Welcome gforce23 from Lancaster, Ohio. We are almost neighbors! The crashes you explained sound awful and dangerous. Did any of your doctors ever suggest that you have a sleep study done? I see a sleep specialist for chronic insomnia and every visit they ask me questions about how likely I would fall asleep during certain time periods or activities. The only time I would be prone to falling asleep is while being a passenger in a car for more than one hour. It is difficult to keep changing doctors since it takes time to build a relationship with them. Your story is unique and hopefully by telling your story you will help someone else. Thanks for sharing!
Insulin Restant and Pre-Diabetic
After suffering with severe fatigue for 4 yrs and changed doctors 5 times, I finally have an answer.
As I mentioned in my introduction, the crashes would hit about the same time each day between 4p -6:30pm. Of course this would be on my way home from work driving on a state highway going 60mph. I faced a semi-truck in the wrong lane a couple of times and almost side swiped cars a few times. I would have to stop and sleep at the truck stop many times. It was just a 28 mile drive home!!
The 5th doctor finally was smart enough to test the insulin and diagnosed this as "insulin resistant, pre-diabetic". She recommended a 1600 calorie diabetic diet and put me on 500mg medformin x 2 a day.
I have been making changes to my diet. It is just getting to me. I told the doctors as I switched doctors that if they did not get this figured out, I would probably get killed on the road. Again, they would check my glucose and say, you are fine.
As I was telling my husband this morning, I am just so tired of the fatigue. However, the doctors words keep coming back to me when she gave me the diagnosis, she said you have been dealing with this for awhile and it will take some time to get on track. I try and do evening activities but end of most of the time either not being able to go or having to leave. I was at a women's event at church last night and had to leave. It comes on pretty quick and all of the sudden you are just physically and mentally done, I get nauseous, my hearing starts to feel funny, sometimes I feel like I am going to passout, I will get hot all of the sudden, dizzy among other things. I don't get all of the symptoms all of the time but I have had them all.
About 6 weeks ago, I had 4 crashes within a 24 hr period, my doctor was on vacation. I was at the chiropractors office when the first one hit and he was getting me food, another hit later that night. The 3rd was the next day @ lunch with co-workers, I was sitting by the pop machine and had not ordered pop but I ended up getting some coke and the girl I was with was familiar with diabetic issues (in her family) so she was ordering me some breadsticks to get the sugar up quick. I guess I looked horrible and I felt just that bad it was all I could do to eat. At that point, I decided I was going to ER because I was scared.
I called my husband, went home, called the doctor on call for my doctor who was on vacation and he said yes, go on over to ER. They did a bunch of testing and everything else came back okay so that part was good. I don't know what caused all of that other than things were out of whack.
Back last Oct-09, I saw a doctor that came recommended by three different people. She diagnosed me as having Epstein-Barr. I was just excited to finally have an answer to something. However, later research, most everyone has been exposed to EB and if we are tested, you will have some number indicating that you were exposed to the virus.
She did recommend an eating plan by Dr. D'Adamo, "Eating for your blood type". There is also a plan for fatigue. I think even with those of us with pre-diabetic and diabetic diagnosis, this is a good heatlhy plan.
What is upsetting is that I have had sugar related issues for awhile, have test my glucose and gave the doctors an excel spreadsheet of my numbers and my numbers are always normal. That is good but what they were missing was the "insulin" number. So had a doctor test that a while back, I could have been on top of this alot sooner. I surely HOPE that I can help someone by telling my story. I have friend who had similar symptoms and I told her to please make sure the doctor is testing her insulin. She called me a week ago and said, guess what, she had the same diagnosis as me, "insulin resistant, pre-diabetic". My insulin tested out at 27, should be between 14 - 19. I wish I could monitor it like you can glucose so you know where you are but I cannot do that.
I have some quesitons for my doctor when I see her middle of April. I just have to keep moving in the right direction and hope that I can get past this fatigue and not be out of it on the couch each night. It got so bad that for the last couple of years, sometimes it was all I could do to get into the house. My husband has taken over all of the evening duties, cooking, lunches, etc. He has been great.
Again, I really hope this can help someone. I wish I would have had this knowledge early on and could have been turning this around sooner.
As I mentioned in my introduction, the crashes would hit about the same time each day between 4p -6:30pm. Of course this would be on my way home from work driving on a state highway going 60mph. I faced a semi-truck in the wrong lane a couple of times and almost side swiped cars a few times. I would have to stop and sleep at the truck stop many times. It was just a 28 mile drive home!!
The 5th doctor finally was smart enough to test the insulin and diagnosed this as "insulin resistant, pre-diabetic". She recommended a 1600 calorie diabetic diet and put me on 500mg medformin x 2 a day.
I have been making changes to my diet. It is just getting to me. I told the doctors as I switched doctors that if they did not get this figured out, I would probably get killed on the road. Again, they would check my glucose and say, you are fine.
As I was telling my husband this morning, I am just so tired of the fatigue. However, the doctors words keep coming back to me when she gave me the diagnosis, she said you have been dealing with this for awhile and it will take some time to get on track. I try and do evening activities but end of most of the time either not being able to go or having to leave. I was at a women's event at church last night and had to leave. It comes on pretty quick and all of the sudden you are just physically and mentally done, I get nauseous, my hearing starts to feel funny, sometimes I feel like I am going to passout, I will get hot all of the sudden, dizzy among other things. I don't get all of the symptoms all of the time but I have had them all.
