Type 2 overnight - no warnings that I noticed

[chrisd1]

Hi, I was having a normal day and then all of a sudden I was very very thirsty, after 7 glasses of water I knew something wasn't right - Doctors visit 2 days later - Blood sugar 26 - Type 2 diagnoses on the spot. What a shock, if you had asked how I felt before the thirst I would have said fine.

Next came the blurred vision for a week, it tended to be blurred at long distances. This has cleared with the Metformin 4 a day and Sandoz-Gliclazide 30mg - 1 a day. Blood sugar levels are down to circa 7-9 after fasting and up to 12 after a meal. Diet has changed and I am working on it. Blood test revealed that I have been walking round with high levels for a few months.

My vision close up is now blurred, can anyone tell me if this will get better as I stabilize my blood sugar levels, this is a concern for me as I work on a PC most of the day and now have to wear readers to see it !!!!!!!!. I am also experiencing crashes in energy levels, I am fine one minute and then bang, I am so tired. I am also suffering short term memory issues !!!!! - Any info would be appreciated, I am just trying to get a handle on what's happening to me.

Thanks for reading this,

Chris.

 

[xfieldok]

Welcome to the forum. It is a bit of a shock isn't it.

First the vision. Don't buy dear specs for the moment. Get the cheapo ones for a couple of quid. As you reduce your blood sugar levels your eyes should improve. It won't happen overnight, it will take a while for your body to adjust to lower levels.

The crashes in energy levels is also due to high blood sugars. Yes, this will improve as you change your diet and bring those levels down. You have found the best site on the internet and will receive loads of support and advice.

One of the mods will be around shortly and give you a link to the best information you are going to get. Read around the forum. Ask lots of questions. Most of us have been where you are now.

Don't panic! It will take a little while but you can take control back.

 

[chrisd1]

Welcome to the forum. It is a bit of a shock isn't it.

First the vision. Don't buy dear specs for the moment. Get the cheapo ones for a couple of quid. As you reduce your blood sugar levels your eyes should improve. It won't happen overnight, it will take a while for your body to adjust to lower levels.

The crashes in energy levels is also due to high blood sugars. Yes, this will improve as you change your diet and bring those levels down. You have found the best site on the internet and will receive loads of support and advice.

One of the mods will be around shortly and give you a link to the best information you are going to get. Read around the forum. Ask lots of questions. Most of us have been where you are now.

Don't panic! It will take a little while but you can take control back.

Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate the advice. Chris.

 

[Rachox]

Hi chrisd1 and welcome!
Here is a link to some useful info. have a read and come back if you have further questions:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/
If you need to read it again in the future you can find it in any moderators signature.

 

[xfieldok]

Bit of light reading for you. Dr Jason Fung The Diabetes Code. I believe he does an audio book also. He also has YouTube videos and he is highly praised amoung these parts.

Seriously, you are probably about to be overwhelmed with information in the coming days. Hang in there. Your diet is paramount.

Can you tell me everything you ate yesterday?

 

[KK123]

Hi, I was having a normal day and then all of a sudden I was very very thirsty, after 7 glasses of water I knew something wasn't right - Doctors visit 2 days later - Blood sugar 26 - Type 2 diagnoses on the spot. What a shock, if you had asked how I felt before the thirst I would have said fine.

Next came the blurred vision for a week, it tended to be blurred at long distances. This has cleared with the Metformin 4 a day and Sandoz-Gliclazide 30mg - 1 a day. Blood sugar levels are down to circa 7-9 after fasting and up to 12 after a meal. Diet has changed and I am working on it. Blood test revealed that I have been walking round with high levels for a few months.

My vision close up is now blurred, can anyone tell me if this will get better as I stabilize my blood sugar levels, this is a concern for me as I work on a PC most of the day and now have to wear readers to see it !!!!!!!!. I am also experiencing crashes in energy levels, I am fine one minute and then bang, I am so tired. I am also suffering short term memory issues !!!!! - Any info would be appreciated, I am just trying to get a handle on what's happening to me.

Thanks for reading this,

Chris.

Hi Chris, without wishing to add further confusion, have they said you are type 2 for definite and if so, what exactly have they based this on? What specific tests have been done (if any). The reason I say this is because my symptoms were exactly the same as yours. For context, I was 56 at the time (2 years ago) and did not fit the so called profile for type 2 other than age, ie, I was slim and active and had lost a few pounds prior to diagnosis, and my h1ac was sky high (at 16% in old money). I also had ketones of 4 so ended up in hospital where I was deemed on the verge of DKA.

To cut a long story short I was put on insulin straight away and dependent on who saw me, whether it be a Nurse/Dr/Consultant, they veered between calling me type 2 and type 1. They did a C Peptide test and a GAD/antibody test and 2 months later said definitely type 1 as C peptide was low and the GAD was positive.

