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99% sure to be diagnosed on Monday

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FloraLB

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Hi everyone,

I'm posting in here because I am 99% sure when I go back to my doctor on Monday I will be told i'm diabetic. With 2 close family members both having type 2 and be being a very large girl getting up to pee in the middle of the night set the alarms off. Being the control freak I am I had to buy a monitor test my blood myself before going to the doctors (gave me some feeling of control of the situation if that makes sense) and it was around 15 each time I took it, including a fasting test. I called the doctor on Friday and she told me to come in and get bloods done and see her on Monday.

Not sure how i'm feeling tbh. I'm 29 and i've been expecting to be diagnosed since I was around 16 as I kept being warned about my weight, of course managed to put it to the back of my head. I've watched my mother kill herself by not controlling her condition (she had a heart attack, a stroke then a massive stroke which killed her) so I know I don't want to go down that road. I've already started to plan menus (Argh, I will miss all my carbs!) I go from feeling positive to having crushing panicked moments and feel trapped. I haven't had anything sweet in a week, I don't know if that's my body screaming at me to behave but I haven't fancied it. I'm terrified I'll have to go on insulin as i'm awful with needles as I'm sure most people are (you should have seen me trying to prick my finger!)

The waiting is difficult and i'm just scared of the unknown. I'm not really close to my family and I know i'll get some 'I told you so's so not keen on telling certain people! My work has been great after a bit of a breakdown on Thursday so that helps but I live on my own with not many friends (I isolate myself when i'm scared) so I feel very alone and that makes me panic too (the old if I get ill/die no one will find me for months).

Sorry for rabbiting on but I hope some of this made sense and I look forward to chatting to you soon :)
 
Hi FloraLB
Just wanted you to know there are others who understand how scared you must be feeling. It's a big deal when you finally get the diagnosis. Being a bit of a control freak myself, I almost found it a relief to be told of my condition because it explained health problems and it's only then that you really seriously try to make changes to your life.
Try not to take any notice of I told you so comments - they can be really hurtful and totally unhelpful. Good for you taking the initiative to go to your Doctor and face your demons. Good luck on Monday....will be thinking of you.
 
I felt exactly the same as you. I reckon i've had diabetes at least a year, as id had bad thrush episodes for ages, kept trying to convince myself it couldnt be diabetes, not at 32...
then i ended up getting all sorts of blood tests for another problem and it showed up and i was diagnosed 4 months ago.

Whilst im still a very worriied anxious person, i do think it is best to face the problem and start working towards staying healthy. Yes, it is hard to stop eating carbs, i did ok with stopping sweets its the rest of it i struggle with, i miss potatoes and bread.

I am also worried about people saying unhelpful things and judging me, i have some issues with feeling its my own fault... So, i have only told 2 people, my husband and my best friend (and i only told her because i was so scared waiting to be diagnosed). I havent told my family, even though both my mum and dad are diabetic, as i feel that there will be some comment on it/disappointment. I have not and will not tell my workplace, unless forced to disclose - its really none of their business so long as i am doing my job well.

On the positive side though, since diagnosis in Febuary I have lost 1 and a half stone, and my resting heart rate has improved from 82 to 62bpm as ive been hitting the gym loads. The improvement i felt immediately upon eating healthier/reducing carbs was fantastic - i sleep through the night solidly, something that hadnt happened for months. (I still have a good lot of weight to go though, and my sugar levels arent brilliant yet, but significantly better than i started out). But, i guess what im trying to say is if you put your mind to it, you can achieve a lot in a few months towards living a long healthier life once diagnosed. Do ask your dr for test strips and a meter when you go in Monday - i think most dr's dont give them out unless you really push, and them some still wont, but it is absolutely essential to test your blood to find out what different foods do to your bg levels.
 
Thank you both for your encourgement. My main worry at the minute is if I am diabetic, how long have I been and how much damage has been done? I was in hospital for a big op 2 years ago, they would have checked then, wouldn't they? My eyes were blurry one day when I was in (prob more due to not eating) and I asked the nurse if she would do a finger prick and it was about 4.5 so i'm hoping its been no more than 2 years and i'm not too broken and damaged!

