• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Diagnosed with type 2 yesterday, bf dumped me

Adm_Mad

Well-Known Member
Messages
112
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hello, 35 year old woman in Australia, diagnosed yesterday with type 2, and this is my obligatory introductory post. No idea how long I've had it, and no idea what my blood stats are, as my GP didn't have time to go over all of that, she did an on the spot finger prick and it was 12 point something which she said confirmed what the blood results were

I went to my GP to change my birth control as I was having some irregular bleeding, and she ordered some general blood tests. She called me yesterday asking me to make an appointment to see her and I was able to take some time off work. She told me the high blood sugar levels show I have type 2 diabetes, which isn't surprising as I am overweight and do eat sugar, but I haven't noticed any the symptoms such as thirst, blurred vision (or maybe I did and just didn't know as I've worn glasses for short sightedness since I was eight and maybe my prescription changing slightly in the last seven years was because of diabetes) or slow healing sores, etc. But I know that not everybody gets the symptoms though, and the blood doesn't lie.

My GP didn't have enough time to talk to me properly yesterday so made a long appointment for two weeks time, and said in the meantime to cut out all sugars and carbs, including all fruit except maybe an apple every few days, and any artificial sweeteners. She said she wasn't going to put me on Metformin immediately, and I don't know any of my blood count details, I assume we'll be going over that in a fortnight. (She also said to cut out all salt but I'm not going to do that, sorry, because I researched last night and it looks like salt doesn't raise blood sugar it's just worries about hypertension which I don't have, and I know I will not be able to commit to changing how I eat if I have to cut out all flavouring and just eat unseasoned vegetables for the rest of my life.)

When I told my boyfriend he broke up with me, saying how disgusting and unhealthy it was and he couldn't be attracted to me or be with me anymore. So I'm going to see at the next appointment whether my doctor says I'll be able to manage with just exercise and diet and if so I'm going to keep this a secret as I really can't deal with the shame and stigma right now. My mother thinks I'm enough of a failure as it is, LOL.

It looks like when you have type 2 pretty much any health problems you have are linked back to that, so I'm guessing that was what the bleeding was. And my now ex BF told me that when I had an "over the top" reaction if he did something I didn't like, that was clearly because of the diabetes because type 2 makes you have mood swings and be irrationally angry. I'm still in shock over the break-up so haven't had time to think about whether that's true and all our fights have been because I was diabetic and didn't know it so just over-reacted when he would say he was going to do things and didn't do them, or lied to me, or criticised me, etc.

I was up until 3 this morning browsing through this forum, very glad it exists!
 
Last edited:
@Adm_Mad First of all, welcome to the forums! Probably one of the best places to come if you have had a new diagnosis. Second of all WOW, okay I don't have time to unpack all that about your boyfriend so we will throw away the whole suitcase because that was honestly unfair to you when you could have used some actual support with this massive life change. I would say it's time to ditch him like you're ditching the carbs because that way lies the best way to treat this. However I would say to wait for an official diagnosis of your type before you jump completely in but I would cut down on the carbohydrate consumption for now to help bring the sugars down. Going to tag @daisy1 here for the welcome pack stuff and link you to this helpful post too: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/

You don't have to give up salt and seasonings, quite the contrary it's the sugar and carbs that are the things that need to go the other way. A lot of us on here are able to control our diabetes with just exercise and diet alone or even just diet but like I said it'll be best to get an official diagnosis of your type first. Would have been nice to have given you a sooner appointment though but in any case, I hope that we can help you here and that things will start to get better for you but in the meantime feel free to ask an absolute ton of questions! I know I did!
 
I've never had a hypoglycaemic attack which I'm guessing is because I've never not eaten enough for my blood sugar to drop, even though I have previously gone on alternate day fasting when I need to drop a dress size quickly for a limited period of time. So I'm doing a little experiment now where I'm just not going to eat for at least 24 hours, hopefully more like 48 or more, and see how long it takes for me to start to go hypo and what the signs are. Or maybe it won't happen at all, it seems like overweight type 2's have blood sugar that's much too high as opposed to too low, and it can spike high even when you haven't been eating anything?

I'm curious about the "excessive thirst" symptom as that's one I've never noticed. Basically all my adult life I've been sure to drink between 1.5 and 2 L of water a day, and for at least the last 10 years or so, at my current workplace, I have a 500ml water bottle that I fill once in the morning and once at lunchtime, and drink steadily throughout the day whether I feel thirsty or not, just because I've always thought hydration was important. So I think I've never had the excessive thirst trigger because I drink water as a matter of course.

Today I didn't have my usual glass of water when I woke up, and I'm going to not drink anything for as long as I can to see how long it is until my thirst feels "excessive". It's been four and a half hours since I woke up now and I feel a little bit thirsty, is that normal? I'm also not going to eat for at least a day and see if I notice anything.

Last night unfortunately I had a dinner meeting, and I ordered a green salad, but it came with CROUTONS, and I had a mental blank and ate about four of them before I remembered I'm supposed to be cutting out carbs totally!!!!! I know, I'm a moron and how could I forget something so important, but in my "defence" it was literally the first day, and I only saw the GP who told me about my type 2 and what to do that afternoon. So I excused myself and went to the bathroom and made myself throw everything up (I kept making myself vomit until I was only bringing up bile so I knew my stomach was totally empty) and then just sipped water for the rest of the night. Someone asked why I wasn't finishing my food and I said my stomach felt a little bit upset.
 
Last edited:
Hi @Adm_Mad,
First of all welcome to the forum and this site. You have come to a great place in which to ask questions,
vent and receive support.
As a type 1 diabetic who has been managing my condition for many years and met many other diabetics,
but not as professional advice or opinion:

Whilst it takes each person doing their best to keep a relationship functioning -
# you are not responsible for your ex-boyfriend's behaviour,
including him using your diabetes diagnosis as a cop-out

# if you look at the Home page - Living with Diabetes (about mid upper page) and Emotion
you can see that depression and diabetes may be linked, as well the shock of diagnosis and
sometimes high or low blood sugars levels (BSLs) being related to emotional ups and downs
- none of any such emotion, feeling is your fault

# knowing that you have diabetes now means that having support is important and ex-boyfriend
just voted with his feet - your diagnosis, for all its suddenness and implications, may have been a godsend


# there is lots to learn but time and resources in which to do so - people on site, info on site such as the
Home page - under Type 2 diabetes (blood sugars/diets - a place to obtain practical suggestions of your
GP's current advice on diet and in Living with Diabetes -( blood sugar levels, testing, Recipes and so on.

# And you sound like you have a good GP who is prepared to send the time to talk over what is involved.
There may be other health professionals along the way also such as a diabetes nurse.
(apologies for the wrong doctor emjoi)

# Finding support through friends, family(the non-teasing ones) , this site and so on is important.
You are not alone - likely to be in a flat spin about some things, yes, but knowing there are hand holds out there


# probably not a good time to make important decisions about major things in your life until the dust settles
after b-f's behaviour and you are more au fait with your condition

Please remember to breathe - holding breath or rapid breaths disengages us from being able to think and solve
things.
Maybe note down questions as you read and learn. That way when you see your doctor and post on here you can make sure you have not missed something you really wished to ask.
Learning in the art of untangling and de-mystifying confusion.
Best Wishes
 
Hi @Adm_Mad and welcome to the forum.

Your doc has given good advice to cut out carbs. Many of us have found that to be a successful strategy. Your alternate day fasting will also be a big help in reducing insulin resistance and helping to manage type 2 diabetes.

Take a look at the dietdoctor.com website for a lot of detailed information, recipes etc. and check out Dr Jason Fung on fasting.

Also, arm yourself with a blood glucose testing kit - so you can monitor your blood sugar levels and understand how food affects you. Can’t advise on cost/type in Australia but tagging @Tipetoo who may be able to help.

Good luck and keep posting - this forum is awesome for support and there are some very knowledgeable people on here.
 
Adm_Mad said:
When I told my boyfriend he broke up with me, saying how disgusting and unhealthy it was and he couldn't be attracted to me or be with me anymore.
Click to expand...

1) Wow, what a piece of work (your bf). I think you're better off without him.

2) Your body doesn't process carbs well, just like some people are gluten intolerant. A side effect of the carb intolerance is weight gain, because your body tries to throw extra insulin at the problem. Would you tell someone who's gluten intolerant that they are disgusting and use it as a reason for a break up?

3) I'm a T1, so maybe not the best judge, but you probably don't need to go down to absolutely zero carbs, just reducing them significantly should do the job.

4) 12 as a spot check of glucose is in diabetic territory but not desperately high (some people get diagnosed with blood sugars in high 20s), so it's possible that you've been diagnosed relatively early in the process and wouldn't have had any symptoms yet.

