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GP unsure of T1 or T2...

L

lll94

Member
Messages
7
Hi all

I've had a little read through these blogs posts since having a blood test where it was suspected that I have T2. I'm only 24, I'm not overweight and I do loads of running. The result came as a huge shock to me as I haven't had any symptoms - I only mentioned a pain in abdomen when at the GP for something else.

After a second blood test, with HbA1c of 7 (or 53, depending on which scale), GP mentioned it was worth checking for delayed onset type 1 diabetes as I'm young and not overweight. I was given a glucose testing kit which I've had a mess around with - the readings can be a little unsettling, especially when I cross referenced against my boyfriends glucose levels after eating the same etc (11.4, 2 hours after pasta... I absolutely love pasta argh)

My GP hasn't prescribed any medication until they're certain what type I have, so currently waiting for a hospital referral for antibody test (I think...). GP also said not to bother with glucose testing just now as they're unsure. It's just really overwhelming as I'm not sure what, if anything, I should be doing. Is there also a possibility that I just have a naturally high baseline of glucose levels, without having diabetes, or is that me totally in denial?!

Just wanted to hear whether anyone else has had a similar experience. Any reassurance at all would be helpful!

Thanks
L
 
lll94 said:
Is there also a possibility that I just have a naturally high baseline of glucose levels, without having diabetes, or is that me totally in denial?!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, that's denial.
If you're T1 (LADA) it's a good thing you've caught it early, your numbers aren't outrageous yet. I'd agree with your GP and wait out the hospital test first.
In the meantime, you've already found that some foods spike you, nothing wrong with eating a bit less of those foods. You can also test the effect of different foods by testing before eating and 2 hours after first bite. That will give you knowledge you'll need, regardless of which type you have and what your treatment will be. If you make notes of the results you can refer back to them next time you eat something similar and decide on changing something about it (for instance, next time you could eat half as much spaghetti with twice as much sauce).

I wish you all the best! Read and learn a lot, but don't forget there is no need to learn everything in a week, so go out and do something fun as well!

I'll tag @daisy1 for you, she'll post a bunch of usefull information about diabetes (both T1 and T2) on this thread.

Good luck!
 
Hello and welcome @lll94

Denial is fairly common with any medical diagnosis, but if you're running high BG levels then it does sound like diabetes, however it's great your GP has caught it as now you're on the radar and something can be done about it.

Good advice from @Antje77 above, don't let it stop you living your life. Once your diagnosis is made then you can get medication, and yes you can live a 'normal' life, I work full time and am a mum, I also run, ride a road bike and ski, it's not prevented me from doing anything I don't want it to.

This forum is incredibly useful so if you have any questions no matter how silly or trivial it seems ask away,
 
Yeah... Denial. There is no such thing as a naturally high baseline. I'm so sorry. You will probably be sent out for a GAD and C-Peptide test, which'll tell you what's what, more often than not. If you're young and not overweight, it does sound more like LADA to me, even if there are young and slim T2's... (Do you have PCOS?) But in the meantime, just reduce your carb intake some as long as you're not definite on the treatment... Like you noticed, pasta spikes you. Potatoes, rice, cereal, bread and corn will probably do the same. So until you know what meds (and possibly insulin) you need, it might be advisable to keep to the low carb stuff as much as possible. Unless, of course, you're already on glucose lowering meds, because you might hypo. Just keep some dextro or jellybabies handy, and if you feel off, just test. In any case, low carb, that's bacon 'n' eggs with cheese and/or mushrooms, salads, leafy greens/above ground veggies, meat, fish, olives, nuts, avocado... Just to name a few. There is such a thing as konjac pasta, which takes some getting used to, but if you really miss pasta, it's an option. (That, or put some courgette through a spiraliser).

If you are a T1/LADA, you'll be put on insulin, and then you decide whether you want to go low carb, or just use a bolus of insulin to cover for the carbs. If it's T2, going low carb permamently can put the diabetes into remission and could quite possibly keep you off of meds. In either case... People here can help. It's a blow to the system no matter what way you turn it, and you shouldn't have to go through it all, alone. (That means you *and* your partner: mine needed support practically as much as I did, as we both thought I was on death's door at first. I wasn't, and it would've been good to know that!)

