Diagnosed 2 days ago - Confused

[Fraser]

Hi,

I was diagnosed on Friday with diabetes, however I have some concerns that have not been addressed and it all happened so fast I suppose I never asked the right questions.

My GP called me in to the surgery on Friday afternoon after my blood glucose test from the day before came back at 33.8. He sent me straight to the hospital where I lay on a trolly for 4 hours before the Dr came to see me, in that time I had my bloods checked twice. The Dr apologized for the wait, which was fine, the department was very busy, but when she said it was cause she had lost my notes I did get a little pee'd off,

Anyway, she spent 2 mins max with me telling me she thought I had type 2 as by urine had no ketones in it,

Now, can she tell this bu just testing my blood? because my urine was never tested? it was tested by the GP earlier in the day who said there was ketones in it and he was sure it was type 1 because of this and my symptoms started suddenly two weeks ago and if it were type 2 it would have started a lot longer ago,

I am confused, very confused, I have been given Metformin to take twice a day and it is making me so ill it is not true.

anyone got any ideas?

 

[AMBrennan]

Now, can she tell this bu just testing my blood?

Probably yes; any ketones present in urin first appear in blood (although I was told by my GP that ketones might be present for reasons unrelated to diabetes - they are present when the cells' energy requirement can't be met by glucose (e.g. T1 diabetes or but also not eating for a week).

DKA is rare in T2 so the presence of ketones would suggest T1; I do not know if the converse (absence of ketones implies T2) is true but I doubt it.
The best way to distinguish the two types would presumably be a c-peptide test (none present in T1) which, again, only requires a blood sample.

Combining the above, it is quite possible that the diagnosis is based on blood tests and correct. If your are concerned I'd ask the GP to review the blood test results.

 

[viviennem]

Hi Fraser, and welcome!

I see from your profile that you have been diagnosed as Type 1.5. I'm sorry that I don't know much about this (being Type 2 myself) but there is quite a lot of information on both the forum and the main site, so please have a good read round and see what you can find out. Someone with more knowledge than me will be along soon to help, I'm sure.

Don't be afraid to go back to your GP and ask for more information, or to be referred to a specialist at your local diabetic clinic. Most GPs are not diabetic specialists, and don't have much training in the condition. You could also check at your local library to see if there's a diabetic support group in your area.

The confusion will wear off as you learn more. Don't be afraid to ask more questions - we've all been there, one way or another

Let us know how you get on.

Viv 8)

 

[ClaireG 06]

Hi Fraser and welcome

I am sorry that you have had this confusion from your doctors.

I am giving you this link to some information for new members that i think you might find helpful At the bottom is also another link for questions that might be useful to ask at clinic or when you next see your GP.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

As Viv says please come back and ask as many questions as you like. Forum members have a wealth of knowledge between them and there is usually someone who has an answer or can point you in the right direction

 

[Snodger]

You say the metformin is making you feel ill, and you have lots of unanswered questions - including the fact that you haven't really had a definite answer on what disease you have and why they have decided you have it.
So definitely go back to the GP and ask
- what kind of diabetes is it?
- what makes them think that you have that form of diabetes (and have they done a c-peptide test)?
- what explanation they have for the metformin problems/feeling ill
- when can you see a specialist in diabetes (nurse or doc) to discuss your self-management

Just to note: if you have had very high blood sugar - which you have, 33 is very high - then you may well be feeling rubbish just because your blood sugar levels are moving about (and we hope, coming down). I felt far iller as my blood sugar came down than I had in the preceding couple of months of running high (then it all calmed down and I felt well again). So it could be that making you feel bad rather than the metformin, but it's still worth flagging with the doctor, because you deserve to get proper answers.

 

[Grazer]

I'm not on Metformin myself, but I understand from others that it is quite common to feel ill when you first start it. If it doesn't settle down, some people vary the type of metformin or take it at different times. Perhaps you need to wait and see for a while before making a judgement on how the Met. is affecting you.

 

[Daibell]

Yes, do go back to the GP who needs to confirm which type he thinks you are. Ref Metformin, a lot of people have stomach problems intially and some continue to have problems. Your GP can move you to Metformin SR (Slow release) which is much better for the stomach. You don't mention how old you are. The younger the more likely your type is type 1 rather than 2 but the right tests will help determine which it is. Bear in mind there are variants in between so it's not always that simple.