T2/T1 Undecided

[stevolution]

Hi all,

I'm Steve, 43, 6'2", 275lbs. Programmer, photographer, biker, tarantula enthusiast.
My preferred diet is LC/Paleo and up until a couple of months ago I trained in Crossfit three/four times a week.
I can jog 5k and deadlift my own body weight for a 5 rep max.
Can't remember a time when I wasn't tired all the time and I find it incredibly difficult to lose fat.
Ah, except for the time I tried the Cambridge diet, but we'll not speak any more about that...
I've been eating 'like normal people' since the new year and have put maybe half a stone of fat on in that time.

Around the middle of last week I started to get incredibly thirsty and was getting up to pee four or five times during the night.
I'd have to drink at least half a pint of water before getting back in bed and then getting up an hour or so later to repeat the process.
I got woken up with leg cramps too - you know the ones that feels like a tennis ball in your calf?
During the day I became even more tired than usual and was falling asleep at my desk in the morning as well as the afternoon. I got thrush (and another man-problem) which is a WHOLE new experience! :shock:
I've lost about half a stone in a week.
My vision's a bit off. Anything more than about 30 feet away loses its sharp edge.
Dunno if it's related, but I had an eye test about a month ago and now have reading glasses.

I got really curious about the thirst thing and on Tuesday morning went looking for possible causes online (I'm an ex-Open Uni student, I know how to search! :lol: ). I found this site at one stage and ticked off the symptoms. I was panicked enough to call into an NHS drop-in centre. They grumpily told me I should be seeng my GP about this but a doctor got a urine sample from me and dipped it. Sure enough there were ketones and glucose in it (I don't know how much) and a finger-prick blood glucose test showed 13 mmol/L. He advised me to either get up to A&E or speak to my GP about the best course of action.

I was booked in for a proper fasting blood test with the nurse the next day and after that my GP put me on 2 x 500mg Metformin daily after seeing my finger-prick BG test came out at 15. Got an appointment for today when bloods are back in.

Just got back from GP and he confirmed I have a HbA1c of 9.4%. It's not as high as he feared it might be so he's diagnosing T2 for now. However he's concerned that I'm showing all these symptoms all of a sudden and we're waiting to see what the people at the diabetic clinic say at my appointment on Monday afternoon. In short he (and I) are worried about the possibility of T1.

What's stopping me bouncing off the walls in panic is seeing all these calm, chilled people just getting on with living with diabetes. It's a really comforting feeling knowing that I'm not alone in this, and I'm really grateful you're all here.

Anyhow, sorry for the War & Peace and I look forward to chatting with you all at some point in the future.

Kind regards,
:wave: Steve

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Yes, welcome to the club. At least your HCP is considering late onset T1 (LADA) or similar bas a possibility; so many have never heard of it. At least the Metformin and a good low carb diet will help to control the glucose but only regular Hba1C checks will tell what effect they are having and as you may have already read, a C-Peptide and GAD test will help show whether or not you have LADA. Do come back with more questions as your treatmnet continues

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Steve, sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but with a little determination, diet and exercise this thing is not hard to live with.

Your height and weight gives you a BMI of 35 which puts you firmly in the obese range so a diagnosis of T2 is more than likely correct although there are no certainties with diabetic diagnosis, diabetic symptoms can creep up on you gradually but often by the time you notice the thirst it will have taken hold.

http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthywe ... lator.aspx

Daisy I'm sure will be posting the 'information for newly diagnosed diabetics' when she sees your post, have a good read and let it sink in and then if you have any questions just ask away

 

[daisy1]

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum This is the information Sid mentioned in his post. It was written for new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Yes, we all just get on with our diabetes and don't let it rule our lives. We look after ourselves as well as we can as you will learn to do too. If you have any questions, just ask and there will be someone who can reply.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS


Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

 

[stevolution]

Thanks for the hellos and all the information, guys!

I was quite upbeat yesterday but the reality of the situation is sinking in today and I'm a bit more despondent, although still encouraged by all the other people here.

I'll have a read through the info Daisy sent me and I'll keep you posted after I've been to the clinic on Monday.

 

[noblehead]

Good luck Steve

 

[lydia520]

T2/T1 Undecided

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Good luck on your clinic visit today Steve.

 

[stevolution]

Thanks noblehead and Sid!

 

[jojo2276]

Hi! Hope you got on ok! Fully understand how you feel I was diagnosed in Jan. take care x

 

[stevolution]

Great first appointment with DSN.
Meds changed to 1x500mg Metformin SR + 1x40mg Gliclazide.
Also going on some injection that I forget the name of (not insulin).
Got a meter and should be getting strips and pointy things this afternoon.
Much more positive outlook!

Steve