Confused !

G'day. Welcome to the club you didn't really want to join.

Unfortunately it is not unusual for some complications to commence before type 2 is formally diagnosed. Possibly your past health checks were not checking for diabetes. Do you have copies of your old lab tests, including tests for fasting glucose or HbA1c?

Anyway, that is past history. Forget it, you can't change the past. Possibly we can help you take action now to change your future. I wrote this to help you begin: Getting Started

sass_4 said:

Hi Alan
Thanks for replying. The health check I had 3 months ago included a diabetes check....I'm starting to wonder if theres been a **** up somewhere as I didnt receive any results back at the time so assumed all ok. I see a diabetic nurse on Tuesday so will be asking for Hba1c results from 3 months ago then.
Every one thinks its funny seeing me walking as if I'm p****d, but its no joke !
Thankyou so much

Click to expand...

Always ask for copies of all lab reports. Apart from allowing you to discuss the numbers with experienced people on forums like this, it makes it much easier to get a second opinion if you choose to.

Welcome!! I know how it feels when you know that you are diagnosed with Diabetes.. I had the same feeling.. I have been diagnosed 4 weeks from now.. I was shattered and couldnt stop thinking of it but then started researching and found this forum and after reading all the experiences felt so motivated.. Only thing is even though it is overwhelming in begining.. We shouldnt stop taking action to
Prevent complication...i had no such symptoms but was GD and was in rugular monitoring and found out similarlay yours which was fine 3 months ago even ta HbAc1...

So just beleive and start the action pf healthy lifestyle right from
Now!!!






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Its not uncommon unfortunately, I only got diagnosed because my obgyn saw that my A1C was rising and that my GP wasn't doing anything about it - she took steps to send me for a GTT - I freaked the hospital staff out at the test instead of it taking a few hours like it should have I was in the test area for close to 18 hours because of the numbers they where getting from me (finally had to give me insulin to bring my numbers down because they where not coming down on their own - that was when I was told I'm diabetic and insulin would be my constant companion in life).

Hi and welcome. It's not unusual to have diabetes quite long time before diagnosis. I had pins and needles several years before diagnosis. I'll never know whether this was due to the diabetes but I've not had the symptoms since and don't appear to have any noticeable nerve damage

Whilst I am not diabetic or even pre diabetic my numbers are creeping up.

A couple of weeks ago I had my cholesterol, blood sugar, kidney & liver function tests, etc.

My blood sugar was 5.

I then requested a HbA1c test and fasting glucose test.

The result of the HbA1c was 5.6.

The glucose test was:

5.6 fasting
7 after two hours

Whilst both are in the normal the medical profession expressed no concern.

My last glucose test in January was for fasting and 2 hr 5.5.

I am taking matters into my own hands with changing my diet and increasing my activity. I think prevention is better then having to deal with it.

From what I have read on the internet over the past weeks I feel that doctors need to encourage people with fasting blood glucose of 5 to start taking measures but for the most part they don't seem concerned until you have crossed the line.

Hi Sass, welcome to the Forum, you have come to the right place for help and support. It is devastating when you are first diagnonsed and you go through all sorts of emotions, anger, fear, denial to name but a few, this is perfectly understandable, and we have all been there. Complications usually occur after many years of uncontrolled blood glucose levels, but you can suffer symptoms initially when your blood glucose is high. Once you get your bg under control these symptoms tend to subside.

Have a good look round this site, take you time and learn as much as you can. There are a lot of knowledgeable members on here who will help and support you, until you get your head round it, there is a lot to take in, so take your time and ask questions, we are a friendly bunch so you are not alone. Try not to get anxious (easier said than done, I know).

Do you have a meter and strips. It is unlikely that your gp will give you these on prescriptions (unless you are very lucky) so you will need to buy these yourself. Most people buy the SD Codefree meter and strips from Amazon as they are much cheaper than most other brands.

I expect @daisy1 will be along sometime with some very useful advice which is given to all newly diagnosed diabetics.

Take care

Marilyn

Hi sass and welcome to the forum

here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. As you have already seen, someone will always help if you have a question.

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 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 asdiabetic 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.

Hi Sass welcome ,I was very worried at first ,and joining this forum was the best thing I did,Lots of lovely people to help.
I get numb legs and feet at times even when my blood sugar levels are low.Your knee may not be related,may be worth getting an x ray.

Hi Sass, welcome.

William EE, I've seen or read somewhere (?Prof Taylor video) that on the way to diabetes blood sugars creep up slowly, even imperceptibly, over several years and then suddenly 'let go', so if you see that in your readings then go for the preemptive strike! It can't do any harm. Do you have just the one HbA1c though, I think it's those you need to consider rather than fasting BGs.

Hi Sanguine,

I have had one HbAL1 and is was 5.6. Within the normal range through approach the pre range. So I'm getting started on a new diet and fitness regime now.

@sass_4

There's been a recent discussion on this thread
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cured.59379/page-10#post-587558
About foot pain, and various symptoms. Turned out it was a combination of other things too - including vit d and vit b12 deficiency

@Indy51 posted a fascinating video on the vit b12 deficiency (on page 10 of the thread), and I'm going to mention it to a couple of friends because the symptoms really do look like their experiences...

May be worth you taking a look - even if just to eliminate it as a possibility.

WilliamEE said:

Hi Sanguine,

I have had one HbAL1 and is was 5.6. Within the normal range through approach the pre range. So I'm getting started on a new diet and fitness regime now.

Click to expand...

Hi. That figure is very good but it's also good to be reviewing your diet and exercise and hopefully you will never have diabetes

Hi Sass. I had many odd disorders, pins and needles, aches and pains, loss of balance etc for a few years before I was diagnosed with type 2. Some of them, such as an odd feeling in my feet were there ten years before and were a side effect of an ace inhibitor I took for high blood pressure. Others, such as the cramps and bad joint pains were due to my GP switching me from Atorvastatin to Simvastatin. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder which can cause other complications but which usually comes along with excisting ailments. They are usually all related to eating bad food, lack of activity, to much stress etc. Try to think of it as one more thing rather than the cause of all your troubles. Losing weight, eating carefully, being more active changes many of these things for most Type 2s. It really is quite amazing. Two years ago I had difficulty in putting my shoes and socks on without getting cramps and could hardly walk from the hotel bedroom to the breakfast room. I then got diabetes. I started losing weight and did a couple of mins per day exercise, which was all I could do at that time. Now, on holiday I started the day with 40 lengths of the pool and then four hours on a mountain bike. I ate whatever I wanted and although I had a couple of 5.8s in the morning, most were between 4.6 and 4.9.

Even walking around the shops/museums/tourist sites is of benefit. Just, don't give up moving. Keep active, even if it is just small amounts to begin with.