my diabetes
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: birmingham
Posts: 29
my diabetes
hi, i had to have a medical 2 years ago, at that time i was drinking between 1 and 3 bottles of vodka a day and many cans of super strength lager. an hour later the doc called me in fearing i was about to slip into a coma. my blood sugar was thorough the roof. as i had been hospitalised with pancreatitus several times, i was prescribed metformin and simvastatin.
i stopped drinking about 3 months later, and had all the usual cravings for sugar. i booked an appointment to see my doc and told him about my alcoholism, put my cards on the table so to speak.
he just looked straight through me as though i was talking another language.
to cut a long story short, 6 months ago i stopped taking all my medication, i still collected my prescription to keep the doc off my back. i asked for a full blood test a week ago and advised the doctor i had been off my medicene for 6 months (he wasnt happy)
anyway i had the results today, i still a pretty single bloke type lifestyle. all liver and lipids normal. bloodsugers below normal and cholesterol below normal.
the doctor has advised me to stay off the tablets and maybe have another test in 12 months.
i am not advising anyone to go against their doctors wishes, i have lost a lot of friends to alcoholism, and am simply asking why do some doctors not seem to recognise alcoholism as an illness? i have never had any support at all from the medical service, i live in england and feel a lot more could be done.
i stopped drinking about 3 months later, and had all the usual cravings for sugar. i booked an appointment to see my doc and told him about my alcoholism, put my cards on the table so to speak.
he just looked straight through me as though i was talking another language.
to cut a long story short, 6 months ago i stopped taking all my medication, i still collected my prescription to keep the doc off my back. i asked for a full blood test a week ago and advised the doctor i had been off my medicene for 6 months (he wasnt happy)
anyway i had the results today, i still a pretty single bloke type lifestyle. all liver and lipids normal. bloodsugers below normal and cholesterol below normal.
the doctor has advised me to stay off the tablets and maybe have another test in 12 months.
i am not advising anyone to go against their doctors wishes, i have lost a lot of friends to alcoholism, and am simply asking why do some doctors not seem to recognise alcoholism as an illness? i have never had any support at all from the medical service, i live in england and feel a lot more could be done.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: birmingham
Posts: 29
only the aa really, and everytime i go there i seem to have a bad experience. my doctor's advice was to cut down and go to one of those cognative control your addiction farces (sorry they must work for some but not for this alcoholic!)
i tried, as many others the control route, but gradually got worse and had to admit i couldnt control my drinking at all and stopped. nearly 2 years later i am very much aware 1 drink will be too many and 100 not enough, because i know if i start i cant finish till i pass out, it's hard sometimes, i have just had some time off work, and part of me is glad im going back in the morning, back to my routine.
but help in my area is pretty much none existant.
i tried, as many others the control route, but gradually got worse and had to admit i couldnt control my drinking at all and stopped. nearly 2 years later i am very much aware 1 drink will be too many and 100 not enough, because i know if i start i cant finish till i pass out, it's hard sometimes, i have just had some time off work, and part of me is glad im going back in the morning, back to my routine.
but help in my area is pretty much none existant.
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
One of the bad things about the health care sytem in England, nothing against England or the English, just that I do seem to hear a lot of bad things about the health care sytem there. Have you tried just going to meetings and just listening?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: birmingham
Posts: 29
no, it's pretty lame here to say the least, i lost my driving license many years back (dd) and as part of my probation i saw an alcohol advisor, who stuck pins in my ears and told me it was my right to drink, i had to travel to see this person and never made it home sober in 2 years of seeing them, but at that time i had no intention of stopping to be honest.
a year or so later after a spot of bad luck and feeling very sorry for myself, i fell at my then doctors feet begging him to help me stop, he prescribed antabuse and after about 3 months i learnt how to drink with them and so stopped taking them.
i firmly believe our type has to hit OUR own rock bottom before help can be sought, certainly so in my case, i just woke up on the floor one morning and thought this is totally crazy, i had been so miserable for so long i thought anything had to be better and so i stopped, now if you had told me then that nearly 2 years later i would still be sober i would have laughed at you, but i am, i nearly died through drink many times, and was violently ill when stopped for a week or so. but as time passed i felt a little better by the day. no matter how bad things get, no matter how tempted i get i never want those very painfull days as part of my life again.
adam
a year or so later after a spot of bad luck and feeling very sorry for myself, i fell at my then doctors feet begging him to help me stop, he prescribed antabuse and after about 3 months i learnt how to drink with them and so stopped taking them.
i firmly believe our type has to hit OUR own rock bottom before help can be sought, certainly so in my case, i just woke up on the floor one morning and thought this is totally crazy, i had been so miserable for so long i thought anything had to be better and so i stopped, now if you had told me then that nearly 2 years later i would still be sober i would have laughed at you, but i am, i nearly died through drink many times, and was violently ill when stopped for a week or so. but as time passed i felt a little better by the day. no matter how bad things get, no matter how tempted i get i never want those very painfull days as part of my life again.
adam
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
Adam that is odd about your brother, has the health care changed a lot in the last 23 years there?
