Partner with Type 2 diabetes - increase in gliclazide / other problems

[Molly56]

The print offs from your thread may not help Kevs thread should. l have met Kev and his family and he is genuine...
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/terminal-and-scared.48758/

Unable to link as am on my phone. Do not mistake it for terminal and scared update you need the original to understand all that Kev is going through while dying...max 18mths

Thanks for the link, someone else had already directed me to this and I have read through some of the posts...it certainly opened my eyes to the consequences that not controlling your diabetes can lead to.

 

[this is too difficult]

sorry I may have ruined your thread
My understanding is that cider and beer are very bad. red wine and spirits are not as bad. You saw what spirits did to me mentally though.

 

[Molly56]

sorry I may have ruined your thread
My understanding is that cider and beer are very bad. red wine and spirits are not as bad. You saw what spirits did to me mentally though.

No problem....we are back on track now

My thoughts have been confirmed about the cider.....he used to drink red wine, in fact it was a non alcoholic red wine I seem to remember ; perhaps I should buy him a few bottles in the hope that he will decide on a change from the cider.

 

[JTL]

I think Vodka would have to be the best bet.

 

[Molly56]

sorry I may have ruined your thread
My understanding is that cider and beer are very bad. red wine and spirits are not as bad. You saw what spirits did to me mentally though.

Am assuming you are referring to vodka or gin and not the ghostly variety

 

[this is too difficult]

Am assuming you are referring to vodka or gin and not the ghostly variety

Whisky actually.

 

[this is too difficult]

58 was a good year.

 

[Molly56]

Whisky actually.

Of course,whisky, it all makes sense now / I should have known seeing that you come from north of the border as they say.

As for 58 being a good year, I wouldn't know as I wasn't born then!

Keep smiling

 

[Scouser58]

Hello Molly56 nice to see you have got through the last few days, and getting the info from the nurse. I am on gliclizide of 4x80mg per day, along with 4x500mg per day, and 1 daily injection of victoza of 1.2ml, my HbA1C results have really come down, the nurse was made up when she showed me the graph of the decrease in readings. There is trying to find the right combination for each person, and glad to hear you now have a testing meter, it is vital to the plan. Do you think your man is going to change, with all the things that he has learnt?. Just keep yourself calm, and watch from the side, and yes it will be difficult for you to do, but maybe when something happens, he will jump up and get himself under control, it is the hardest thing to do, nothing and watching some one harming themselves by, eating and drinking the wrong types of food, and you knowing what harm that can be done. Molly stay strong and calm, you need this for yourself, keep telling us, ttfn

 

[Molly56]

Hello Molly56 nice to see you have got through the last few days, and getting the info from the nurse. I am on gliclizide of 4x80mg per day, along with 4x500mg per day, and 1 daily injection of victoza of 1.2ml, my HbA1C results have really come down, the nurse was made up when she showed me the graph of the decrease in readings. There is trying to find the right combination for each person, and glad to hear you now have a testing meter, it is vital to the plan. Do you think your man is going to change, with all the things that he has learnt?. Just keep yourself calm, and watch from the side, and yes it will be difficult for you to do, but maybe when something happens, he will jump up and get himself under control, it is the hardest thing to do, nothing and watching some one harming themselves by, eating and drinking the wrong types of food, and you knowing what harm that can be done. Molly stay strong and calm, you need this for yourself, keep telling us, ttfn

@Scouser58 thank you for the advice, to answer a couple of your points

Do you think your man is going to change, with all the things that he has learnt?........the short answer to this NO

Yes, we do have a testing meter but he still doesn’t think that he needs to test……this is despite the nurse explaining that because of the increase in gliclazide and the potential for hypos he should test before he drives……….I know for a fact he is not going to do this.

As you are on a similar level of medication (Metformin + Gliclazide) do you mind me asking a couple of questions….

Did the increase in Gliclazide result in you having hypos….how did it affect your bs levels in the short term / on a daily basis having taken your medication?

What signs should I look out for when he starts taking the increased dose....…I assume he will know if he is suffering from a hypo but how will I know / how do I treat if necessary.

He often takes his morning tablets without having anything to eat as he rises late / skips breakfast / takes tablets / goes out for lunch at local café or supermarket……….am concerned about this as he will be driving / not testing and worried that this will not be good combination……will I change him. NO

As you say it is hard to watch and do nothing…....am trying my best to just let him get on with it but educating myself as to what to do if and when things go pear-shaped.

 

[AndBreathe]

Molly - I hope your chap understands how lucky he is to have someone as supportive as you on his case.

