Can not get control HELP!!!!

[luna25]

Hi,  I do not know what I need to do.  I am 25 and I have had diabetes for 20 years almost.  I have not taken the best care of my diabetes in the past.  After my son was born I decided to take better care.  Well with a child I didnt have all the money I needed to take care of my self with supplys.  Now for the last week I have been puking and my kidneys have hurt also pain in my abdomin.  I cant spell for anything so please bare with me and my typing.  Anyways I went to the ER and they let me sit in the waiting room for 3 hours puking so I went home.  Then Tuesday I went to the ER again casue I still didnt feel well.  I had a blood sugar of 490 and they gave me fluids and said go home.  Well ts 2 day ater and I still feel weird.  I am dizzy and cant think.  I am a little sick to my tummy but better then before.  I dont know why I cant seem to feel better any idea's please.  I just started a job and I dont want to loose it casue I take off time.  I have already lost 3 jobs due to my diabetes I dont want to loose another one.  I have a son and need the income.  HELP please!!!!I have changed my insalin in the last month to the 24 hour and the fast acting insalin.

[paralegal]

I had an out of control gastric problem that was brought on by harsh medications and I went through at least 6 types of gastric tests.  I believe that a Barium scan would also show up symptoms of gastro-paresis.  They believed that I had that for a long time, but it was irritation to the stomach/GI tract from medications that were too harsh for me.  The kidneys get sore when I get dehydrated badly and they seem to get sore when I have GI symptoms - but there is also some contracting going on so this may be part of it.  Try soothing your GI tract with DGL (licorice that has been treated to remove palpitation side effect) or by eating easy-to-digest things.  Try yogurt and Slippery Elm and soups and other things that just slither through rather than things that take a lot of digestive work like popcorn.  Also, I chewed Equal type of gum - sugarless - it has some kind of mild laxative in it and that can help get things flowing the right way.  In the hospital, when this happens, they use enemas to induce the GI tract into flowing the right direction.  I am just a diabetic with a broad base of injuries/treatment and so this is not professional.  However, doctors are back in the middle ages with gastric symptoms and they will test your kidneys and liver and nothing will appear and they will call it Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) because that is the tag they use.  Try supplementing with multiple vitamin, extra C and E and Glutamine (helps stomach tissues heal) and Essential Fatty Acid - EFA - supplement to get your Omega 3's in your diet again - also a teaspoon or more of Olive Oil (extra virgin) 3 times a day (preferably in your food).  Good luck - sounds like you should start measuring your carbs better and take better care of yourself!  Eventually, it will pay off by fewer doctor visits.  

[luna25]

Thank you guys for your help.  I do have insurance now and have access to more money these days,   As you all know when your sugars are high you cant think properly and didnt mean to state that I didnt.  In the past I have not.  I sched a endo apt. but they cant get me in until the end of april.  When I went the ER and told them my kidneys were hurting they did a pee test and said they were fine but I have been in a lot of pain and I know it is my kidneys And my tummy but they just tell me the pain is cause I was dehydrated.  I know that t is more and I am looking for help here in colorado.   I will keep all posted.  If anyone else out there may have any idea please let me know.  Oh and I did look into the stomic gasto???? what ever it is called before I read about your son and I was thinking the same thing.  It sounds like I might have that.  I will let you know and thank you again.

[jdrf team dm]

Dear luna25,

I am not a physician, but a volunteer with knowledge of living with my son's diabetes for 21 years. LRS has given you the very best information and I urge you to follow up on these resources and advice.

My son is 29 and has had type 1 for 21 years. During his younger years he also did not take the best of care of his blood sugars. At 22, he started having similar syptoms that you have described. He was diagnosed with a complication called gastroparesis. This is a problem where the stomach is not able to move food through the intestines. A normal stomach moves about 3 times a minute. Someone with gastroparesis has a slowing of the stomach and is unable to digest food properly. This can cause vomiting, nausea, stomach pain,weight loss and erratic blood sugars.

Due to the type of symptoms, this is not what most doctors immediately think of. This can be diagnosed and treated through diet and medications. The main diagnostic tool is called a radioisotope gastric-emptying scan. It is a fairly simple test that would confirm gastroparesis. I would also like to give you a website that has more information. It is http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis.

luna, there can be many reasons for your symptoms and I am only suggesting one possible cause. My concern is that your vomiting and stomach pain is not normal and you need a firm diagnoses.

From your post it is obvious that money and insurance is an issue. I completely understand your situation. The work issue is something my son has gone through also. It is a terrible situation, especially when you are raising a child. Again, you need to follow LRS's advice regarding contacting ODST. I would also stress that if you end up in ER, to suggest the possibility of gastroparesis and no matter what, do not leave if you are vomiting. I know that my son always needs fluids by an IV to rehydrate.

Please let us know what you find out.

dm

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Luna,
We're not physicians here, but all of us have considerable experience with diabetes.  As a fellow diabetic, also a long timer, I must tell you that we have no alternative as Type 1s but to take our insulin and any other meds we've been prescribed.  The symptoms you describe are dangerous -- not just for you -- but for your child, who is dependent on you for his complete care.

Our forum has a "sister" initiative also sponsored by JDRF and I *urge* you to contact them.  Called the Online Diabetes Support Team (ODST), there is a link to it off the main JDRF website:  www.jdrf.org  ODST is set up to put you in contact with folks who are local to you **AND** there is a person there who is quite knowledgeable about insurance & supplies issues in each state here in the US.  There may well be resources to help you with the enormous financial cost of diabetes.  When (not if ;-)  )  you contact ODST, please tell them we (JDRF's MedHelp forum) sent you.  

I imagine that you are scared in addition to feeling so poorly.  If you have *any* supplies, talk to your doc about how to stretch them safely to get out of the danger you are in.  High levels of sustained urine ketones may be the "tip of the iceberg."  It seems to me that whatever you are doing is not working and only a medical doctor skilled in Type 1 care can guide you to better match your food, exercise, stress, health issues with your body's need for insulin.

Please do NOT delay in turning around your situation.  Be persistent; do it for your son, if not for yourself.