Sickening Side Effects

While I really don't want to end up doing weekly updates on the state of my health, I'm afraid that today, it is the issue which has dominated my life.  While one side effect from my medication seems to be waning (the cough caused by the Ramipril), the other has returned with a vengeance.  Since late yesterday evening, my stomach has been spectacularly upset as a result of the Metformin I'm taking for the diabetes.  I know that it is a common side effect and should wear off after a few weeks, but it really is debilitating when it strikes.  Which is usually without warning.  After losing the latter part of last week to my stomach troubles, everything seemed to be back to normal over the weekend.  Until yesterday.  I was up half the night and consequently spent half the day trying to catch up with my sleep. The situation was complicated by the fact that I was in the middle of urinating in a bottle for twenty four hours to provide a specimen for yet more tests.  (I did manage to deliver it to the pathology lab at the hospital this afternoon, so I can at least get back to normal in that department).

Anyway, even as I write this my stomach is still in turmoil.  Hopefully, I'll get some respite tomorrow.  I'm not sure I can take another day like today - it felt like a miracle that my stomach stayed settled enough for the trip to the hospital and back.  That said, despite the side effects, the Metformin is clearly working (it reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver which, in turn, helps lower the blood sugar level), as most of my obvious diabetic symptoms (the unnatural thirst and the frequent need to urinate) have vanished.  Hopefully, coupled with the reduction in my sugar intake (I'm still on the sweeteners and haven't touched a soft drink, chocolate bar or doughnut since my diagnosis), it means that I'm already making some progress in turning this around.  I've got my first diabetes clinic next week, so we'll see.  In the meantime, I guess I'm just going to have to weather these gastric storms although, as I've said, they leave me feeling to lousy, (not helped by the dehydration and lack of appetite that accompany them), and unmotivated.   Like I said, with luck tomorrow will be better.