Blood Test Back! Need Help

[momof2]

Hello, I'm so happy to find this community. I'm a mother of 2 and have been down a very long sick road mainy with Thyroid issues. Sometimes I'm Hypo and sometimes I'm Hyper. But whats worse, now my Endo says I have type 1. Just going on symptoms and waiting for blood work results this week. Well I have them. I've been so upset since she told me, I have to sweet babies and it feels like I was given a death outcome or some horrible problem like heart or losing my limbs. Crying doesnt help but It seems like I, with all my thyroid issues wont survive this or live a happy life with my children.
For years my glucose has been borderline high, fasting at the highest 109 and then I started to eat better. I'm in shape (so I thought) small, and was always athletic. But then, during my pregnancy with my son I had gestational diabetes. the last month I did shots. After the birth, it was tested and seemed fine.
Now, my symptoms are mostly random nausea, sometimes vomiting (rare) fatigue, exhaustion, a ton of stomach issues. mostly around my period time. I sometimes would be up peeing constantly but I'm a very anxious person and feel like I'm overwhelmed with health issues that keep me up. I started taking a magnesium supplement and sleep better.
when my fasting glucose was around 105-109 my doctor started me on metformin. but I wasnt great at taking it. My female hormones are a mess, so now I'm on natural progesterone and testosterone. My periods are a mess and I cant leave the house.
Blood work was FASTING
TSH -0.25 very low
FASTING GLUCOSE -92
FASTING INSULIN 1.8 to low (wasnt taken until noon) was starving
HEMOGLOBIN A1C -5.6 NORMAL
C-PEPTIDE 0.83 ON THE LOWER SIDE BUT IN RANGE
ALL CBC WAS NORMAL
MICROALBUMIN, RANDOM URINE (W/CREATININE) WAS NORMAL AT- 180

Just wanted to have someone elses experience and kind of wanted to know what to expect with these results. Does my low end c-peptide mean my pancreas is going to get lower and stop? Is my Insulin low because I didnt eat and it was by noon that they took my blood? What does others A1C look like that have Type 1?
I just dont want to cry all day, want to know what to expect, I'm so scared for my children, will insulin injections help my fatigue or is it my low thryroid??
PLEASE, ANYBODY OFFER INFORMATION
THANKS

 

[azure]

Hi @momof2

Sorry you've been struggling with health issues. The first thing to say is that diabetes can be controlled I know it's very frightening being diagnosed with a condition like this, but it doesn't mean you can't have a good life with your children.

Let me tag @daisy1 for you as she has some basic information.

Are you on insulin now? If so, what kinds and when?

 

[momof2]

Hello, I am not as the doctor hasnt seen the blood test she ordered back yet. She thought based on my symptoms that I was type 1. Nothing confirmed. Why I put some results, I wondered what others were when diagnosed with type 1.
I didnt want to go on sympmtoms alone as my thyroid has some of the same symptoms.
I guess i'm confused as to which of the many she took says I'm type 1?
Thanks!

 

[azure]

I'd guess it may be the C peptide that may have made her think that.

If there continues to be doubt, you may want to request a GAD test, which can help to determine which type you are.

After having gestational diabetes, there's an increased risk of developing Type 2. Maybe that's why your endo is checking.

If it was me, I'd ask for more information about how she's thinking. For some people their diabetes type is obvious, but others need more investigation.

Do let us know what she says when she gets those tests back.

 

[Type1Bri]

We are not doctors here so are not in a position to advise too much I'm afraid. My A1c upon diagnosis was 16.8% to give you some comparison

 

[daisy1]

@momof2

Hello and welcome to the forum I'm glad you decided to join as it will really help you. You can ask anything you want to know and someone will be able to help you with it. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful.


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 150,000 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.

 

[momof2]

Thanks for the responses. Totally get this is not a forum with doctors but access to people dealing with this daily and real live situations is helpful and calming to me.

