The inevitable has happened and I'm worried

[oojimmyfllip]

Hi, I'm a newbie on here and I am type 2 diabetic. My name is Nigel. I am 44 yrs old.

i have been type 2 for two years taking oral Gliclazide 80mg twice a day, I monitor my sugars myself because I take a lot of other medication and in the last two month I have not acheived a lower reading than 13.4 I was put on Metaformin 500mg two days ago and I have reacted quite severely to this and am now told that my only direction is to go on insulin.

I am worried about my driving license and general health, I dont have good routines my health varies from day to day and my sleeping patterns this also worries me.

can anyone please offer some confidence forming advice please, I'm not afraid of needdles and have seen many in the last 20 years but don't much relish the thought of doing the deed myself.

I am also on anticoagulants which makes me bruise easily.

I would be very grateful for any posative advice anyone can give please.

Best wishes and thank you in advance Nigel, :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[hanadr]

I can understand your reluctance to go on to insulin.However, My T1 husband hasn't had any problems with his driving license. It just has to be renewed every 3 years.
However
You have reached a point where you might be ready to take care of yourself properly.
As you realise, Diabetes can lead to horrible complications of Nerve function, Eyesight and kidney disease. All these are caused by too much sugar circulating in your blood, damaging the micro blood vessels.
To control that sugar, you have several components:
1) medication, In most cases, including insulin,this will turn much of that glucose into stored fat and you gain weight
2) your diet, What you haven't eaten won't be circulating in your bloodstream. this is the logic of the low carb diet.
3) your exercise, you burn it off and exercise helps to reverse insulin insensitivity, which is the cause of much T2 diabetes in the first place.
You will have to find your own best path through the minefield, but I always suggest that 2) and 3) are the best route, because there are no side effects.
You can't hurt yourself by reducing the sugars and starches thaat you eat. that includes the so-called healthier un-refined versions of flour,pasta, rice etc.
Read through this forum. there's loads here. If thereafter you have some specific questions, someone is sure to come along, who can answer. We are diabetics supporting diabetics, from our own experiences, here, not book educated medics( except Katharine,Libby and the dieticians)

 

[Patch]

If you are not lo-carbing then I'd definitely give it a go. I've found that the combination of a lo-carb diet and Gliclazide works great for me...

 

[stewpid]

Nigel

Fully understand your concerns, but I was in a similar position to you apart from the fact that I went from non diabetic to T1 overnight at the age of 43.

Eleven years on and diabetes is part of my life. It becomes a pain occasionally but the routine of injections and testing etc is no different to brushing my teeth.

I was struggling with health and control of BG etc until earlier this year when I went on an Insulin Dose Adjustment course. This taught me how to assess my own insulin needs based on carbohydrate intake etc. The result has been really great because I now feel much better, my HbA1c is improving, my BP is down, and I'm losing weight because I am more conscious of what I eat and how it affects me.

So its not all doom and gloom. As Hanadr says it is better than the alternatives.

Good luck

Stewart

 

[oojimmyfllip]

thanks everyone for your advice, I have significantly reducerd my carb intake obviously any kind of refined sugar is a no-no for a start, I have had to look very carefully at food labeling and in the two years since I started gliclazide I have dropped five stone in weight from 23 stone to 19 stone.

however i am 6ft 6ins tall.

I dont honestly think my diet is the problem I think the follow up treatment at the GP surgery is rubbish, I had to go to the hospital diabeties centre last september (08) because I had a month of sugars in their 20's and the service was brilliant.

I was given a humapen and insulin as even they said it was likely that I would need insulin if I could not get control back again.
I managed to do it inside 2 months this time the episode has lasted three months and this time my eyesight has suffered from near perfect long sighted vision to having to wear prescription glasses to see further than the end of my arm.
there is no damage to the blood vessels of my eyes apparently yet.

it sounds as though better long term control is possiable with insulin and the worries about loosing my driving license are me just being daft.
I will ask to go to the hospital diabeties centre and get some proper insulin advice before I take the plunge.

regards Nigel,

 

[marleemacd]

Hi Nigel,

I was first diagnosed as Type 1 in March this year when I suffered a pulmonary embolism. Now I'm thought to be Type 2 after all and no longer have to administer insulin, but I was in your situation regarding bruising and anticoagulants. I even injected my own enoxaparin at weekends to save the nurse coming out. (And me waiting in for her!) While needles don't scare me, I agree with you that no-one would relish the prospect. I found that if I relaxed by taking some deep breaths, took my time and held the pen in until a count of ten after I'd "fired" it, that I didn't bruise myself. The nurses left me with some shockers though... I'm sure you know that arnica cream is great for reducing the eye-soreness of the blessed things.

Best of luck with it all.

 

[Bluenosesol]

Nigel,

when you say you are worried about losing your license are you refering to HGV/PSV, as to my knowledge you can carry on driving a car on insulin even though you do have to notify DVLA?.

Steve.

 

[oojimmyflip]

thanks everyone thus far, I am a little confused now those on insulin seem to want to talk me onto it yet those still on oral pills say get a second opinion because there may still be some oral drugs available, if Insulin was the best answer overall wouldn't the hardened oral pill takers know this more or less????

Steve, I have been told I might loose my Bike license and I like motorcycles. this is the one worrying me, I also need my car license because my persistant blodd clotting disorders have reduced my mobility over the past 20 years.

thanks and regards Nigel. :? :? :?

 

[Chocydrops]

Hi Nigel

I'm T1 and have been for about 10/11 years now - and have only really started getting my act together recently (aged 39!!). So you're not alone ok?

You wont lose your car license - I have to renew mine every 3 years and there is never any problems - just a lot of paperwork to fill in(just make sure you go to all hosp/doctors diabetic clinics as the DVLA want to know when you last went) And me being not the best diabetic around too!! I think there would only be problems if you hypo'd at the wheel and it resulted in an accident. So check levels before you drive. I drive as part of my job (sales rep) and I've never had any serious problems. I even thought about being a driving intructor and when I looked into it I was told my diabetes would not put the brakes on it.
Although I cant be certain, I think the same would apply to your bike license because again, when I did my CBT my diabetes wasn't an issue. Never went on to get full license tho - too much of a coward!!

Also with the bruising issue - make sure you use NEW needles/tips every time and you should be ok - I learnt that the hard way!!

Good luck with it all and keep us up to date with your progress

 

[oojimmyflip]

thanks chockydrops.

regards Nigel. :wink: