New to this..blood sugar level 18.1 last night

[TigsMama]

Bit of a long one, feel free to skip my post if you're not up for a big read this early in the day

So a few weeks ago I had a little blue lump come up on my belly. Ignored it as it wasn't sore or anything, and thought it was just because I'm 31 and my skins changing (I avoid doctors because clearly I'm an idiot). On Tuesday the bump started feeling odd - quite tender and had turned purple. The next day it was really sore and sensitive and had turned red and swollen and I was scared to 'catch' it on anything and avoiding any pressure on it. That day, I had an appointment with the nurse for an unrelated checkup, and asked her about the lump. She said she wasn't great with skin issues but asked if I was diabetic, and I said no. She recommended that a doctor take a look as she didn't know what it was.

Then yesterday (this will seem irrelevant but it isn't) my 7yo was complaining of soreness when she wee'd, so I tried to convince her to pee in a cup so I could do a urine dip test. She was scared to, so I said I would do it first and show her it isn't scary. Well...I got a shock when the stick indicated that I had the maximum amount of glucose in my urine! At this point I had guessed I must be diabetic, but obviously I'm not a medical professional so didn't want to get ahead of myself.

After speaking to my mum about it, she ordered me to the walk-in centre yesterday evening to get my (very very sore by this point) tummy lump checked out. And I'm so glad she did! I had a wonderful nurse who I told this whole tale to, and she was straight on it - checked my blood sugar level, urine & blood pressure and found that my sugar level was 18.1, BP was raised and urine still full of glucose. She diagnosed me as Type 2 diabetes, said the lump (which turned out to be a boil/absess, which she drained) could be a sign of the diabetes and she's now urgently referred me to the GP today for a face to face appointment to get me started on meds. She said I also need to have my kidney checked.

I'm feeling confused this morning and really hungry because I don't know what I should/shouldn't eat do I carry on with my toast or muesli? Sorry I know it sounds silly but I'm frightened of messing up even more. Although I've been obese since childhood so I guess most of the damage is already done any advice please?

 

[mouseee]

Quick reply from me but you'll get more soon!
Drop the toast and muesli! Low carb is a great way to lower blood sugar and ro feel better quickly. Eggs and bacon would be a good breakfast whilst you explore other breakfast options.

They will probably want to do an hbac1 blood test if they havent yet but that takes the average blood sugar for the past three months so a day or two lower carb will not affect the result.

Stick around here. There are great people who have lots of experience and advice as you negotiate the feelings that go with a diagnosis!

 

[JenniferM55]

Think most here know exactly what you're going through, and how anxious you must be feeling. The good news is that you know you've a problem and now you can deal with it. With the right knowledge (not always given by the medical profession) it's possible to put T2 into remission by not eating those killer carbs.

Keep coming back to this forum for answers to questions. There's a whole wealth of knowledge here from those that have slayed this dragon!

Good luck on your journey!

 

[TigsMama]

Update: have spoken to GP who has ordered extensive blood tests (including hbac1, liver function & kidney function) to be done on Monday and she will then go over the results with me on Thursday over the phone to discuss medication etc. She has said to start cutting down on carbs and switch to wholemeal bread/pasta, swap white potato out for sweet potato and avoid chocolate/sweets/cakes. Looks like I've had my lifetime supply of those then! I'm so on edge and keep crying, it's so overwhelming and I feel ashamed/angry that it has come to this.

I feel like I'm sinking

 

[mouseee]

No you're not! You might need arm bands for a bit but you'll be fine.
Dont listen to dr about the swaps! Just cut them out. There are masses of carbs in all those things. Colour of them doesnt matter.
Drs still have an old fashioned view on carbs and t2s.