Try to be kind to yourself, and don't assume that all ailments are caused by your diabetes. As for mood swings, being metabolically out of balance probably doesn't help but having had all sorts of blood sugar levels over 49 years of T1 diabetes, I can't say I've particularly noticed high blood sugar as a factor. (The bf sounds like a better reason).

Good luck.
 
@EllieM Oh yeah my GP's instruction to "cut out all sugar and all carbs" was just for the next two weeks until our next appointment, which is when I expect she'll talk me through everything. She was running nearly 40 minutes late by the time she got to me and I could tell she was annoyed about it as she said "I wish I had more time to talk with you now".

@Goonergal Yep I've read up on here lots last night and today about type 2 and monitoring your blood glucose. I've gone to the chemist and a monitor and box of strips comes to nearly AUD $100. D: I might buy some, but I also might wait until my appointment with my GP in case she tells me specifically what brand to get. I've googled around and it looks like here in Australia Medicare (our NHS) only subsidies blood glucose monitoring for Type 1's and only for Type 2's if you're insulin dependent.
 
Last edited:
Adm_Mad said:
I've googled around and it looks like here in Australia Medicare (our NHS) only subsidies blood glucose monitoring for Type 1's and only for Type 2's if you're insulin dependent.
Click to expand...
@Adm_Mad if you join the NDSS you can get subsidised strips as a non insulin dependant T2 diabetic.

Here is the the link for the NDSS:

https://www.ndss.com.au/

Here is the enrolment form to fill in once your GP has confirmed you are T2:

https://static.diabetesaustralia.co...alia/f973794b-69d8-4cca-b9c5-23b55cde2f62.pdf

Once you have filled your part in, take it back to your GP and he / she has to fill the rest in. It will take 3 to 4 weeks before your membership card and info kit comes back to your address.

Once you have the NDSS membership card you can then fill the form in for six months of subsidised strips. Your GP has to sign of on this form as well. These are around $6.00 for 100, you can get a meter free from most major manufacturers.

I use a Abbot Freedom Lite meter, and it's easy to use and pretty accurate.

Hope this helps

Edit: Typo.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome to the club @Adm_Mad. I wouldn’t worry too much about the diabetes. We will have you cruising with one hand on the wheel in no time at all. There’s always two sides to a story so I’m not going to judge your ex-partner, but it seems from what you’ve said that the relationship was destined to fail anyway, so now is probably as good a time as any for a complete lifestyle change. In your circumstance you’re probably better off focusing only on yourself, rather than also struggling with a failing relationship. You’re young and you’re almost certainly about to lose a lot of weight...you’ll soon be fighting the fellas off with a s***** stick.

Love your avatar, by the way. That is a brilliant movie!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tipetoo said:
You will have to put a new form in every six months at your pharmacy as well.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. I was in NSW for 17 years (left for New Zealand in 2017) and never had to do anything other than get the original NDSS membership. Maybe because I'm T1 and on insulin. ?
I agree with you, I used the Abbott freedom lite and was very happy with it. Unfortunately NZ doctors only prescribe strips for one kind of meter, so I'm now stuck with the caresens ... But the strips are free.
 
@Adm_Mad

Welcome to the forum.

Looks like you took one bullet yesterday...
But it's only a flesh wound
A bit of TLC and variation of your diet will put you in a good place.

The other bullet you dodged more successfully.

ANYONE who is MORE obsessed with THEIR feelings when YOU get hit with bad news, doesn't sound like a winner.

WHY would you want some waste of space like that in you life..?

IF someone CAN'T support you when you obviously need it, how good would they be looking after you and any children you have ?

Best forum ever here...., all the support and advice you'll ever need at the click of a Mouse

If he doesn't come back with an apology for over reacting because the news shocked him as well, but he's back for YOU now, for the the long term.

Then I'd say tell him to "Do one"..he's surplus to requirements.

You deserve someone better in your life who will always be there for YOU.

Good luck with appointment.
Welcome to the journey back to better health.
 
Last edited:
@Adm_Mad, assuming that your diagnosis of type 2 is correct, which appears likely, buy and read The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung. In my opinion it’s the holy grail & gold standard for treating insulin resistant diabetes. Within a few months you’ll feel amazing and will be the happiest and healthiest you have ever been.

T2DM is not a life sentence, it’s an opportunity.
 