I hope you guys manage to find some compromise, middle ground which will improve his lot, and ease your mind. Don't under estimate the impact of some of this, understandable, frustration you are feeling.

 

[Scouser58]

Hi Molly56, well let me tell you how I got on with the meds. When I was put onto gliclizide the dose was 2x80mg twice a day,(the specialist doctor at the hospital put me onto gliclizide) so I read the insert, and learnt the best I could,

The gliclizide has to be taken 10-15 minutes before eating, then the metformin is taken about 10 minutes after the meal, this is so the gliclizide gets the pancreas ready for the food and the metformin deals with the food in the stomach.

It took a while for my body to use the medications to their best levels, but later when I made a more direct approach on my meals did I notice the difference.

When I first noticed there was something going on I sat down and thought about the feelings that I was having, I felt sort of hollow, a little trembly, a bit shakey, even a bit spaced out,(I was a bit elated to have a hypo, and then understanding the way they work, it is a personal learning curve dealing with a hypo). I then had a snack of a sandwich and a cup of tea, and a short while later I felt better

I then understood the first hypo and the feelings that came with it, (I was origionally told because of my high levels, "I would never have a hypo"), but then the gliclizide effects began working, I have not had a problem with the metformin part of the plan.

Molly you might notice him not responding, or being a bit blank, he might say he is not with it, maybe Molly, he needs to have a small hypoto understand what he needs to do and put in the right way of eating, and taking the medication in the proper way.

The problem of testing is a big step, the first reading of the day sat on the bed and then get it done, write it down and the time as well, this gives a pointer to the overnight levels of blood sugar, this man is needs to get on plan, and he is not very forth coming,but diabetes needs co-operation and participation.

Molly the gliclizide will help a great deal,but it needs to be taken and used properly, he needs to see that he cannot drive if he feels shakey, not with it etc,and Molly if he carries on taking the tablets in the wrong way, and not eating properly, the other things that can become, eye retinopathy, neuropathy problems, and if his driving gets compromised his licence could be taken away, if he stays unstable. Molly hope this helps, keep in touch if it helps you, ttfn

 

[Molly56]

Hi Molly56, well let me tell you how I got on with the meds. When I was put onto gliclizide the dose was 2x80mg twice a day,(the specialist doctor at the hospital put me onto gliclizide) so I read the insert, and learnt the best I could,

The gliclizide has to be taken 10-15 minutes before eating, then the metformin is taken about 10 minutes after the meal, this is so the gliclizide gets the pancreas ready for the food and the metformin deals with the food in the stomach.
It took a while for my body to use the medications to their best levels, but later when I made a more direct approach on my meals did I notice the difference.

When I first noticed there was something going on I sat down and thought about the feelings that I was having, I felt sort of hollow, a little trembly, a bit shakey, even a bit spaced out,(I was a bit elated to have a hypo, and then understanding the way they work, it is a personal learning curve dealing with a hypo). I then had a snack of a sandwich and a cup of tea, and a short while later I felt better

I then understood the first hypo and the feelings that came with it, (I was origionally told because of my high levels, "I would never have a hypo"), but then the gliclizide effects began working, I have not had a problem with the metformin part of the plan.

Molly you might notice him not responding, or being a bit blank, he might say he is not with it, maybe Molly, he needs to have a small hypoto understand what he needs to do and put in the right way of eating, and taking the medication in the proper way.

The problem of testing is a big step, the first reading of the day sat on the bed and then get it done, write it down and the time as well, this gives a pointer to the overnight levels of blood sugar, this man is needs to get on plan, and he is not very forth coming,but diabetes needs co-operation and participation.

Molly the gliclizide will help a great deal,but it needs to be taken and used properly, he needs to see that he cannot drive if he feels shakey, not with it etc,and Molly if he carries on taking the tablets in the wrong way, and not eating properly, the other things that can become, eye retinopathy, neuropathy problems, and if his driving gets compromised his licence could be taken away, if he stays unstable. Molly hope this helps, keep in touch if it helps you, ttfn

@Scouser58, Thank you so much for your response, it was very helpful to hear first hand experience of what to expect and look out for.

Just picking up on a couple of points…..

The gliclizide has to be taken 10-15 minutes before eating, then the metformin is taken about 10 minutes after the meal, this is so the gliclizide gets the pancreas ready for the food and the metformin deals with the food in the stomach.

This is useful to know; he does tend to swallow the whole lot down in one go and I have thought for sometime that this, together with his habit of skipping breakfast when taking his morning medication, meant that the tablets would not be working properly / doing their job.....I keep on stressing the importance of breakfast but he won't change this habit.