 

[Resurgam]

Update: have spoken to GP who has ordered extensive blood tests (including hbac1, liver function & kidney function) to be done on Monday and she will then go over the results with me on Thursday over the phone to discuss medication etc. She has said to start cutting down on carbs and switch to wholemeal bread/pasta, swap white potato out for sweet potato and avoid chocolate/sweets/cakes. Looks like I've had my lifetime supply of those then! I'm so on edge and keep crying, it's so overwhelming and I feel ashamed/angry that it has come to this.
I feel like I'm sinking

What total nonsense.
Yes, avoid milk chocolate, sweets and cakes, but changing the colour of the carbs is going to do no good at all. They are still high, or higher in carbohydrate.
You can eat meat, fish and seafood, eggs, cheese, nuts, and low carb foods - instead of potatoes you can mash swede (I use cream) use more cauliflower, have a salad, make 'chaffles' to use instead of bread for sandwiches - they are basically cheese and eggs with a few additions, and I got a waffle maker to get an indented surface. I buy Greek style yoghurt from Lidl - I get their meat, frozen stir fry, cream, their looks like a gold brick ground coffee is good, and they do up to 95% coco chocolate. I recommend starting lower and working up gradually, 95 is a bit of a shock if you are not used to it. I have just one square, and not every day.
You might be able to get a few weeks to try a low carb diet rather than take any tablets offered.
I was put on Metformin and Atorvastatin, and I was so ill. I threw them away after 5 weeks which I would not wish on anyone. Some people take them and report no problems, but if you do - well - I have only to think back to that time and I find I can stick to my way of eating no problem.
After a few weeks of eating low carb I felt so much better.
Finding out that I had lost so much weight that my clothes slid South was just an added bonus.

 

[Bigbumcooper]

Quick reply from me but you'll get more soon!
Drop the toast and muesli! Low carb is a great way to lower blood sugar and ro feel better quickly. Eggs and bacon would be a good breakfast whilst you explore other breakfast options.

They will probably want to do an hbac1 blood test if they havent yet but that takes the average blood sugar for the past three months so a day or two lower carb will not affect the result.

Stick around here. There are great people who have lots of experience and advice as you negotiate the feelings that go with a diagnosis!

Hi, when I was feeling unwell doctors did my hba1c and it was 20! Changed my diet and walk more and mostly 6 and below now

 

[Resurgam]

Hi, when I was feeling unwell doctors did my hba1c and it was 20! Changed my diet and walk more and mostly 6 and below now

I think you might have got the wrong test - a Hba1c of 20 would either be fantastically high or low, and one of 6 could be normal or incredibly low.
Might it be your blood glucose levels?

 

[Hotpepper20000]

I think you might have got the wrong test - a Hba1c of 20 would either be fantastically high or low, and one of 6 could be normal or incredibly low.
Might it be your blood glucose levels?

Not sure where the OP is from but here in Canada we use different measurement for A1C. Not sure if the conversation

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Although I've been obese since childhood so I guess most of the damage is already done any advice please?

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html should help a little when it comes to how to do groceries as a T2. And please.... If it were a case of "damage done", I'd be up a certain creek without a paddle. If I can reclaim some of my health (alas, there's other issues than T2 for me in play as well), then so can you. It's not hopeless and you can get this under control. Quicker than you think, too.

Good luck!
Jo

PS: It's okay to be upset and cry and whatnot. Lord knows I wept for weeks, if not months. It's a big deal to get diagnosed. It's also a big deal to get a grip on this: very empowering. And you'll manage it. I'm sure!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can I ask what your BMI is? Age 31 is quite young for T2 unless you do have excess weight. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of T1 if you are slim.

 

[TigsMama]

Hi. Can I ask what your BMI is? Age 31 is quite young for T2 unless you do have excess weight. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of T1 if you are slim.

I am very very overweight, have been since childhood. BMI 5 years ago was 47.

ETA: I'm also tall - 5'11

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I am very very overweight, have been since childhood. BMI 5 years ago was 47.

ETA: I'm also tall - 5'11

Do you have PCOS by any chance? I struggled with my weight all my life, mainly due to the ovarian cysts messing up my hormones and insulin sensitivity. Thyroid might need checking too. All in all... This low carb diet should help with your weight as well as your high blood sugars, but in case it doesn't quite do the trick, get your ovaries and thyroid checked. You never know. Might be explanations there.

