Glucose tolerance test aged 35 given warning that would be diabetic within 10 years. 180 lbs and 6FT 4Inches.
Sugar drinks and sweets where not a big feature of my life.
Advice none.
Where did this come from?
Aged 42, subjected to fasting tests and declared diabetic.
Take these pills and follow diet instructions.
Talked through with a diet specialist who was informative, but only had urine test sticks to monitor.
Stopped drinking and adopted sugar free drinks including tea and coffee, and reduced my carbohydrate intake, but it was all guess work as there was no information on packets like today.
From then it was, you know what is wrong, use the advise and get on with it.
No more support.
3 months later very ill, nobody knows why.
See private specialist who decides I am not trying hard enough re diabetes.
6 months later back up to speed.
3 years later I am feeling very ill, and Doctor says I have renal threshold problems.
Confused, not happy trying to do my excellent job as a Director in a major Engineering company.
I resigned, moved to Devon, started my own business, registered with Doctor.
After 3 months I am referred to the hospital/ Peninsula Health where I met the late Dr McCloud, and was put on Insulin immediately.
My Blood sugar levels where running in the mid 20's
A few years later I am on DAFNE and doing very well.
I am now challenging some of the ways in DAFNE, but not the main principal.
It would appear I was diagnosed Type 2 and should have been Type 1. A specialist recognised the situation.
If they had done an HBA test they would have known, but had to wait until I moved to Devon and a new NHS region.
As for the medical specialist, who had me in hospital under observation for a week, rather not say.
Why write all this?
Just to say despite the misdirection or poor diagnosis it is possible to get the attention that is required, even when some areas of the NHS failed to progress as fast as others.
The NHS may be slow and cumbersome at times but they are really a fantastic organisation.
If I had been living elsewhere in the world there is a good chance I would not have been here to type this.
Whatever way diagnosis was made, things are changing so fast it is not worth worrying about.