My point is, if I had been 'fat' I have NO doubt I would have been labelled type 2 and would have spent who knows how many months getting more and more ill most likely without insulin and on tablets instead.

I would not be going 'low carb' or changing my diet at this stage until I knew what type I definitely had. IF you are type 1 (and I am not a Doctor or expert at all) changing your diet could mask it for longer.

Would you mind giving us a few more details on what they have said? I always worry when people get told 'type 2' right at the start if they have had no tests (which many actual type 2s don't get I know). I suppose if you do fit this ridiculous type 2 'profile' then all well and good and many on this site will talk about low carb. It really sounds like it came on very quick for you.

As for the blurriness, yep, the minute I started on insulin, my glucose levels dropped from high 20s straight down to the 4s in a matter of hours! My vision was blurry for about 4 months but then it cleared up. x

 

[xfieldok]

@chrisd1 sorry just noticed you are on glicazide. I am assuming you have been given a glucose meter as glic can lower BG levels and you can hypo. Depending upon your surgery, you may not have enough strips per month that you may need. Please consider self funding if this is the case. Personally, I would recommend a Tee2. You can ring the manufacturers, if you order 200 strips (for the month) the chances they will throw in a meter for free. 200 strips per month is (my) minimum for testing when you first start out. Your meter will become your bestest friend, even more than this forum. Testing is not forever, but it will tell you what foods you can eat and which are off limits for you personally.

 

[HSSS]

Diet has changed and I am working on it.

Welcome. You’ve come to the right place to be helped through these confusing weeks as you come to terms with the diagnosis

It’s actually not so unusual to not have symptoms at diagnosis though your level of 26 was very high indeed. The test that showed it’s been high for months would have been an hb1ac. Do you know what level that was? If not you are best to ask. You are entitled to the actual numbers not just a subjective comment on it. It’s a point of reference of where you start and to see how you progress and also an indicator potentially of how much work might be needed to get it under control. Though some people achieve great results in some time even from very high start points. Other take a more scenic route but nevertheless continuous improvement.

What changes have you made to diet? There some dubious advice commonly given and then some that really works far far better. Fundamentally a style 2 needs to cut carbs, of all types and colours.

Having said all that, especially if you’re thin, active, already eating low carb ish, have other auto immune diseases or have family history of type 1 then they should be considering if adult onset type 1 is a possibility. It’s often but not always slower than childhood onset and gets mistaken for type 2 too often, sometimes for years. There are GAD antibody tests and c peptide tests done to help distinguish the types.

 

[chrisd1]

Hi Chris, without wishing to add further confusion, have they said you are type 2 for definite and if so, what exactly have they based this on? What specific tests have been done (if any). The reason I say this is because my symptoms were exactly the same as yours. For context, I was 56 at the time (2 years ago) and did not fit the so called profile for type 2 other than age, ie, I was slim and active and had lost a few pounds prior to diagnosis, and my h1ac was sky high (at 16% in old money). I also had ketones of 4 so ended up in hospital where I was deemed on the verge of DKA.

To cut a long story short I was put on insulin straight away and dependent on who saw me, whether it be a Nurse/Dr/Consultant, they veered between calling me type 2 and type 1. They did a C Peptide test and a GAD/antibody test and 2 months later said definitely type 1 as C peptide was low and the GAD was positive.

My point is, if I had been 'fat' I have NO doubt I would have been labelled type 2 and would have spent who knows how many months getting more and more ill most likely without insulin and on tablets instead.

I would not be going 'low carb' or changing my diet at this stage until I knew what type I definitely had. IF you are type 1 (and I am not a Doctor or expert at all) changing your diet could mask it for longer.

Would you mind giving us a few more details on what they have said? I always worry when people get told 'type 2' right at the start if they have had no tests (which many actual type 2s don't get I know). I suppose if you do fit this ridiculous type 2 'profile' then all well and good and many on this site will talk about low carb. It really sounds like it came on very quick for you.

As for the blurriness, yep, the minute I started on insulin, my glucose levels dropped from high 20s straight down to the 4s in a matter of hours! My vision was blurry for about 4 months but then it cleared up. x

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I have a blood test - hb1ac that showed it had been high for months. No Ketones in my pee, so I got the type 2 diagnosis. The suggested insulin right away but I said no, I will try the diet and exercise way. I am slim and not over weight by more than a few pounds and pretty active..

 

[chrisd1]

Bit of light reading for you. Dr Jason Fung The Diabetes Code. I believe he does an audio book also. He also has YouTube videos and he is highly praised amoung these parts.

Seriously, you are probably about to be overwhelmed with information in the coming days. Hang in there. Your diet is paramount.

Can you tell me everything you ate yesterday?

Thanks, I have been looking at Dr Fung, he makes a lot of sense - No, cant quite remember !!!

 

[chrisd1]

@chrisd1 sorry just noticed you are on glicazide. I am assuming you have been given a glucose meter as glic can lower BG levels and you can hypo. Depending upon your surgery, you may not have enough strips per month that you may need. Please consider self funding if this is the case. Personally, I would recommend a Tee2. You can ring the manufacturers, if you order 200 strips (for the month) the chances they will throw in a meter for free. 200 strips per month is (my) minimum for testing when you first start out. Your meter will become your bestest friend, even more than this forum. Testing is not forever, but it will tell you what foods you can eat and which are off limits for you personally.

Thanks for your reply - Yes, I am on gliclazide and Metformin - I have a tester and strips, I am testing 3 or 4 times a day - my bloods went down from 7am at 7.1 - to 5pm 4.1 - all I have eaten today is a few nuts and a few coffees and some toast. Do I need some sugar if I crash to 4, feeling very tired now.

 

[chrisd1]

Welcome. You’ve come to the right place to be helped through these confusing weeks as you come to terms with the diagnosis

It’s actually not so unusual to not have symptoms at diagnosis though your level of 26 was very high indeed. The test that showed it’s been high for months would have been an hb1ac. Do you know what level that was? If not you are best to ask. You are entitled to the actual numbers not just a subjective comment on it. It’s a point of reference of where you start and to see how you progress and also an indicator potentially of how much work might be needed to get it under control. Though some people achieve great results in some time even from very high start points. Other take a more scenic route but nevertheless continuous improvement.

What changes have you made to diet? There some dubious advice commonly given and then some that really works far far better. Fundamentally a style 2 needs to cut carbs, of all types and colours.

Having said all that, especially if you’re thin, active, already eating low carb ish, have other auto immune diseases or have family history of type 1 then they should be considering if adult onset type 1 is a possibility. It’s often but not always slower than childhood onset and gets mistaken for type 2 too often, sometimes for years. There are GAD antibody tests and c peptide tests done to help distinguish the types.

Hi, thanks for the message. No, I don't know what my hb1ac was, I will be asking on tuesday when I see the Doctor. Yes, we are working on the diet changes, its been 3 weeks now and we are getting there, still learning though !!. No family history at all of Diabetes. I will ask for the GAD antibody tests and c peptide tests. Thanks again, Chris.

 

[xfieldok]

The most important thing is a definite diagnosis. T1 and T2 are treated very differently. Assuming you are a T2, you can control this by diet. Regardless of what the medical professionals tell you, you should not be eating rice, pasta, bread of any colour. Carbohydrates are the enemy!

You should use your meter to test immediately before you eat and two hours after the first bite. This will show you the impact that your food is having on you. You are looking for a rise between the two readings of no more than 2mmol/l. Higher than that and your meal was too carby or the quantity was too large.

We are all different. What affects me, may not affect you. For ideas on food, have a look at dietdoctor.com and there is lots of good stuff on the internet. Anything you fancy, google it but put "keto" in front and there are lots of choices.

Download the mySugr app. Use it to record your readings and food. A food diary is very important at the beginning. After a few days, it will give you an estimated HbA1c based on the data you enter. I found it highly motivating.

Learn to read the labels on food packaging. Become familiar with all the words used for sugar and avoid them. Anything that ends in "ose" is bad for you. It is a huge learning curve to begin with but it does becaome second nature surprisingly quickly.

 

[chrisd1]

The most important thing is a definite diagnosis. T1 and T2 are treated very differently. Assuming you are a T2, you can control this by diet. Regardless of what the medical professionals tell you, you should not be eating rice, pasta, bread of any colour. Carbohydrates are the enemy!

You should use your meter to test immediately before you eat and two hours after the first bite. This will show you the impact that your food is having on you. You are looking for a rise between the two readings of no more than 2mmol/l. Higher than that and your meal was too carby or the quantity was too large.

We are all different. What affects me, may not affect you. For ideas on food, have a look at dietdoctor.com and there is lots of good stuff on the internet. Anything you fancy, google it but put "keto" in front and there are lots of choices.

Download the mySugr app. Use it to record your readings and food. A food diary is very important at the beginning. After a few days, it will give you an estimated HbA1c based on the data you enter. I found it highly motivating.

Learn to read the labels on food packaging. Become familiar with all the words used for sugar and avoid them. Anything that ends in "ose" is bad for you. It is a huge learning curve to begin with but it does becaome second nature surprisingly quickly.

Thank you for this, I appreciate thew reply. I will download the app, seems that could help me for sure. Thanks again - Chris.