Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Now Ye're Talking - to a diabetic

  • 05-07-2018 2:09pm
    #1
    Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    Our next guest was diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. Here's what he has to say about it.
    In relation to myself, I was diagnosed in 2010. I had symptoms long before this, but when problems started to arise, I buried my head in the sand, did the typical fella thing, and hoped it would go away. I knew what it was (there's family history), but I suppose i was in denial a bit.

    As for now, married, 2 kids, and treating the diabetes is a part of life really - it's 2nd nature. I really worry about some of the kids getting it too, and the youngest lad started showing some symptoms at 18 months, luckily he didn't have it.

    As for my Type, I consider myself not any specific type of diabetic, as I show characteristics of both type 1 and type 2. I'm being treated as Type 1.


«1

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,758 ✭✭✭Pelvis


    Fancy a snickers?


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    Well done for tackling it as you say eventually.

    Did it cause any damage such as loss of limbs?
    Hope not of course.

    Do you have to inject daily?

    If you had of tackled sooner would you be any better off?

    Thanks


  • Registered Users Posts: 734 ✭✭✭Aceandstuff


    As for my Type, I consider myself not any specific type of diabetic, as I show characteristics of both type 1 and type 2. I'm being treated as Type 1.

    Well, what type is it really? I'm Type 1 myself, and I'm sick of telling people how they are different conditions. Are you insulin-dependent Type 2, or both types at the same time or....?


  • Registered Users Posts: 31,802 ✭✭✭✭Mars Bar


    What age were you when you were diagnosed and what were your symptoms?


  • Registered Users Posts: 778 ✭✭✭Roycropper63


    Many thanks for doing this.
    Was diagnosed with type 2 last Monday so still trying to to get my head around it.
    Had no symptoms that I was aware of. Was picked up last may 2017 with sugars a bit high on admission to hospital. And been tested since then and finally confirmed.
    Do you try and avoid sugar completely or what do you have with a cup of tea etc?

    Thanks Roy


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 211 ✭✭Graham1978


    Our next guest was diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. Here's what he has to say about it.
    In relation to myself, I was diagnosed in 2010. I had symptoms long before this, but when problems started to arise, I buried my head in the sand, did the typical fella thing, and hoped it would go away. I knew what it was (there's family history), but I suppose i was in denial a bit.

    As for now, married, 2 kids, and treating the diabetes is a part of life really - it's 2nd nature. I really worry about some of the kids getting it too, and the youngest lad started showing some symptoms at 18 months, luckily he didn't have it.

    As for my Type, I consider myself not any specific type of diabetic, as I show characteristics of both type 1 and type 2. I'm being treated as Type 1.
    I was diagnosed in 2010 too, and like yourself on the fence between 1 and 2, just wondering how old you are ? Im 40 and have to say it don't effect my life really in any way, I watch what I eat am fairly active and enjoy a glass of wine or whatever like anyone else. Has it changed your life much ? And sorry ment to say no history in the family, just a freak :-)


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Couple of questions as a couple of my siblings have Type 1 diabetes with very different experiences based on the age at which they are diagnosed.

    Did you do much/any testing on how different foods/drinks affected your blood sugar levels?
    Even managing your blood sugar levels pretty well, do you still have issues with unexpected hypos and how often does that happen?

    I'll probably have more when you answer :)


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Pelvis wrote: »
    Fancy a snickers?

    Some craic.


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Well done for tackling it as you say eventually.

    Did it cause any damage such as loss of limbs?
    Hope not of course.

    Do you have to inject daily?

    If you had of tackled sooner would you be any better off?

    Thanks

    Luckily, no loss of limbs. When I was getting diagnosed, I did have a bit of damage done to the kidneys (they're still leaking protein). The pains in my legs were my main "spurring on" moment for finally going for a blood test.

    I do have to inject daily, multiple times.

    I'd have been far better off getting diagnosed sooner. Everyone would benefit from this, as having high blood sugar is quite damaging to the body!


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Well, what type is it really? I'm Type 1 myself, and I'm sick of telling people how they are different conditions. Are you insulin-dependent Type 2, or both types at the same time or....?

    Thanks for the question! I've never been given a straight answer on this. When originally diagnosed, the staff in St. Vincent's seemed to be amazed by me, as if i was some kind of unique case (i think mainly cos my blood sugar readings were always quite high, yet my HBA1C was almost always perfect). I've had DNA testing etc done as well to try and figure out genetic stuff I don't quite understand.

    I consider myself type 1, i'm being treated as such by Sligo Hospital, and am on the list for an insulin pump.

