How did you know or find out you are type 2

grante said:

I am interested to find out how you found out you are type 2?

For me, at the turn if the year I felt tired and in March and April I started feeling thirsty more, mainly at night. Then some days I had bad headaches and no energy or motivation. This wasn't everyday though. At the end of April I was getting up in the night 2-3 times and this just compounded the tiredness.
These events and the nagging of my better half prompted me to go to the docs.
I last had full bloods done in 2014 and apparently I was boardline then but he docs didn't tell me.
My bgl is 11 and I have been put on metformin.

I just wonder to myself how I could have found out sooner and done something about it earlier.
What's your story ?

Click to expand...

I went about the change as im that age they did full blood tests and came back T2 although i had to have several more tests to confirm it, low folic acid, low vit d and yes gone through the change

I went to the doctors waaaay back when I was about 22 (15 years ago) when I was suffering from painful periods and couldn't get pregnant. I was told that there was nothing wrong but that I had slightly elevated blood sugars. I was given the eatwell advice and left to it.
Fast forward to 2008 and I still couldn't get pregnant, still having incredibly painful periods and most of the time I had stomach pain of some sort. I had also begin teaching in 2006 and was always very tired but I put it down to the stresses of the job. Anyway I went back to sort out the stomach pains and was told I was diabetic. No advice given really but was given metformin, which helped the pain ever so slightly but not the sugar levels. I continued with the eatwell advice and got sicker and sicker.
Finally I moved house and doctors. I was given a fabulous nurse who helped me sort out the stomach pain, I actually have PCOS so on top of the diabetes, I also have a condition that affects BGs.
Anyhow, the current situation is that I have a great medical team who are pro low carb/keto and I am starting to finally take diabetes by the balls and am beginning to win.

I have regular blood tests for my heart problems .. so it was picked up quite quickly

I had all the symptoms you mentioned starting some time in January 2015. I did some Googling and was pretty sure what the problem was, and then found this site. I bought an Accu Check meter and tested my BG one Sunday when I got up and the reading was 17, whilst my wife showed a 4.something. Did the same the following Sunday and it was in double digits again.

I decided then to go seriously low carb to defeat the disease based on what I had found out on this site.

Then I asked my GP for a blood test and the result was an HbA1c of 88, which wasn't a surprise as I knew already.

As I already knew I had T2D the non advice given by my GP did not matter as I had a head start to reverse it.

Whether or not I should have done something earlier. Well some urine tests had shown abnormal glucose for a number of years earlier, but I "passed" the OGTT I had in 2010.

I guess I should have been more aware, but without searching out the information it is hard to know the potential damage you are doing to yourself.

I went to the doctor because of constant nagging by a friend who saw me falling asleep all the time and coughing a lot and thought neither was normal.

Knowing what I now know, I should have been diagnosed back in 2014 when my random blood test showed 8. the doctor saw that as being in the " normal range ", I now know from my freestyle that that is not even vaguely normal unless one has just eaten and I have never been to a doctor in my life having just eaten!

At the point that I went to the doctor, I was on a low fat diet and had already lost 6 kilos that month I was also already in ketosis through lack of calories, so when the doctor said - cut down calories , reduce fats -I have spent my life doing both to little practical effect , I knew that must be ******** or at least was not enough of an answer. So I went searching on the internet.

I found this paper

https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-6-21

inside that was this one comment

"One female patient had an increased physical activity level during the study period in spite of our instructions. However, her increase in physical activity was no more than one hour of walking per day, four days a week. She had implemented an 11%-carbohydrate diet without any antidiabetic drug, and her HbA1c level decreased from 14.4% at baseline to 6.1% after 3 months and had been maintained at 5.5% after 6 months."

Looking at the graph, she was by far the best performer in the group - so that led me to looking for extremely low carb diets - that led me to diet doctor.com and to here.

My results are not quite as good as hers, but then I started at 10.3% and am now about 5.9% after 8 months .
also I am still pretty overweight - My starting BMI was 42 and now its 32 so I am still technically obese - she was not that fat in the first place- so I still have a lot of opportunity to make things better still by losing more weight.
I have no idea who that woman was - but I owe her an awful lot !

Diagnosed with bs of 52 last year down to 7 ish but it has been a battle just keep at it exercise and stuff if I can get it down so much sure you can

I was diagnosed from a blood test taken resulting from an unrelated virus - I expect lots are found by chance probably having had elevated BS for some time previous. More attention needed to prevention across the fitness and health spectrum.

