told me i should be able also to get it under control this way.

I am still confused with the trial and error part of things

Click to expand...

I think you should be seeing a diabetes consultant, you need to have panc scanned to see if there is damage, if said this before, it us your body not the GPs, remember the ones that shout the loudest get heard, it is a shambles that GPs go for type 2 if you are type 3c you should be on insulin to give your panc a test if nothing else

Had Pancreatitis 18 months ago. Started in May with acute pain in upper abdomen; GP put it down to allergic reaction to Ramipril, had bad bowel movements, cold like symptoms, really bad headaches, and went from 16st 4lbs to 13st 12lbs. Went to GP in January this year and asked for blood tests, that's when they found I had diabetes, which was probably caused by pancreatitis as result of damage caused by Ramipril.

I was in agony for over 8 months but GP & Consultant kept ignoring facts abt Pancreatitis until I flipped and demanded a Amylase BT. Oh how they changed their tune once the results came back. The Consultant said I should have been hospitalised, and I said, "Well that was down to you". He shut up tighter than a ducks bum.

Unfortunately, I am suffering a relapse at this time. Same Diabetic Consultant prescribed Alogliptin last week and in 3 days my pancreas had flared up again, so looked on tinternet for Alogliptin side effects, and there it was in print - do not prescribe to patients with record of problems with Pancreas or who have suffered from Pancreatitis. And we put are health in their hands.

Sometimes wonder about the professionalism and competence of some medical people.

david7953 said:

Had Pancreatitis 18 months ago. Started in May with acute pain in upper abdomen; GP put it down to allergic reaction to Ramipril, had bad bowel movements, cold like symptoms, really bad headaches, and went from 16st 4lbs to 13st 12lbs. Went to GP in January this year and asked for blood tests, that's when they found I had diabetes, which was probably caused by pancreatitis as result of damage caused by Ramipril.

I was in agony for over 8 months but GP & Consultant kept ignoring facts abt Pancreatitis until I flipped and demanded a Amylase BT. Oh how they changed their tune once the results came back. The Consultant said I should have been hospitalised, and I said, "Well that was down to you". He shut up tighter than a ducks bum.

Unfortunately, I am suffering a relapse at this time. Same Diabetic Consultant prescribed Alogliptin last week and in 3 days my pancreas had flared up again, so looked on tinternet for Alogliptin side effects, and there it was in print - do not prescribe to patients with record of problems with Pancreas or who have suffered from Pancreatitis. And we put are health in their hands.

Sometimes wonder about the professionalism and competence of some medical people.

Click to expand...

Hi, hope you get this sorted soon!

Can I pick your brains? Do your symptoms ever extend to your water works or does it just effect your bowel movements and is it relieved by eating less?

Thanks. Just had a really uncomfortable feeling all the time, and urine usually dark in colour, feel like I need to pee all the time, but GP checked for infection and that was OK. As for eating; it really didn't make alot of difference because I didn't / don't have a great appetite when it flares up. Feel sick all the time, and have a sensation of indigestion in the middle of my chest right where the 'V' is.

If I sit and bend forward for a while it makes the condition more comfortable, not sure why, but any relief can't be bad.

Hope you feel better soon.

david7953 said:

Thanks. Just had a really uncomfortable feeling all the time, and urine usually dark in colour, feel like I need to pee all the time, but GP checked for infection and that was OK. As for eating; it really didn't make alot of difference because I didn't / don't have a great appetite when it flares up. Feel sick all the time, and have a sensation of indigestion in the middle of my chest right where the 'V' is.

If I sit and bend forward for a while it makes the condition more comfortable, not sure why, but any relief can't be bad.

Hope you feel better soon.

Click to expand...

Thank you, I haven't been diagnosed with pancreatitis but I've been in bed for ten days with flu like symptoms, extreme headache I can't shift, no appetite and severe pain on the left side of my stomach just below my rib cage, which radiates into my back and across the top of my stomach like I'm wearing a really light belt, I also have a constant burning sensation in my left side and feel sick all the time. I can't stand up straight and can only walk bent over. I am also finding it extremely difficult to pass urine and haven't had my bowels open for the last 5 days. The pain did subside a bit if I didn't eat but as soon as I ate anything it came back with a vengeance and now it's pretty relentless regardless of whether I eat. I have been eating very limited amounts, small piece of fish or chicken a day nothing else, because I can't face it. The only appointment I could get with my doctor is the 2nd of November. I had thought it was just a nasty flu bug and it probably is but it's the pain in my side that's making me question my self diagnosis. I thought of constipation but I'm also concerned about difficulty passing urine.