Greetings from rainy California! I am a woman in my early 40's with a strong family history of type I AND II diabetes, both. I guess I got double-whammied. I've had gestational diabetes in the past, but that was 20 years ago, and it went away afterwards. It also went overlooked until nearly the last week of my pregnancy.
So I went in for my yearly check up, and the third year in a row, after a 24 hour fast (hey! I was busy! I am also not a big eater at all and am low-average weight) and for the third year, I was just one point away from being diabetic. The doctor also tested me for the genetic marker, hb1ac, which was definitely positive, and diagnosed me with pre-diabetes, which has been diagnosed in every family member who is diabetic first, more or less. She said she thought my lower weight and pretty good diet (I don't really eat much pre-processed foods or eat much in the way of unrefined carbs) was keeping it under control. She said I should exercise and keep watching it.
I really suspect I may be diabetic though because I do get symptoms that seem like this, like insatiable thirst at times and excessive urination. Most frustratingly, I often feel tired despite sleeping well, and on these days, I invariably feel very itchy all over (hard to describe, half itchy, half tingly?) Plus sometimes I feel like I can go days without eating and don't get shaky (and other times, it is the exact opposite -- my appetite is weird). But I can't ever make it to the doctor to be tested right then since I work a lot, seven day weeks.
I also know my blood sugar was good, really good, for like ten years at least after having my baby (now grown). Then, about five years ago, I gained a bunch of weight that no one but me cares about, when after a lifetime of being really rail thin but "right" for my bird-body (according to the doctor, not underweight, just tiny-boned), I gained enough weight, without changing my diet at all, to gain fifteen insufferable pounds that keep me out of my nice work wardrobe from "before." NOTHING seems to budge it in terms of diet, and exercise is not something I really do or have ever done. Could my blood sugar problems be causing me to not lose weight as easily as before? I used to just diet and lose if needed, took like four days, a week at the most! Now, I have tried everything from fasting to calorie restriction to no carbs (which made me feel horrible and stopped after a day or two), and I do not lose a single pound, ever.
I'm supposed to go be rechecked next year. Is it possible that someone diagnosed pre-diabetic COULD actually be diabetic, especially if it runs in both sides of their family, in both forms? And is it possible that this could contribute to difficulty with weight loss, and if so, what is the best diet for me?
I know some, but not all that much, about diabetes, type II.
I believe my maternal grandmother had type I, and her sisters had type II, and of her four children, two had type II diabetes, my mother was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in the 1970's (she is very thin and tall and eats mainly salad and no sugar her entire life), and the third had type I, and my paternal grandfather had type II as did someone else, I forget who.
Fun facts? I am a teacher. I am trying to decide on what costume to wear to class tomorrow still. I love to travel. I don't eat red meat or pork and never have but eat chicken and fish, both, especially fish, which I love. I'm a fan of reading but with so much work, including on the weekends, I never have much time to read, except student writing.
Thank you for any thoughts you have!
So I went in for my yearly check up, and the third year in a row, after a 24 hour fast (hey! I was busy! I am also not a big eater at all and am low-average weight) and for the third year, I was just one point away from being diabetic. The doctor also tested me for the genetic marker, hb1ac, which was definitely positive, and diagnosed me with pre-diabetes, which has been diagnosed in every family member who is diabetic first, more or less. She said she thought my lower weight and pretty good diet (I don't really eat much pre-processed foods or eat much in the way of unrefined carbs) was keeping it under control. She said I should exercise and keep watching it.
I really suspect I may be diabetic though because I do get symptoms that seem like this, like insatiable thirst at times and excessive urination. Most frustratingly, I often feel tired despite sleeping well, and on these days, I invariably feel very itchy all over (hard to describe, half itchy, half tingly?) Plus sometimes I feel like I can go days without eating and don't get shaky (and other times, it is the exact opposite -- my appetite is weird). But I can't ever make it to the doctor to be tested right then since I work a lot, seven day weeks.
I also know my blood sugar was good, really good, for like ten years at least after having my baby (now grown). Then, about five years ago, I gained a bunch of weight that no one but me cares about, when after a lifetime of being really rail thin but "right" for my bird-body (according to the doctor, not underweight, just tiny-boned), I gained enough weight, without changing my diet at all, to gain fifteen insufferable pounds that keep me out of my nice work wardrobe from "before." NOTHING seems to budge it in terms of diet, and exercise is not something I really do or have ever done. Could my blood sugar problems be causing me to not lose weight as easily as before? I used to just diet and lose if needed, took like four days, a week at the most! Now, I have tried everything from fasting to calorie restriction to no carbs (which made me feel horrible and stopped after a day or two), and I do not lose a single pound, ever.
I'm supposed to go be rechecked next year. Is it possible that someone diagnosed pre-diabetic COULD actually be diabetic, especially if it runs in both sides of their family, in both forms? And is it possible that this could contribute to difficulty with weight loss, and if so, what is the best diet for me?
I know some, but not all that much, about diabetes, type II.
I believe my maternal grandmother had type I, and her sisters had type II, and of her four children, two had type II diabetes, my mother was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in the 1970's (she is very thin and tall and eats mainly salad and no sugar her entire life), and the third had type I, and my paternal grandfather had type II as did someone else, I forget who.
Fun facts? I am a teacher. I am trying to decide on what costume to wear to class tomorrow still. I love to travel. I don't eat red meat or pork and never have but eat chicken and fish, both, especially fish, which I love. I'm a fan of reading but with so much work, including on the weekends, I never have much time to read, except student writing.
Thank you for any thoughts you have!