I gave up smoking a year ago, substituted cigs for mint imperials, and then hurt my back and was given naproxen which messed up my stomach. I continued to have "stomach issues" and went to one Dr several times. In December she told me "I don't have a pill which will cure everything" and I went home and cried. In January my OH said we couldn't go on like this and dragged me to see another Dr who listened to what I said, ordered the usual round of blood tests and in February I was told I was diabetic. She said that wasn't what she was expecting. I didn't have any of the usual symptoms, the only thing, looking back, is that I was always tired and often fell asleep in the afternoon, but I put this down to not sleeping well at night (which I still don't).
Incidentally my "stomach issues" and indigestion had all but disappeared after a few weeks of low carbing, then I got to see the DN who put me on metformin and they have gradually got worse again.

Throughout 2013 and part of 2014 I was going through breast cancer treatment, surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and 12 months of Herceptin infusions. I had regular blood tests throughout this period but only one glucose one right at the start. That was just a FBG and was normal.

January 2014 I had my routine annual OAP health check and coincidentally I also had an outpatients appointment with my oncologist. I walked in and sat down. She looked at her screen and said "Oh I see you are diabetic". I replied "No, I'm not". She said "I'm an oncologist not an endocrinologist so I suggest you contact your GP".

A few days later the letter arrived asking me to see the nurse at the surgery. She said the tests I'd had showed me as diabetic. My HbA1c was 53. My FBG was 7. I was totally gobsmacked as I'd had no diabetes symptoms at all, and it had all happened in 12 months. I like to blame the cancer treatment as it makes me feel better about the diagnosis, but I know it was also the food I was eating during the whole of 2013 in order to deal with the treatment, plus all the stress and anxiety. Medication was never mentioned to me. I hadn't even heard of Metformin until I found this forum. I was told to lose weight and given the magazine detailing the Eatwell Plate. I was still on the Herceptin infusions at the time.

I am happy to say I have been in remission from cancer for 4 years, have returned my blood sugar levels to normal and lost all my weight, but only because of this forum, testing, and eating low carb. The Eatwell Plate magazine went in the bin, and still no medication.

seems I have been prediabetic in at least a year before getting my diagnosis, but noone bothered telling me... (got a little angry over that of cause)

but well it is of no use to speculate in what could have been, much more constructive to use thoughts and energy in what to do now to get the best out of our situations...

I was diagnosed after going to the doctor with a nasty abscess on my abdomen, which took a few courses of antibiotics to clear. Looking back, I'm sure I had this for a few years - frequent visits to the loo, thirst etc., but these could all be "explained " away - taking medication which caused a dry mouth and weight gain and so on.

Mine was picked up during an eye test. I have a test every year because of glaucoma in the family. The optician was very good, spotting something in the photos they do as part of the normal test. She asked if she could give me the eye drops, and said she could see something, and said I should see my GP.

Booked an appointment with the GP (only had to wait four weeks) and they sent me off for blood tests. They then gave me the fright of my life by calling me within four hours of the blood test and insisting I had to see them the next working day. Frightening weekend!

Anyhow, taken it by the whatnots, you can see my progress in my signature.

I tripped in the street and dislocated my shoulder, in thh ambulance on the way to the hospital the paramedic tested my blood sugar (still not sure why actually, I guess it was just a hunch) and it was really high! Went for tests at GP a bit later and was formally diagnosed then. Bit of a fluke as I didn't really know I was unwell!

Medical at work for my Fork lif truck licence, I had a Pee in the pot test and was advised to get a check up for diabetese at my GP's surgery about ten years ago,

grante said:

I am interested to find out how you found out you are type 2?

For me, at the turn if the year I felt tired and in March and April I started feeling thirsty more, mainly at night. Then some days I had bad headaches and no energy or motivation. This wasn't everyday though. At the end of April I was getting up in the night 2-3 times and this just compounded the tiredness.
These events and the nagging of my better half prompted me to go to the docs.
I last had full bloods done in 2014 and apparently I was boardline then but he docs didn't tell me.
My bgl is 11 and I have been put on metformin.

I just wonder to myself how I could have found out sooner and done something about it earlier.
What's your story ?

Click to expand...

I went to see the gp as i was bloated,tired,going to the toilet a lot rash they tested me for gluten free as theres a family history of it, test came back you have type 2 im on metformin 500 twice daily have to see the nurse this wk ,was diagnosed 2 wks ago

GP prescribed wrong drugs. Thank god. It is normally impossible to get an appointment but I just spoke a little louder so everyone on the waiting room could hear and like magic got an appointment with a locum who was fantastic. The eye clinic-glaucoma had picked up something at my previous appointment and the GP suggested a blood test, the results of which she completely ignored. The fob off girls on reception had said they would phone me if the test results made it necessary. Actually saw GP 29 March. Hubby and I both convinced she said she would arrange CT scan for my right side occassional paralysis. Guess what I got:- ultrasound.

grante said:

I am interested to find out how you found out you are type 2?

