newbie asking newbie questions and worries

[Slaine2k]

first off hi to everyone and thanks for advice in advance
so full story 6 weeks ago fell worked 3 days went to ae to find out i got a fractured talus bone at the same time the nurses looks at xrays and calls peoples comes back and says to me fracture but also that i need to see my gp and get blood test. im quite sure she said there was signs of calcification on the xray so got me blood test was supposed to see gp and then the nurse on 19/3 but instead got a telephone consult with nurse saying the blood test came back with a number of 100 and that ive been prescribed metformin for collection yesterday so she also said she was going to consult gp and maybe get me in to talk to head diabetic nurse but after few question eyesight(must admit getting worse)bed sweats at night headaches get a bad back quite a bit achy legs and yep tiredness she booked me straight in to she her monday when i asked which type she said possibly type 1
so i have only just become 39 and yep i work at BurgerKing and i will also say ive never really gone gp i believe in 30 years i may have been 4 times i know the receptionist said last was 2009 lol and akso my mother is type 2 and my dad is type 1 i also believe my dad mother was also type 2 (so i know little about type 2 as i live with my mother currently)

sorry for any waffle believe in telling everything

so with all this info i plan to ask the nurse on monday if they sure of which i have and i kow a little about the dietary requirements will ask a little more i will also ask if i should be monitoring my blood lvls (all ready looked amazon and argos have them) is there anything else that you guys would recommend i ask also should i ask the question could this be a miss diagnoses

also because of this covid 19 i know as of today a lot of places are on lockdown here in uk but i believe my place is still home delivering at moment would i now be classed in the high risk and need to isolate for the 12 weeks as i will be back to work in 14 days (as my fracture sick note runs out ) and even to get there i take public transport 15 miles away !!!

thanks for any help with all this again

 

[EllieM]

but instead got a telephone consult with nurse saying the blood test came back with a number of 100

If this is your hba1c then this is full blown diabetes. (More than twice the level of a non diabetic and quite serious.)

They'll need to do a c-peptide test and a GAD antibody test to see which type you are. Typically T1s produce very little insulin and have GAD antibodies and T2s produce lots of insulin, but the tests aren't always conclusive initially.

Yes to getting a meter, if the nurse thinks it might be T1 she'll give you one anyway (or she should do).

You can ask if it's a misdiagnosis but if they've done some finger prick sugars as well then it'll have shown up there.

The whole COVID thing is difficult - ideally you wouldn't spend any time waiting in the surgery with other patients but you probably do need to see the nurse. You could phone and ask for a phone consult but she may want to see you for blood tests. If you're T1 you won't be able to put treatment off (hello insulin) but if T2 then you may be able to achieve drastic reductions in blood sugars by reducing your carbohydrate intake.

Obviously check with the nurse but it seems pretty likely you're in a high risk group at the moment, particularly with blood sugar levels that high.

Good luck and don't hesitate to come back here for advice on handling the diabetes (or anything else, we're a friendly lot).

ps your eyesight should return to normal when your blood sugar levels stabilise, so don't go buying any expensive glasses.

 

[Slaine2k]

thank you elliem
yeah i havent had any finger prick test as of yet as i said pretty much had blood test 3 to 4 weeks ago got told a week after gp and nurse appointment required which got booked in 2 weeks later and then telophoned(probably due to covid) and put on metformin so im guessing when i see the diabetic head nurse she'll do some then
thanks again

 

[JoKalsbeek]

first off hi to everyone and thanks for advice in advance
so full story 6 weeks ago fell worked 3 days went to ae to find out i got a fractured talus bone at the same time the nurses looks at xrays and calls peoples comes back and says to me fracture but also that i need to see my gp and get blood test. im quite sure she said there was signs of calcification on the xray so got me blood test was supposed to see gp and then the nurse on 19/3 but instead got a telephone consult with nurse saying the blood test came back with a number of 100 and that ive been prescribed metformin for collection yesterday so she also said she was going to consult gp and maybe get me in to talk to head diabetic nurse but after few question eyesight(must admit getting worse)bed sweats at night headaches get a bad back quite a bit achy legs and yep tiredness she booked me straight in to she her monday when i asked which type she said possibly type 1
so i have only just become 39 and yep i work at BurgerKing and i will also say ive never really gone gp i believe in 30 years i may have been 4 times i know the receptionist said last was 2009 lol and akso my mother is type 2 and my dad is type 1 i also believe my dad mother was also type 2 (so i know little about type 2 as i live with my mother currently)

sorry for any waffle believe in telling everything

so with all this info i plan to ask the nurse on monday if they sure of which i have and i kow a little about the dietary requirements will ask a little more i will also ask if i should be monitoring my blood lvls (all ready looked amazon and argos have them) is there anything else that you guys would recommend i ask also should i ask the question could this be a miss diagnoses

also because of this covid 19 i know as of today a lot of places are on lockdown here in uk but i believe my place is still home delivering at moment would i now be classed in the high risk and need to isolate for the 12 weeks as i will be back to work in 14 days (as my fracture sick note runs out ) and even to get there i take public transport 15 miles away !!!

