Ok so I have had poorly controlled diabetes for 20 years. I am working on that.
It is not that often that I wake up with a "normal" blood sugar but when I do my hands are numb. This doesn't happen when my bgs are higher. I would have thought it would be the other way round. Also if I have a "normal" bg during the day and I do a bit of knitting my hands go numb - or more pins and needles really. I wonder if this will resolve itself once my bgs are always lower - if that ever happens!
On a similar note, my trigger finger and thumb appear to be resolving themselves without having the operation.
Showing posts with label complications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label complications. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Monday, 13 August 2007
Date for my op
I am going in to have my trigger finger and thumb op on 29th August. I don't know if they are doing them one at a time or both on the same day. Hopefully it will sort out my problem though and I can get a bit of knitting done soon.
Monday, 16 July 2007
Numb - part 2
So I went to see the GP this morning about my numbness. He had a feel around of my neck and face, and looked in my ears, eyes and throat. I then had to close my eyes and tell him if I could feel when he touched my face, first with a soft brush and then with a sharp point. Yes I could. He said that it could be an irritated nerve to my face, possibly neuropathy. Ulgh, here we go. Anyway, he said I could think about an MRI but that he didn't think I needed that at this point, and also some neuro tests at the hospital. But to give it a couple of weeks and see if it is still there, or worse, or whatever.
Next Monday I have to go to the hospital to the physio department to let them have a look at my trigger finger & thumb. I am an avid knitter and thought I had some kind of RSI from doing too much, but it is actually trigger finger probably exacerbated by the knitting. I cannot bend my left thumb or right little finger. So physio are going to take a look and then see if I need to see the ortho surgeon. I had it in my left little finger about 5 years ago which went off by itself, but I'm too keen to get back to knitting to wait this time. I haven't been allowed to knit at all for at least a month, it's driving me nuts.
Well, this weekend, my bgs haven't been great and my 7 day average has crept back up to 11.3 (203). And (whispers!)
PS Chrissie from Belgium - I will email you a response to your "rumblings" comment.
Next Monday I have to go to the hospital to the physio department to let them have a look at my trigger finger & thumb. I am an avid knitter and thought I had some kind of RSI from doing too much, but it is actually trigger finger probably exacerbated by the knitting. I cannot bend my left thumb or right little finger. So physio are going to take a look and then see if I need to see the ortho surgeon. I had it in my left little finger about 5 years ago which went off by itself, but I'm too keen to get back to knitting to wait this time. I haven't been allowed to knit at all for at least a month, it's driving me nuts.
Well, this weekend, my bgs haven't been great and my 7 day average has crept back up to 11.3 (203). And (whispers!)
PS Chrissie from Belgium - I will email you a response to your "rumblings" comment.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Rumblings - an explanation
Dr. W. gave me this explanation yesterday of why gastroparesis is made worse by high bgs........
Imagine you are a non-diabetic for a bit (I know, I WISH!!). Anyway, if you are hungry your stomach rumbles right? This is because your brain knows your blood sugar is low and prepares your stomach to receive food, by making it more active to digest the food when it gets there, hence the rumbling. When you have eaten, the brain notices a blood sugar rise and knows the food has been digested, so the stomach slows down again.
In a diabetic, we get that hunger and rumbling when our bgs are low. But if the blood sugar is high, the brain tells the stomach to slow down because it doesn't need food. Therefore, if we then eat, the food isn't digested as fast, and the combination of this and the nerve damage which has occurred as a result of consistent high bgs makes the gastroparesis worse.
Now I know this, it makes so much more sense to keep my blood sugars down. I'm still doing okay, at 12 noon I was 8.5 (153) and 2.30pm I was 11.1 (199). I am happy with these results at the moment, but know I will have to tighten them up. Let's hope it continues to improve.
Imagine you are a non-diabetic for a bit (I know, I WISH!!). Anyway, if you are hungry your stomach rumbles right? This is because your brain knows your blood sugar is low and prepares your stomach to receive food, by making it more active to digest the food when it gets there, hence the rumbling. When you have eaten, the brain notices a blood sugar rise and knows the food has been digested, so the stomach slows down again.
In a diabetic, we get that hunger and rumbling when our bgs are low. But if the blood sugar is high, the brain tells the stomach to slow down because it doesn't need food. Therefore, if we then eat, the food isn't digested as fast, and the combination of this and the nerve damage which has occurred as a result of consistent high bgs makes the gastroparesis worse.