I was originally told because of my high levels, "I would never have a hypo"..........He assumes that because his levels are 'always' high “I will not have a hypo”

Molly you might notice him not responding, or being a bit blank.....This is his normal status so nothing new there!!! , sorry couldn’t resist that comment

He needs to have a small hypo to understand what he needs to do and put in the right way of eating, and taking the medication in the proper way.

Without sounding nasty, I had thought that too…….he needs to have some sort of wake up call to start to take this seriously….better this than some of the other wake up calls he may get.


My big concern still remains the driving and the fact that he still will not test…especially in terms of morning medication / skipping breakfast / potential for hypo.
I have already stressed that this is why the diabetic nurse gave him the meter but he still doesn’t get it / see the point……..don’t know what else I can do other than just let him get on with it and wait for the consequences.

 

[dawnmc]

Oooo I feel for you Molly, what an a***e. Talk about banging your head etc. I'm sure at some point he will wake up and smell the coffee. Why do you think he is burying his head? He may be worried and not letting you know. Men eh - they are their own worst enemies.

 

[Bev18]

Molly you have the patience of a saint, i'd have thrown something at him by now (and most likely missed am a rubbish thrower).

Usually stubborn people (which i can be as well) will rebel, ignore advice and still do what they want to do, and then something makes them realise oh oh i'd better do something. I used to get moaned at about my weight for years, and i half heartedly tried. But its only this last 10 years or so i've properly tried still got a mountain to climb.

So perhaps when he makes himself feel really poorly and his blood sugars are making him wee 17 times during the night or he moans about getting tingling in his hands or feet then he'll realise.

Eventually if he doesn't take and accept your great help and concern, he will be going onto insulin, then he really will need to behave. the lowering of blood sugars on insulin isn't a pleasant thing, I had some horrible hot sweats and still do get an occasional sweat attack.

He's on quite a lot of glicazide now and if he ever needs a simple operation or procedure under local anaesthetic it wouldn't be allowed to be done (have experienced that myself) because it affects the healing process.

Good luck, and most importantly think of yourself, you cant afford to make yourself poorly.
x

 

[Scouser58]

Hi Molly, it seem as though you man is going to push himself all the way to major problems.
So lets look at the situation as were he is now, lets leave the hypo's on one side for the moment. His bs levels are totally unknown, so the need for information on hyper's is a priority, and the really nasty side effects, and major life changing health problems.
High bs levels will have great bearing on his eye sight, and the sensations that Bev18 mentioned in her post, will he like getting up during the night to piddle, could be as many as 17? will be very prominent and not very nice.
His eye sight could start to go bleary and the retinas at the back could become damaged, does he wear glasses? does he like to read, do crosswords? well these hobbies will become more of a problem, bleared sight, tender itchy eyes, dry/lack of tears, and the loss of sight will have a big effect on his life, Diabetic Retinopathy is a serious condition, and cannot be ignored. The high bs levels will have an effect on his balance, and his ability to move about safely, and his driving will be affected in some ways, and if he has an accident whilst driving with high bs levels, will be a major problem, and could even mean his driving licence is taken away from him, may have to retake driving test and then the DVLA will have him, on 3 year renewals of his licence.
I know about the sight problems, as my sight is not good,dur to my bs levels are not as balanced as they should be, they've been better,and my retinopathy results(last year) showed sighs of periferal damage, and treatment for this condition is by laser.
The continued high bs levels will have effects on any other conditions he may have, and if he has any damage to his feet they could have major problems, and if the worst happens then amputation will happen, just when do you think he will wake up to the danger and life threatening condition he has.
Molly I think you need to research the hyper side effects, and any DVLA requirements for driving.
Do you think the threat of the dvla being told, and cancelling his licence, would make him sit up and take notice?
Molly keep posting for our help and being there for you, ttfn

 

[graj0]

He's on quite a lot of glicazide now and if he ever needs a simple operation or procedure under local anaesthetic it wouldn't be allowed to be done (have experienced that myself) because it affects the healing process.
x

Not wishing to disagree because we are all different. I was on 320mg of Gliclazide (2 X (2 X 80mg)) and wasn't aware of any healing impairment when I had an arthroscopy. Admittedly only small holes but healed well.
You might find http://medsfacts.com/study-GLICLAZIDE-causing-IMPAIRED HEALING.php interesting. Head down to Summary stats. It's fair to say that even different doctors have different opinions (see physician opinion) and I hate it when that happens.

