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How were you diagnosed??

Jaxx01

Well-Known Member
Messages
294
Location
Bracknell, Berkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Ok so heres my story..

Last August I was diagnosed with GD but automatically insulin controlled because of this they made me have a GTT in January, 8 weeks after birth!

Skip forward to may and im having same symptoms so I have a fasting blood glucose done that came back as 6.8. Had another a few weeks ago and it was 7.1

My doctor now wants me to have a GTT and annoyingly ive fasted and turned up TWICE for this and it been cancelled without my knowledge!

I have been recording my values at home and i get around 6.8-7.1 pre meal and anything between 7.8-10.6 after meals :/

Now i know these numbers are not great and not normal.

What im getting at is, im in the process of changing doctors and im wondering whether different doctors do things differently?? and whether im going to have to wait another possible 2 weeks for a GTT to be arranged??

How did your docs reach your diagnosis?? With a fasting result?? GTT?? H1bac?? or all of the above lol

xxxx
 
Hi. Of the three tests you mention, the Hba1C is the most reliable but most docs don't do this until 3 months or so. The GTT test is generally a good test and it must be annoying that it's been cancelled twice. The fasting test isn't that reliable as the results are influenced by how long you have fasted before giving blood and whether your liver has decided to do a glucose dump overnight. I was diagnosed with a urine stick by the diabetes specialist GP; that was in the dark ages 8 years ago!
 
Officially middle of march this year was meant to be going out at the weekend felt ill all week had been having symptoms for months. Gp got me to drop off a urine sample from the result got called back for blood test done on the Thursday. However by sat felt rubbish and had been throwing up all day so went to out of hrs doctor who was going to give me a jab to stop the sickness. But he asked the nurse to do a bm on me which came up showing I think 26/27? So he phoned the hospital to get me admitted however knowing what diabetes meant I could not face it straight away so went clubbing until early hours of morning then went into a&e.

However last July a blood test came back showing that I was likely to be diabetic as the levels were on diabetic scale and also bgs were around 9. But they said it was just stress.
 
I had 10 months of the most awful angioedema and 3 episodes of anaphylactic shock back in 2010. I was in and out of hospital throughout the year with that and with asthma attacks so I had so many blood tests done and what I was told was that something called C-Reactive Protein blood test was coming back as needing to be checked regularly. I wasn't told what that was related to but my Google checks told me it was something to do with the immune system.

I saw several Consultants whilst in hospital, one of whom was a Diabetes Specialist and who scratched his head and said he didn't know what was causing my angioedema and anaphylaxis and he suggested I got an URGENT REFERRAL to an Immunologist. Believe me I had to fight for my GP to make that referral and I was at my wits end. I didn't hear a thing from the Immunologist for months so I phoned his secretary and she told me "He doesn't feel the need to see you as he feels the hospital have given you the right treatment."

My question then was "How can he make that judgement when he hasn't seen ME - the patient, for himself?" Under sufferance I was given an appointment, he was clearly disinterested and dismissive that for me, having 3 life threatening episodes in several months was a traumatic experience for me. He discharged me from his clinic.

At ALL of those hospitals and clinics above, SEVERAL BLOOD TESTS were taken and I insisted on having copies of clinic letters to my GP so that I could see for myself what the hospital consultants advice was. Again I had to continually ask for those letters even though I'm entitled to them - I'm a Medical Secretary myself and I DO know that many medical secretaries absolutely hate being asked to send copy letters to patients for the sole reason that it means more work for them, it's an extra letter they have to run off the printer and place in an envelope and it may mean more phone calls received from patients making enquiries. As far as I'm concerned - that's my job, and I have ALWAYS been more loyal to the patients than to my colleagues and I've fallen out with many a colleague because of that attitude towards the patient - 'the less they know the better'. In fact, it disgusts me to the point I am no longer willing to work for the NHS because of this very poor attitude towards the patient's need for information about their condition and its treatment. I realise not everyone wants to know everything but there are many patients who DO.

And my reason for wanting to know what's in my clinic letters is because I know that hospital Consultants make recommendations to GPs regarding treatment, ongoing tests etc and sometimes these are NOT picked up and carried through by the GP.