thanks for any help with all this again

Hello @Slaine2k m

Any reason why they said you might be a T1? Because metformin is a treatment for T2. If it's purely your age, I was 37 when diagnosed, so that's no qualification. Some here were even younger. (And some who were diagnosed T1 were older, so... Age doesn't say all that much). In any case, you might want to get a Tee2 monitor or similar: A reliable meter with cheap strips, because especially in the beginning, you'll need a lot of those. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is everything I wish someone'd told me when I was just diagnosed, about food, and it includes a bit on how to test effectively. And who knows, your mom'll maybe improve her numbers too. All in all, your HbA1c is 100, and there's people here who came back from worse than that, just by changing their diet. Something to think about.

Hope this helps,
Jo

PS: As you work at Burger King, I don't know if you're open right now... In the Netherlands the Drive Thru is still on I believe. I am kind of assuming you take lunch at work? Quick fix: you can't process carbs. That means no fries, nuggets or buns. But you can go to town on massive burgers, if you leave the buns off!!! Don't know what your salads are like in the UK, I can't eat the Dutch ones, (they put corn in, and the dressing is a nightmare), but I'll have a solid burger with extra bacon. Or two. That shouldn't raise your blood sugars. Take it easy with the condiments, but mayo or mustard, and a tad bit of ketchup is fine.

 

[Slaine2k]

hi Jokalsbeek first off thanks for the info
funny enough i was supposed to see the head diabetic nurse at my gp today just got a phonecall from her sayiing not to come where she asked if i was feeling any better after taking metformin for like 3 days and just clarified my weight loss( 20 years ago i was 16 or 18 stone cant remember 29/11/2018 11.12 stone and yesterday 10.09)and asked if i had a means to test blood sugars which i do as my mom is diabetic(after the call i tested hadnt eaten yet it was 17.6)
after that she told me she was putting me on insulen and that she or a colleague will be ringing me later today to tell me the perscription is ready to also tell me more about it and skype calling to show me how to use it
as to the bk here at mo they are still open foe home delivery and takeaway but mcdonalds are shutting today
the nurse actually said i now fall into the high risk and should isolate for 12 weeks
others ive talked to have said i could have been T1 for a long time as i havent seen the gp in a very long time and i beleive ive never had a blood test till now
also i havent been able to move around much as my fractured foot is still healing so could that be a factor ?
thanks again for all your advice

 

[JoKalsbeek]

hi Jokalsbeek first off thanks for the info
funny enough i was supposed to see the head diabetic nurse at my gp today just got a phonecall from her sayiing not to come where she asked if i was feeling any better after taking metformin for like 3 days and just clarified my weight loss( 20 years ago i was 16 or 18 stone cant remember 29/11/2018 11.12 stone and yesterday 10.09)and asked if i had a means to test blood sugars which i do as my mom is diabetic(after the call i tested hadnt eaten yet it was 17.6)
after that she told me she was putting me on insulen and that she or a colleague will be ringing me later today to tell me the perscription is ready to also tell me more about it and skype calling to show me how to use it
as to the bk here at mo they are still open foe home delivery and takeaway but mcdonalds are shutting today
the nurse actually said i now fall into the high risk and should isolate for 12 weeks
others ive talked to have said i could have been T1 for a long time as i havent seen the gp in a very long time and i beleive ive never had a blood test till now
also i havent been able to move around much as my fractured foot is still healing so could that be a factor ?
thanks again for all your advice

The fracture can be driving your blood sugars up, so that won't be making things any better, no. (Especially if you're on steroids to manage pain to boot.) And if you're going on insulin, don't adhere to the diet sheet I gave you right now! You'd hypo, and that wouldn't be good. If you're a T1 your insulin production is insufficient, if you're a T2 you make loads but can't use it, so everything I said went out the window when they decided to start treating you as a T1. (You didn't mentioned whether you had a C-peptide and a GAD test done to confirm type? If not, you want to get that done when this whole corona thing is over.).

