How did you come to be diagnosed?

[HpprKM]

This may or may not be a repeat of an older post, if so please accept apologies.

In another post from today - when I talked about how frustrating I find the lack of understanding of diabetes in general is, especially in my case T2 - when diagnosis was mentioned, which led me to wonder how other people came to be diagnosed. In my case, it was almost on a whim - I was doing a demanding job as a College Lecturer but found I just seemed to get so tired and have little energy - I really thought this was due to age. However, two of my three adult children have Hashimo's Thyroid disease and my mother also had some thyroid issues in her latter years and I thought it might be an idea to get my thyroid checked - I should mention that until this point I only visited my GP about once a year for annual review on blood pressure. Happily my thyroid was ok, but I was absolutely shocked to be told I had diabetes. As I say, I could easily have carried on thinking my tiredness was due to my age (not that I am that old ) and may never have found I was diabetic until much later. It does make me wonder how long I had been diabetic for though!

 

[pheobe]

I used to work as a carer and while on a double handed call the district nurse came to check the patients blood glucose levels and give her insulin, my working partner asked the nurse to check er levels which she did so I asked her to check mine and it read 21.7 , I did go to the Doctor for confirmation and which type I was but I new from that minute.

 

[Sarah69]

I had gestational diabetes in 1991 then it came back in 1997. I didn't have any of the regular symptoms, I just got thrush a lot nd was tested again.

 

[HpprKM]

I used to get thrush a lot, never really questioned it, just thought I was susceptible.

 

[Unbeliever]

A neighbour kindly made us a meal when we had just moved house. I didn't realise it contained red peppers which don't agree wih me. I had a terrible gasric attack a couple of hours later and passed out. My husband sent for an ambulance . After spending about 30 mins trying to stabilise me I was taken to hospital and my blood sugar was found to be 32.
My father wast ype 2 diabetic diagnosed in his sixties so I wasn't too surpridsed . just rather annoyed that the symptoms I had had ten years earlier and my suggestion that I might be diabeic had been rubbished by my doctor.

I was also rather put out when the 12 year old doctor in A & E announced that T2s were usually obese. As I wasn't PARTICULARLY obese {7stone} it must be genetic. : :lol:
I

 

[Sue o2]

I used to get thrush a lot, never really questioned it, just thought I was susceptible.

Thats my story too, had it on and off for nearly a year, the chemist refused to serve me with treatments for it in the end

Sue

 

[dorcas61]

I kept "nodding off" in front of my computer at work - I'd "blank out" for a couple of seconds and have to redo whatever I was doing - management sent me to Occupational Health who arranged for a screen colour test, thinking the background colour of the PC was affecting me - they also sent me for an eye test - nothing wrong with my eyes, but changing the screen colour and taking a break from the computer every 30 minutes reduced my nodding off. I then moved to a different building where it didn't happen at all, so it was decided that the previous building was to blame! (I sat next to an almost permanently open window in the new office, and did much more non-computer work, which with hindsight probably helped).
5 years later (ie a year ago) and another building move and it all started again, but worse... again, no problem with eyes, but I was nodding off in meetings as well as in front of computer, and my work was suffering... again, referred to Occ Health, where the nurse fairly quickly suspecetd Diabetes because as well as the drowsiness I was almost permanently thirsty, I was weeing a lot, and had thrush. Went to GP, had blood tests and was declared Type 2 - and told I probably had been for years!

Basically it was the threat of losing my job that led to my diagnosis

 

[daisy1]

No interesting story I'm afraid. I decided after at least 15 years without one to get a blood test and my fasting BG came out at 8.6. Had another test to confirm which was 8.4. Goodness knows how long I had diabetes without knowing as I had no symptoms at all. I now have full fasting blood tests once a year, and HbA1c every 3 months.

 

[HpprKM]

Thanks to all for sharing your stories.

