Newly diagnosed first post

[Deanbcfc81]

Hi all I have recently being diagnosed with early diabetes. I am currently awaiting confirmation as to what type I am. However I notice my sugars tend to be all over the place for example I went to bed last night and my sugars were 12.7, this morning they was 6.6. I was at work had a snack about 10 and then my lunch at 12 I checked after and my sugars were 4.4. Felt shaky and sick so had a snack which boosted me up. Usually my sugars are higher in the morning then when I went to bed. This is all new to me does my symptoms seem normal and what type would I come under? The doctors are still looking into this for me. I tried metformin and it really made me feel quite ill so had to stop taking them. Surely if I took other medication I would be in danger of constant hypos?

 

[Diakat]

Please accept that I am not a doctor. Your numbers sound more like t2 to me given the fall during the day. What tests have the medics done and when will you get the results?
The good news if you are t2 is that you don't have to have medication, you could try diet only.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Dean and welcome. Hope you don’t have to wait long for your results so you can get on and start dealing with it. I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post, so you can be informed in advance.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Thanks for your replies both. I have been waiting for nearly 2 months to confirm what type I am. I have had the glucose tolerance test which came back as 11.7 which was just over to confirm diabetes apparently. I have also had blood tests and anti body tests. Hopefully I will find out soon. The only confusion is that my sugars drop and go high mostly through the day I am stable. I am dieting and hoping to keep off medication if I can?

 

[catapillar]

Type 1 is usually diagnosed with blood sugars over 20/30 and ketones. How old are you? What us your BMI? I agree that your levels sound more like type 2. How exactly are your doctors confirming what type you are? Have you had a cpeptide test or an antibody test? 25% of type 1 diabetics are antibody negative and a honeymooning type 1 will be producing insulin just as much as a type 2 with exhausted beta cells wont be, so only a positive antibody test is definitive, that's why the clinical picture of your diagnosis is more important in determining type of diabetes.

Edit: An OGTT at 11.7 definitely doesn't suggest type 1. It's only just diabetic.what was your hba1c on diagnosis?

 

[NewTD2]

Hi all I have recently being diagnosed with early diabetes. I am currently awaiting confirmation as to what type I am. However I notice my sugars tend to be all over the place for example I went to bed last night and my sugars were 12.7, this morning they was 6.6. I was at work had a snack about 10 and then my lunch at 12 I checked after and my sugars were 4.4. Felt shaky and sick so had a snack which boosted me up. Usually my sugars are higher in the morning then when I went to bed. This is all new to me does my symptoms seem normal and what type would I come under? The doctors are still looking into this for me. I tried metformin and it really made me feel quite ill so had to stop taking them. Surely if I took other medication I would be in danger of constant hypos?

Hope this helps mate, and welcome!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Type 1 is usually diagnosed with blood sugars over 20/30 and ketones. How old are you? What us your BMI? I agree that your levels sound more like type 2. How exactly are your doctors confirming what type you are? Have you had a cpeptide test or an antibody test? 25% of type 1 diabetics are antibody negative and a honeymooning type 1 will be producing insulin just as much as a type 2 with exhausted beta cells wont be, so only a positive antibody test is definitive, that's why the clinical picture of your diagnosis is more important in determining type of diabetes.

Edit: An OGTT at 11.7 definitely doesn't suggest type 1. It's only just diabetic.what was your hba1c on diagnosis?

Hi, I'm 36 and my bmi is 27.70 if this makes any sense I checked online? I have so far had loads of blood tests including an antibodies test last week which I am waiting on the results. They couldn't do a cpep test because although I fasted from 6pm the night before my sugars were 6.7. My hba1c was 46 6.5% which your quite right is only just diabetic but I have been having symptoms and was prediabetic a few years. I have also been referred to a gastro expert to check for gastric emptying I think.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Thanks for your replies both. I have been waiting for nearly 2 months to confirm what type I am. I have had the glucose tolerance test which came back as 11.7 which was just over to confirmdiabetes apparently. I have also had blood tests and anti body tests. Hopefully I will find out soon. The only confusion is that my sugars drop and go high mostly through the day I am stable. I am dieting andhoping to keep off medication if I can?

