[rkwfxd]

Hi all,

Sorry for the long read but.......

On 11/22/11 in the afternoon I was waiting for my daughter to get home so we could go shopping, load up the motorcycles and go camping and dirt bike riding over the long weekend.

I blew my nose and instantly got dizzy, lost my balance and suddenly had double vision. I thought I had a stroke so I called 911.

They transported me to hospital and admitted me. Three days later, after a cat scan, ultra sound, xray, MRI and a couple of MRS they told be my head and brain and heart and arteries were all good but that I was diabetic.

Neurologist said I have nerve damage to one of the optical nerves and that is causing the double vision. He said it should go away in 6-8 weeks. Other information I have read on the net says more like 3-6 months.

While in the hospital my BG was 250 then they gave me insulin and it only went down to 230 5-6 hours after eating. I later found out that my A1c was 11.5.

Since I have been home my highest BG # was 156 (Dawn Phenomena) and my lowest was 88 (Post Workout). But I am usually in the high 120s to low 130s.

I am 100% confident I can control my BG with diet, exercise and the meds.

I am scared to death I am going to lose my sight. I still have the double vision when I look through both eyes, both eyes are blurry. The right eye is blurrier than the left but I can definitely tell I now have some night blindness in the left eye as well as some color blindness.

I go to the eye doctor on Thursday but I am scared to death at what he is going to tell me. How much worse this is going to get and how fast is it going to happen?

Not looking for a professional opinion here, I just needed to "vent" and I am trying to put on a strong face and keep a positive attitude in front of my wife and kids.

Thanks

 

[nosugarforme]

I too feel like that most of us hear diabetes we think blindness and losing limbs everyone make this disease a death sentence whether literally of figuratively I too am scared worried about going bling losing a foot or kidney or all of the above venting is good and I wont tell u not to worry pray for the best and surround yourself by people who love you that is the key support money, luxuries, and the stupid things don't matter just like with any disease the people around u matter who loves you I have diabetes and a daughter who is seven and has fight for the right to live she we very sick and still sick seven years later so love love love love that is the medicine u need most here is some from me love u

 

[MCS]

I had and still get double vision in one eye, both eyes at times. Try googling diabetes and dry eye syndrome. Dry eyes can cause a lot of problems. Since I started on A daily regiment of art tears most of my problems have subsided greatly.

Blowing your nose and getting dizzy was more likely due to a pressure imbalance between inner and outer ear. Happens to me a lot, always has.

 

[Shanny]

To set your mind at ease first off, most of us have experienced the blurred vision, and what we've found is that it clears up when our blood sugar levels drop and stabilize.

Let us help you get a handle on this, because being scared out of your wits & trying to be strong for the family is bound to cause additional stress which is another factor in high blood sugar. It gets us coming & going! But diabetes is treatable and absolutely controllable. We have many members who have been at this for decades, and are living happy healthy lives. You will too!

Settle in & ask all the questions you have . . . we're happy you found us & I think we can give you the support you need to take this "bull" by the horns & subdue it. We all accept that there is no cure, but we also insist that we're the boss, and diabetes is not going to ruin our lives, not by taking our sight, or our toes, or our kidney function.

Welcome aboard, rk.

 

[jwags]

Welcome to the Forum. We are a great support group for all diabetics here to help each other. First take a deep breath and relax. Although Diabetes is very serious it can be managed sucessfully with diet, medication and meds or insulin. If you need medication don't be afraid to take it , many of us do. When I was dx'd almost 5 years ago I had no symptoms except some blurry vision. I thought I needed a stonger pair of glasses. Actually it was the eye doctor who found some damage in the back of my eye. She sent me for further tests and sure enough I was diabetic. The Opthmologist told me damage to the eyes may start years before other symptoms show up. Now that you know you can start to manage your bgs. It seems that your bgs are behaving pretty good for a new diabetic. You must be doing something right. Welcome to the forum.

 

[rkwfxd]

Thank you all.

