Should I be worried and how can I help.

[happykate]

My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 a couple of years ago and I can honestly say he has never taken it seriously. He seems very unwell ant the moment and lacks energy so I suggested we do some prick test over a few days. These readings are all taken over the last four days 2 hours after food pm.
19.3 mmol
16.5 mmol
18.5 mmo
18.2 mmol

any thought's or ideas ?

Thank you in advance.
his Hba1c level last month was 65mmol

 

[Antje77]

Those numbers are significantly higher than the ones you reported in earlier threads.
Is he still following a low carb way of eating? What type of meals did he have before those post meal tests?

He seems very unwell ant the moment

Being unwell (as in having an infection like a cold, flu, UTI, covid, etc.) can cause blood glucose to rise.
On the other hand, high BG can cause you to feel unwell as well.

Do you mean he's been feeling unwell generally lately, or is this a more sudden change?
If in doubt, you can always call 111 for advice.

Should he develop symptoms like nausea, stomach ache, funny breathing, or a funny smell to his breath, by all means make sure he's seen right now, not after the weekend, those can be alarming symptoms in a diabetic with highish numbers.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 a couple of years ago and I can honestly say he has never taken it seriously. He seems very unwell ant the moment and lacks energy so I suggested we do some prick test over a few days. These readings are all taken over the last four days 2 hours after food pm.
19.3 mmol
16.5 mmol
18.5 mmo
18.2 mmol

any thought's or ideas ?

Thank you in advance.
his Hba1c level last month was 65mmol

I'm with Antje here; if you notice any of the symptoms she mentioned, don't wait, but call in the cavalry immediately. Blood sugars like that can cause extreme fatigue and whatnot, but also more ominous things, so don't feel like you're being a bother calling for help if he needs it. Mind you, if these numbers are two hours after food, you're not testing in the moment his blood sugars are the highest. If you check every half hour after eating, you're more likely to catch how high he truly goes, which might be useful to know as well.

Hugs for you both, and hope he gets better soon!
Jo

 

[M80]

Would recommend him to get the libre sensor even if it’s just once, you would get lots more ( readings 24 h) to work from. Remember it’s your life too - if he doesn’t focus on this it is a burden on you.

 

[happykate]

Thank you all so much for the reply’s. It’s not one particular thing he is suffering with he is just tired and seems to lack energy, he is aching and generally seems unwell. This has been going on for a while but he has just started to think it’s normal. I am not sure if his Hbac1 reading is worryingly high as he never seems to get any feed back from the diabetic nurse or doctor. So he believes it must be ok. He just get prescribed his tablets and is sent on his way

Thanks again,
Happy New Year

 

[happykate]

Would recommend him to get the libre sensor even if it’s just once, you would get lots more ( readings 24 h) to work from. Remember it’s your life too - if he doesn’t focus on this it is a burden on you.

I will look into One, I know very little about it so I will do some research.
Many Thanks

 

[M80]

I will look into One, I know very little about it so I will do some research.
Many Thanks

I have to say it’s amazing, a total game changer . People diagnosed today don’t know how lucky they are having this available . Best of luck!

 

[happykate]

I have to say it’s amazing, a total game changer . People diagnosed today don’t know how lucky they are having this available . Best of luck!

Many Thanks and Happy New Year

 

[EllieM]

Hi @happykate

Though I love my cgm (t1 on insulin and a pump) they aren't very accurate once you go out of range (and high teens is definitely out of range).

In the short term, (acutely life threatening and needs a visit to A&E ) is diabetic ketoacidosis DKA

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Find out about diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), including what the symptoms are, when to get medical help and how to prevent it.

www.nhs.uk

It's rare in T2s, but not impossible. The cause is lack of insulin, so it tends to occur in long term T2s who may not be producing much of their own anymore or less long term T2s who are in fact misdiagnosed T1s (a lot of mature onset T1s get misdiagnosed as T2s for the first few years.)

Over the long term, blood sugar levels that high are likely to cause damage, so if I were in your husband's position I'd look at ways to reduce them. I've run levels that high (particularly in my pre glucometer teens) and though I've survived to tell the tale if I run that high now I definitely feel pretty grotty and I wouldn't want to live like that permanently.

I have to be careful what I say because I'm cross posting (I'm not T2) and forum rules don't let me give medical advice. But those levels are high and in his position I would seek help to reduce them, not leave it another 6 months or a year till the next hba1c. If he isn't eating a low carb diet then reducing carbs might help, but that needs to be done with care if he's on certain diabetes medications.

If there is any chance he is going into DKA I'd urge you to ring 111 at least.

Here's a link to normal blood sugar ranges.

Normal and Diabetic Blood Sugar Level Ranges

Normal blood sugar ranges and blood sugar ranges for adults and children with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and blood sugar ranges to determine diabetes.

www.diabetes.co.uk

 

[VashtiB]

Hi @happykate

Your husband is fortunate to have a wife who cares enough to read around and want to be able to support him.

