stroke and diabetes related complications

miningman

Newbie
Messages
3
Would be interested to hear opinions on this forum.. 64 year old diabetic male recently suffered a serious stroke. Dealing with the consequences puts diabetes concerns on the back burner. However previous excessive thirst has now progressed into persistently dry mouth as well as something else best described as strange sensation in mouth which destroys enjoyment of food and overall appetite. is this stroke related or diabetes related?? if so , how to reverse these changes?? BG levels are higher than pre stroke ( 9.2-9.8) despite dietary efforts . Is this a sign than I need to consider insulin???
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Hello and welcome to the forum. May I ask a few questions first?
What type of diabetes do you have, what medications are you on and could you give an example of a typical day's food intake? Also, do you have a bg meter and what was your last HbA1c. All these details may help in advising you.
As for the question of stroke, I'm afraid that is beyond my pay grade and seems like a question for a health care professional.
I will tag @daisy1 who has great advice for all people who have Type 2 Diabetes.
 
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miningman

Newbie
Messages
3
Hello and welcome to the forum. May I ask a few questions first?
What type of diabetes do you have, what medications are you on and could you give an example of a typical day's food intake? Also, do you have a bg meter and what was your last HbA1c. All these details may help in advising you.
As for the question of stroke, I'm afraid that is beyond my pay grade and seems like a question for a health care professional.
I will tag @daisy1 who has great advice for all people who have Type 2 Diabetes.
 

miningman

Newbie
Messages
3
TYPE 2, as of about 7 years ago. metformin plus chlopigdrel, alvostatin, paracetemol, tamoxin. yes to bg meter. H1CA in january was 9.6 , got it down to 8.4 in april. appeared to be continuing to drop over the next few weeks , stroke occured late may. not overweight , never smoked , never had high BP , Cant really comment on daily food but doing my best to minimise carbs and sugar etc.
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Do you mean Clopidogrel, the blood thinner that is prescribed for people at risk of heart conditions?
If so, you really need to direct your questions to a GP or Consultant cardiologist.
I'm sorry that I can't help, I wouldn't want to advise you on whether insulin is worth considering.
High blood glucose does, of course, cause the dry mouth and excessive thirst.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@miningman

Hello Miningman and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 well over 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Alison Campbell

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,443
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
A few people have reported strange, sometimes metallic taste on Metformin, have a look at the side effects leaflet and chat to your doctor
 

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
After lowering my blood pressure with medications and sphinctre,I lost of a sudden I lost my words andd sentences;/words and then fell asleep. I wonder if I had a stroke and will be better soon.