hazey276 said:
Sorry i've not replied earlier but i've been ill again with gast-ent and severe headaches, (I appear to be getting headaches every day, some severe and some not so), which meant another stint at the hospital. good news is my BS was down a bit, (22 from 24), which pleased me....ish. Thanks for your replies again, i'm always amased at the amount of positive supprt i get from you all. The thing is is i'm still struggling with my emotions so i'm not confident at present (still scared of my own shadow in actual fact). My GP says I must only ever see him because he is diabetic as well and he knows what i'm going through and what's best for me. I am though going to get in touch with him again to get me an appointment for dietitian and chiropodist asap. My symptoms haven't changed that nuch and i've been on the metformin SR for about 7 to 8 weeks now. I would have thought they would have kicked in by now.
kind regards to you all again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hazey
A normal person's BS would be between 4 and 7 (most probably nearer the 4 - 5 mark all the time), therefore levels in the 20s are going to make you feel very ill - though, in my experience if you've been at those levels for any length of time, you won't realise just exactly
how ill you are feeling. It will also contribute to your mental state. Being down from 24 to 22 is nothing, and your BS will be fluctuating all the time dependant on what you eat. These levels are, as SaraQ said, extremely dangerous and will lead to complications. You do not have to feel the way you do, and once the diabetes is under control you will be back to your old self in no time!
I am speechless at the arrogance of your Doctor. If he is diabetic then he should know better, but... having said that, many diabetics do not bother to educate themselves sufficiently and it would appear that your Dr falls into that category. He should also know that Diabetes is best controlled when the patient themselves is 95% of their medical team which he is neither encouraging nor allowing you to be. It further shows his arrogance when he states that "he knows what is best for you". Once you have mastered the education you need, (which doesn't take that long, and is all available online) you will be the person who "knows what's best for you".
However, I am digressing. If I were your Dr and your levels were still in the 20s after 7 - 8 weeks of medication, I would be asking myself why. Should your Metformin be increased? You are not on a high dosage - though it isn't having a good affect on your bowels. Even so, there are other treatments for T2 diabetics than metformin.
On the other hand I would be wondering whether you had been misdiagnosed as a T2 and were, in fact, a T1. If he hasn't already done so he should have tested your urine for Ketones. Even if no ketones are present, you may still be LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults), as initially LADA patients do not present ketones.
Having said all this, there are other factors to take into account and we do not know the answers to those, such as your age, your weight, whether you have had rapid weightloss recently, your general diet etc. However, I would very seriously suggest you consider moving to another surgery altogether but at the least you should push for further investigations/treatment.