EllieM said:
That's interesting. I was in NSW for 17 years (left for New Zealand in 2017) and never had to do anything other than get the original NDSS membership. Maybe because I'm T1 and on insulin. ?
Click to expand...
This six monthly subsidy scheme so T2's can get cheap strips has been going for several years now. You did not have to put them in when I first joined the NDSS, just show your membership card to the pharmacy when getting strips.
 
All good advice from people far more experienced than me.......I would suggest you take it easy with the forced throwing up thingy, especially just to get rid of a few croutons? I'd say the small increase in Bg for a short time is better than how bad it made you feel both physically and psychologically........don't get t-o-o-o hung up on it all.......be patient until your next consultation and start getting used to the feeling that the specialists are not acting as quickly as you'd like(it's mainly caused by our hypersensitivity emotionally to our new condition whereas the doctor will have seen it all before).

This is a lifelong journey we have all undertaken.....with a new rather naughty companion called diabetes!!

Good Luck and keep your chin up.......looks like you had a lucky escape from your now ex........and remember.....

Tough times don't last.......Tough people do(apologies to the member whose sign off that is).
 
Adm_Mad said:
When I told my boyfriend he broke up with me, saying how disgusting and unhealthy it was and he couldn't be attracted to me or be with me anymore.
Click to expand...
Hello Adm_Mad, and welcome. Obviously, I don't know how much your ex-boyfriend weighs, but by losing him you've already lost a lot of weight!
Here's a little welcome gift for you from a member called Jo. Read it and rejoice. Its very informative, so here you go ... https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/
 
@Traceymac23 I know, I made myself throw up because I panicked and was mad at myself for forgetting basically straight away. I do have a history of bulimia since I was a teenager, both of binging/purging, and also of making myself throw up as a stress release if I was angry or upset about something even if I hadn't been overeating. I've gotten better at not doing it over the last few years (I still do it but nowhere near as much as I used to!), but I expect that I'll have to be aware to not fall back into it to deal with stress/anxiety over my diabetes.
 
Last edited:
Adm_Mad said:
And my now ex BF told me that when I had an "over the top" reaction if he did something I didn't like, that was clearly because of the diabetes because type 2 makes you have mood swings and be irrationally angry.
Click to expand...
I had really bad mood swings pre-diagnosis. I had no idea why, and treating my near and dear the way I did made me feel horrible. I really couldn't understand what had got into me, but as soon as my BG levels were under control, so were my mood swings. I'm still T2, so it isn't the condition as such, but bad control that gives you these mood swings. You'll find your old self when your blood glucose is better controlled, I can assure you.
 
Hi and welcome @Adm_Mad

Just a couple of things to add to the excellent info above.

Firstly, please do NOT chase thirst by stopping drinking. That is an unwise thing for anyone to do.
The way it works for diabetics is that when our blood glucose rises above a certain level (a high level) and stays there, then our body needs to get rid of the excess glucose in the blood and switches on a 'switch' in the kidneys. This means that along with all the usual stuff that they filter out of the blood, they also start filtering out glucose. However, this glucose needs to be diluted, and so they filter out water too.
So the volume of the urine increases, as the glucose and water are unrinated away.
And to prevent dehydration, the person gets thirsty to replace the lost liquid.

Clearly this is only going to happen to people with blood glucose over a certain number, and it is NOT something to try and create.

Your current drinking habits are perfectly normal (1 to 1.5 litres of water a day, presumably plus teas and coffees). Keep with that. Personally, I aim for 3 litres a day, but that is me. And I certainly don't chase symptoms of diabetes!

Just be happy you don't have the symptoms, and work on staying that way.

Secondly, no one needs to know about your D diagnosis except your doctor and yourself. Unless there is a reason (such as informing an employer, or a safety need. You get to choose who to tell and who not to tell. That means you do not have to tell family and friends. There are many, many reasons that people embark on changes in diet/lifestyle and there is no reason to explain yourself or give excuses if you don't want to. Your life. Your choices.

Having said that, when/if you do tell anyone, please do not accept the kind of **** comments that your ex boyfriend handed out. They stem from ignorance and total lack of compassion. No reason why you should put up with anyone behaving like that. Better off without him.
 
You'll be fine.....I'm sure it was a bit connivance bit of "oh for God's same I've only just found out and I've messed up already...just realise you will fail off the wagon from time to time...try not to beat yourself up when you do
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…