However this turns out, you will be okay.
*hug*
Jo
 

Hi
Thanks so much for your response, it's helpful.
I'm just frustrated in having to wait now, I'm so impatient - I just want to know so I can start to make definite changes!
It will be ok though, I'll get the referral through soon I'm sure.
Thanks again
L
 
I've had a similar experience,If you type,Negative Antibodies online my post should come up.3 years later I'm still struggling for answers.
 

Hey
Thank you sooo much for your message, honestly really helpful and reassuring.
I don't have PCOS - not that I know of, anyway!
I'm not on any medication yet so I think I'll just keep monitoring my blood glucose levels and go from there.
Think I'll be needing a spiraliser for sure!
Thanks again for your lovely message x
 
wiserkurtious said:
I've had a similar experience,If you type,Negative Antibodies online my post should come up.3 years later I'm still struggling for answers.
Click to expand...

Hey
Thank you for your message - is it a post from Diabetes.org.uk by any chance?
I'm sorry to hear that you've still not got a definitive answer - how are you currently handling your condition?
Thanks for sharing
L
 

You are definitely not alone - I was diagnosed as T2 for 5 years before a new Consultant referral led me to someone would finally listen to me and tests confirmed T1. By this point my HbA1c was 109 with lots of complications ! My reason for continuing to fight was family history (father and parental grandmother were both T1) - if you have any family history please make sure you have told your GP (and anyone else who can hear).

The fact you have been caught early and have a competent GP should mean you get the right treatment straight away and receive ongoing monitoring.

It's now 18mths on since my T1 diagnosis and I am still juggling various types of tablets & insulin (HbA1c now 57) but the only thing that seems to work for me is avoiding carbs.

I really hope you get the help you need and deserve - whatever the outcome you will find strength and support from people on this site, as I have done - they are a super bunch.
 
Hi, I am just a few months ahead of you. I was diagnosed as T2 just over a year ago & lost weight very quickly. Problem with that is I was already slim (retired marathon runner) & I became skinny. My HBa1C was 85 at diagnosis & with the help of Metformin and a strong will got it down to 40.
I needed to put weight back on & was sent to see a dietitian who did not have a good answer but recommended I have a blood test for LADA. This proved positive.
My GP & my diabetes nurse are excellent, but they do not understand LADA (I don't think many people do understand it), so I was sent to see a hospital consultant. My pancreas is still producing insulin.so the hospital are going to monitor me & I will see them every four months. I test my blood each day & it is currently averaging around 5.6. I will only move to insulin injections when it regularly exceeds 8. In other words when my pancreas stops doing it's job and I become T1. They say I am in a honeymoon period but it doesn't seem like that!
In the meantime I am still thin (BMI 19.6) and piling on as many calories as I can without pushing my pancreas too hard.
An interesting side issue - after diagnosis I was found to have retinopathy in one eye. A few weeks ago I had another test & the retinopathy has gone. They said it was because my blood sugar is under control.
 
@lll94

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
The trouble is that the focus is usually more on treating the symptoms than identifying the cause. My dentist was dianosed type 1 & went on insulin but several years later & to be fair, lots of exercise later, he came off insulin.. the specialists don't know what to make of it. Let them do their tests but you keep testing & recording the results because that will show you a pattern which I would argue is more useful [at least to you] than their HbA1c test.
 

Hi

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me - this has been super helpful!
Yeah, I've been doing a lot of running (not marathon distance but in training for a half) and I do look 'skinny' as it is. I eat loads though, lots of carbs, obviously to fuel the running. Of course, this isn't going to be good for blood sugar!
Interesting that you tested positive for LADA - I'm starting to realise I'm quite lucky that my GP flagged it so soon.

So just now, you're testing your blood sugar and controlling it with diet, then will see about moving to insulin as your pancreas eventually produces less?
Oh for sure, this 'honeymoon phase of diabetes' needs a new name ASAP!

Thanks so much for sharing, really helpful to hear.
L
 
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Hi

Thank you, I think you're right. I think better for me to be testing and monitoring what I eat to feel like I have some kind of control over what is happening in my blood!

Thanks again
L
 

Hey

Thanks for your message, it's very reassuring! I don't have history of type 1 on my maternal side, though I actually don't know about my paternal side as he isn't in touch with his family - but no family history that I know of for T1.

Interesting to hear that the only thing that really has an impact is to avoid carbs. How has it been with insulin? That's really my biggest fear in this, but I can cross that bridge when I come to it.

Thanks so much for your kind words. It's super appreciated xx
L
 
 
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