 

[catapillar]

Hi, I'm 36 and my bmi is 27.70 if this makes any sense I checked online? I have so far had loads of blood tests including an antibodies test last week which I am waiting on the results. They couldn't do a cpep test because although I fasted from 6pm the night before my sugars were 6.7. My hba1c was 46 6.5% which your quite right is only just diabetic but I have been having symptoms and was prediabetic a few years. I have also been referred to a gastro expert to check for gastric emptying I think.

A BMI of 27 is overweight, which suggests type 2. There is no pre diabetes for type 1, which is an acute onset condition.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

A BMI of 27 is overweight, which suggests type 2. There is no pre diabetes for type 1, which is an acute onset condition.

Thanks catapillar. To be honest I think I'm type 2 myself I'm not massively overweight I've lost half a stone since being diagnosed and making changes. My mom is also type 2 which would make sense. My best friend is type 1 and had it from a really young age. Hopefully I will find out soon for definite.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Hi Dean and welcome. Hope you don’t have to wait long for your results so you can get on and start dealing with it. I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post, so you can be informed in advance.

Thanks for that Rachox sorry still getting used to posting in forums. Realised I hadn't responded.

 

[daisy1]

@Deanbcfc81

Hello Dean and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[Deanbcfc81]

@Deanbcfc81

Hello Dean and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

Many thanks for the information. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it under control and not having to end up on medication

 

[ExtremelyW0rried]

Type 1 can progress slowly - particularly in adults when LADA is diagnosed. So although likely t2 it could be very early onset LADA.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Type 1 can progress slowly - particularly in adults when LADA is diagnosed. So although likely t2 it could be very early onset LADA.

Thanks for the info I am just waiting on the antibodies result to come back to confirm. I'm hoping it's type 2.

 

[stephenlopez]

Hi, @Deanbcfc81

I'm also one of the newly diagnosed ones and I was diagnosed with diabetes more than a month ago. You have quite similar symptoms of type-2 and I know that you might be suffering from a lot of fatigue when you are at work. This makes things so difficult.

Also, don't try metformin without a doctor's prescription. However, I've been prescribed with metformin-500mg twice a day. Also, talking about the side-effects of metformin, I know it makes you feel sick sometimes. Even I had nausea and abdominal pain in first week of my diagnosis because of metformin.

Please update all of us with your results as soon as you get them! Here is some quick information that'll help you learn about both diabetes type-2 and type-1: https://zovon.com/health-conditions/diabetes/

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Hi, @Deanbcfc81

I'm also one of the newly diagnosed ones and I was diagnosed with diabetes more than a month ago. You have quite similar symptoms of type-2 and I know that you might be suffering from a lot of fatigue when you are at work. This makes things so difficult.

Also, don't try metformin without a doctor's prescription. However, I've been prescribed with metformin-500mg twice a day. Also, talking about the side-effects of metformin, I know it makes you feel sick sometimes. Even I had nausea and abdominal pain in first week of my diagnosis because of metformin.

Please update all of us with your results as soon as you get them! Here is some quick information that'll help you learn about both diabetes type-2 and type-1: https://zovon.com/health-conditions/diabetes/

@stephenlopez
I do get fatigue and sickness feeling at work it's really annoying.

The diabetic clinic prescribed me metformin but as soon as I had the bad reaction they told me to stop taking them.

I will keep you all posted once I get the final results from tithe antibodies test. For the most part though my sugars seem under control though.

 

[NewTD2]

@stephenlopez
I do get fatigue and sickness feeling at work it's really annoying.

The diabetic clinic prescribed me metformin but as soon as I had the bad reaction they told me to stop taking them.

I will keep you all posted once I get the final results from tithe antibodies test. For the most part though my sugars seem under control though.

We wish you very well mate...we're happy to help in anyway we can.

 

[Deanbcfc81]

Hi all just an update I still don't know what type I am however I had a letter today to say if my anti gad antibodies results were normal I would be put on sitaglyptin I think that's how it's spelt. Anyone else have any experience with this medication?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Can't say one thing or another on the meds. Just know I prefer going without (am very succeptable to side effects) and eating to my meter. Started out on LCHF, recently switched to keto to lose more weight. 3 Months after starting LCHF I could stop the meds, and I've been in the non-diabetic range ever since. It's a choice though... Meds can be fine, I just prefer to choose a different method.