For now, just take notes when you talk to someone like the nurse. I know I had to when I was still in shock due to the diagnosis and everything that I was being told just was Chinese to me for a while. The only reason I knew stuff like test results, was because I was writing it all down as if I was going to be quizzed on it later. And right now I think it's probably not easy to get in touch with the GP or nurse if you have questions later, so... Yeah.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[Slaine2k]

hi Jokalsbeek

no tests just the one blood test that showed 100 the only reason i was told too get a blood test was because when i went ae for the fractured foot the xray showed calcification on my foot

for my foot all i was told to take is paracetamol and bed rest

i just find it strange that 4 days ago im told metformin and then all of a sudden its insulin
from people who i know have diabeties its usually diet then tablets if needed and then insulin if all else fails !!

ah the joys of life LOL

thanks again

 

[JoKalsbeek]

hi Jokalsbeek

no tests just the one blood test that showed 100 the only reason i was told too get a blood test was because when i went ae for the fractured foot the xray showed calcification on my foot

for my foot all i was told to take is paracetamol and bed rest

i just find it strange that 4 days ago im told metformin and then all of a sudden its insulin
from people who i know have diabeties its usually diet then tablets if needed and then insulin if all else fails !!

ah the joys of life LOL

thanks again

That's just it, they're treating you as a T1 now, not a T2. Which makes it a little confusing and difficult to advise. For a T2 it should be (even according to the metformin leaflet), try diet first, if that doesn't work, medication, then, indeed, if all else fails, insulin. A T1 doesn't have a choice, it's insulin or death. Could well be they want to get your numbers down first? I don't know. But do request the C-peptide test and the GAD test when you are able to get blood drawn. Seems like they're acting on a single HbA1c and one fnger prick test, which seems a bit thin to decide a course of treatment on? I dunno. Just make sure you get the tests eventually, you really do need to know your type for certain. After all, if you're a T2 and you still produce your own insulin, adding more insulin in the mix will just make your insensitivity worse. For now it's important to get your blood sugars down though, and if they're going with T1 and insulin... Better assume they have their reasons to go that route.

 

[Slaine2k]

hi again yea thanks for the advice
i think its also because the covid 19 there trying not to see people as well only the really needy
also they havent had chance to do even a finger prick test
but yeah i will follow their rules lol
thank you for the advice its calming my nerves a lot

 

[EllieM]

OK @Slaine2k, as they are treating you as T1 there are some things you should be aware of.
1) Testing, they should give you your own meter and lots of testing strips. You will probably have to test more than your T2 mother (unless she is on insulin?)

2) You need a way to test for ketones. T1s are at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA for short) if they combine high blood sugars with high ketones for a long time (can be as little as a few hours if ketones are very high). With blood sugars in the high teens you should be testing for ketones because DKA requires an emergency admission to hospital to stop you from dying. (I am not joking, untreated DKA is fatal.) A lot of T1s get their initial diagnosis via an emergency admission for DKA. Having said that, I've been T1 for 50 years and never had a DKA, because it's basically caused by insufficient insulin, but you are vulnerable till you've got your insulin sorted out, (and also if you get sick, because insulin needs can go up suddenly then.)

3) Hypos - these happen when your blood sugar goes too low. Depending on her meds, your T2 mother may or may not get them. It's worth keeping a stash of something sweet near you so that you can eat if you go low, as low blood sugar can make you confused and if you go low you need carbs immediately.

Stay safe, I guess staying at home means that you'll have plenty of time to read up about your disease: the joys of counting carbohydrates, etc.

Lots of help, chat and moral support is available if you get bored.

 

[Slaine2k]

thanks EllieM
no my mothers t2 has been sorted pretty much with metformin and diet and she usually after meals has sugar lvl of 8 so shes very good at keeping her lvls good and i believe shes never had a hypo
i was supposed to get a phone call about the insulin from the nurse today but never happened so i may have to ring them tomorrow which is even worse now as uk has been told to go into lockdown from 0000 tonight so yep theres a long stay at home
oh i actually bought a kit on amazon to test as well just in case they cant provide me with one due to this covid 19
i dont know anything about the ketones bit can u point me to info on it please
thanks to all for the help here its really helping

 