    That being said, i have insulin resistance as well though, and take some medications that would be prescribed to Type 2 diabetics also. I'd like to finally have an answer to this myself.


  • Advertisement
  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Mars Bar wrote: »
    What age were you when you were diagnosed and what were your symptoms?

    I was about 25 when diagnosed. As for symptoms, I suppose i had the classics

    Huge thirst - this was the worst part. I would drink anywhere between 2 - 3 litres of water, just in bed at night. I'd wake, gasping with the thirst. Of course, all that water means you also have to pee a lot. So, there wasn't a whole lot of sleep going on.

    Hunger - i was constantly hungry. I'd be craving sweet stuff the whole time. When i'd get up to pee after drinking all that water, i'd also stuff my face with bars of chocolate (snickers :P) etc. What's happening here is, I either had no insulin, or the amount that my body produced was ineffective. Insulin is like a key, that opens the lock to your body's cells. If the cells are locked, no sugar can get in, meaning you have no energy. And your body cries out for sugary stuff.

    Weight loss - when diagnosed I was down to 9.5 stone (from about 12). I'm nearly 13.5 now - so gone the other way).

    Leg pains. Both legs had a bit of nerve damage. They were constantly aching, and would get extremely uncomfortable and restless at night. I would constantly have to move them to get some relief. My feet felt like they were in boiling water at all times. I would get these sharp jabbing pains randomly below the knee, nerves firing I suppose


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Many thanks for doing this.
    Was diagnosed with type 2 last Monday so still trying to to get my head around it.
    Had no symptoms that I was aware of. Was picked up last may 2017 with sugars a bit high on admission to hospital. And been tested since then and finally confirmed.
    Do you try and avoid sugar completely or what do you have with a cup of tea etc?

    Thanks Roy

    I gave up the sugar in tea / coffee. I used to take 2 and a half spoons in both. Can't even have sweetner in the tea or coffee now.

    With regard to diet and that, I don't do anything special. I count the carbs in a meal, by looking at the back of packs etc, and measure out the insulin required to "cover" these carbs. I have a specific ratio depending on time of day. So in the morning, for every 10 g of carbs, I will need 2 units of insulin - a 2:1 ratio.

    There's a great app you can get for your phone called Carbs & Cals. comes in very handy as it is a visual cue to give you an idea of how many carbs there are in a meal.

    It takes a while getting your head around everything. Good luck with things!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,680 ✭✭✭Stargate


    Thank you for doing this AMA .

    Really great idea.

    Hopefully it will help inform people of the dangers of diabetes and they go get checked out. May i wish you and all your family the very best of luck and good health.


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Graham1978 wrote: »
    I was diagnosed in 2010 too, and like yourself on the fence between 1 and 2, just wondering how old you are ? Im 40 and have to say it don't effect my life really in any way, I watch what I eat am fairly active and enjoy a glass of wine or whatever like anyone else. Has it changed your life much ? And sorry ment to say no history in the family, just a freak :-)

    I was 25 when diagnosed.

    Ah, I can't say it affected my life hugely. I had a fair bit of copping on to do with the diet I suppose, but other than that, not really. The testing and injections etc become second nature after a while


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Couple of questions as a couple of my siblings have Type 1 diabetes with very different experiences based on the age at which they are diagnosed.

    Did you do much/any testing on how different foods/drinks affected your blood sugar levels?
    Even managing your blood sugar levels pretty well, do you still have issues with unexpected hypos and how often does that happen?

    I'll probably have more when you answer :)

    I used to keep a food diary to try and get a handle on things in the beginning. Stuff like rice, bread etc would have an effect alright, and i've found with them, the amount of carbs that are "meant" to be in them usually isn't right (at least on reccomended amounts of carbs). Say for 2 slices of bread - that's meant to be 20g of carbs. I've found myself that I would need to allow as if it was 30g of carbs, and adjust my insulin dosage accordingly.

    I switched to stuff like Basmati rice over long grain, brown bread - stuff that's slower burned by the body.

    I do have unexpected hypos, sometimes for overcorrecting when my blood sugar would have been high. About 12 months ago, I was diagnosed with depression, and about a week into taking the medication, I was having hypos 2 / 3 / 4 times a day. I had to adjust all of my ratios again as a result. I'm no longer taking depression meds, and sure enough, my blood sugar readings have been creeping back up again


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Stargate wrote: »
    Thank you for doing this AMA .

    Really great idea.

    Hopefully it will help inform people of the dangers of diabetes and they go get checked out. May i wish you and all your family the very best of luck and good health.