The readings you state are high. I agree with the suggestion to try a CGM. I self fund a few every year. For me it does a couple of things. The first is to give me readings over time so I can spot the peaks. It also helps me stay on the straight and narrow. I have been veering off a bit recently but have a cgm and back on track. It also allows really good feedback on different foods so I also sometimes take the opportunity to experiment. But the biggest thing it does is it means I don't have to do any finger pricking. I have done it for years but I find it mentally stressful and particularly when my readings are all fine.

My mother (who lives with us) also doesn't take her diabetes seriously. I find it very tricky to support her as we have a very challenging relationship. However, she is 85 with a number of co-morbidities so I guess she has a great deal less risk from her levels.

Good luck.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 a couple of years ago and I can honestly say he has never taken it seriously. He seems very unwell ant the moment and lacks energy so I suggested we do some prick test over a few days. These readings are all taken over the last four days 2 hours after food pm.
19.3 mmol
16.5 mmol
18.5 mmo
18.2 mmol

any thought's or ideas ?

Thank you in advance.
his Hba1c level last month was 65mmol

Well, ideally he shouldn't be above 8,5 after food. Anything over that for long, does damage to arteries, organs, what have you... And one of the symptoms of continuous high blood glucose is an absolutely crippling fatigue. For me, I was seeing 20's daily, and I could barely get from my bed to the loo which was less than 20 paces away. Sometimes my muscles would be so weak I'd just collapse and fall to my knees. He might think this is what is normal for him and something he has to live with. Truth is though, most GP's have little knowledge of diabetes of any kind, and they often figure the condition is progressive so well, what can ya do, right...? *shrug* Here's a pill, good luck, go away. And yeah, diabetes T2 is progressive, if you don't do anything about it... But there's loads one can do, most GP's just don't know it. And when they do know, they just assume it's a fluke. (I'm the only one in my GP's practice who came back from a very high HbA1c.... She knows how, and she supports me with tests, but no-one else is getting any dietary help in the same vein. Just the EatWell Plate, which is fine if you can process carbs... But a T2 diabetic simply can't do that very well!)

I couldn't walk. I couldn't even make it across my own home without heavy breathing. Now I often walk between 3 to 16k a day, usually with heavy camera gear. Life can get better. And if his doc won't help, maybe he'd be willing to start helping himself. Because being tired all the time... It does suck the fun out of living. It just turns our life into no more than existing.

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help a little get his blood glucose down, but do be careful, some medications can make you go hypo when on a low carb diet. Just a thought.

Hugs,
Jo

 

[Lynnzhealth]

My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 a couple of years ago and I can honestly say he has never taken it seriously. He seems very unwell ant the moment and lacks energy so I suggested we do some prick test over a few days. These readings are all taken over the last four days 2 hours after food pm.
19.3 mmol
16.5 mmol
18.5 mmo
18.2 mmol

any thought's or ideas ?

Thank you in advance.
his Hba1c level last month was 65mmol

Hi @happykate : I was diagnosed with T2 in 2017. I was so shocked that I immediately went low carb, which is tough for me. Everything was very good until 2019, no meds, no insulin. Suddenly, in 2019 I was feeling very weird, extremely tired, hardly able to move or think, and this went on for 3 days. Of course, my doctor's office was closed on that Friday. If I hadn't decided I better go to the ER, I would probably not be writing this now. I was in a very serious DKA episode and spent 4 days in ER, Critical Care, ICU and Unit 3, because everything was shutting down. I was at 20 mmol. Nobody knew where I was until they called for a welfare check. It turns out, with the proper blood tests, I was actually T1. Now, that was even scarier.

I am on insulin, slow once a day and fast-acting 3 times a day, with a correction, if needed. The diabetic educator gave me a Libre2 system because of my age and it has been the best thing ever. If it ever shows too high, I do the finger prick just to check. It's usually within 1 or 2 mmols.

My new doctor wants my A1C to be around 6.5 to 7, again because of my age, this close to 77. I want it lower than that. I have Dr. Richard Bernstein's book, The Diabetes Solution, and it's a great book. He has a very interesting history with T1, starting around age 12 and he's now 89 or 90.

In my opinion, I would watch him carefully if his BG goes that high again, or stays that high consistently. That's not good, neither is too low. It is very stressful for you, I'm sure, however he's very fortunate that you're on the situation.

I have to say dealing with T1 is much more of a roller coaster ride than when I thought I had T2. However, I'm still on low carb (although I do cheat occasionally). It's hard being a foodie for 69 years, then quitting cold turkey. But, that's me.

I pray your husband decides to keep better care of this before he ends up in the ER. Take care, and I pray for the best for you both.