Was I diabetic as a child?

steveelles

Active Member
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44
Hi everyone. I was diagnosed Type 2 about 4 years ago and went on Metformin 2 weeks ago (2 x 500mg daily rising to 3 x next week). I had to fight to get a Type 2 diagnosis which came through in the end. The thing is, I think I have been diabetic my entire life. Diabetes is on both sides of my family tree and my Dad has been "pre" for over 10 years. I have spoken to my GP about it and you can tell he only really cares about the here and now. He does seem to be coming round to the idea that I have been diabetic for longer than 4 years, so that's a start. Let me tell you why I think I had a metabolic issue when I was little:

1. I was seriously underweight as a child and used to have rages. At 2 weeks old I was rushed back into hospital with "gastroenteritis", which we know was something of an umbrella term back in 1971. I nearly died but they had only just worked out how to get a drip into a newborn and so was spared a short existence.
2. I refused to eat.
3. I wet the bed. I never used to understand it. I went to bed, I went to sleep, I woke up in a wet bed. I can't be sure but I think they sent me to a child psychologist because they used to give me gold stars for dry nights. I can remember at the time thinking "you're on the wrong tack". However, now I'm not so sure. My parents introduced a system of waking me up as they went to bed and making them go to the loo. I was always very groggy, usually wouldn't remember the episode and used to fight them.
4. Last year I suspected my Mum was asberger's so I made her do some reasonably credible online tests and sure enough it showed up. But here's the thing, I also did the tests (for a laugh) and every single one said I was autistic. I know there is discussion about blood sugar and asberger's/autism. Lots of people who know me say I am sociable but everyone agrees I'm not normal or "unique" is the term they like to use. I believe I am really good at playing the social game but given a choice, would rather stay away from groups of more than 3.
5. There are certainly a few other things from my childhood that leave me to be suspicious but I won't go into them all suffice to say I once counted to a million on an abacus because I enjoyed it and I liked the pretty colours. Purple or crimson velvet seems to hypnotise me (still to this day).
6. From the age of fourteen something occurred (I don't know what). One morning I walled downstairs and I never wanted breakfast ever again. Still to this day I have to force it down.
7. When I left school at 17 and went to work I was like a rake and also 6 foot 4 by then.
8. I appeared to come up to a normal weight between 17 and 19 but that's when the first, more obvious, symptoms arose - creeping sensations on my skin as though I had fleas (in bed as I was drifiting off to sleep). Terrible episodes of crippling stomach cramps. I only wanted to eat carbohydrates (it wasn't really a conscious thing at the time as I had no idea of the dangers of sugars back then). Excessive sweating during exercise followed by overheating, fainting and vomiting. Unbelievable night sweats.
9. At 30 I was rushed into hospital with stomach cramps which were so intense they had slightly ruptured my colon and caused bleeding. I spent a week in hospital and nothing was diagnosed. Here's the thing, when I was transferred from A&E to the ward they said I was severely dehydrated. As soon as they put me on the drip I remember thinking, "My god, I have never felt this good".
10. I started to really pile the pounds on around 36 and went up to nearly 19 stone last year. Over the course of the last year I have managed to get that down to just above 16.
11. And here we are at week 2 Metformin but let me take you back to the very first Metformin tablet... I instantly felt my psychology change, radically. I felt calm and placid and focused to a degree where I'm not sure I've felt like that since maybe my early teens. The numbness at the tips of my fingers and down my arms and hands went away. I could read again, (although I am a professional writer I have always read slowly, at speaking pace, but over a 15 year period my ability to sit and read something substantial on screen or paper went away because the words shimmered all different colours and moved, were different sizes and I could see shadowed patterns in the configuration of words (very off putting), my mind would also wander halfway through sentences and I just could engage with it. All of this has gone.

My neurologist said this was very interesting and he has referred me to a clinical psychologist (I'll be honest, I'm a bit wary).

Does any of this ring true with anyone else? I'm struggling to talk with anyone who has had a similar experience. My family are sweet but they haven't read anything about diabetes and so they are at that, "just lose some weight" stage.

I'm Steve by the way, hi, nice to meet you all.
 
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Avocado Sevenfold

Guest
Hi Steve, welcome to the forum :)

Would it make a difference to you if you knew you had been diabetic since childhood? I sometimes look back and can now see diabetic symptoms that I explained away as something else at the time. Now I just live in the present and look ahead to the future. Hopefully it will be a healthy one...for you too.
 
