pain

[Kateady]

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, diagnosed by accident really.  For over a year now I have been having a lot of trouble with my right leg, but only when I walk.  It aches, it doesn't pain, but I have to stop and rest when it aches.  I went to my doctor and he sent me for an xray, which said that everything was fine and he said I'd just have to put up with it or go swimming or something.  I also complained about my left arm, because it was paining me and I was getting pins and needles in my fingers.  He said it was probably a trapped nerve.

Anyway, about six months later my chest started to feel like someone was squeezing me too tight and I couldn't breathe and my left arm would go kind of dead, so I went to my doctor and he sent me to a cardiologist who gave me a treadmill test.  This test showed up with abnormal patterns or something, so she put me on atenolol and simvastatin and a spray for when I have an "attack".  She also sent me for an angiogram.  When I went for the angiogram, she couldn't get the catheter into my right groin and she said there must be a blockage and she went through the left groin, then my heart played up when the dye went in and she had to abandon the test. She wasn't happy that the catheter wouldn't go in my right groin specially when I told her I have problems walking with it, so she said she'd write to my gp to have tests done on it.

She said I have got coronary heart disease but that it is mild, but that she only managed to see one half of my heart, so she then sent me for a stress test and a rest test and the result showed that my heart scan was normal but there are "changes" in my trace so I have an appointment on the 10th Nov to discuss it.

In the meantime, I was referred to a vascular surgeon by my cardiologist about my leg.  He said that he couldn't feel a pulse in my foot, behind my knee or in my groin, and said that I probably had a blockage.  He also said that he couldn't feel a pulse in my wrist, elbow or neck and said that he was sending me for a dopple scan.

While I was with him I was sent to do a sample of wee in a bottle and it came back with glucose or sugar or something in it, so he sent me for a blood test and that came back with a reading of 20mmol/l, which my doc said was high, so he did a three month one and that came back with a reading of 15, so they said I'm diabetic.

Well, on 25th September I went for the dopple scan on my leg and arm and neck and when I asked the lady who did the scan could she tell me anything, she said she wasn't allowed to tell me anything but that she'd "found the problem" with my leg and arm.  Throughout all these tests my arm has got worse, I can't put my arm in my sleeve without help and I can't drive the car.  

Since I had the doppler scan, the vascular surgeon said he wanted more tests done on my arm so I had an MRI scan last week, and I don't know what the result of that is.  But my gp told me that he'd received a three page report on my doppler scans that he couldn't understand.  The only thing he could understand was that I've got a "severe blockage" in my right leg, in my thigh, above the knee.

The vascular surgeon has made a follow-up appointment in February next year (2009) in four months' time!!! I don't understand if I've got a severe blockage in my leg, how he can leave me for four months.  Is it not a serious condition?  

Then there's my arm that I'm in constant pain with.  I have noticed that sometimes, such as washing my hair or bending down to pick my computer bag up, the pain in my arm gets really really bad and then my chest tightens up.  Could the arm pain be connected to the angina like attacks I'm having?  I am so very worried.  I haven't had a decent nights sleep for months because of my arm, I can't find a place to put it that doesn't hurt.

My gp thinks that I've probably had undiagnosed diabetes for a long time for me to have all these problems.  Diabetes runs through my family, most of my brothers and sisters have it and my mum (I'm one of 11 children).  Anyway, I feel really neglected.  I was put on some tablets for my diabetes but not told anything about it, no leaflets, nothing.

I just wondered if somebody could tell me whether all this sounds like it's all connected to my diabetes.  Please help.

Katie

[Kateady]

Hi Dot!

Thank you for replying to my post.  Yes, it is good news, because now I know it's not all in my head.  I don't know when the operation is going to be but they've said it will be before Christmas because I'm on a cancellation list and I've been asked to make myself available at short notice.  Hopefully, it will all be over soon and I can enjoy Christmas with everybody else.  Take care of yourself too. Katie xx

[Dot.Calm]

Thanks for posting your great news! Its good to hear doctors discovered the reason for your pain and it will soon be addressed, and hopefully gone forever. Good luck and good health to you!

[Kateady]

Hi all, thank you for your concern and support.  I have now had the results of my mri scan and have been told I have to have a bypass.  Not on my  heart though, which is good, it's somewhere behind my collar bone.  They said it's a pity this diabetes wasn't found out earlier, but at least its going to be controlled.  The GP wants to have it under control before I have the operation.  I'm gutted really that it got this far at my age, but that's life and I'll have to get on with it.  In the meantime I've been put on a pain patch called Fentanyl for the pain in my arm which is caused by the blockage in my chest/neck or wherever it is.  At least things are being done now and I know what's wrong with me.  Thank you all for your kindness.  I'll post again when I have better news, so I don't depress people!!! Take care. Katie

[Bob_D]

My dear mandy,

Regarding your comment that Kateady's medical problems are in part due to "socialized medicine", the World Health Organization rates the UK health system as 18th in the world whereas the one in the United States is rated 37th. Who do you think has the better system?

According to her narration, Kateady has been able to see a GP, a cardiologist, and a vascular surgeon. She may have not received the best care from her providers, but she got more contact with doctors than she would have gotten in the US, where she would have been able to visit an emergency room and see no specialists at all.