 

[Molly56]

Hi Molly, it seem as though you man is going to push himself all the way to major problems.
So lets look at the situation as were he is now, lets leave the hypo's on one side for the moment. His bs levels are totally unknown, so the need for information on hyper's is a priority, and the really nasty side effects, and major life changing health problems.
High bs levels will have great bearing on his eye sight, and the sensations that Bev18 mentioned in her post, will he like getting up during the night to piddle, could be as many as 17? will be very prominent and not very nice.
His eye sight could start to go bleary and the retinas at the back could become damaged, does he wear glasses? does he like to read, do crosswords? well these hobbies will become more of a problem, bleared sight, tender itchy eyes, dry/lack of tears, and the loss of sight will have a big effect on his life, Diabetic Retinopathy is a serious condition, and cannot be ignored. The high bs levels will have an effect on his balance, and his ability to move about safely, and his driving will be affected in some ways, and if he has an accident whilst driving with high bs levels, will be a major problem, and could even mean his driving licence is taken away from him, may have to retake driving test and then the DVLA will have him, on 3 year renewals of his licence.
I know about the sight problems, as my sight is not good,dur to my bs levels are not as balanced as they should be, they've been better,and my retinopathy results(last year) showed sighs of periferal damage, and treatment for this condition is by laser.
The continued high bs levels will have effects on any other conditions he may have, and if he has any damage to his feet they could have major problems, and if the worst happens then amputation will happen, just when do you think he will wake up to the danger and life threatening condition he has.
Molly I think you need to research the hyper side effects, and any DVLA requirements for driving.
Do you think the threat of the dvla being told, and cancelling his licence, would make him sit up and take notice?
Molly keep posting for our help and being there for you, ttfn

@Scouser58
To answer a couple of your questions….

"does he wear glasses?"..........yes he does wear glasses for reading and close work but not for driving

His latest diabetic retinopathy screening came back indicating early stages of something (not sure what without finding the letter, sorry) and recommended that he should attend future screening next year and keep an eye on his bs levels….no treatment required at the moment.

His reading of this was “my eyes are ok” and dismissed the rest of what it said…he did not register the warning of the deterioration, though I did!


"Molly I think you need to research the hyper side effects, and any DVLA requirements for driving."

Have already researched the latter and will look into the former more closely. As already mentioned elsewhere he does not understand why he should test his bs before driving despite the nurse telling him he should and providing the relevant equipment to do so…I know for a fact he will not do this.

Have started to cut and paste the relevant information into a word document to print off for him explaining what he should do and why. Don’t know what else I can do as have tried to tell him verbally but just ignored / dismissed……am trying my best!


Do you think the threat of the dvla being told, and cancelling his licence, would make him sit up and take notice?

Who would tell them if he didn’t inform them – does any health professional have a duty to inform them and if so, in what circumstances. What about informing Insurance company if he won’t? I can only tell him that he should but can’t do it for him.

Will be removing him as a named driver from my car insurance policy when it comes up for renewal at the end of this month.


The recent increase in his medication (Gliclazide) and his driving is, I would say, my biggest concern at the moment.

And finally a question of my own

"The high bs levels will have an effect on his balance, and his ability to move about safely"

Not sure what you mean by "high bs levels affecting his balance"…I have seen early signs of this but not sure what the exact link / cause is, can you elaborate please.

Thanks

 

[graj0]

Would the possibility of erectile dysfunction grab his attention for long enough to get him to take this disease seriously? It affects something like one in three diabetics. Apologies if the subject matter is not discussable.

 

[Molly56]

Would the possibility of erectile dysfunction grab his attention for long enough to get him to take this disease seriously? It affects something like one in three diabetics. Apologies if the subject matter is not discussable.

@graj0 First of all, I have no problems with discussing this as I think it is an important issue which needs to be addressed.............

Was going to say thank you for raising the issue but not sure if that was appropriate or not….........but yes, without going into too many details, this is an issue and he is aware of it. If problems do arise he will say “it is probably down to my diabetes”.

However, I am guessing that this is probably a bit of a taboo subject and when you are only given a ten minute appointment slot to discuss any problems with the doctor this is probably the last topic of conversation on your list of aches / pains etc

I am aware that erectile dysfunction is, I think, due to the narrowing of the arteries and that this can be the early signs of problems elsewhere such as heart disease so it is probably very important for men to discuss this with their GP .......but in reality how many are brave enough to do so. I guess it is a matter of male pride, which is totally understandable, but on the other hand it should not be ignored.

Thank you for raising this important point.