How do you feel?

[Suds]

Hi everyone. I just found this forum and I must say I was very happy to find it. It's difficult knowing how I should feel when I'm not around diabetics like myself.

So, I was wondering do you ever feel very tired?

Do you have a burning sensation in your chest area. Like heartburn but more around the breast area and sometime under the armpit; and more noticeable when you're hungry?

Do your legs feel tired?

Do you feel hungry all the time and sick when you really need to eat?

How do you lose weight when you're hungry all the time?

I walk 4 miles per hour for 30 minutes each day. This helps control my sugar levels but I find that I am always hungry; even a mere hour after eating. My sugar levels were good for the past 5 years but this past 8 months or so have been more difficult to control and along with this is the burning sensation I have had for the past month.

I am going to the doctor in a couple of weeks, but I was wondering about the burning sensation; if it's diabetes related, and how you stop the hunger feeling? I lost 8 pounds but would like to lose another 30.

Cheers :)

[morrisma]

Some of your symptoms fit with high sugar, others low. Do you test your bs very often? It would be helpful to know what your readings are when you have a symptom!

Walking is the best BTW, keep that up.

[Scrabblechick]

Yeah, absolutely, if you're not testing regularly, start doing so. This will give you a better idea of what your blood glucose (BG) levels are doing throughout the day. I've gotten to the point where I feel a little anxious if I haven't tested. Like my BG might suddenly shoot up into the stratosphere if I'm not keeping an eye on it to make it behave. LOL.

Do remember to tell your doc about all your symptoms. Write them down, in fact.

[GinaLynn]

I know how you feel about finding this site- it really is helpful to talk with other people that understand how it feels to have diabetes:)

I used to have a lot of the symptoms that you described- weak legs, feeling hungry all the time, up and down blood sugars, and the never ending battle to lose weight:banghead: To get around some of these symptoms I follow the south beach diet. I do this because I found that eating less carbohydrates not only helped me to lose some weight, but really is good for my blood sugars and I don't feel hungry all the time.

You can get all the information off line so it is free and I found it helpful. It might be worth a shot- I like it- Good luck, I hope you feel better:D

[notme]

Hi Suds and GinaLynn! We are glad you found this site also. Welcome to Diabetes Forums. I know you will find lots of answers to your questions here and great new friends.

Welcome!

[princesslinda]

Hi Suds, welcome!

I do find that when my blood sugars are elevated, I feel tired..and at diagnosis, I was having a lot of trouble with chest discomfort and palpitation, which resolved as my blood sugars normalized.

I've struggled with the constant hunger, i've read it can be attributed to insulin resistance, very common in T2s. Metformin and regular exercise can help with this. Also, avoiding carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread) and eating more green veggies and lean proteins will help you feel fuller longer.

Like the other posters, i'd encourage you to test often, esp 2 hrs after your first bite of food, so you can learn how different foods affect your blood sugar and make smarter food choices.

[terryok123]

Testing is key to managing... i found this video helpful.. it made me worry and start to think about things...check it out..
i admire him for being honest about his attidue.. see link below..

Diabetes Type 2 Personal Story - Watch WebMD Video (http://www.webmd.com/video/diabetes-type2-discipline)

[Suds]

Thanks for your replies.:)

I exercise regularly but I guess I need to take a closer look at my eating. My sugar levels range from 4.8 to 12.0. The burning sensation is there whether the sugar levels are low or high and I guess it could be unrelated to diabetes. I've never felt anything like it before and it doesn't feel like normal heart burn in the center of the chest, rather it's over the breast area, and I don't feel it when I first wake up, but minutes after I get out of bed.

[slipperyelm]

Suds, I had totally forgotten and did not remember until I got to your last post just above, that once upon a time I did have some sort of discomfort in the chest that came and went for months. Trouble is, now I cannot even remember what it was like. I told my doctor about it at a regular appointment and he ran an EKG. The EKG looked normal. I do remember that after that appointment I never even experienced the discomfort again. Weird, eh? Some sort of placebo effect?--tell the healer and get instantly healed? Probably that really is what it happended for me, because I've had other things that were niggling at me healthwise for months and then after I told my doc it never happened again. :) I don't think my chest discomfort was anything I'd describe as pain, and certainly not burning.

Also, YES, I do have trouble with hunger now and then. When my BGs run too high consistently I will get the hunger several times a day, especially about 15-20 minutes after eating when I still have food in my stomach(!), so it has nothing to do with not feeling full. People who have not experienced it probably find it puzzling to hear that I could feel both excruciatingly famished and stuffed full at the same time....I imagine this is an occasional feature of diabetes that will be figured out and probably will be addressable some day in the future. I wonder if it is something to do with the persistence of or the lack of phase 1 insulin release or some of the other hormones involved in digestion.

By keeping my BGs under control AND eating low carb, I have seen that hunger mitigated to a much milder event and much less frequently. When I do get that hunger even mildly, it has invariably been when I've eaten more carbohydrates than I ought to have for several days in a row.

What to do about it? Well, in my case, obviously I think I need to eat low carb and get the BG generally under control. When first diagnosed and also at a time when I fell off the wagon, so to speak, I just had to make myself hold on through it. It will subside if I don't feed it. In fact feeding it can lead to just another intense round of hunger, calling you to eat again and getting hungry again. Tell yourself you will hold on through it until that very episode of hunger goes away. It will go away. Steel yourself up and hold on! The more you resist against that senseless hunger while at the same time getting the BGs down and eating low carb, the more the hunger will subside, if you are like me. You have all my sympathy. I know it is very hard.

[gleny]

Thanks for your replies.:)

I exercise regularly but I guess I need to take a closer look at my eating. My sugar levels range from 4.8 to 12.0. The burning sensation is there whether the sugar levels are low or high and I guess it could be unrelated to diabetes. I've never felt anything like it before and it doesn't feel like normal heart burn in the center of the chest, rather it's over the breast area, and I don't feel it when I first wake up, but minutes after I get out of bed.
Hi I just found this site 2 weeks ago.I have type 2 and on metfromin.I was wondering if it could be the meds making your chest burn like heartburn, acid reflux thing?? I would ask the dr.I know metformin can give you indigestion and stomach upsets.Just a thought good luck Gleny

[soso]

Hi Suds
Reflux could cause those symptoms.. when my IBS plays up I feel very tired all the time and sometimes the pain feels like hunger and indeed is somewhat relieved for a while by eating...
Can you take Gaviscon or Maalox? A good test is to take a decent dose when you have the burning and if it is helped by that that is an indication it could be acid reflux or GERD as it is sometimes called... your doctor can do tests to confirm and also check for an ulcer if need be.

[Suds]

Thanks folks. Yes, I do have GERD and I started taking zantac 150, which is working for me. The 75MG wasn't working for me. I went to Calgary for a week and as soon as I landed in Calgary the burning sensation went away. It was gone the entire week I was in Calgary. With in an hour of landing at Pearson the pain has returned. I am wondering if it could be environmental? I am going to my doctor in two days and hoping it's nothing serious.