About 6 weeks ago, I had 4 crashes within a 24 hr period, my doctor was on vacation. I was at the chiropractors office when the first one hit and he was getting me food, another hit later that night. The 3rd was the next day @ lunch with co-workers, I was sitting by the pop machine and had not ordered pop but I ended up getting some coke and the girl I was with was familiar with diabetic issues (in her family) so she was ordering me some breadsticks to get the sugar up quick. I guess I looked horrible and I felt just that bad it was all I could do to eat. At that point, I decided I was going to ER because I was scared.
I called my husband, went home, called the doctor on call for my doctor who was on vacation and he said yes, go on over to ER. They did a bunch of testing and everything else came back okay so that part was good. I don't know what caused all of that other than things were out of whack.
Back last Oct-09, I saw a doctor that came recommended by three different people. She diagnosed me as having Epstein-Barr. I was just excited to finally have an answer to something. However, later research, most everyone has been exposed to EB and if we are tested, you will have some number indicating that you were exposed to the virus.
She did recommend an eating plan by Dr. D'Adamo, "Eating for your blood type". There is also a plan for fatigue. I think even with those of us with pre-diabetic and diabetic diagnosis, this is a good heatlhy plan.
What is upsetting is that I have had sugar related issues for awhile, have test my glucose and gave the doctors an excel spreadsheet of my numbers and my numbers are always normal. That is good but what they were missing was the "insulin" number. So had a doctor test that a while back, I could have been on top of this alot sooner. I surely HOPE that I can help someone by telling my story. I have friend who had similar symptoms and I told her to please make sure the doctor is testing her insulin. She called me a week ago and said, guess what, she had the same diagnosis as me, "insulin resistant, pre-diabetic". My insulin tested out at 27, should be between 14 - 19. I wish I could monitor it like you can glucose so you know where you are but I cannot do that.
I have some quesitons for my doctor when I see her middle of April. I just have to keep moving in the right direction and hope that I can get past this fatigue and not be out of it on the couch each night. It got so bad that for the last couple of years, sometimes it was all I could do to get into the house. My husband has taken over all of the evening duties, cooking, lunches, etc. He has been great.
Again, I really hope this can help someone. I wish I would have had this knowledge early on and could have been turning this around sooner.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Hello gforce, welcome aboard! Is your doctor an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist)? For a correct diagnosis and best treatment, an endocrinologist should be seen. As I understand it you are having very high blood sugar at times and also some very low blood sugar (hypos). I suggest your using glucose tablets for the lows. You should carry a tube of those tablets with you at all times. They work very fast and you can use them whenever you start having the symptoms you have described. If you use too many then you will go too high and have the opposite problem.
Why can't you use a meter and test your blood sugar? I test myself 12 times per day so I will have good control. I have been diabetic for 64 years and I am very healthy. Frequent testing and tight control is the secret to my success.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.
Richard
Why can't you use a meter and test your blood sugar? I test myself 12 times per day so I will have good control. I have been diabetic for 64 years and I am very healthy. Frequent testing and tight control is the secret to my success.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.
Richard
Hello gforce, welcome aboard! Is your doctor an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist)? For a correct diagnosis and best treatment, an endocrinologist should be seen. As I understand it you are having very high blood sugar at times and also some very low blood sugar (hypos). I suggest your using glucose tablets for the lows. You should carry a tube of those tablets with you at all times. They work very fast and you can use them whenever you start having the symptoms you have described. If you use too many then you will go too high and have the opposite problem.
Why can't you use a meter and test your blood sugar? I test myself 12 times per day so I will have good control. I have been diabetic for 64 years and I am very healthy. Frequent testing and tight control is the secret to my success.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.
Richard
RICHARD,
Thank you for your response. I have used a meter and my glucose numbers are always good. I have tested when I feel I am heading downward. I have monitored my glucose numbers, put them into Excel spreadsheets and taken them into the doctors. Again, the glucose numbers are always okay and that is why it has taken so long to get an answer. I had a 3 hour glucose tolerance test at the hospital last October and it was fine. Up until this last doctor I saw, none of the docs have tested my insulin. She was the first. No, she is not an endocrinologist but I have considered seeing one. The ER doctor recommended one when I was there about 6 weeks ago.
Gforce23-Greta
Why can't you use a meter and test your blood sugar? I test myself 12 times per day so I will have good control. I have been diabetic for 64 years and I am very healthy. Frequent testing and tight control is the secret to my success.
Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help.
Richard
RICHARD,
Thank you for your response. I have used a meter and my glucose numbers are always good. I have tested when I feel I am heading downward. I have monitored my glucose numbers, put them into Excel spreadsheets and taken them into the doctors. Again, the glucose numbers are always okay and that is why it has taken so long to get an answer. I had a 3 hour glucose tolerance test at the hospital last October and it was fine. Up until this last doctor I saw, none of the docs have tested my insulin. She was the first. No, she is not an endocrinologist but I have considered seeing one. The ER doctor recommended one when I was there about 6 weeks ago.
Gforce23-Greta
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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