Newb with big unintentional weight loss

[Frankstarr61]

Hi
Male Newb here diagnosed Type 2 recently 3 months ago and on 1000mg Diabex since. Not monitored as per GP until next test early August, I have cut back on calories increased fruits, veg & lean meat, fish, chicken but have undergone a massive loss of weight without doing anything else 108kg-84kg in roughly 3 months.
I have bad fatigue probably due to weight loss but my blood sugar is still of the richter scale. My doc tested me soon after diagnosis at 26 and got me all freaked out but almost 3 months later a workmate with Type 2 tested me a few days ago and the reading was again 26.6 and I thought with the weight loss it would have come down not up?
I cannot get into my GP for another two weeks and am more than a little worried, anybody have any advice or experience with this as I am in the dark on it and my workmate is very concerned as well.
I dont drink at all and smoke socially, couple a day literally, my job does present quite a bit of stress.
Any opinions appreciated.
Frank

 

[EllieM]

Welcome to the forums.

Given your age and weight at diagnosis your doctor probably assumed you were T2 without any double checks. Weight loss is normal for T2s if they cut the carbs but normally this is accompanied by lowered blood sugars. Many of the T2s on here manage to reduce their blood sugars just by reducing their carbs - maybe if you describe a typical day's diet then they can tell you whether your diet is as healthy as you think it is. (The NHS tend to recommend low fat and low gi but not necessarily low carb -, and it is the carbs that T2s cannot cope with). Fruit can be quite problematic for some T2s.

Weight loss and high blood sugars are also a symptom of T1/LADA and if you have this you run a risk of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) which kills if not treated promptly (two weeks is too long to wait for this diagnosis).

If you are able to get some ketone testing strips from your friend or a chemist you could check out whether you have significant levels of ketones - a positive on this makes DKA significantly likely and you should head off to A&E.

But my first recommendation would be to ring 111 and tell them about your sugar levels and the weight loss. Do this now, don't wait for the weekend. They'll tell you whether you need to head off to A&E or wait till Monday for a doctor's appointment.

Good luck.

 

[EllieM]

But my first recommendation would be to ring 111

My googling suggests that diabex is more likely to be prescribed in Australia than the UK. If so, you could try something like healthdirect?

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/after-hours-gp-helpline

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hyperglycaemia-high-blood-sugar

If you're in the UK then just ignore the above

 

[HSSS]

If you have significantly cut carbs then it’s possible you could lose this much weight as a T2 but you’d also have lowered carbs as @EllieM says. Diabex I understand is metformin and won’t cause dramatic weight loss or blood changes. Did they do any other checks at diagnosis specifically anti GAD or c peptide to check for type 1? I wouldn’t be surprised if they made assumptions base don age and weight and didn’t do them. It’s typical.

Do you recall what and when you’d eaten before the test at 26? Unless it was soon after some serious carbs I’d not wait 2 weeks. Its possible it was a rogue contaminated sample or straight after carb overload. It’s also possible you are misdiagnosed and you could be at risk of dka. Do you feel in any way unwell? If you do become at all unwell don’t wait. Get checked. Far better a wasted trip than risk serious problems which can come on quickly.

Can you immediately access another blood test (a nurse or chemist), ketone strips or health advice? You need to get this checked ASAP. If seeking advice emphasise you are newly diagnosed and only assumed type 2, levels are still very high at 26 the last check despite diet change or weight loss. In the meantime don’t eat carbs and drink plenty of fluids. Take a walk if you can.

I’m not trying to scare you. It could all be fine, but there’s a chance it might not be. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Antje77]

Agree with the above. Please get professional advice as you have no means to test for ketones. Should you start to feel ill, stomach ache, nauseous, don't hesitate and get to emergency.
As HSSS said, better safe than sorry.
And if you're thirsty, skip the fruits and fruit juices for now, they can drive your blood sugars up very quick.
Good luck, and please let us know how you are in the next days!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi
Male Newb here diagnosed Type 2 recently 3 months ago and on 1000mg Diabex since. Not monitored as per GP until next test early August, I have cut back on calories increased fruits, veg & lean meat, fish, chicken but have undergone a massive loss of weight without doing anything else 108kg-84kg in roughly 3 months.
I have bad fatigue probably due to weight loss but my blood sugar is still of the richter scale. My doc tested me soon after diagnosis at 26 and got me all freaked out but almost 3 months later a workmate with Type 2 tested me a few days ago and the reading was again 26.6 and I thought with the weight loss it would have come down not up?
I cannot get into my GP for another two weeks and am more than a little worried, anybody have any advice or experience with this as I am in the dark on it and my workmate is very concerned as well.
I dont drink at all and smoke socially, couple a day literally, my job does present quite a bit of stress.
Any opinions appreciated.
Frank

Hey Frank,

It does sound like you could still go either way... I know I lost weight as an undiagnosed T2, which I later found out was very unusual. It's more a T1 thing to see sudden, rapid weight loss. Tests were done, but T2 came back as a result, and considering I can control my diabetes through diet alone, I'm pretty sure they're right. But you really, really want to get a GAD test and a C-peptide test done, sooner rather than later. In the meantime, get yourself a bloodglucose meter, as soon as you can, so you can monitor where you're at. Wouldn't be a bad idea to test for ketones as well, considering your current circumstances. (CareSens Dual takes both glucose strips and ketone strips, sold seperately. It's expensive, but worth it to know what's happening. You can always switch over to the cheaper glucose meters that don't do ketones later, but I do think the extra cost, right now, could make a difference. Diabetic ketoacidosis can indeed be lethal, and considering the massive amount of weight you lost in spite of the fruit you're eating, which would normally be adding weight, not shedding.... T1 really is an option.)

In the meantime, the diet changes you made are, to be frank, miles from ideal for any type of untreated diabetic. Fruit especially, waaaay too much sugar in there... Lean meats? You need fats right now! Those won't spike your bloodglucose at all. And keep in mind that diabex is just metformin: it doesn't do anything about the carbs (and thus, sugar) you ingest, it mostly just tells your liver to calm down with the glucose-dumping... That's not very effective if you turn out to be a T1. Treatment for T1 and T2 varies wildly, so you really need to know which one of those you are. (Or Mody, or LADA...). As stated, with the weightloss T1 or a variant thereof is more likely. If you're a T2, then yay, a diet change could impact your life greatly, easy as (not eating any more) pie. Otherwise, you really, really need different treatment than just metformin under one of its many, many guises.

Don't wait 2 weeks, whatever you do.

Hugs,
Jo
PS: If you want to know what to eat so your bloodsugars come down at least a little, whatever type you are: dietdoctor.com, diabetes.co.uk, Dr. Jason Fung's the Diabetes Code and my own little quick-start guide might help: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ Keep in mind my Nutritional Thingy is geared towards T2's, it won't solve T1, but it could bring bloodsugars down a little while you're waiting to be absolutely certain of what type you are. And again... Please don't wait-and-see with any of this. If you ever feel decidedly unwell, call for help and say you're a diabetic with undetermined type. Don't mention type 2 as long as T1 or any of its variants aren't absolutely ruled out. Diabetic ketoacidosis is not a joke.

 

[becca59]

Get some urine sugar test strips from chemist to check ketones now. If high go to hospital. Do not wait. Medical personnel are not good at diagnosing type correctly in anyone over 20. Was 54 myself. Better to be safe than sorry. If Type 1 it wont matter how few carbs you are eating levels will still rise.