    Thank you Stargate.

    I think the problem with it is, the effects can really creep up on you. So gradual you may not notice until all of a sudden, it's a big problem.

    I consider myself lucky to have been diagnosed when i was. If it wasn't for my girlfriend at the time (now wife), I might not have taken the leap to go and get the blood test done at all


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,918 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    Have you ever had any scary moments with it where your blood sugars were dangerously high (or low - sorry not sure which!) or have you been able to manage it pretty well from day 1?

    I had a relative slip into a diabetic coma and die, I only found out recently that's what it was although a long time ago. I remember he had a very sweet tooth (loved sugar in his tea and a bit of cake :) ) so perhaps he didn't look after his condition as well as he could have.


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    miamee wrote: »
    Have you ever had any scary moments with it where your blood sugars were dangerously high (or low - sorry not sure which!) or have you been able to manage it pretty well from day 1?

    I had a relative slip into a diabetic coma and die, I only found out recently that's what it was although a long time ago. I remember he had a very sweet tooth (loved sugar in his tea and a bit of cake :) ) so perhaps he didn't look after his condition as well as he could have.

    Oh my blood sugars have been pretty high loads of times. I don't feel a whole lot different when they are high though.

    And lows, i've been lucky insofar as I feel them coming on. I've a bit of damage in my right eye due to glaucoma, and when the sugars go low, i get this strange "halo" of light in my eye. Without fail, the sugars are low, or are in the process of dropping.

    I've seen my uncle pass out from being low, and it was legit scary. He took insulin ahead of his dinner, and just as he was going to sit down, a Phonewatch salesman came to the door, and distracted him with conversation. He started acting funny, prompting the Phonewatch guy to run away, to the petrol station next door. My sister works there, so I got a phone call to go see what was up.

    When i got there, he was passed out in the kitchen. He lives with my elderly grandmother, he's her full time carer (she has dementia). When the ambulance arrived, the had to break in the front window in the door to get access to him.

    They managed to get Lucosade into him, and eventually he came around. I had to stay with him overnight.

    I hate going low because it makes me feel real shaky, dizzy and goofy. And the "hangover" afterwards is always brutal. When you go low, you get really hungry. I've been known to microwave a pint of icecream and drink it :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,758 ✭✭✭Pelvis


    I hate that feeling of low blood sugar, the shakes, absolutely pumping sweat. I get a massive craving for bread especially, just pile on a ton of jam or marmalade!! Then when that all goes away you get that feeling of pure exhaustion. Can usually feel it coming on and eat something before it gets bad, but have been caught out when had no immediate access to food, it's actually a little scary!!

    Diabetes is in my family too and I had things checked specifically because those episodes happened quite often, but all is okay according to the doctor!


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,918 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    That sounds like an awful waste of ice cream, chugging it down :P

    That was awful for your uncle, luckily you were nearby and able to get help. Do you worry that something like that might happen to you or are you even more aware now of how important it is to stick to your routine since that you've seen that happen?


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    I'm a 40 year type 1, my most exciting moment was waking up on a low sugar and injecting as per because my brain was foggy due to being low - I have memory of being at the kitchen table followed by WHR and a nurse asking me questions! That was when I was about 18 since then insulin has changed radically. The old porcine based stuff was quite crude in it's behaviour as it took ages to be absorbed into the blood - the synthesised human analogue stuff is much better.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    I don't have Diabetes and know very little about it so forgive me if this is a terrible question. I have an overweight relative with Type 2. He says very little about what his doctor says to him so I don't know what's going on there. However, I have been hearing on the TV a lot lately about weight-related Diabetes may be reverseable. Do you know about that or have any experience of it.


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    miamee wrote: »
    That sounds like an awful waste of ice cream, chugging it down :P

    That was awful for your uncle, luckily you were nearby and able to get help. Do you worry that something like that might happen to you or are you even more aware now of how important it is to stick to your routine since that you've seen that happen?

    Oh ya, it gave me a right scare. I'm more worried about something like that happening to my kids now. I have 2 lads, aged 3 and 2.

    When the youngest fella was 18 months, he woke a couple of mornings in a row showing signs of hypoglycemia. Of course he couldn't tell us, but when we tested his blood using my kit, his sugars were low.

    Brought him to A&E, and after some testing / overnight stays, they told us it wasn't diabetes but something called Ketoic Hypoglycemia, something brought on due to common illness. That was scary, let me tell ya! I was beyond scared, and felt really guilty for some reason (As if i could control the genes passed on like!)