Now I know this, it makes so much more sense to keep my blood sugars down. I'm still doing okay, at 12 noon I was 8.5 (153) and 2.30pm I was 11.1 (199). I am happy with these results at the moment, but know I will have to tighten them up. Let's hope it continues to improve.
Thursday, 5 July 2007
My clinic visit results
A good and a bad day really.
My hair turned out a nice colour, no pic as yet though.
As for my appointment with Dr. W., well..............My kidneys are fine, the high urea result is due to dehydration, because my bgs are so high at the moment. As for the A1c (11.3), he wasn't impressed. He said there was no way a pump patient should have an A1c in double figures! As my pump is funded by my local Primary Care Trust, he said they (the PCT) would probably look at the result as a good reason to withdraw funding. Ok, I could afford to fund the consumables myself if it came to it, but I don''t want to have to. So there is reason 1 to get the result down.
I am also in a vicious circle with regard to the gastroparesis. Keeping high bgs so I don't go low if the gastro kicks in, is making it more likely to happen. Reason 2 to get the result down. I now have to take domperidone and erythromycin to help my stomach work better. I also got a prescription for an injection of metclopramide in case I really need it, but it is not to be used willy-nilly. My husband is not too chuffed at the prospect that there might come a time when he has to inject me with it, or the Glucagon that I also got today. He has never given me even an insulin injection before and really doesn't like the idea. But he would do it if it came to it.
I also got myself a blood pressure monitor to use at home. I always get "white coat syndrome" so they don't bother to check it for me at the clinic, so I have to take my own results in. I only had a wrist one before and they aren't very accurate.
It was also suggested again that I go onto the ward for a week so they could monitor me and keep an eye on stuff and sort me out. I am not keen on this idea and want to avoid it, Reason 3 to get the result down.
So, as of now, I am going to do things right. No more messing about, if I get anxious i will think things through logically and try not to just focus on all the negative thoughts. I bolused correctly for my dinner this evening and that's how i have to carry on.
Oh, and my thigh pouch came, not very flattering but no-one will see it. Well I might just flash it once for my friend Bex to have a giggle at!!!
My hair turned out a nice colour, no pic as yet though.
As for my appointment with Dr. W., well..............My kidneys are fine, the high urea result is due to dehydration, because my bgs are so high at the moment. As for the A1c (11.3), he wasn't impressed. He said there was no way a pump patient should have an A1c in double figures! As my pump is funded by my local Primary Care Trust, he said they (the PCT) would probably look at the result as a good reason to withdraw funding. Ok, I could afford to fund the consumables myself if it came to it, but I don''t want to have to. So there is reason 1 to get the result down.
I am also in a vicious circle with regard to the gastroparesis. Keeping high bgs so I don't go low if the gastro kicks in, is making it more likely to happen. Reason 2 to get the result down. I now have to take domperidone and erythromycin to help my stomach work better. I also got a prescription for an injection of metclopramide in case I really need it, but it is not to be used willy-nilly. My husband is not too chuffed at the prospect that there might come a time when he has to inject me with it, or the Glucagon that I also got today. He has never given me even an insulin injection before and really doesn't like the idea. But he would do it if it came to it.
I also got myself a blood pressure monitor to use at home. I always get "white coat syndrome" so they don't bother to check it for me at the clinic, so I have to take my own results in. I only had a wrist one before and they aren't very accurate.
It was also suggested again that I go onto the ward for a week so they could monitor me and keep an eye on stuff and sort me out. I am not keen on this idea and want to avoid it, Reason 3 to get the result down.
So, as of now, I am going to do things right. No more messing about, if I get anxious i will think things through logically and try not to just focus on all the negative thoughts. I bolused correctly for my dinner this evening and that's how i have to carry on.
Oh, and my thigh pouch came, not very flattering but no-one will see it. Well I might just flash it once for my friend Bex to have a giggle at!!!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Kidneys
I am getting myself a little bit worried. I already have some complications - retinopathy & gastroparesis. My blood tests have revealed a higher than normal urea level in my blood. I did a "google" and found out that this could indicate kidney problems. I guess I'll find out on Thursday.