I don't know if you have looked into the matter, but our health care system is in big trouble. Insurance premiums have doubled since 2001. We spend more on health care (2.2 trillion last year) than any other country and spending as a percentage of GDP has quintupled since 1963. Every minute someone declares bankruptcy from medical expenses, and 47 million people, including children, are not covered. Our companies can't compete for jobs with other countries because of our employer-based health insurance system. We are the only developed nation in the world without universal care. 82% of Americans think we need to revamp our health care system. 57% of doctors favor some sort of universal access.

Sadly, what you offer is waving the bloody shirt of "socialized medicine" as the ultimate evil. How about some *constructive* suggestions for fixing our nation's medical delivery problems?

[Super_sally888]

At 34 you are way too young for this.
Please act very agressively to get this under control and get your life back.

[Super_sally888]

They should be telling you how to monitor the diabetes and making sure that your blood sugars are lowered.  If the meds don't work they should be getting you on insulin.  This is very urgent to prevent worsening of everything. You need to be sent to a diabetes clinic to learn how to manage this.

As your health care system is not so good, you are also going to need to get yourself self educated very quickly and be very proactive both in doing everything you can to dramatically cut your blood sugars (lifestyle and through meds - at your level of diabetes you need both) and get your conditions treated.  Read up on diabetes, read up on the med you've been given.

The arm could possibly be nerve, but given the pulse findings I suspect this is blockage related.  Treatment of the blockages is urgent, and is most likely surgical.

In the meantime though, you need to be very aggressive to get your blood sugars under control, if you are overweight start working to manage that.  If you can exercise please do that.  With your condition I would think that walking, stationary biking, swimming (walking in a pool also ok if you could access one) and other lower intensity activities (this means you should be able to talk easily while doing them) which you should do for at least 30 minutes EVERY day (better twice a day) would also help both the blood sugar and the circulation.  Do not do high intensity exercise with your current condition and the blockages.

Don't be ashamed about bugging the surgeon.  This is your life and they are paid to look after you.

All the other advise here is very good.  Please take it to heart and act on it.

Please let us know how you go. Best wishes

[Rachel_R]

Typing in all CAPS is like shouting. We can hear you just as well in lower case letters.

[Kateady]

Thank you so much for replying to my post and I'm sorry it was so long-winded, but I felt I needed to write all that's been going on so it gave a better picture.

I'm a Stenographer in the Law Courts here in Britain and I'm struggling to do my job because of my arm.  Could it be a trapped nerve and nothing to do with a blockage?

I've been constantly badgering the surgeon's secretary for information or results and I think she's getting really annoyed at me.  I've told her I'm in constant pain and could I speak to the surgeon, but I'm not getting anywhere and I don't want to annoy anybody.  I know the surgeon is back from his holiday today (3rd Nov) but his secretary said he probably won't look at the results till Wednesday. I feel like I'm being a pain in the backside to the professional people so I don't want to phone again.  Waiting is killing me. I wish I could afford to live in the USA, it sounds like a great place to live, but there's no use dreaming is there?

By the way, my tablets are called Gliclazide and I think they make the body produce more insulin or something like that.

Thank you again for your words of kindness.  Hopefully, I can report some good news next time I write. x  

[mandyrn91]

unfortunately your diabetes as well as your vascular issues are very serious and in need of immediate medical attention. this is a perfect example of what socialized medicine does for you. it puts your life in jeopardy. go back to an er ASAP !!!!! THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION BY WAY OF SURGERY TO CLEAR THE BLOCKED ARTERIES BEFORE YOU STROKE OR HAVE A HEART ATTACK !!!! I DONT WANT TO PANICK YOU BUT IF THE DR COULDNT GET THE CATH PASSED YOUR GROIN THEN THAT BLOCKAGE NEEDS TO BE FIXED EITHER BY PUTTING A BALLOON UP THERE AND EXPANDING IT WHICH PUSHES THE PLAQUE TO THE SIDES AND THEY CAN OPEN YOUR NECK AND CLEAN OUT THE BLOCKAGE THERE ( ENDARTERECTOMY ). COME TO THE USA IF YOU CAN. WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO HAVE THIS WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY THEY HAVE PUT YOU OFF UNTIL LATER.....SO SORRY

[Dot.Calm]

Your reading of 20mmol/l and along with the A1c test results of 15 are indeed high and very unhealthy. You're in the danger zone and untreated diabetes can be what's causing your other health issues too. So first things first; start with better nutrition and get your blood glucose (sugars) lowered immediately. Just Google diabetic nutrition for answers on what to eat. Normal fasting glucose is not more than 5.5 mmo/l and <6% (less than) on the A1c. Cut out the sweets, the junk food, the bad carbs, the sweet drinks, etc. Moderate exercise helps a lot in reducing glucose levels.

"My gp thinks that I've probably had undiagnosed diabetes..."
That's a big DUH from your GP. OK, that's in the past now what is he/she doing to treat you? You can look up your medication here http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html . I don't know the health system in the UK, sorry. Find another doctor, run from this one to one that will not only listen to you, but also provide the medical care you deserve. To send you home with medication without providing consultation is unheard of.