My partner of 10 years was diagnosed Type 2 in january of this year. His glucose that first night was 247 he was put on metformin and lisinpril and apsrin. His numbers are down…about 138 morning and 160 at night. He now takes 1000MG Metformin twice a day. Before this all started he was feeling like crap in the mornings. Fatigue and dizzy and his vison was foggy.
The problem is that he still feels like total crap. He resisted going to the doctor for many years because he was a little scared. But i think he was hopeful that they could help him. Now however he feels like yes the numbers are coming down but he has not seen any improvement in how he feels. Is this normal for it to take this long to feel good? In fact now he is feeling crappy almost all day long. Our doctor just ways that it will take some time but i just wish she was more aggressive with treatment. I just dont know what to say to help him stay motivated.
Any help or advice from anyone would just be great. We are at our witts end!!
Hi Aaron. Has your partner gone to a nutritionist or diabetes educator? They can help a lot, as can this web site. My endo´s office has a poster, which shows a stick figure juggling exercise, diet and meds ( I used to HATE that poster, I thought it was so trite!) but it is true, all three components need to be well balanced for someone with D to feel better. I have to admit though, that when I was diagnosed I felt absolutely fine, even with readings of 360 and above, and it was the meds that made me feel “off” for a long time. I eventually had to stop one because it produced such awful lows. Encourage your partner to read and research as much as possible about D. Also, everybody is different, it takes a while to know how you react individually to different meds/ foods etc.
It takes a while for your body to get used to lower numbers, at least mine did. Now I am working on my blood pressure and I feel like crap because my body is used to my BP being high, now that it is coming down, I am tired a lot and just feel like crap. Will take some time for my body to get used to the lower BP. Diabetes is pretty much the same way, at least until you get used to it. If you are worried then by all means I would talk to the Doc and get as much info as you can. It never hurts to educate yourself.
Aaron,
Sarah’s advice is very true. Here’s a brief excerpt from an article about diabetes educators I wrote a while back:
“The impact of the role of the Diabetes Educator comes in terms of behavioral change. They affect the A1C this way: providing and figuring out simpler, cheaper and faster ways for people with diabetes to achieve their control. There is always something you can do better and the educator can support you in that work.”
Also, I would recommend to have him join TuDiabetes as well.
I’m sorry that you are struggling. For me it will be different foods that I eat that will make me feel crappy. I was diagnosed in 2002, type 2 and as of last October have been on 2 kinds of insulin. I have read the other 2 replies and am in agreement that it takes time. Balance is very important for all three things, diet, meds and excercise. I also took Metfornin for a few years but it was hard for me to take. The side effects were a little too much for me. My mom is also sensitive to it and it made her feel worse. She is better now and still takes it but has to split her pill in half. I wouldn’t do that unless you talk to your doctor. I wish you the best and welcome to the best diabetes website ever!
I second Manny’s suggestion to join, especially. It is cool that you are reading and posting here as his partner, but I know that he would be encouraged and helped by being part of this group as well.
I was just diagnosed as T2 just under a month ago. I’m still waiting on test results to see if it’s really T2 or if it’s T1. Regardless, they went ahead and started me on 1000mg of Metformin/day. At the same time that I was diagnosed with diabetes I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and I’m on meds for that. My blood sugars and BP have been great but I’m in the same boat as your partner, I don’t feel any better. I’m so sleepy and tired all the time and I have stomach upset all the time from the Metformin I presume. I go back to my endo in 2 weeks and I’m anxious to see what he thinks. I thought for sure once my sugar and blood pressure was under control that I would feel like a new person but I don’t. It’s pretty discouraging.
It will take time. I was diagnosed Dec 3 and although I do feel better, I am not 100% yet.
The juggling that Sarah talked about is so true. My meds were changed last Tuesday and I am finding out certain foods that I was not concerned with on the old meds effect me totally different now. So, back to the drawing board.
Discouraging? Not yet, after reading some of the plights on TuDiabetes, I have it easy. If after another 6 months and things are not in control I might feel totally different about it.
Hello again!!!
Well we have found out some things that may help others. First of all Tony was not eating nearly enough food which was a big part of his crappy feeling. Also he went from one day eating sugars to literally quiting cold turkey all of the bad foods. So our DR thinks that your body is in this percieved low blood sugar mode and it will take a while for it to come back to normal. So he eats more feels a little better and just takes it day by day.
Hi… I’ve been Type 2 for over 4 years and was controlling it with diet and exercise. I sometimes felt tired but not all the time and didn’t feel crappy. Late Feb the doctor put me on Metformin and now I’m always dealing with upset stomach off and on. I went to Dietitian when I was diagnosed and when I moved to new area/doctor. But I wasn’t on med, so I think I need to go back to listen closer to the information about when you’re on meds. We don’t have a support group and my doctor/diabetic nurse don’t seem too interested in helping. Guess mine isn’t serious enough yet. I’ve found this site very helpful. The people are great and I’ve found lots of links that people recommend that are very useful. I think it would be great if you could get your husband to join. Good luck, I’m sure your hubby appreciates all the support you’re giving him.
I’ve been on Metformin a month now and my numbers are finally starting to come down…and I basically feel sick everyday. It’s an overall sick feeling that I can’t really put my finger on. From reading what everyone else said, I guess it does take awhile for our bodies to get used to the new numbers.