I am kind of in a limbo. When I have a clinic appointment coming up I get like this, a kind of "well I won't bother trying to change anything until I've been to my appointment cos it won't make any diffrence will it" kind of attitude. Well, only 2 days to go.
I am kind of in a limbo. When I have a clinic appointment coming up I get like this, a kind of "well I won't bother trying to change anything until I've been to my appointment cos it won't make any diffrence will it" kind of attitude. Well, only 2 days to go.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Complications - gastroparesis.
Thanks to Caro for her comment on my first post. This has given me a subject for today's post - gastroparesis.
What is gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. It often occurs in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Gastroparesis happens when nerves to the stomach are damaged or stop working. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. If the vagus nerve is damaged, the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally, and the movement of food is slowed or stopped. Diabetes can damage the vagus nerve if blood glucose levels remain high over a long period of time. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. (Follow the link above for more information).
The first symptoms I had were unexplained bouts of vomiting. As it was only about once a year I didn't really think too much about it. I did mention it at a diabetes clinic visit but I was told it could be anything and not to assume that any illnesses I had were necessarily caused by having diabetes. When I had had 2 bouts a few months apart, I mentioned it again, and it was suggested that I go for a gastric emptying test. This couldn't be done at my local hospital so I had to get up early and get a train 20 miles to Liverpool for an 8.30am appointment. I had to fast from the evening before.
On arrival I was seated in front of a large machine which was going to track the food I was about to eat for the next 2 hours. I had to take my insulin and then because the machine was in front of me and I couldn't feed myself, I was spoonfed some porridge, then a sandwich and had to drink a cup of tea through a straw. Most undignified!! All of this was laced with a radioactive substance which would be tracked. I then had to sit still for 2 hours or so. A nurse was with me and basically we just chatted.
The results were that my stomach was emptying slower than it should do. As it was very infrequent, no treatment was suggested apart from tightening up my blood sugars. I think I had that test about 5 or 6 years ago. I continued to have bouts of vomitting lasting a couple of days each, about twice a year, and was given Domperidone which speeds up the activity of the stomach.
The episodes of gastroparesis can occur quite spontaneously. Usually I wake in the early hours of the morning feeling very hot and with what I call "eggy burps" - an awful sulphurous taste. This is caused by undigested food starting to go off in my stomach. A few minutes later I throw up. Now, these episodes are easy to handle as there is no "active" insulin in my system at that time of day, just the basal amounts from the pump. I just don't eat for the rest of the day, check bgs often, keep up fluids - just water usually and sometimes that doesn't stay in! - and wait until it all calms down. I may throw up a few times during the day but eventually it stops. It then takes a couple of days to stop feeling like I've been kicked in the stomach, and then I'm back to normal.
I went onto the pump in August 2004 and it seemed that I was only getting an episide once a year. In March this year I had a different episode. I'd woken up with a bg of 9 (not unusual for me - I am usually running high) and had my insulin and breakfast as usual. About an hour later I felt something wasn't right, and checked my bgs - 8. As they usually shoot up after breakfast I kept an eye on them, and watched as they dropped to 6 in the next half an hour. I guessed something odd was going on and took some Lucozade. The bgs dropped again. More Lucozade and Glucostop, but they kept dropping. At 4.2 we decided to pop over to A&E. By the time I got there, I was shaking and very weak, and was taken straight through and given some toast and jam. It was about another 20 minutes before my bgs were checked, and of course they had started to rise. I started to feel a bit daft, but I am prone to panic when my bgs drop.
I had various bloodtests done and a chest Xray to try to find out what had caused it, and the conclusion was that I had recently had an undetected chest infection. (But I thought infection raised the blood sugar?) I was given antibiotics and sent home after 4 hours. By now my Bgs were 18. The gastroparesis then kicked in and I had my usual vomiting for the rest of the day.
In May I had another early morning episode, but I am now shaken up and expecting it to happen any day at any time. I keep thinking that if my bgs had started off at 4 and had dropped and the glucose hadn't worked I would have gone unconcious. I have never gone unconcious before and this is a really scary thing for me. I am therefore checking bgs, then eating and waiting to check the bgs are rising before I take my bolus. By the time it kicks in, the bgs are far too high into the mid-teens but at least I am nowhere near a hypo.