 

[TigsMama]

Do you have PCOS by any chance? I struggled with my weight all my life, mainly due to the ovarian cysts messing up my hormones and insulin sensitivity. Thyroid might need checking too. All in all... This low carb diet should help with your weight as well as your high blood sugars, but in case it doesn't quite do the trick, get your ovaries and thyroid checked. You never know. Might be explanations there.

Probably - I have always had very painful, heavy periods, struggled to conceive and had a miscarriage but then went on to have 3 healthy babies. Also had cysts on ovaries during pregnancy but never had any further tests (had some spotting early pregnancy and the scan found the cysts). It would make sense because although my diet is not the best, I've never been fussy and always eaten lots of varied food & plenty of fruit and veg and yet always struggled with losing weight from a very young age.

 

[Resurgam]

I'm afraid that plenty of fruit is usually shorthand for high carb diet - which makes losing weight so difficult.
Whenever I went back to low carb after being pushed to eat the standard sort of printout diet, I could see up to a kg a day weightloss if I wasn't careful - it was easy to lose a stone in a week and start to feel wobbly.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Can I ask what your BMI is? Age 31 is quite young for T2 unless you do have excess weight. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of T1 if you are slim.

Hi again. Thanks for the info. Yes, it will be T2 and hopefully a really low-carb diet will help but as others have said perhaps another condition is also making it difficult.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Probably - I have always had very painful, heavy periods, struggled to conceive and had a miscarriage but then went on to have 3 healthy babies. Also had cysts on ovaries during pregnancy but never had any further tests (had some spotting early pregnancy and the scan found the cysts). It would make sense because although my diet is not the best, I've never been fussy and always eaten lots of varied food & plenty of fruit and veg and yet always struggled with losing weight from a very young age.

Ah, yes... I seem to have miscarried once (after about 2 to 3 weeks), and that was all she wrote. I didn't want children anyway, so it worked out alright for me, far as that went. But I was always overweight, had insane periods every two weeks that left me iron deficient, and I ended up on birthcontrol at 10 years old or something because I was simply bleeding out every time. Much earlier than my classmates too. (Legs like a fluffy gorilla too). So the odds are that yes, you probably had those cysts all along, and it's a minor miracle that you're a mum a few times over. Go low carb, get your blood sugars under control, and you'll feel better soon. (And steer clear of of the fruit! Berries are alright, starfruit too, but.... The rest is just sheer sugar.)

 

[CaptainTwitchy]

Update: have spoken to GP who has ordered extensive blood tests (including hbac1, liver function & kidney function) to be done on Monday and she will then go over the results with me on Thursday over the phone to discuss medication etc. She has said to start cutting down on carbs and switch to wholemeal bread/pasta, swap white potato out for sweet potato and avoid chocolate/sweets/cakes. Looks like I've had my lifetime supply of those then! I'm so on edge and keep crying, it's so overwhelming and I feel ashamed/angry that it has come to this.

I feel like I'm sinking

Hi! I'm fairly new to this T2 game but wanted to just say a few words. I'm fat too, and found everything overwhelming at first. I felt ashamed and didn't know what I could possibly do to make things better. The people here are very kind and full of amazing knowledge which has helped me loads. Remember. you're still a valuable human. You're allowed to be sad and angry and frustrated, but don't let it consume you. Also, you'd be surprised at just how many clever alternatives to the things you love there are. Google is your friend. Anything you can think of, just add Keto to the front of it and be stunned by the vast array of crazy recipes and workarounds there are. I'm slowly getting into cooking after all this time of hating it! My no sugar, low carb chocolate cake is epic! As for the keto bread I found on Youtube... well, it's a game changer! (link)

I'm still finding it hard, and have moments of pure frustration, but trying to face the challenge because I've got stuff to do, and so have you! Seriously wishing you all the best with it. Be fierce!