Question from St. Augustine, Florida, USA:

I am a 46 year old white female who has had type�2 diabetes and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis for about six years. I am taking my medications on a regular basis, but I have been known to get depressed about things and stop them altogether. I am working hard to stay on top of things and do feel good when sugars are in control, but lately my none of my blood sugars have been under 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L], and I feel left out in the cold.

I cannot see my endocrinologist because of new insurance, and my primary care physician sees my problems, is taking care to test me, and helps keep me on track with her care. However, about four months ago, I started itching badly constantly. I have trouble sleeping anyway, and this makes it worse. My sugars had been good for several months but not constant. My doctor said I have dry skin. Yes! Okay. No rash on my skin or anything. Skin lotions do not help. I drink more water to see to that I am not dehydrating. Nope! Please help me figure out why this is going on.

My memory and things like that are noticeably lacking, and I feel slow and stupid. Everyone shrugs all this off, but I am concerned. I miss my period now about every other month. I weigh 240 pounds (less than I have weighed for many years). I cannot stay organized in my thoughts, and this is disturbing. I try not to scratch myself with things that will hurt me. The itching is all the time now. No vaginal itching or yeast. I have no known allergies.