Unbeliever, that old chestnut of T2 means obesity drives me nuts, I too, have always been slim at 5'5" weighing 8.6 lbs, like you mine would seem to be genetic, though neither parents were diagnosed diabetic, a maternal aunt had T2, also my dad's half brother and his daughter, and paternnal great aunt was a T1, my brother who is 5 years my senior diagnosed shortly after me, I think my diagnosis may have led to him getting checked.

Interesting to hear some of your amazing stories of diagnosis, I kind of felt that as it is a hard disease to diagnose that you would have some interesting stories, looking back, I recall now that I used to get home from work feeling so dry that I would go straight to fridge to down a glass of cold water. Always had sweet tooth so did not really notice increase in sugar craving, it was really the tiredness and a stroke of luck really. Like many of you, I have no idea how long I had been a T2, guess we will never know that, but I think we are lucky in the sense that we are aware, what we do after that is up to us. I do try to be good, not always successfully I am afraid, have a few slips along the way :roll:

A strange thing is, my cousin - a formet District Nurse, whose father was a T1 all his life, and mother a T2 in latter years, also her brother a T2, is not diabetic, can't help wondering at the irony of this, not that I wish her to be diabetic, but thought she was more likely than I.

 

[HpprKM]

Thanks to all for sharing your stories.

Unbeliever, that old chestnut of T2 means obesity drives me nuts, I too, have always been slim at 5'5" weighing 8.6 lbs, like you mine would seem to be genetic, though neither parents were diagnosed diabetic, a maternal aunt had T2, also my dad's half brother and his daughter, and paternnal great aunt was a T1, my brother who is 5 years my senior diagnosed shortly after me, I think my diagnosis may have led to him getting checked.

Interesting to hear some of your amazing stories of diagnosis, I kind of felt that as it is a hard disease to diagnose that you would have some interesting stories, looking back, I recall now that I used to get home from work feeling so dry that I would go straight to fridge to down a glass of cold water. Always had sweet tooth so did not really notice increase in sugar craving, it was really the tiredness and a stroke of luck really. Like many of you, I have no idea how long I had been a T2, guess we will never know that, but I think we are lucky in the sense that we are aware, what we do after that is up to us. I do try to be good, not always successfully I am afraid, have a few slips along the way :roll:

A strange thing is, my cousin - a formet District Nurse, whose father was a T1 all his life, and mother a T2 in latter years, also her brother a T2, is not diabetic, can't help wondering at the irony of this, not that I wish her to be diabetic, but thought she was more likely than I.

 

[Unbeliever]

If you are interested in the genetic side of it there are charts online showing the possibilities of inheriting the condition.
I am not sure how accurate his can be as apparently noone knows what actually riggers he diabetes in T2s so you could have the genes wihout ever developing the disease but you migh be interested.

I'm afraid i don't have a link but MR Google can probably assist .

 

[Dougie22]

After age 55 (I'm 57), my surgery calls me in every year for a general check.
Cholesterol (always high), BP (raised), weight (too big) and blood sugar(fasting test)
This yeasr, the BG reading was high so second test a week later.
Two fasting tests over 7 = type 2 diabetes!
I'm grateful they picked it up as now I can educate myself and manage it.

 

[anna29]

Hi. underactive thyroid, crashhes and gives me certain symptoms am familar with. Nov and Dec 2009 had 2 fasting blood tests taken to check thyroid function , dec 30th was called in to see my GP n was told you're definetely diabetic Hb1ac test result 10.3% plus YES your thyroid has bombed again! more thyroxine n appt to see diabetic clinic followed. Was a shock n ruined my looking forward to the new year . Tough long rough journey as a diabetic follows n continues as blood sugars are yet out of control n no matter what they put me on in terms of meds nowt is working!! Am well fed up everyone... Anna.

 

[anniep]

My mother was diabetic and when I reached my 40's I went and asked the doctor to test me, I was Impaired glucose tolerant, and so I was tested every year, until the inevitible happened, and at the age of 52 I tipped over into diabetic, at 53 I became medicated...

