I need to vent on a related topic, so the first post isn't going to be too relevant to the subject matter.
I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago, after blood glucose testing at 400 (22.2) on my fiance's blood glucose meter. It's being presumed to be Type 2, but that's unverified because the Dutch medical system prefers gambling with patients' internal organs instead of testing. Severe hyperglycemia and symptoms of moderate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were ignored, because the Type 2 guidelines for Dutch GPs don't say anything about it. So I was sent home with no information at all, a low dose of a drug which takes a few weeks to start working, and a followup appointment in 2 months' time.
I did some research, and discovered my A1c and fasting glucose meant I should've been started on insulin immediately, at least in the short term. But again, that's not in the Type 2 guidelines in the Netherlands. In the mean time, I lowered my carb intake to 20-30 carbs per meal and ordered ketone testing strips to make sure I wasn't heading into DKA. Glucose lowered a little, but was still in the range where DKA is a risk. Urine strips showed ketones present most of the time over the next 3 days, frequently at moderate (++) levels and once at large (+++) levels.
I kept feeling very sick, went back to the doctor. She tested my glucose and happened to get one helluva spike. She then tested my urine and traces of ketones were present. She called an endocrinologist while we waited in the waiting room, then ordered a GAD56 auto-antibody test (seen in Type 1) and added a new drug which stimulates insulin production. Followup appointment was then moved up to be 3 days later.
The first drug I was starting on, which takes a while to work, is Metformin. I had pretty unpleasant GI symptoms, which is normal for that drug. But this coincided with my likely DKA episode, and I was having pretty intense diarrhea, which would have caused some dehydration and aggravated the DKA, despite all of the water I was drinking. It was at that point where the test showed my blood glucose spike of 335 (18.5) in her office. That evening and the next morning I had 14 straight hours of moderate (++) ketone readings, with my large (+++) ketone reading.
The new drug seemed to be helping, though blood sugar kept rising at night, through the morning, until I take my daily dose with breakfast. At the next appointment, the GP insisted that ketones in the urine are normal, and it's not possible for them to cause problems in Type 2 diabetes. She also doesn't seem to think that hyperglycemia chronically in the KDA range (240+ or 13.3+) is a problem. Basically, she knows sweet fuck-all about diabetes, yet is tasked with diagnosing and treating it. Another dose of metformin was added, in the evenings.
At that point, some mild and transient symptoms which started with the first dose of metformin got a lot worse and pretty much constant. Arms burning, weak shoulders, arms aching, leg muscles twitching, nasty headache, extreme exhaustion, and being very cold all day. These are the symptoms of lactic acidosis, which metformin is known to cause in those who are susceptible. Usually it's due to organ dysfunction, but the GP did test thoroughly for that to make sure it was safe to prescribe the drug, even if she wouldn't test to make sure I have the disease which the drug is used for
I researched the side-effects last night, and stopped taking the Metformin this morning. This morning was still pretty hellish, with some nausea joining the other symptoms. I had a three hour nap when I was too friggin tired to stay awake at 10am, and felt a bit better afterward. I've been able to eat a bit more, and the headache is receding enough for me to read and write a bit. Still shaky as hell. Also drinking a lot of water to help flush out whatever.
I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago, after blood glucose testing at 400 (22.2) on my fiance's blood glucose meter. It's being presumed to be Type 2, but that's unverified because the Dutch medical system prefers gambling with patients' internal organs instead of testing. Severe hyperglycemia and symptoms of moderate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were ignored, because the Type 2 guidelines for Dutch GPs don't say anything about it. So I was sent home with no information at all, a low dose of a drug which takes a few weeks to start working, and a followup appointment in 2 months' time.
I did some research, and discovered my A1c and fasting glucose meant I should've been started on insulin immediately, at least in the short term. But again, that's not in the Type 2 guidelines in the Netherlands. In the mean time, I lowered my carb intake to 20-30 carbs per meal and ordered ketone testing strips to make sure I wasn't heading into DKA. Glucose lowered a little, but was still in the range where DKA is a risk. Urine strips showed ketones present most of the time over the next 3 days, frequently at moderate (++) levels and once at large (+++) levels.
I kept feeling very sick, went back to the doctor. She tested my glucose and happened to get one helluva spike. She then tested my urine and traces of ketones were present. She called an endocrinologist while we waited in the waiting room, then ordered a GAD56 auto-antibody test (seen in Type 1) and added a new drug which stimulates insulin production. Followup appointment was then moved up to be 3 days later.
The first drug I was starting on, which takes a while to work, is Metformin. I had pretty unpleasant GI symptoms, which is normal for that drug. But this coincided with my likely DKA episode, and I was having pretty intense diarrhea, which would have caused some dehydration and aggravated the DKA, despite all of the water I was drinking. It was at that point where the test showed my blood glucose spike of 335 (18.5) in her office. That evening and the next morning I had 14 straight hours of moderate (++) ketone readings, with my large (+++) ketone reading.
The new drug seemed to be helping, though blood sugar kept rising at night, through the morning, until I take my daily dose with breakfast. At the next appointment, the GP insisted that ketones in the urine are normal, and it's not possible for them to cause problems in Type 2 diabetes. She also doesn't seem to think that hyperglycemia chronically in the KDA range (240+ or 13.3+) is a problem. Basically, she knows sweet fuck-all about diabetes, yet is tasked with diagnosing and treating it. Another dose of metformin was added, in the evenings.
At that point, some mild and transient symptoms which started with the first dose of metformin got a lot worse and pretty much constant. Arms burning, weak shoulders, arms aching, leg muscles twitching, nasty headache, extreme exhaustion, and being very cold all day. These are the symptoms of lactic acidosis, which metformin is known to cause in those who are susceptible. Usually it's due to organ dysfunction, but the GP did test thoroughly for that to make sure it was safe to prescribe the drug, even if she wouldn't test to make sure I have the disease which the drug is used for
I researched the side-effects last night, and stopped taking the Metformin this morning. This morning was still pretty hellish, with some nausea joining the other symptoms. I had a three hour nap when I was too friggin tired to stay awake at 10am, and felt a bit better afterward. I've been able to eat a bit more, and the headache is receding enough for me to read and write a bit. Still shaky as hell. Also drinking a lot of water to help flush out whatever.
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