Symptoms and worried about seeing a Dr.

[SourFlower]

Hello everyone.

I hope this does not turn out to long but thank you for sticking with me if it does!

I am late 30's and my maternal Grandmother had late onset type 1 diabetes. I have 3 maternal uncles who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

This is pretty embarrassing but for the last 3 years I have been in and out of the Dr's with a constant 'itch' down below! We've never found a reason and I have written it off as 'one of those things.' For the last 6 to 9 months I have been feeling just awful. I've not been into the Dr as I have had so much going on, redundancies, moving countries etc! I am tired ALL the time, it is not normal tiredness but it's just a complete lack of energy. I regularly need a wee during the night and I am weeing more in general. I am having major mood swings and now recently my feet have been itching so very, very bad that I have rubbed myself raw between some toe areas. I did treat myself for athletes foot but it's no better. It's the foot thing that has set off warning bells as my Gran always suffered with her feet.

I don't know if I'm just feeling done because of all the huge life changes that have gone on recently or if I genuinely may have a health problem. Someone said something this weekend regarding diabetes and my symptoms so I am going to book a Dr's appt in the morning, what I am worried about though is the Dr thinking I am trying to tell him his job! If I go in and say I think I may have diabetes will he sigh and tell me to stay off Google and so I won't be taken seriously?!

What may happen in that appt? If it is diabetes, how soon could I know and How soon could I start feeling better? I'm just so down right now and I feel like I'm slowly falling apart with all my aches and pains, itches etc!

I'm so sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place.

 

[SourFlower]

I haven't listed all the things I am experiencing that could be symptoms as I'm so worried that I may look silly in a strange way! Because I honestly can check every single box on the symptoms list, I'm just so worried and scared about it all

 

[paul-1976]

There's certainly good reason to suspect diabetes so a trip to the doc and listing ALL of your symptoms is a must- a urine dipstick test will most likely be carried out there and then which will check for glucose,ketones and protein in your wee-also you may be asked to have a blood test to check your fasted blood sugar level and also to check your 3 month average which is known as a HbA1c test which the results will be available to the doctor in a matter of days-with your strong family history I'm sure your concerns will be taken VERY seriously-good luck!!

Best wishes

Paul

 

[noblehead]

I haven't listed all the things I am experiencing that could be symptoms as I'm so worried that I may look silly in a strange way! Because I honestly can check every single box on the symptoms list, I'm just so worried and scared about it all

Try not to be worried scared, your gp won't mind you expressing your concerns considering you have a history of diabetes in the family, hopefully after a thorough examination and tests they'll diagnose the cause of your symptoms.

Wishing you the very best of luck!

 

[angieG]

If you can take a morning urine sample in with you (save you having to go back with one) that's what I did when I went in to get diagnosed. He just checked it said you're right and handed me over to the Practice Nurse to do a finger prick test to get a figure and tell me what I needed to know.
Don't worry, best to get it all checked out especially with a history of it in the family.
Regards
Angie

 

[SourFlower]

Thank you all for your input. I am so paranoid of wasting the Dr's time but I'm desperate to feel well again. I doubt I will get an appt tomorrow when I call but I'm going to start the ball rolling for sure. Thank you all again.

 

[Andy12345]

hi, sorry your going through it

the doctors are there for us, its their job dont feel bad you have a good reason to go, if you dont get an immendiate appointment you could waste a little money and buy a blood glucose testing kit from the supermarket or chemist and test your own bloods a couple of hours after eating, i say waste because the doc will do it for free but if you can afford it, its about £30 for peace of mind over the diabetes question and if it is indeed high you will know how persuasive to be about getting an appointment, just an idea, best of luck


edit: this dosent replace a hba1c test that the doc will do, if it isnt high im not saying dont go to the doc!

 

[Daibell]

Yes, do take a urine sample along to the GP. My diabetes GP diagnosed me on the spot via urine stick; not quite the way it would be done today though. Yes, it sounds quite likely that your symptoms relate to diabetes bearing in mind your family history. Do come back with questions after your appointment.

 

[SourFlower]

Silly question alert I don't have any sterile pots for a wee sample, will that matter?

Thank you ALL for taking the time to give advice. I will keep you informed, sadly as I'm such a scaredy cat I will no doubt be bugging you all with millions of questions! I'm hopeful that my Dr realises that I NEVER go to the Dr's, so for me to pop in saying what I suspect that he will realise that I must mean business! I just want to get better now. I'm tired of being tired now. My symptoms that I will be telling the Dr include:

No energy. At all.
Weeing a lot more and it's now noticeable if I don't get up in the night for the toilet as waking in the night as I need to wee has become the norm, I actually put this as the reason in my mind as being why I was feeling so tired and un-rested in the day.
I am constantly hungry! I never feel full after a meal and could easily eat my dinners twice over! I'm always picking to try fill up.
My 'down below' itch.
My feet now itching so, so much! (I sound a right catch! )
Fuzzy headed, sometimes feel detached and spaced out.
My eyes go blurry and I feel like I have to shake my head and blink to clear the fog.
I am a dragon! I go into horrendous tempers that pass as quick as they came.

The only thing I haven't noticed is the 'traditional' extreme thirst, I am hopeful that means my suspicions may be wrong as to be honest I am petrified. I also haven't noticed any weight loss, though I am overweight so that would be a good symptom(!?).