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    Jellybaby1 wrote: »
    I don't have Diabetes and know very little about it so forgive me if this is a terrible question. I have an overweight relative with Type 2. He says very little about what his doctor says to him so I don't know what's going on there. However, I have been hearing on the TV a lot lately about weight-related Diabetes may be reverseable. Do you know about that or have any experience of it.

    Apart from the first question in the thread here, I don't think there's many terrible questions can be asked!

    There seems to be a bit of a movement around this whole "diabetes being reversable" trend. It's important that people know the difference between Type 1 & Type 2 diabetics, and it's not always so black and white either.

    The basic gist of the "Newcastle Diet" as it was called, is that the Type 2 diabetic person goes on a seriously reduced diet for a period of i think 6 weeks. Calorie intake is something in the region of 600 cals per day. You can only have certain types of veg, no meat, no fats, no sugars etc.

    To be fair, some of the results seem promising.

    And i've practised intermittent fasting in the past - it does have an effect on your blood sugar control.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,939 ✭✭✭goat2


    I live with someone that has diabetes, but he does not take it very seriously, I am, and do not buy the sugar laden food to bring home, but he does, he is on Glucophage and other tablets for it, yet he is the one that goes and bring in all this non essential sugar laden food and eat it also, I have had both parents with the condition, my father had to inject to keep it at bay, so I keep clear as I can of the sugary produce, I guess that I am more scared as my father lived the last three yrs of his life blind, and I know and have seen the reality of it all


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,338 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    Do you find the grind of knowing that eventually no matter how well you mind yourself, look after the diet, the carbs and the HbA1c that no matter how well you do it....
    That you will likely suffer from complications due to Diabetes to be, discouraging?


  • Registered Users Posts: 5 ScotsGoneIRE


    Change your diet, change your life.

    Many unknown food Allergies/Intolerances cause the want/need for sugar for energy for the body to function. Unfortunately both a unknown food A/I and sugar increase will cause weight gain and thus the big D

    If you get indigestion/heartburn/trapped wind everytime you eat something you are eating or too much of it your digestion system is saying NO to it just because it’s tasty DONT, taking Zantac etc puts these chemicals not just in your stomach but your blood and thus brain system, and that effects brain function and thought to dementia as well.

    Eat well but listen to your body, everyone should do a food diary and remove food groups/allergens for a month then binge on it. Fibromyalgia doesn’t exist it’s food intolerances/allergies.

    Most foods turn to sugar so eat the right things.

    Eat proce$$ed food$ then take proce$$ed chemical$ to relieve ailment$, lol, just LOL. Wake up!

    Energy drinks of all sorts no matter what type of sugar derivative cause non alcoholic fatty liver disease, then when that’s almost exploding it adds round your waist last but not least.

    I was 25st at 28, now 13st.

    If it is in a packet and you don’t know without training yourself all the ingredients simply don’t buy or eat it. The big D the big C and many other ‘conditions’ are a result of mass processing of foods since the 60s. Eat for life not shareholders.

    Fresh frozen and canned is the easiest and cheapest way for everyone. Put some effort in.

    And note after a cold/flu virus that can change your stomach flora - where most the good bacteria and bad (that feed on sugars) live, feed them well and they will serve your body well :)

    Peace and good food to everyone!


  • Company Representative Posts: 21 Verified rep I have diabetes, AMA


    banie01 wrote: »
    Do you find the grind of knowing that eventually no matter how well you mind yourself, look after the diet, the carbs and the HbA1c that no matter how well you do it....
    That you will likely suffer from complications due to Diabetes to be, discouraging?

    To be honest, it's kinda always at the back of my mind. I see my uncle now having some issues. He's had diabetes since he was a young fella, and he's in his 60s now. Despite always having good control, he's having issues with his gums / teeth etc.

    I think my big fear is heart disease and dying of a heart attack!


  • Registered Users Posts: 45,758 ✭✭✭✭muffler


    A couple of questions:

    Do you have many hypos and if so what time of the day are they generally occurring?

    How do you find the medical support i.e. is there enough being done for you by way of clinic appointments, regular tests or assessments by your local GP practice or local hospital?

    Do you feel that you know more about the condition (at times) than some of the so called professionals?

    Finally and just as a FYI for you and other diabetics - are you aware of the woman who sued for discrimination in a case in NI a couple of days ago? Ever encountered anything like this yourself?


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    Fair bit of ignorance from jobsworths still out there. There was a very famous case (on boards.ie!) regarding if I recall rightly the confiscation of an insulin pack at a certain high profile festival event.


This discussion has been closed.
Advertisement