For me, at the turn if the year I felt tired and in March and April I started feeling thirsty more, mainly at night. Then some days I had bad headaches and no energy or motivation. This wasn't everyday though. At the end of April I was getting up in the night 2-3 times and this just compounded the tiredness.
These events and the nagging of my better half prompted me to go to the docs.
I last had full bloods done in 2014 and apparently I was boardline then but he docs didn't tell me.
My bgl is 11 and I have been put on metformin.

I just wonder to myself how I could have found out sooner and done something about it earlier.
What's your story ?

Click to expand...

How did I know? I woke up in the Emergency Medical Unit! I had been sick on and off for two weeks prior. Constant thirst/hunger, profuse sweating, frequent urination that smelled dreadful. Dramatic weight loss and days without sleep.

35 years ago had hypoglycemia, 30 years ago had gestational diabetes, 15 years ago crossed over into pre-diabetes, 12 years ago crossed over into type 2 diabetes, 2 years ago was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with an afternoon glucose level of 282 mg/dl (15.7 mmol/l) and an A1c of 9.9%.

I'm in my mid-50's now.

When I was re-diagnosed 2 years ago, I thought I had a urinary tract infection. A quick check of my urine was normal. I was sent home with the name of an over-the-counter medication to sooth my irritated bladder.

Lucky for me, the doctor requested a comprehensive metabolic panel the next day and I was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

I was in shock, desperate to know how bad an A1c of 9.9% was. In my online search I stumbled upon a blog post by David Mendoza who shared how he normalized his glucose levels with Richard Bernstein, M.D.'s low carbohydrate diet. I flew out of the house and bought the book, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, 4th edition. Excited that I had "the answer", angry that none of my doctors, including the endocrinologist who saw me when I still had pre-diabetes, never mentioned this option despite my reluctance to take any diabetes medication.

I read enough of the book to figure out the basics. Bought a glucose meter kit, gave away all the food I could no longer eat, started the diet, then found my way here all in the same week and never looked back. The diet worked despite my severe insulin resistance, but it took about 4 weeks to level out.

What's interesting is that the doctor's nurse pressured me to come back in that first week to get me started on metformin and a statin. I explained that I wanted to try the diet first and agreed to an appointment 6 weeks out.

At the 6 week appointment, I was pressured again to start the medications. Armed with a couple of books on diabetes and my meter, I showed him a typical reading on my glucose meter, and to his credit, he took the time to scroll through them.

He asked to see me again in 6 weeks.

At my first quarterly appointment, my A1c was 5.5%, my fasting glucose was 136 mg/dl (7.6 mmol/l). I declined medication again and was scheduled for second quarterly appointment.

Over the next 2 years, my glucose levels continue to improve. These days, a fasting glucose level is typically 110 mg/dl (6.1 mmol/l). Occasionally, my glucose level will drop to 85 mg/dl (4.7 mmol/l) but that's rare.

I did lose weight, then gained some back. I'm still 40 pounds heavier than my lean body mass weight. Perhaps my glucose level will drop further as I shed more of that excess weight.

Today, I continue to monitor my glucose levels daily. If my glucose spikes, I can walk a brisk mile and knock it back down. If my numbers start trending up, I pay more attention to what I'm eating and knock them back down.

I'm a low carber for life.

purplepenguin said:

I went to the doctors waaaay back when I was about 22 (15 years ago) when I was suffering from painful periods and couldn't get pregnant. I was told that there was nothing wrong but that I had slightly elevated blood sugars. I was given the eatwell advice and left to it.
Fast forward to 2008 and I still couldn't get pregnant, still having incredibly painful periods and most of the time I had stomach pain of some sort. I had also begin teaching in 2006 and was always very tired but I put it down to the stresses of the job. Anyway I went back to sort out the stomach pains and was told I was diabetic. No advice given really but was given metformin, which helped the pain ever so slightly but not the sugar levels. I continued with the eatwell advice and got sicker and sicker.
Finally I moved house and doctors. I was given a fabulous nurse who helped me sort out the stomach pain, I actually have PCOS so on top of the diabetes, I also have a condition that affects BGs.
Anyhow, the current situation is that I have a great medical team who are pro low carb/keto and I am starting to finally take diabetes by the balls and am beginning to win.

Click to expand...

I love a happy ending! Go for it!!