 

[Pinkorchid]

I think you should wait until you get a proper diagnosis as to 1 or 2 diabetes As you have thyroid and hormonal problems as well it would be better to have a good talk with your doctor after she has seen your test results. Sounds like you really need her to sort things out and put you on the right medication for your problems so I hope she does and you can feel better about things

 

[momof2]

Thank you Pinkorchid. I'm quite depressed over it and no something is obviously really wrong, was just hoping it was thyroid. I guess thats why I'm on here, to see what others test results were, what their symptoms were? How they got to their Diabetes outcome?

 

[Daibell]

Hi That c-peptide result is low and indicates a pancreas that is underperforming. That level almost certainly needs insulin. There are many causes of islet cell failure. GAD anti-bodies are a common cause and the GAD test may highlight that. What you have been eating is unlikely to have caused it. Having a low-carb diet will reduce the impact of a lack of insulin on blood sugar but won't help the islet cells. Insulin is not a big problem. I've been on it for 3 years now and welcome the blood sugar control it gives you. Once on it you realise that it puts you back in control of your diabetes

 

[momof2]

Hi That c-peptide result is low and indicates a pancreas that is underperforming. That level almost certainly needs insulin. There are many causes of islet cell failure. GAD anti-bodies are a common cause and the GAD test may highlight that. What you have been eating is unlikely to have caused it. Having a low-carb diet will reduce the impact of a lack of insulin on blood sugar but won't help the islet cells. Insulin is not a big problem. I've been on it for 3 years now and welcome the blood sugar control it gives you. Once on it you realise that it puts you back in control of your diabetes

Thanks for replying! Would you still consider the pancreas and islet cell failing if my GAD was normal and IA-2 & Insulin Antibodies was also normal?

 

[Daibell]

Thanks for replying! Would you still consider the pancreas and islet cell failing if my GAD was normal and IA-2 & Insulin Antibodies was also normal?

I had my two tests done privately. The GAD was negative but the c-peptide was 1.19 (1.1 to 4.4 is the 'normal' range). Note that c-peptide tests vary so the result ranges can be different. The c-peptide test shows the state of your islet cells so a low result shows that you need insulin although tablets may help for a while. Not all islet cell failures are due to anti-bodies although there are a few rarer ones besides GAD and IA-2. The GAD test becomes more unreliable as time elapses after diagnosis whereas the c-peptide reliability improves. I went onto insulin within a year after my tests as my Hba1C shot up and I was on three tablet types. So, in summary the HBa1C is a good guide and following NICE Diabetes Guidelines (Google them) when the Hba1C goes above around 7.5% you need further medication. The c-peptide can be useful as a generalisation in differentiating between T1 (not enough insulin) and T2 (too much).

 

[tltourer]

Up front, this could be useless advice.

I don't have all of your health issues, and I cant speak for you. But maybe we are having a similar issue. I am having trouble accepting my diabetes. Im angry about getting diabetes, Im angry that I cant eat 98% of food that I used to be able to eat. Im angry that I didn't know how bad the food industry is at pouring high fructose corn syrup into everything because its cheap and easy.

But, I need to accept in my head that how it is and its not my fault.
I think a bit part of being diagnosed is turning the page and thinking, well, its not ideal, but Im not dead yet, I'll live each day as it comes and do what I can. I know everyone reveres doctors but really....unless you get a really good one.... they order tests and prescribe drugs. That's the western health model. Im not saying don't listen to your doctor, but when you go to a doctor that's what you are going to get. So I do some other things as well, like having fun, yoga, sports, what ever makes me feel good. Im going to enjoy my kids for what ever time I have with them. There is a good chance, despite the doom and gloom tests that you and I have many many years left. Often, years in the future we wonder why we worried some much. So , do the doctor thing, make the changes you can make but.....

one day you are going to die, but NOT today.

Best wishes to you and family.

 

[Dark Horse]

Maybe you can take some inspiration from this woman:- https://www.diabeteshealth.com/afte...ving-well-with-diabetes-gladys-c-lester-dull/