I now take a Domperidone every morning, and I have been given a prescription for Erythromycin which also encourages stomach activity but I haven't taken them yet. The thing is that between episodes my stomach works absolutely fine and it is only now and again that it doesn't. So I don't want to be taking a long term antibiotic if I don't have to.
I am currently running blood sugars of 10-14 all the time, which I KNOW isn't a good idea. Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
What is gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. It often occurs in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Gastroparesis happens when nerves to the stomach are damaged or stop working. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. If the vagus nerve is damaged, the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally, and the movement of food is slowed or stopped. Diabetes can damage the vagus nerve if blood glucose levels remain high over a long period of time. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. (Follow the link above for more information).
The first symptoms I had were unexplained bouts of vomiting. As it was only about once a year I didn't really think too much about it. I did mention it at a diabetes clinic visit but I was told it could be anything and not to assume that any illnesses I had were necessarily caused by having diabetes. When I had had 2 bouts a few months apart, I mentioned it again, and it was suggested that I go for a gastric emptying test. This couldn't be done at my local hospital so I had to get up early and get a train 20 miles to Liverpool for an 8.30am appointment. I had to fast from the evening before.
On arrival I was seated in front of a large machine which was going to track the food I was about to eat for the next 2 hours. I had to take my insulin and then because the machine was in front of me and I couldn't feed myself, I was spoonfed some porridge, then a sandwich and had to drink a cup of tea through a straw. Most undignified!! All of this was laced with a radioactive substance which would be tracked. I then had to sit still for 2 hours or so. A nurse was with me and basically we just chatted.
The results were that my stomach was emptying slower than it should do. As it was very infrequent, no treatment was suggested apart from tightening up my blood sugars. I think I had that test about 5 or 6 years ago. I continued to have bouts of vomitting lasting a couple of days each, about twice a year, and was given Domperidone which speeds up the activity of the stomach.
The episodes of gastroparesis can occur quite spontaneously. Usually I wake in the early hours of the morning feeling very hot and with what I call "eggy burps" - an awful sulphurous taste. This is caused by undigested food starting to go off in my stomach. A few minutes later I throw up. Now, these episodes are easy to handle as there is no "active" insulin in my system at that time of day, just the basal amounts from the pump. I just don't eat for the rest of the day, check bgs often, keep up fluids - just water usually and sometimes that doesn't stay in! - and wait until it all calms down. I may throw up a few times during the day but eventually it stops. It then takes a couple of days to stop feeling like I've been kicked in the stomach, and then I'm back to normal.
I went onto the pump in August 2004 and it seemed that I was only getting an episide once a year. In March this year I had a different episode. I'd woken up with a bg of 9 (not unusual for me - I am usually running high) and had my insulin and breakfast as usual. About an hour later I felt something wasn't right, and checked my bgs - 8. As they usually shoot up after breakfast I kept an eye on them, and watched as they dropped to 6 in the next half an hour. I guessed something odd was going on and took some Lucozade. The bgs dropped again. More Lucozade and Glucostop, but they kept dropping. At 4.2 we decided to pop over to A&E. By the time I got there, I was shaking and very weak, and was taken straight through and given some toast and jam. It was about another 20 minutes before my bgs were checked, and of course they had started to rise. I started to feel a bit daft, but I am prone to panic when my bgs drop.
I had various bloodtests done and a chest Xray to try to find out what had caused it, and the conclusion was that I had recently had an undetected chest infection. (But I thought infection raised the blood sugar?) I was given antibiotics and sent home after 4 hours. By now my Bgs were 18. The gastroparesis then kicked in and I had my usual vomiting for the rest of the day.
In May I had another early morning episode, but I am now shaken up and expecting it to happen any day at any time. I keep thinking that if my bgs had started off at 4 and had dropped and the glucose hadn't worked I would have gone unconcious. I have never gone unconcious before and this is a really scary thing for me. I am therefore checking bgs, then eating and waiting to check the bgs are rising before I take my bolus. By the time it kicks in, the bgs are far too high into the mid-teens but at least I am nowhere near a hypo.
I now take a Domperidone every morning, and I have been given a prescription for Erythromycin which also encourages stomach activity but I haven't taken them yet. The thing is that between episodes my stomach works absolutely fine and it is only now and again that it doesn't. So I don't want to be taking a long term antibiotic if I don't have to.
I am currently running blood sugars of 10-14 all the time, which I KNOW isn't a good idea. Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
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