Coralied - thank you for keeping me in your thoughts, i'll need all the help I can get! I'm a huge scardy cat so things must be bad to make me go to the docs. I know what you mean about control, at least now I know it's my choice whether to face up to this or keep on going and end up blind worse.

jfran - Congrats on your weight loss, that's fantastic. I'm hoping I can get a gym referral as I really want this to be a new begining, not some sort of life-ending situation. I want to be slimmer and healther and try and be a happier person. In a strange way it could be the first day of the rest of my life to coin a tired old phrase! My mother used to get her strips on prescription so i'm hoping I can unless things really have got restricted. I have my new monitor so i'm happy enough with it. I did waste a lot of the strips by not getting enough blood out the first go. I have told quite a few people that I can trust but I can't tell anyone in my family, not yet at least.
 
Hi Flora and welcome to the forum :)
Since you are sure you will be diagnosed (and with 15s it looks like it), and even if you are not and are maybe pre-diabetic and need to look after yourself in case you become fully diabetic, here is some information we give to new members which will be helpful to you. You will see that it's not just sugary foods that you must cut out, you must also cut down on carbohydrates. Ask all the questions you like and someone will have an answer.

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 well over 30,000 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 ... rains.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 blood glucose 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Hi FloraLB

Welcome to the forum, you've already taken a huge step, even if not diagnosed tomorrow, stick with the decision to change you life.

If you are diagnosed, it's really not the end of the world, for many of us it's the kick up the backside we needed. I knew I was overwieght, I knew I didn't exercise enough.

Having dieted all my adult life, it was amazing and refreshing to not 'diet'. By controlling my BG's What happend was I didn't obsess about the bathroom scales, I obsessed instead about my testing and recording of my results. (I'm a bit of a controller too - one of the best things about DB was getting to do a spreadsheet lol )

I also found it Easy to leave the bread alone ( I WAS a bread monster) because this time it was different, it wasn't a case of I shouldn't have it , I adopted the attitude I can't have it - not if I want to go as long as possible without meds - which is my aim.

A very pleasant side effect of monitoring BG was reducing the carbs - was a 2.5 stone weight loss in 6 months, My HBA1c down to 5.9%.

Hopefully, if you are diagnosed you will see Monday 25th June 2012 as the start of something positive in your life, maybe not at first but when you look back 3 or 6 months down the line.

Let us know how you get on.

Mary x
 
Hi florab, I was recently diagnosed last Thursday after having the fasting blood test and had it confirmed though I kinda new myself it would be positive. I too have the same feelings as yourself , feeling scared and apprehensive but seeing this as a new start and positive change. Bought the wii fit yesterdays not ready to get out to a gym as a big girl feel in conscious of my size! However as mm to a lovely 8 yr old daughter know that I have to dothis not only for me but her too. Cakes and sweets out the door for three weeks now and it is hard! I bought diabetic choccie and biscuit from boots today but know I wont again £3'oo is too expensive and do I really need them. NO. , I'm waiting to see the GP in a week to go through treatment options and as f yet don't have the blood glucose tester will be stressing the need for it to be prescribed ! I have told my work as I have stressful job with lunch sometimes hard to get and was worried if I became I'll and my staff didn't know I had diabetes my mgr very supportive and reminded me work could help me get a bike if I wanted. Hope it goes well tomorrow :)
 
Hello Florab. Good luck for tomorrow - as you say it can be the start of new health lifestyle. If you are type 2 you will probably be sent on a DESMOND course at the loacal diabetic unit at the hospital which I attended for a day, some area's may be two days. They will give you lots of advice but ignore the suff about having carbs with every meal and carbohydrate snacks. If you reduce your carbs you can lose weight much easier. Burgen bread is one of the better ones as it's only 12g carbs per slice on average. You will find loads of advice and recipes on the website. If you really want chocolate, buy the very dark over 75% cocoa solids chocolate. The Sainsburys one has something like 4g of carbs per two square and to be honest I find one square enough. Once you have had your diagnosis let your family and friends know as then they can help you by not pressing you to have things you're trying to give up (hopefully). Don't get downhearted if the diagnosis is positive - the condition is serious but is controllable so the more you take care of yourself the better. Be thinking of you tomorrow. :)
 
Back in from doctor, went for a walk into town afterwards to clear my head.

