I sympathise with you - it's so frustrating. I was not diagnosed for several years in the seventies - even though I had so many symptoms eg drinking loads because of continuous thirst, constant tiredness, constant headaches that often became migraine, terrible pain in my joints etc. I weighed 7 1/2 to 8 stones. I was a teacher and had to leave the class (38+) frequently to dash for the toilet. The symptoms had got worse over many years. After 2 years of visits to the doctor, he diagnosed early menopause and gave me HRT (I was 38) which did not help. He then diagnosed stress! I told him that - yes, I was stressed because I knew there was something wrong. I had a private sinus wash to help the headaches. That didn't work. I couldn't work any more and was so ill that I resigned. I took 26 different drugs because I was so desperate to find out what was wrong, including one for stress that made me so sick that I stopped taking it after 2 weeks. My husband booked a private appointment with a consultant who said he was going to refer me to a colleague because he felt that there was something wrong with my blood. The other consultant diagnosed diabetes within minutes and I was admitted to hospital that day. I don't know what my HbA1c was but my blood sugars were between 2 and 32 and I had ketones. After a few days in the private hospital, I was advised to see the GP again. He sent me to the local hospital to have the sugar test repeated!! He said they could not 'go by' private results!! I had the test done in the busy A& E dept, got a terrible migraine and ended up begging for a dark room. I was allowed to lie down on a trolley in a dark corridor. Like you, I was diagnosed Type 2 but called a 'brittle' diabetic.
Like so many diabetics, I can eat the same thing and get a totally different result. My blood sugars have always been irrational, my HbA1c was 54 last year. My annual check has got later and later - last year it was 15 months. The nurse told me that the reason is that they can't cope with the number of overweight diabetics. 3 years ago, I was told to check my blood pressure frequently and see the GP every 3 months but he was then ill and nobody else is interested.
Now the good news. I will be 80 next month and I'm still here. My husband and I have travelled to almost every continent and had amazing adventures - including collapsing with hypos. On one occasion in Germany the food didn't arrive and I collapsed under the table. Lucozade always worked!! I stopped getting hypos at night when I started taking Linogliptin app 3 years ago. I have painful osteoarthritis, osteopenia ( several broken bones), kidney disease, haven't slept through the night for almost 40 years. I will not take anything as I already take 10 different drugs each day and it's a good time to read. 5 hours per night in bits is enough although I am always tired. I volunteer and keep busy. All the information I got about diabetes came from Diabetes UK ( prev The Diabetic Association) and none from the GP's in the early days. You are lucky because there is so much information and knowledge these days. I enjoy the magazine from Diabetes UK and pass it on. One of my grandsons, Type 1 diagnosed age 9 - now 18 and at university) has just got confirmation the we no longer have to buy his Libre patches - wonderful news.
Diabetes is a challenge but you can live with it. There will be ups and downs but I am sure that so many happy times lie ahead.