I laughed about the pins in the ears thing, good lord I would still be drunk after that!!!!
I laughed about the pins in the ears thing, good lord I would still be drunk after that!!!!
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
I have a strong hunch that ...regardless of where one lives...
you can find uninformed medical professionals...
Stoic...glad to see your test results came out so well.
you can find uninformed medical professionals...
Stoic...glad to see your test results came out so well.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: birmingham
Posts: 29
thanks for the replies all, health care here is ok, for example as i was wrongly diagnosed with diabetes i will never have to pay for medicene (any) for the rest of my days, as they cant undiagnose diabetes, its just for the last 10 years everyone from every country has heard about this health service and as a result it's severley underfunded.
so, tazman, you have me remembering those crazy days now, i would enter the building my means of group4 security gates and entry system, this made me feel so secure and serene (><).
once inside i would sit down and wait for my 1 to 1 chat, the first thing we would do is go through my drinking diary......... now this may not surprise some, however, this alcoholic has a lifetimes experience of lying about what i drink, to myself, my various partners etc etc.
so we go through my 'honest diary' 2 pints monday so on. if i had written what i had really drank it would have scared the daylights outta me! (maybe that was the point?)
the true problem of course was i was there because the court had told me to. after that 1 would sit in the dark with 5 needles in each ear for 30 mins, and have no idea why! because they omitted telling me, if they had it may have helped! however i was just thinking about the pub over the road, one i wasnt banned from!
the point of all this is you cant help anyone stop drinking, i have friends now who tell me their partner wants to stop but cant, i have to walk away because i dont want to fail anyone. i had 6 months of living hell that made me stop and that keeps me sober.
to anyone reading this knowing they drink to much and would possibly stop sometime... take it from me, things will only get worse, if you are like me, you will never drink like a normal person, the longer you leave it the more you will lose and the harder it will become. if i had been told this 3 years ago, i would have laughed, because i knew best, noone knew me. i knew it all. and guess what? i didnt then and dont now. life is far too short to lose any time locked in a bottle living with lies and decieit.
thanks again for the replies. adam
so, tazman, you have me remembering those crazy days now, i would enter the building my means of group4 security gates and entry system, this made me feel so secure and serene (><).
once inside i would sit down and wait for my 1 to 1 chat, the first thing we would do is go through my drinking diary......... now this may not surprise some, however, this alcoholic has a lifetimes experience of lying about what i drink, to myself, my various partners etc etc.
so we go through my 'honest diary' 2 pints monday so on. if i had written what i had really drank it would have scared the daylights outta me! (maybe that was the point?)
the true problem of course was i was there because the court had told me to. after that 1 would sit in the dark with 5 needles in each ear for 30 mins, and have no idea why! because they omitted telling me, if they had it may have helped! however i was just thinking about the pub over the road, one i wasnt banned from!
the point of all this is you cant help anyone stop drinking, i have friends now who tell me their partner wants to stop but cant, i have to walk away because i dont want to fail anyone. i had 6 months of living hell that made me stop and that keeps me sober.
to anyone reading this knowing they drink to much and would possibly stop sometime... take it from me, things will only get worse, if you are like me, you will never drink like a normal person, the longer you leave it the more you will lose and the harder it will become. if i had been told this 3 years ago, i would have laughed, because i knew best, noone knew me. i knew it all. and guess what? i didnt then and dont now. life is far too short to lose any time locked in a bottle living with lies and decieit.
thanks again for the replies. adam
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: birmingham
Posts: 29
an update:
following a recent medical they have 'un diagnosed me' and removed me from the diabetes register, it's worth noting it took nearly 20 months for my pancreas and liver to recover from the abuse i put them through, obviously nobody knows how my long term health is effected, time will tell.
one things for sure, i'm healthy now and would be dead if i hadnt quit drink when i did. hope you all had a good xmas and happy new year to you all.
adam
following a recent medical they have 'un diagnosed me' and removed me from the diabetes register, it's worth noting it took nearly 20 months for my pancreas and liver to recover from the abuse i put them through, obviously nobody knows how my long term health is effected, time will tell.
one things for sure, i'm healthy now and would be dead if i hadnt quit drink when i did. hope you all had a good xmas and happy new year to you all.
adam
the girl can't help it
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: splendraville
Posts: 5,599
There is so much information about how alcohol affects the blood sugar levels. I think anyone working to recover from alcohol addiction need to be on a special diet to help bring their blood sugar level into balance. I read something somewhere that all alcoholics have blood sugar imbalances.
If someone is having trouble getting clean I think the first thing to look at is the blood sugar levels.
If someone is having trouble getting clean I think the first thing to look at is the blood sugar levels.
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
Thank you for the great update. It helps remind us that once the poison is removed from our bodies it allows the miracle of recovery to happen in our physical, mental, and spiritual bodies.
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