Doctor says diabetes - nurse says not.

[CajaDeLaMemoria]

Back in March, I started shaking quite violently in a hospital appointment. It happens often if I don't eat regularly. The consultant was concerned and immediately sent me for diabetes tests, which came back borderline. He referred me to a diabetes nurse the same day, who said it was probably a blood sugar condition, but was unlikely to be diabetes.

I started full-time work recently. It's manic, and eating regularly has been a struggle. Over the past few weeks, I've almost passed out a few times at work. It usually happens at around midday, and badly affected my vision. It takes a long time for me to feel normal again when it happens. Work are very worried. I'm very worried that I'll now lose my job.

Saw the doctor again on Thursday. I've had blood tests, and had more pin-prick tests. The doctor says my symptoms match diabetes perfectly. We set an eating schedule, and I've felt a lot better since starting it. When it started to happen yesterday, I had an emergency biscuit, and it passed.

The nurse is adamant that it's not diabetes, though, and cancelled my appointment to see her again. There isn't another diabetes nurse that I can see.

Do I need a firm diagnosis and proper treatment? Or will I be alright carrying on as I am for now? I'm really not up for a fight.

Get your GP to argue it out with her direct. Don't be piggy in the middle. It's his diagnosis she's undermining.

Agree with Gobby. I didn't think nurses were there to diagnose diabetes (I'm prepared to stand corrected though!) and that was the job of the GP? I would go back to the GP, tell him/her what's happening with the nurse, and ask that the practice sort this out.

Bonkers for them to be disagreeing.

Go back to GP and repeat what nruse told you and ask what he wants you to do. Other conditions can cause abnormal blood sugar but if she thinks its something else then she needs to tell you to see GP again!

Diabetes nurses can (IME) know more about it than GP's but I've never heard of one disagreeing without agreeing with you what the next step should be.

Her behaviour is shockingly poor, and she had no right to cancel your appointment or undermine the doctor to you. If she had a problem with his diagnosis she should have spoken to him about it, not you. Make another appointment with him, tell him about her attitude and ask him what you should do now.

Ok, diabetes is a condition when your body cannot deal with sugar/carbohydrates properly, they don't get 'pulled' into body cells, but circulate around your system causing HIGH blood sugar.

If you felt better after a biscuit and irregular eating is a problem for you, you may have had episodes of LOW blood sugar.

It is very odd that your GP and nurse would disagree like that.
Never minds skin-prick tests - ask for a proper blood test for a fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (a test that gives an idea what your blood sugar has been doing in the last 3 months or so).

Make sure you ask all the questions you have; write them down before appointments in case you get flustered and forget.

Have you been abnormally thirsty?
Have you been passing abnormal amounts of urine?
Have you been losing significant amounts of weight without trying/whilst eating normally?
Have you been more lethargic than normal?

Yes to those questions may suggest diabetes; not feeling lightheaded which passes on eating.

NHS Choices Diabetes Type 1

Diabetes Type 2 which is more common in adults.

I get lightheaded, sick and shaky when I don't eat for a while. I usually keep some emergency sweets in my bag or pocket. I feel better almost immediately when suck a sweet - and can then go to get some food.

It's not diabetes though. My DM is the same, as is DD1.

Scroll down to find causes of hypoglycaemia without diabetes

It is not diabetes that causes low blood sugar, but some of its treatments (some tablets, insulin)

I was going to post what Pacific has after reading OP and thinking hmmm and waving it at DH who has been type 1 since childhood.

Very unprofessional of the nurse though not to see this through.

Thanks everyone. I'll go have another look at the NHS site now. I'm having trouble posting a longer reply, so I'll come back to this in a bit.

People with type 1 diabetes do get episodes of shaking and visual disturbance etc but this is because the insulin injected pushes the blood sugar levels too low. Without insulin being injected levels would just keep increasing.

Ad Pacific says it is easy to diagnose diabetes! You need to find out what your numbers are.

Regarding your hypoglycaemia, do you eat a lot of short acting carbs? That intense need for a biscuit or something sweet could be fixed with lower GI foods that release glucose slowly and keep insulin levels stable rather than having lots of peaks and troughs.

I get shakey and feel crap at work sometimes. CN feel faint, spots in vision, etc. I check my blood sugar when its like this and its often low. Like you a biscuit or something has me feeling better.

I don't think I've got diabetes as my blood sugar is never high. When a friend of mine was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic she felt awful and her blood sugar was 30. Mine is 2 when I feel shit. Normal blood sugar should be sort of 4-7.

Have to admit I've never bothered going to the dr.

My glucose has always been a tad below 4 on an empty stomach, and always felt faint, sick, shaky, brain couldn't concentrate at lunch-time. but never ate breakfast. The only thing that calmed all the alarm red alert signals was when my tummy was full. of savoury hot food. It would make it worse if I ate something or a sweet or a cold snack and made me stroppy

Even having breakfast made no difference.
DB said it was all in my mind

Have your fasting blood glucose and HbA1c been tested? as that's what a diabetes diagnosis will be based, not your "symptoms" which could be associated with many different causes. If you haven't had those tests, or if you have and they came back normal, then it's likely the diabetes nurse refused the referral because you don't have a definited diagnosis of diabetes.

Im very confused. I'm not saying you havent got diabetes, but I think I agree more with the nurse! If you are feeling shaky when not eating this is NOT undiagnosed diabetes. In fact, it's the complete opposite!

Has your GP ordered a hbA1c? Has he/she done a finger prick test? Sounds more like hypoglycaemia.

It doesn't sound as though your GP even knows what diabetes is if you're experiencing low blood sugar as opposed the high levels which would occur if you did have diabetes