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Avocado Sevenfold

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Hi. Funnily enough, that's exactly what my Mum's just told me. I guess it won't make much difference other than to be extra mindful of how I am when high or low. Thanks for the reply.
If you are curious, go for it, but it wont change anything. Do stick around. Lots of friendly advice here and good tips for dealing with your diabetes :)
 

steveelles

Active Member
Messages
44
Thank you. I intend to. I only know one diabetic and he has different experiences to me. I guess the point I was trying to make was that the first Metformin tablet actually felt like a smart pill. I felt really clear and intelligent and honestly cannot ever remember feeling like that as an adult. ☺
 

Totto

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,831
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Ah. Maybe I should ask for a prescription.

You may have suffered from reactive hypoglycaemia.

Do you see things in colours? Apart from enjoying the colours on the abacus? Not that is in any way related to diabetes but some people see weekdays, numbers, other people, letters etc in colour. It's called something like synaesthesia.
 

steveelles

Active Member
Messages
44
Hi Totto. I shall look up reactive hypoglycemia. I always thought I was hyperglycaemic... massive night sweats. Yes, I see some words and letters as subtle colours but it isn't consistent. It is not always occuring.
 

steveelles

Active Member
Messages
44
OK, so, update: I finally got so see a consultant who looked a a full medical history for me and confirmed that I've been showing symptoms consistent with a glucose metabolisng disorder like Type 2 diabetes since early childhood. He also said I should think myself lucky the doctors didn't declare me diabetic as they would have diagnosed me as a type 1, which I am not. Interesting to note that the general opinion is that there were no historical cases of childhood type 2 in the UK - I beg to differ from personal experience. Things are looking much more positive now. Lost lots of weight. Feel much better. GP thinks I have IBS with Type 2 which will require a bespoke diet plan. Just waiting on some test results. Thanks for everyone's feedback.
 
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Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Do you see things in colours? Apart from enjoying the colours on the abacus? Not that is in any way related to diabetes but some people see weekdays, numbers, other people, letters etc in colour. It's called something like synaesthesia.
My son has synesthesia, he assigns different colours to different numbers, called colour-graphemic synesthesia . I did some reading up when we discovered he had it. Only 1% of people experience it but people with Aspergers or Autism have a higher chance of experiencing it.
 

ickihun

Master
Messages
13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Bullies
I had childhood symptoms. Thrush, everynight was the worst. Overweight, sweating and alot of my early years a big blur memories wise.
At 14 i did my own version of milkshakes and lost 7st and hammered my very important exams. 9 exams and 4 the highest rated. 2 further typing and word processing exams hammered too. Accuracy was spot on i later got told.
Added weight 2yrs later and have fought weight gain thereafter. 40+yrs of diabetes only 15yrs of diagnosis.
I trained in Greenwich Park, London with my professional footballer husband and took slimming aids for decades, pre ivf. Metformin for pcos saved me.
I'm on insulin now thou as ive exhausted all meds.
Currently reducing insulin units and losing weight. I'm now weighing less than when i was diagnosed in 2002.
My consultant is superb and told me i'm very very insulin resistant. He offered bariatric surgery 3yrs ago but ive only just decided to agree due to walking difficulties which stop me exercising properly, like ive done for decades. Humf!
I will get my mojo back soon.

Well done for walking your jourrney so admirally. I admire you. Well done.
I think an unsung hero.
It could have turned out so much worse eh?
 
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paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
hi and welcome to the forum. im autistic too. to be a skinny child with type2 is very unusual but hey whats new. it would be worth screening for mody as thats from childhood and would appear like type2. with a similar family history to mine you were pretty doomed to getting a type of diabetes. thats is in the past now onto your future there is nothing you cant do. one of my 4 autistic kids is a fisherman another is training to be a vet,another is doing a degree and working full time and the last one is settled as a junior manager. you will copewith anything if your in the right mind.
 

Kittycat_7_

Well-Known Member
Messages
492
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,
I've had symptoms for many years such as urinating loads, raging thirst, and lethargy. My GP is not sure what type I am now so has ordered an GAD antibody test.
It's unusual type two in an underweight child.
Hope you feel better very soon
Take care
 

ickihun

Master
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13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Bullies
Yes I think being overweight seems to be a huge precurser for type2 but many type2s are no longer over their ideal bmi weight and some never were. So I think the misconception is being questioned as we speak as only a percentage reverse their diabetes on weight loss. Hence the arguement not all type2s are the same.
Thank god not a huge proportion of children in the 70s had type2. The ignorance then would have had me cained, for being fat. Most likely. :( :( :(
 

ickihun

Master
Messages
13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
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Bullies
In fact I read somewhere that diabetes can start in the womb. Not sure about type2 thou.
Maybe, since it's more about the liver not functioning properly than the pancreas.
The liver is the last organ to develop in the foetus. Jaundice is very very common in new births. Premature babies may be predisposed?

Were you premature @steveelles ?