I'm a 20 year old male who was diagnosed at the beginning of the year with diabetes. For the past three years, I noticed that I began drinking a lot of water, all day long, busting to go to the toilet maybe once every hour. I weigh about 60kg and am about 180cm tall. I'm of Southern Italian decent, on both sides of the family, living in Australia. Both my grandfathers (my Nonnos) were diagnosed with type 2 at around age 55 - coincidently they were born in the same year, and were diagnosed in the same year. Beat that!
I have been reflecting on my lifestyle over the past few years, and I walk to the bus stop and around uni campus, and I started going to the gym quite frequently last year. I used to snack a lot on fruit and other sweet snacks, and I always went back for 2/3 servings. I like to sit playing video games for about 3-4 hours straight sometimes, but I like to walk the dog or go for a swim often too, so I'm not a complete couch potato.
Anyways, now for the story,
I went to see the GP and had a blood test. Fasting glucose was 16.5. I was immediately hospitalised, and diagnosed as type 1 until furhter notice. I'm young and thin, not the usual 'requirements' that they were expecting for type 2 so I went along with it. I was seen by a general doctor in emergency, who explained the overall concept of diabetes, but it's talked about so much in the school curriculum I already knew most of the what she was talking about.
They sent me off to a ward in the hospital and we waited for the specialist to arrive. The nurses started to give me injections of insulin with my meals, a mix of Novorapid and another long lasting insulin. My diabetes educator got me to start taking my own readings, and I saw an endocrinologist who was a stand in for my ongoing doctor (my parents had requested for somebody we knew). He put the requested an increase in the levels of my insulin, and the nurses kept checking on me during the night, keeping an eye on my levels. I saw my diabetes educator the next day again, who explained that I was still a type 1 in their eyes, and that it would be easier in the long run to switch from a type 1 treatment to a type 2 treatment than the other way around. I was shown how to do injections by myself and also how to check my ketone levels with the same glucose meter.
After speaking to my actual endocrinologist later that morning, I was discharged from hospital and sent home, with a check up scheduled for the following week, and regular phone contact with my educator. They kept putting my insulin levels up over the phone as my glucose levels were still in the high teens and even twenties after dinner. When some more blood test results came a fortnight later, I did not have any antibodies for type 1 and the endocrinologist told me that even though there was only a slim chance that I was still a type 1. I was more likely a type 2.
I went home on metformin and Lantus (long lasting insulin) for another 3/4 weeks, and my fasting levels slowly began to fall, still having high teens during the day. I had a blood test to check for C peptides, and had a result of 0.2, which I'm told is very low. (What's concerning to me is that I had this test AFTER I started on the metformin, a good 4 weeks into treatment).
The endocrinologist, getting these results, put me back onto Novomix (41 units daily at the moment), and taken off of metformin. The SAME treatment that I was on when they thought I was type 1. I've been getting lower teen levels recently by limiting carbs out where I can and having protein and fat rich foods. Only getting lows where I have a no carb meal (like a boiled egg, etc.) or don't eat for 5 hours or more between meals.
I'm feeling completely lost. I was told that I am insulin resistant, being type 2 and not really responding to the type 1 treatment (although I'm back on it now??) I'm now insulin dependent because of the C peptide results, but the doctor said that they are not a clear indication until my glucose levels are lower, as the functioning of beta cells can be inhibited with my high levels. I'm calling my diabetes educator again tomorrow and I will raise these concerns with her, but I just want to know if anybody has been in the same wishy-washy diagnostic stage, and how you coped and what you told people - importantly, what did you tell yourself?
Extra note, and NOT the main reason that I am posting: (doctor said that it was from genetics (both my grandfathers have T2), aunty thinks it's from my diet mainly)
Now my aunty (not blood related at all, and who is very much into alternative medicine - although she is a qualified GP I think...) came by on the weekend saying how I'm in so much trouble having the insulin that I am doing more damage than good to my pancreas by having a 'negative feedback effect'. She was trying to convince me to cut ALL carbs from my diet, not even considering the GI. It was quit confronting, and she sent me an article from two years ago saying how it's the diet that needs changing, not the medication.