My brother who is the fit sporty member of the family, was completely surprised to have full blown diabetes picked up on a routine medical at the age of 54, it was not known how long he had been diabetic and he was straight onto medication.

I fall ove my own feet and can't hit a ball with a bat and hate sport, my brother loves it. But not a lot of difference between us.

 

[Gappy]

I had recovered from a serious motorbike accident, but was on antidepressants for feelings of anger while going through the legal battle (don't understand why, surely it's normal to feel badly of the legal profession!). Anyway I was feeling so lethargic and just lying in bed, not coz I was tired but coz I couldn't be bothered to do anything. I saw the doc as I suspected side effects of the tablets they offered a blood test "if I wanted as I don't show any other symptoms". I agreed I just wanted to wake up feeling ok! Test came back 12.4 so now life changes for the better I'm losing weight and feeling better.

 

[captainlynne]

My maternal aunt was diagnosed when nearly 60, but no other family members with diabetes. A routine blood test led to GTT and I was told T2. After a year they couldn't believe my levels and they checked my records which showed the GTT had been incorrectly performed. So they did another one (correctly this time) which showed I wasn't diabetic!!!!! About a year later I moved house and had new patient check-up. Surprise, surprise - "you're diabetic". I'd not noticed any symptoms, although I was drinking a lot, with lots of loo breaks, I'd put this down to another medical condition. Last year my son (38) was diagnosed. He'd not been feeling well, asked me about diabetes and finally went to GP.

 

[viviennem]

I've been obese for a long time and my GP has been testing me regularly 'cos he thought I was a prime candidate for Type 2 :shock: . In fact I think it was my 18 months and weight loss on Atkins in 2004/05 that may have saved me for a while. The weight went back on, as it does if you let up, and finally in 2010, when very stressed with a house move, my fasting bg came back at 9.0. I've never had any symptoms, and think I've been lucky to be watched so carefully - though knowing what I know now, I could well have been diagnosed 6 months earlier!

There's no history of it in the family - but then again, neither parent was tested for it; father died at 61 and mother died at 70, so it may have been there, undiscovered.

I've suggested to my brother, 2.5 years older, that he tells his GP that I've got it so they can monitor him more carefully. He's fitter and thinner than me, but does also tend to put weight on very easily.

Viv 8)

 

[Sanober]

There I was at Urology for 'frequent peeing and a pain in my left side.

They did the standard urine tests, told me I had 'raised' sugars and asked me if anyone in my family was Diabetic. I told them both my parents were but they were in their 50s at diagnosis and both are overweight.

He asked, 'Do you know it's inheritable?'

I was gobsmacked, I honestly did not think T2 was inheritable (I thought it was T1). What a fool.

So further tests and told 'glucose intolerant' - GP said keep exercising, keep eating healthily and basically it was likely I'd develop T2 in 'later years' because of genetics. I took action anyway and upped the exercise and cut out all starchy carbs and stopped all obviously sugary things full stop.

3 months later I was asked in for the same blood tests and all of a sudden- call from the DN and I was told I was Diabetic...

In hindsight it explains my tiredness, lack of concentration, blurry eyes, thirst and bouts of sudden fierce hunger. I just thought it was because I work at a computer and just that I kept fit that made me more thirsty/hungry.

The pain in the side was a 'simple' ovarian cyst - however I'm awaiting a Laproscopy for suspected Endimetriosis.

The more your look, the more you find eh!

 

[HpprKM]

Many interesting insights into how you were diagnosed, there are many similar trends going on here in that, like myself, they were completely unsuspecting - which leads me to think we need to raise the profile on T2, but as another member posted - too many diagnoses and the NHS would collapse :roll:

 

[BAZZA_P]

I was having very bad back pains,Joints paints and feeling so tired all the time. I went to the gp and my fasting was 7.1 then 7.4 and then 8.4 and 10.4 2 hours after glucose. Think i noticed the joint pains a year earlier but they went away. I Reckon i might of had diabetes for a few years before diagnosis but will never know. I didnt know anything about diabetes at all until 11 weeks ago