I really just need to get through this initial stage and find out how much damage has already been done to my eyes, what needs to be done to stop/correct it and then set up a course of action.

 

[WV Mom]

I really just need to get through this initial stage and find out how much damage has already been done to my eyes, what needs to be done to stop/correct it and then set up a course of action.

You can "find out how much damage has already been done to [your] eyes" if you want to, but there's nothing you can do about past damage. What's done is done. BUT, you can absolutely prevent further damage. There's nothing about diabetes besides the sugar in your blood that causes damage to your eyes. You can control the sugar in your blood. Ergo, you can control whether or not there is any further damage.

There may be nuances to this that I'm missing, and, if so, someone on the forum can correct me. But this is the word from Kid 1, my doctor daughter.

Deep breaths. All will be well. You've come to the right place. I know, because I'm a newbie too. And these people are saving my life.

 

[Spunky]

Hi. I don't know if you have seen a dietitian yet, but I found I couldn't get my bg down eating as many carbs as she advised, so I followed the advice of many here and started eating LCHF, and got my bg in control right away. This link explains the LCHF way of eating. LCHF for beginners | Dietdoctor.com

Also, Blood Sugar 101 is an excellent website to learn what every diabetic should know about diabetes.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Shanny]

Dr. Eenfeldt is not the garden variety blogger, he is a distinguished family practice physician in Karlstad Sweden.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Welcome to the machine

 

[Joshua Shorter]

Welcome to the forums! We're glad you're here! I think most everyone goes through the scared part of the diagnosis at some point. I am glad you found our site so soon. Hopefully we can support you through this hard time. Please do not be afraid to post any of your feelings. There is someone here who can help.

In the meantime, it is a great place to get advice, too. Take some time to browse the pages here. Most everyone who comes here with an open mind gets advice to help them with excellent control.

 

[Aribella]

Hi and welcome! I'm also newly diagnosed T2 (16th November). One of my symptoms was blurry vision too, I thought my eyesight was just getting bad! Its a scary thing and its still scary to me - so I know exactly how you're feeling! I've learnt lots from around the forums, and I don't think I would have got my BG under control as quickly as I have without the advice - so make sure you have a good look around

 

[naynay]

Hi and welcome to the forum. We all understand the fear and unknown that comes with the diagnosis of diabetes. We have all been there! Calm down, take a deep breath, and settle in here. People here are a wealth of information, and they will certainly steer you in the right direction. I've been diabetic for alot of years now, always out of control because I continued to follow the ADA recommendations and what these doctors were telling me to do. I finally found the right set of doctors, and found this forum and things are definitely getting better, in just 3 months time! I am continuing on the road to wellness, and I owe it all to these wonderful, intelligent people here on the forum! I get yearly eye exams because of being diabetic, and the eye doc has always told me he sees no sign of diabetes in my eyes. This was always a relief to me because I always had such a hard time getting the diabetes under control. However, two years ago I went for my yearly exam expecting to hear the same thing, but this time was different. The eye doc was checking my eyes and kept hitting his light on his hand and checking the batteries. I knew something was different. What he was seeing was a very rare condition where the vessels behind the eyes were actually a milky pink color. These vessels should be red. This meant I had so much fat in my system that it was affecting the vessels. I thought this is it...I'm going to lose my eye sight. If you did not know, triglycerides go hand in hand with out of control blood sugar control. Mine was so high the numbers were off the charts. I was able to get this corrected by diet and exercise, and of course medication. However, my sugar would continue to go up because I did not know about eating LC/HF. Since eating this way since the end of August, my triglycerides are about 20 points from being in the normal range, my cholesterol is fantastic, my HDL is close to normal, and my LDL (which was never able to be calculated because my triglycerides were always too high) are now in the normal range. My blood glucose is improving, and my HbA1C decreased by 3%. I know I can get these numbers even lower with continued diligence. Also, the vessels in my eyes have returned to normal. So the moral of the story here is don't ever give up, pull yourself up by your boot straps and take care of your health. You may not be able to reverse damage already done, but you can prevent further damage. Stick around with us and good luck!

