Diagnosis at 24

[Senada]

Hi everyone,

about a month ago I had my blood checked (for something not related to diabetes), and the doctor's assistant called back to tell me my blood sugar level was too high (fasting 8.0 mmol/L). I thought "oh well, something probably went wrong or whatever.. can't be that serious?". I had to redo the test, and this time they did the A1c test and it came back as 7.2% (55 mmol/mol). As I sat down to talk about the results, the practice nurse told me "you have type 2 diabetes, probably because it runs in your family". I felt like I was in some sort of nightmare.. It was completel unexpected. I'm 24 years old, have a normal weight, am fairly active and have no symptoms whatsoever. I didn't understand it at all, how could this have happened? What did I do wrong to get this disease at such a young age? Why didn't I fit the "common" picture?

The nurse gave me 2 small booklets about type 2 diabetes, both of them having people on them much older than me, and containing information about losing weight and having an active lifestyle. When I asked how it was possible that I got it, the response was "genetics". T2 diabetes runs in my family, but all my family members were diagnosed above the age of 50. She then gave some examples of overweight people who lost a lot of weight, which resulted in them not needing insulin or not needing any meds.. I asked her how that applied to me then, and she basically told me that that wasn't an option for me. Well thank you for that insightful piece of information? Sorry.. at that point I was feeling sad, angry and all sorts of other emotions. Going home, I felt terrible. Going on the internet didn't make it much better, because I could not find any information for young people with a normal weight with T2 diabetes. The only thing I could find was that the chance to develop it is higher when you're older, obese or overweight, or when you have a sedentary lifestyle. It was very frustrating because I couldn't find any answers. Eventually I was able to find that some people that have T2 are not overweight and do have an active lifestyle, which at least made me realize that they do exist, but these people were still much older than me.

At some point I read that it was possible to get T1 diabetes as a young adult, but again I didn't really recognize myself in any of it because I do not have any symptoms. I decided to go back to the GP and explain the situation and she referred me to a specialist. I saw the specialist about two weeks ago and am currently awaiting the new results (I'll get them by the end of next week). They're testing my blood for anti-bodies and some other stuff.

The journey has been very frustrating so far... I felt very sad and angry and wasn't able to sleep at first. My thoughts were consumed by thinking about diabetes.. I guess this may sound familiar. I had a hard time eating anything or doing stuff for school (I'm still a student). I've tried picking it up again and so far it's getting a bit better, but I'm still waiting for the diagnosis. On the one hand I'm afraid that it's going to be T1 (or 1.5), but on the other hand I'm afraid the results won't explain anything and I'm stuck with the T2 diagnosis at a very young age.. This scares me because if you think about it, this disease has much more time to cause serious problems I don't know.. right now it's all still very confusing and overwhelming.

Still, I'm glad to have found these forums. You seem like a lovely bunch of people and it really helps to read your stories! Thanks to you I've found some more information, and I guess all I can do now is wait for the results next week.

I wonder though.. has anyone else experienced this "stigma" on diabetes? Reading some websites, they make it sound like diabetics brought this upon themselves which seems very unfair

Thank you for letting me share my story

 

[satindoll]

Hi and welcome to the forum, first off you did nothing wrong, diabetes is like some cancers it doesn't care who you are, how fit you are, what size you are, how wealthy you are, if you are going to get it, it will bite. we don't listen to or believe that when unknowing people say such things we do not judge. you will find many young folk in the children and teenagers forums who can and do manage their diabetes and you can too, just give yourself time to take it all in and keep on reading here for advice and encouragement.

 

[claymic]

As per my old blood tests i must have been diabetic or pre diabetic at about 22 years - t2 I had not even heard of diabetes before than really.

 

[sanguine]

Hi Senada, welcome. As Satindoll says, diabetes is not anybody's fault - it's a symptom (elevated blood sugars) which can result from one or more of several metabolic flaws. Let us know how your tests go and what they indicate - but an HbA1c of 55 isn't that bad so getting it under control is eminently do-able. If you are T2 it can be done with diet and moderate exercise. In any case the first measure is to cut down on carbohydrates - potatoes, rice, pasta, bread.