Results came back as inconclusive so I have to go back for a fasting HbA1a on Thursday morning and she'll phone me with the results on Friday. The results were 9.6 so not as high as I was getting but still high obviously. She says it's likely I am diabetic with a small chance I am pre diabetic. Blood pressure up a little bit to but considering I've been pooping myself all day i'm not surprised!
Still playing the waiting game then...
 
Hi floraLB

A bit annoying, but a week won't make any difference. No harm in starting the new you straight away tho'.

Mary x
 
Getting my bloods done tomorrow. I've not had any obvious carbs (other than those hidden in foods) since Sunday and although I have a headache I feel less weighed down somehow and weirdly more energetic, however that could be because i've been behaving and my sugars are down a bit *fingers crossed*
 
My doctor called me 10 minutes ago to confirm I am diabetic. My fasting bloods were 9.8. No tears yet, feel ok, strangely upbeat as it wasn't a complete shock. Need to wait for an appointment with the clinic now to see what's going to happen. Feel odd.
 
Well FloraLB at least you now know.

It's normal to feel a bit weird at first but lucky for you, you've found this forum nice and early.

Did they say you are type 2?

Mary x
 
Yeah she said when I saw her for the last results that it would be type 2, family history, fatty etc.

I've realised my problem isn't going to be healthy eating, it portion control. I made a stir fry for dinner and went back for seconds even though i made it for 2 nights. Small plates don't make a difference :(
 
In the beginning I found eating small portions but often, worked, two reasons

1) it was part of my research into what I could and couldn't eat. So pretty much ate a small meal every 2 or 3 hours lol
2) could handle hunger cos knew I'd eat again soon

Before very long my stomach was getting used to the smaller portions and I could go longer between 'meals'.

Also lots of water helps.

Mary x
 
Right, my first week of healthy eating is over but I wanted to check what you thought of my diet so far, please be as scathing as you like!

Breakfaat: 1 tortilla with salad, cheese and low fat mayo (i'm not a breakfast person but this is yummy and I thought if I had carbs in the morning it might get me through the day!
Snack - bag of tesco kids apple and grape snack
Lunch - home made curried lentil soup ( no bread!), a peach
Tea - 2 smoked cod steaks, bag of tesco micro steam spinach, peas, broccoli and sweetcorn, 250ml(i know I went mad) low fat natural yogurt.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi there, glad you are coming to grips with things. There are people on the site far more experienced than I am, but if you look at the carb content of low fat against ordinary or full fat, you often find that the full fat has less carbs, but it depends on how many carbs you are aiming to have each day.

I was diagnosed in the middle of May as a type two and as well as getting my BG down to within the guidelines of this site I have lost over a stone and gone down two dress sizes (much to the despair of my OHs wallet).

I've been amazed at the wealth of knowledge of those who visit this forum and I think the best advice is to keep on testing and find out what works for you.

Best of luck!!!
 
coralied said:
Hi FloraLB
Just wanted you to know there are others who understand how scared you must be feeling. It's a big deal when you finally get the diagnosis. Being a bit of a control freak myself, I almost found it a relief to be told of my condition because it explained health problems and it's only then that you really seriously try to make changes to your life.
Try not to take any notice of I told you so comments - they can be really hurtful and totally unhelpful. Good for you taking the initiative to go to your Doctor and face your demons. Good luck on Monday....will be thinking of you.
Click to expand...

Good luck to you for Monday, you will be in my thoughts. Take care with best wishes
 
Hi FloraLB - Hope you are now recovering from what was a pretty much expected result. Im 5 years down the line with type 2 and after being diet controlled for 2 of them and in denial for the whole 5 years am now accepting I'm diabetic. Its a challenge but throw that gauntlet down - life is not a rehearsal i am completely revamping my lifestyle including my weight. Good luck :)
 
I've hit a low. I don't have my first appointment with the diabetic clinic until 7th August. I'm not on meds, have had no advice other than 'eat healthily', i'm constantly hungry and thinking about food no matter how I try and distract myself. I've no sticks left and can't afford to buy any. All i want to do is eat junk and the resistance is getting so much harder I feel i will cave soon. It doesn't help that i'm hormonal and would usually live off chocolate atm but I just want proper, filling food.

Sorry for the ramble but all my positivity has gone out the window and I just want to sit and cry.
 
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