• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

What should I expect ?

Frenchalps

Frenchalps

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone. I was diagnosed 2 days ago and have been going through this forum since then. Thank you all for being so helpful and supportive in this confusing time ! I have so many questions !!

Can anyone tell me what symptoms should I expect when my blood sugar goes high or low ? I mean what will happen to me and how do I know if it going high or low. (I mean physical symptoms, not test results). Just so that I know what to watch out for !
 
Hi Frenchalps,

I am not sure what to suggest but I can certainly express my experience.

In Jan-2015 I was diagnosed with T2 when my reading was 7.3 the normal range should be between 4.5mmol/l and 6.4mmol/l (or 27 to 47mmol/mol)

I was refereed to Dietitian but the appointment was fully booked for another 4 months, I was also refereed to DESMOND and thankfully I managed to book myself within 2 weeks, this helped a lot to cut down on carbs and start exercise to control blood glucose level.

I simply cut my carbs to half (my normal intake was around 300 gms) and 15 min in the morning and evening on cross trainer, as a result I lost 2 stones in 4 months and my HBA1C (glucose blood test) was down to 5.3.

since then I had 3 months test until last one on 16th Oct.

Jan-15 = 7.5
Apr-15 = 5.3
Jul-15 = 5.8
Oct-15 = 5.6

I had no physical symptoms or any other symptoms.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi Frenchalps,

Forgot to mention that I achieved all my result without medication, I was prescribed with medication but I didn't take any medication coz I wanted to make sure if diet + exercise can make the difference and here I am practical example, so if your result is not too high then try this first.

Thanks
Samir
 
Hi Frenchalps,

Hopefully your ok, I know it can be quite a shock being diagnosed with dibetes!

For me, the main symptoms I have when i am high are REALLY bad muscular aches, like arms and legs are so painful i can barely move, also, very thirsty, sometimes people also get blurry vision (its the sugar buildup in the blood vessels of your eyes)

If you are going hypo, you'll probably notice you feel very hungry (hopefully you have a good warning on this, mine usually kicks in around 4mmol) light-headedness and dizziness, if its quite a severe hypo, or comes in the night time, then you might get cold sweats too.

Are you type 1 or 2 btw, i couldn't see in your post, but it may be my old eyes! ;)
A few tips which you'll probably find useful (hopefully)

Always carry something sweet with you, dextrose tablets are very good, work quickly and are easy to carry. To go with these, i always have something that is slow release carbs, so it keeps the level up, rather than just a quick spike. I use flapjack bars, as the oats are a great slow release carb (and they are vegetarian too :))
 
Hi Frenchalps.

I'm type 2 and was diagnosed two years ago. My blood sugars and cholesterol were stupid high, poor diet and smoked. But an active person.

I have found that if I have too much natural sugar (fruits) or the odd sweet without following the guidelines, for example, eating it before your meal. My levels go high, then without medication to help bring it down I get drowsy and tied. I can also combat this effect with exercise. You can use your testing kit to see what foods effect spike your levels.

When I get low "hypo", I get the shakes, pins and needles all over. This when you need to intake sugar rapidly or you may possibly pass out and need urgent medical attention. If you are unsure and you have the energy, quickly test yourself with your kit to confirm your level. Chocolate, sugary sweets, fruit, cake, jelly babies, anything sweet to consume to bring your levels back up. It has taken me a good 3-5 hours to get my levels back up. Everyone is different you will know and again you can test.

When working out I had a little box with contact numbers, medication I was taking and glucose tablets in it. I also bought wrist bands and medical ID bracelets, just in case of a hypo, people might see your wrist band and understand what was happening if I suddenly started to go. Nowadays most people know of someone with diabetes and know how to react and help. But I like to be prepared and take control of a situation, rather than the situation take control of you.

Tell your friends and work colleagues, try to advise them of the "what if this happens" scenario and what appropriate action to take and do.

Try to get hold of a book "Diabetes for dummies". It's a long read but covers everything Type 1 & 2. Its a good reference book.

I hope I've helped you.
 
Back
Top