Don't panic, have a read around and ask any questions.

 

[daniT1D]

I was diagnosed age 24 x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. At only 24 and normal weight I suspect you will be a Late onset T1 (LADA). This is often mis-diagnosed as T2. The antibody tests you have had will help confirm the correct diagnosis. Having a low-carb diet is the best approach for any form of diabetes. If you are a LADA, then I'm afraid it will probably progress one day to insulin but you may go thru tablets to start with. Don't panic though because if you do need to go onto insulin it's not as bad as it sounds. I've been on it for almost 2 years and am happier being able to eat fairly freely rather than fighting high blood sugar by eating very little. Let us know the results and any questions you may have

 

[daisy1]

Hi Senada and welcome to the forum

Sorry about your diagnosis and I can understand how you feel. As you learn about diabetes you will gain confidence and feel better about it. Many members will share their experiences with you soon. You won't be alone on here.

Here is some information which I hope will help you, whether you are T1 or T2. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 over 100,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome.

It's a blow, isn't it? And all the media blurb and automatic expectations by doctors and nurses that you will deteriorate and the complications will creep in...

One of the best things about this forum (in amongst many other good things!) is seeing so many experienced, mature diabetics posting, of every type.

There's a thread somewhere for people who have had diabetes for over 40 years, many of whom are complication free.

And you have the benefit of catching it early. And you are already not willing to let your doctor and nurse treat you like an automaton.

I predict you will go far.

 

[phoenix]

Obviously you don't know yet what type of diabetes you have .
If your antibodies are negative and you have a strong family history then there are genetic forms of diabetes
http://www.diabetesgenes.org/content/mody

You might like to have a look at this blog which explains more about adult onset type 1.
http://adultt1diabetes.blogspot.fr/p/blog-page.html
I was slightly over twice your age when I was diagnosed with T1 !

 

[Ambersilva]

Another oldie here. Diagnosed Type 1 when 63 years old.

 

[JohnD54]

@Senada, being a newbie myself albeit somewhat older the emotions your are going through are the same as many, myself included. No ones to blame, unfortunately life is not always fair, but getting on with life is the most important thing.

You are in the right place to receive advice that will make thing easier for you.

Keep posting and accept the advice and support that is freely given on here.

Good luck for the future.

 

[Senada]

Hi everyone,

thank you for your kind replies It helps to read all your reassuring messages. Today I got the results back. They tested my blood for GAD antibodies but I was negative. C-peptide levels were 0.51, but I can't remember the unit so I guess that's not very helpful. The specialist said it was a normal value, but it was on the low side. They also found ketones, but having both ketones and low C-peptides could be due to the fact that I hardly ate anything in the days before the visit, she said.

They're going to do another blood test, but this time after having eaten something. They want to see what the c-peptide levels are going to be like after that. She also mentioned that a genetic test for MODY might be useful in my case, because there is no clear-cut answer right now. She said it could still be LADA but in its very, very early stages and she also mentioned that some patients never have antibodies but still have LADA. Is anyone familiar with that?

I guess I don't really have any answers right now and the genetic testing can take a while. It is a bit frustrating to not know what is wrong, but at least they are looking into all the possibilities and I feel like they are serious about it, so that's nice .

 

[Brunneria]

How are you feeling now?
And how is the eating going?

 

[Senada]

Hi Brunneria, thanks for asking I feel a bit better. I was really anxious the last few weeks and didn't eat much, but I want to change that. Knowing that it will probably be a while before anything definitive comes out of these test, I realize that I can only help myself by trying to stay healthy and continue with my studies.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi Brunneria, thanks for asking I feel a bit better. I was really anxious the last few weeks and didn't eat much, but I want to change that. Knowing that it will probably be a while before anything definitive comes out of these test, I realize that I can only help myself by trying to stay healthy and continue with my studies.

That's a great perspective. And whatever you do/eat/decide it should be something that is sustainable. No point going on some extreme lifestyle or diet if it will only work in the short term.

Plenty of info out there to help you, too.

But you are right, it may be best for now to let things settle and get those studies done.