Did anyone else have any of these symptoms that I'm feeling? I'm sorry to be harping on. It's like a light bulb has gone off in my head this weekend and whilst I'm scared, I just want to know now. I think I may buy one of those tester things that was mentioned, maybe the results from that could help to start preparing for when I get an appt or the results may mean that it is probably not diabetes but again means that it's time to go ask for help now anyway, I can't go on feeling this absolutely **** anymore

Thank you for listening.

 

[angieG]

Don't worry about a sterile pot. My Doctor said that folks bring samples in all sorts, including jam jars (I hope if they are being tested for diabetes they rinse them out well :lol: ). Just find something that is watertight if you can.
They will then be able to do a dipstick test and see if there is glucose, protein or blood in the urine (thus checking for various causes). I was diagnosed like this 3 years ago. Even if this doesn't show high levels of glucose in your urine it is still possible you are diabetic or pre-diabetic as I believe you have to have a level of 10 before it registers in urine with the sticks. A blood test is more accurate.

Your symptoms do sound feasible but you still need an official diagnosis which we cannot give obviously. You say you haven't got the extreme thirst, it may be that your levels aren't quite high enough to trigger that, but you could still be drinking slightly more than previously without really realising it. I found I had a dry mouth all the time and needed to suck sweets or something before I got to the extreme thirst stage. (My levels had got to the high 20's by the time I got checked out)

Let us know how you get on.
Regards
Angie

 

[Andy12345]

my only sympton was the thirst which i cured by drinking copious amounts of coke lol :thumbup: another great idea of mine

 

[paul-1976]

my only sympton was the thirst which i cured by drinking copious amounts of coke lol :thumbup: another great idea of mine

That's the problem I had too-as well as Thirst-I craved sugary drinks and sweets like mad before diagnosis yet I still lost weight-I now know it was because my body was crying out for energy as I was just peeing it out. :thumbdown:

 

[WhitbyJet]

My symptoms were lethargy and extreme thirst, in an effort to be healthy I ditched the coke and drank gallons of pure fruit juice instead DOH

If you are near a Lloyds pharmacy you could book a free diabetes test and take it from there
http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/info/f ... betes-test

But with all your symptoms you sound pretty run down as it is, even if you are not diagnosed as diabetic it wont do any harm to get a good medical check up.

I wish you all the very best, big hug x

 

[popsy]

Hello SourFlower

When you go to the doc...when not if :wink: ..take a list with you of all the stuff that's bothering you. That's absolutely everything, whether you think it's related to your worries or not. In fact, why not print out what you wrote in this thread, it's all there. Write down your concerns about your family members as well. I agree about taking a sample with you and waving it the doc's face..well not literally maybe but hey, what's feeling a bit silly compared to not knowing and feeling **** like you do now. We all make fools of ourselves sometimes, me more than most, but in this case you won't be. It's necessary :thumbup:

Sounds very like diabetes to me but hon, it's not the end of the world, it really isn't, and how much better to know what's going on than not. I know I was mighty relieved to know that falling asleep all over the place after eating a high carb meal wasn't, in fact, normal at all!

If your doctor behaves as he ought to you will be ok. Good Luck and let us know how you go on ok?

 

[annelise]

SourFlower, You surely need to see a doctor ASAP.

Do not worry overly much about the urine sample, - that is very old school for making a diagnosis. The doc will wish to test your blood, a much more exact method.

I kind of fastened on what you said about your mood changes (a dragon). This is kind of symptomatic for a swing in blood sugars (especially for T1 diabetes).

Best, annelise

- and take courage, if you find that you have diabetes. You can control it so as not to get complications. A great number of us are living long, happy and normal lives in spite of it.

 

[SourFlower]

Hello all again.

Well I have spoke to the surgery and I am going to be called back with an appt for a fasting blood test, our surgery operates telephone consultations to decide if you need to see a Dr and I was told that a blood test will need to be booked, should hopefully know when for later today.

I did however buy a accuv (think that's how you spell it!) blood monitor today and these are the results I have had so far:

I had nothing to eat all morning as got caught up doing things, I did have one cup of tea and a black coffee, no sugar in them.

12pm my reading was 4.8. That's good right?
I then had something to eat, chicken salad with a couple of new potatoes and a biscuit after.

My reading at 13:45 was 7.2.

I then took another reading at 14:20 and it was 7.0.

As far as I can tell these are pretty good? I'm not sure if I'm reading the info right on the website as to targets and what are the normal range. The only thing I'm a little scared of is that my husband who had had the same meal was 5.6 when mine was reading 7.0.

I know you can't tell me yes or no etc but based on your experience do you think they are ok?

Thank you all so much.

 

[izzzi]

Hi, SourFlower.(thought I spelled Sunflower wrong)

Hope your a little less stressed now that you have been to the Doctors.

You are probably trying many different things to help remedy your symptoms.

My 2 simple things to avoid until you know whats is going on is. "Avoid caffeine and do not use any kind of scented soaps/creams".

Hope all works out for you in the meantime.

Roy.

 

[SourFlower]

Haha! I wish now I had picked Sunflower for a username but I was feeling particularly grumpy and sour yesterday and not sunny in the slightest

Thank you for the advice on caffeine, eek I love my black coffees

I now have a blood test confirmed for just under 2 weeks time, seems like a lifetime but with my above readings seem to indicate no cause for alarm? But I'm really not sure if I'm understanding the figures properly. I should be happy that I didn't get double figure readings and the 4.8 is 'nice and low' ? Argh I'm so confused lol