[Slaine2k]

so an update to this i have been taking blood sugar lvl in the morning before eating (over 3 days 17.4 , 17.3 and 17.6) and 2 hours after eating in evens(ist night 22.7 after eating mixed veg boiled potatoes and cold turkey pieces second night rice and meat ball in a little choped tomatoes onion and garlic 23.4 )
i have been contacted by the gp nurse again and am now going in to gp on friday to do blood pressure and i beleive more blood tests to confirm t1 or t2 and im to keep using metformin and i am to start taking glicazide
keep well everyone

 

[JoKalsbeek]

so an update to this i have been taking blood sugar lvl in the morning before eating (over 3 days 17.4 , 17.3 and 17.6) and 2 hours after eating in evens(ist night 22.7 after eating mixed veg boiled potatoes and cold turkey pieces second night rice and meat ball in a little choped tomatoes onion and garlic 23.4 )
i have been contacted by the gp nurse again and am now going in to gp on friday to do blood pressure and i beleive more blood tests to confirm t1 or t2 and im to keep using metformin and i am to start taking glicazide
keep well everyone

It's a diet high in carbs, but as long as you don't know what's what where type's concerned... I'm glad they're going to do some further testing, in spite of things being a little crazy right now. Hopefully you'll get some answers soon and find a way forward.
Hugs, and good luck on Friday!
Jo

 

[Slaine2k]

hi all thought id give an update on this still on metformin and glicazide had a gp phonecall appointment yesterday i am now being put on another tablet for high cholesterol was supposed to get results for the blood test but still waiting
on a good note now my blood sugars are usually around 9 - 10 only went up to 15.3 on one occasion
hope everyone's staying safe thanks for the help again

 

[Slaine2k]

Hiya all
Another update still waiting on the results to my tests getting a little frustrating now I know it’s probably down to covid for the delay but my place of work has also opened back up 2 days ago and i don’t know whether I should be saying I can work or not work due to waiting for the results ??
Any opinions welcome !!!

 

[Colinthejock]

first off hi to everyone and thanks for advice in advance
so full story 6 weeks ago fell worked 3 days went to ae to find out i got a fractured talus bone at the same time the nurses looks at xrays and calls peoples comes back and says to me fracture but also that i need to see my gp and get blood test. im quite sure she said there was signs of calcification on the xray so got me blood test was supposed to see gp and then the nurse on 19/3 but instead got a telephone consult with nurse saying the blood test came back with a number of 100 and that ive been prescribed metformin for collection yesterday so she also said she was going to consult gp and maybe get me in to talk to head diabetic nurse but after few question eyesight(must admit getting worse)bed sweats at night headaches get a bad back quite a bit achy legs and yep tiredness she booked me straight in to she her monday when i asked which type she said possibly type 1
so i have only just become 39 and yep i work at BurgerKing and i will also say ive never really gone gp i believe in 30 years i may have been 4 times i know the receptionist said last was 2009 lol and akso my mother is type 2 and my dad is type 1 i also believe my dad mother was also type 2 (so i know little about type 2 as i live with my mother currently)

sorry for any waffle believe in telling everything

so with all this info i plan to ask the nurse on monday if they sure of which i have and i kow a little about the dietary requirements will ask a little more i will also ask if i should be monitoring my blood lvls (all ready looked amazon and argos have them) is there anything else that you guys would recommend i ask also should i ask the question could this be a miss diagnoses

also because of this covid 19 i know as of today a lot of places are on lockdown here in uk but i believe my place is still home delivering at moment would i now be classed in the high risk and need to isolate for the 12 weeks as i will be back to work in 14 days (as my fracture sick note runs out ) and even to get there i take public transport 15 miles away !!!

thanks for any help with all this again

Hi there, I am in a similar situation, I was diagnosed about 2 months ago. I haven't been given any HBA1c results but i was given a glucose meter and put on Metformin. I was then taken off metformin a week later on the advice of my gastroenterologist as I have an auto-immune liver condition called PBC and metformin can affect my liver. I was then put on Linagliptin but there was no change in my blood glucose readings so was then put on Lantus solo star insulin which I take every night and check my blood every morning before breakfast. I did ask what type I had but was told that because of Covid. They couldn't send me to the hospital to get the relevent test done. After being on insulin and linagliptin together for a few weeks with only minor results I was asked to up my dosage of insulin by 2 units every 3 days until my fasting readings in the morning got down to 4-7mmol. When I first started BG monitoring the readings were too high for the meter to read quite often but over the last couple of days it has come below 10 for the first time. The lowest 2 days ago was 6.6mmol. Things are starting to improve but I'm still really clueless about what's going on.