 

[jwags]

I've known some diabetics who go out and purchase some of those cheap drug store reading glasses to get few the first few weeks of blurry vision. I know it is hard to believe but as you lower bgs vision does improve significantly. Now I always know when my bgs are too high, my eye problems return. A good reason to keep my carbs low and bgs even lower.

 

[Richard157]

Several years ago I had an eye problem (retinopathy) and also some nerve problems (neuropathy). Both of those problems are diabetes related. My A1c was very good, but I was having too many highs and lows, and that kind of unstable blood sugar level can cause diabetes complications. I tightened my control and then started having fewer highs and lows. After a few months my eyes were in great shape, and have not bothered me for the last 4 years. My neuropathy improved and I rarely feel any pain in my feet. As long as I keep my blood sugar rather stable I have no problems.

This should be the answer to your diabetes health. Keep your blood sugar as stable as possible. This can take awhile. Learn as much as you can, ask questions and get good professional help. With good control you can have a long, healthy life.

Richard

 

[rkwfxd]

Well I figured I need to post a reply with a thank you and an update.

First of all, thank you for all the great support and advise.

I got to the doctor and after a thorough exam he told me he could not see any damage to my eyes. This was a huge relief. I still have the double vision but I think that is improving and the doctor said it would go away.

I have been recording my food, workouts, and BG (2-6 times a day). My numbers are all in the normal range during the day and today I finally had an AM fasting BG under 100.

As you can imagine, my main concern has been to get and keep my BG down so that my eyes heal as quickly as possible but I have noticed some other side benefits since my diagnosis.

In general, I feel better. I never noticed it before but my wife tells me that I used to tell her I did not feel well quite often. Also, I am sleeping MUCH better. I can't believe that I can now go to bed at 9 or 10 PM and sleep all the way through until 4 AM. Prior to my diagnosis I was usually awake every two hours. I was often drowsy at work and needed a nap every day when I got home.

In the end, I may find that I actually LIKE being diabetic

 

[John.in.France]

Well I figured I need to post a reply with a thank you and an update.

First of all, thank you for all the great support and advise.

I got to the doctor and after a thorough exam he told me he could not see any damage to my eyes. This was a huge relief. I still have the double vision but I think that is improving and the doctor said it would go away.

I have been recording my food, workouts, and BG (2-6 times a day). My numbers are all in the normal range during the day and today I finally had an AM fasting BG under 100.

As you can imagine, my main concern has been to get and keep my BG down so that my eyes heal as quickly as possible but I have noticed some other side benefits since my diagnosis.

In general, I feel better. I never noticed it before but my wife tells me that I used to tell her I did not feel well quite often. Also, I am sleeping MUCH better. I can't believe that I can now go to bed at 9 or 10 PM and sleep all the way through until 4 AM. Prior to my diagnosis I was usually awake every two hours. I was often drowsy at work and needed a nap every day when I got home.

In the end, I may find that I actually LIKE being diabetic

No, you won't LIKE being diabetic but you can MANAGE the condition so you don't have a problem with it
On the drowsy situation - I confirm that that was how I felt in the summer of 2010 - before my diagnosis. I'd have lunch and then sit down with a book. One page later, I was asleep.
On the eyes. Yes, give it a few weeks and you'll see some improvement there too.
A little story.
Our kitchen is about 12 ft square. We do the washing up on one side and the plates are stored in a cupboard on the other side. The door to the cupboard is about 15 inches wide.
My wife leaves the door open as she stacks the plates and every time I turned round I would shout at her that the door was likely to poke me in the eye! (it might have done if I had launched myself "a la superman" directly at it - after all it was only about 8 foot from me! )
Since my blood glucose has come back to normal - the issue - and it was very real to me - has gone and my wife can now stack her dishes without worrying about my eyes!