I was lucky that I had friends over and I could make an excuse to get away from her, but she wants to meet up on Sunday to 'have a good long talk about it', and I'm a bit worried. I'm worried if she might actually be right, because my doctor and the nurses in hospital were very slopping by not testing everything before giving me insulin; but on the other hand she is quite dramatic, and is only adding to my confusion as to where my diabetes is at, and what the root of the cause is.
I have been reflecting on my lifestyle over the past few years, and I walk to the bus stop and around uni campus, and I started going to the gym quite frequently last year. I used to snack a lot on fruit and other sweet snacks, and I always went back for 2/3 servings. I like to sit playing video games for about 3-4 hours straight sometimes, but I like to walk the dog or go for a swim often too, so I'm not a complete couch potato.
Anyways, now for the story,
I went to see the GP and had a blood test. Fasting glucose was 16.5. I was immediately hospitalised, and diagnosed as type 1 until furhter notice. I'm young and thin, not the usual 'requirements' that they were expecting for type 2 so I went along with it. I was seen by a general doctor in emergency, who explained the overall concept of diabetes, but it's talked about so much in the school curriculum I already knew most of the what she was talking about.
They sent me off to a ward in the hospital and we waited for the specialist to arrive. The nurses started to give me injections of insulin with my meals, a mix of Novorapid and another long lasting insulin. My diabetes educator got me to start taking my own readings, and I saw an endocrinologist who was a stand in for my ongoing doctor (my parents had requested for somebody we knew). He put the requested an increase in the levels of my insulin, and the nurses kept checking on me during the night, keeping an eye on my levels. I saw my diabetes educator the next day again, who explained that I was still a type 1 in their eyes, and that it would be easier in the long run to switch from a type 1 treatment to a type 2 treatment than the other way around. I was shown how to do injections by myself and also how to check my ketone levels with the same glucose meter.
After speaking to my actual endocrinologist later that morning, I was discharged from hospital and sent home, with a check up scheduled for the following week, and regular phone contact with my educator. They kept putting my insulin levels up over the phone as my glucose levels were still in the high teens and even twenties after dinner. When some more blood test results came a fortnight later, I did not have any antibodies for type 1 and the endocrinologist told me that even though there was only a slim chance that I was still a type 1. I was more likely a type 2.
I went home on metformin and Lantus (long lasting insulin) for another 3/4 weeks, and my fasting levels slowly began to fall, still having high teens during the day. I had a blood test to check for C peptides, and had a result of 0.2, which I'm told is very low. (What's concerning to me is that I had this test AFTER I started on the metformin, a good 4 weeks into treatment).
The endocrinologist, getting these results, put me back onto Novomix (41 units daily at the moment), and taken off of metformin. The SAME treatment that I was on when they thought I was type 1. I've been getting lower teen levels recently by limiting carbs out where I can and having protein and fat rich foods. Only getting lows where I have a no carb meal (like a boiled egg, etc.) or don't eat for 5 hours or more between meals.
I'm feeling completely lost. I was told that I am insulin resistant, being type 2 and not really responding to the type 1 treatment (although I'm back on it now??) I'm now insulin dependent because of the C peptide results, but the doctor said that they are not a clear indication until my glucose levels are lower, as the functioning of beta cells can be inhibited with my high levels. I'm calling my diabetes educator again tomorrow and I will raise these concerns with her, but I just want to know if anybody has been in the same wishy-washy diagnostic stage, and how you coped and what you told people - importantly, what did you tell yourself?
Extra note, and NOT the main reason that I am posting: (doctor said that it was from genetics (both my grandfathers have T2), aunty thinks it's from my diet mainly)
Now my aunty (not blood related at all, and who is very much into alternative medicine - although she is a qualified GP I think...) came by on the weekend saying how I'm in so much trouble having the insulin that I am doing more damage than good to my pancreas by having a 'negative feedback effect'. She was trying to convince me to cut ALL carbs from my diet, not even considering the GI. It was quit confronting, and she sent me an article from two years ago saying how it's the diet that needs changing, not the medication.
I was lucky that I had friends over and I could make an excuse to get away from her, but she wants to meet up on Sunday to 'have a good long talk about it', and I'm a bit worried. I'm worried if she might actually be right, because my doctor and the nurses in hospital were very slopping by not testing everything before giving me insulin; but on the other hand she is quite dramatic, and is only adding to my confusion as to where my diabetes is at, and what the root of the cause is.