In my own case, the letter from the Immunologist made several incorrect statements about what I had said in clinic about my symptoms and it basically told the GP that all was OK and I was discharged. At the bottom of that letter was a PS in very small print and in that PS it was stated that one of my blood tests was of some concern and that 'perhaps' my GP might want to repeat them on a regular basis.

That PS held the most important information in the whole letter, and I almost missed reading it myself because of course, we focus on the body of the letter - the PS is generally something unimportant.

So I waited for my GP to contact me for further blood tests and NOTHING happened. So eventually, I took my copy letter in and pointed the PS out to her and she simply said "Ohhh ... yes." I changed to a different GP that day, I took all my copy letters to the new GP and had them photocopy them and I was referred to hospital again to see a Consultant Physician. I saw the Registrar who, because I was tearful (I was bloody exhausted by this time) felt I should be referred to a Counsellor to talk through my problems!!! :x Blood tests were taken, nothing flagged up. I was discharged. But I was NOT WELL. I was totally exhausted.

I went back to my new GP after a few months and asked her when my next blood tests were due for the C Reactive Protein and she looked surprised, so I had to explain the past two years all over again and the fact that repeated blood tests had been recommended. Also the fact that after TWO years I was still suffering this 'travelling itch' all around my body, like ants crawling under my skin and I said I was not happy being fobbed off with 'Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria' by the immunologist.

She sent me for a whole battery of blood tests, then I was called in for repeats, then I was called in to see GP and she said "You're diabetic!" Her whole tone and body language and manner told me she was shocked that it hadn't been picked up before but she didn't say that.

This is why I'm passionate about patients have access to their own clinic letters from hospitals to GPs. It's so easy to slip through the net. And it's absolutely ridiculous for everyone else to know MORE about YOU and YOUR medical needs than YOU do.

Every time I type a clinic letter to a GP I feel so angry that the patient is routinely left out of that 'written conversation' about THEM. And I also get angry that the average patient just ACCEPTS that as the norm. I get even more angry about my colleagues who are quite happy for the patient to be left out of the equation, because I take my job seriously, I care about the patients and I care about efficiency.

Every time I go into hospital I'm EXPECTED by clinicians to answer lots of questions about my condition, when was this diagnosed, when did that test take place etc. and I wonder how patients are expected to know so much if they're NOT GIVEN COPIES OF THEIR CLINIC LETTERS and not deemed important enough to be privy to information about themselves.

So PLEASE whenever you go to hospital for whatever reason, TELL the Consultant you would like a copy of your clinic letter, TELL the Receptionist the same thing and PHONE the Secretary to REMIND her that you want a copy of your clinic letter. It's the only way you will know what has been found and what has been recommended to your GP in the way of ongoing tests and treatment. And it means that if they 'overlook or forget you' - YOU can remind them you've not been attended to.

I'll be quiet now ... :shh:
 
I decided I wanted a new set of frames for my glasses, as the prescription was a year old the optician decided to do a new eye test and during that found evidence of a few small bleeds in one eye, referred me to my GP who referred me to the Eye Hospital who in turn sent me back to my GP to have blood tests done as originally suggested by the Optician. Diabetes diagnosed.
 
My god Grace, what terrible treatment you have experienced. Just imagine what someone less experienced than you could go through. It's discraceful.
 
dawnmc said:
My god Grace, what terrible treatment you have experienced. Just imagine what someone less experienced than you could go through. It's discraceful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to read that diatribe dawnmc, because when I'd finished typing it and saw the length of it I was in two minds about clicking the 'submit' button. And yes, it is disgraceful.
 
Grace, thanks for taking the time to reply..

I was just told 'impaired' as my first result but im not settling for that anymore!!

I do think its bad that they dont ever seem to know whats going on..when i had GD, the doctors just 'assumed' that i was diet controlled and i nearly missed out on the drip that i was supposed to have to regulate levels asd i was insulin controlled. Shocking, no-one knew their **** from their elbow and i suspect this is what is going on here for example this morning i had a reading of 9.4 two hours after breakfast im pretty sure of what it is i just want it confirmed xx
 

I think I rambled on that long about the length of time it took to diagnose me that I forgot to actually answer your question as to HOW the diagnosis was done.

As far as I know I had two Fasting Glucose tests and they were about a month apart because to be honest I was too exhausted to go and have the repeats done when I got the letter. Can't explain this exhaustion but it's like everything works 100 slower than normal, everything from information to food takes so long for me to process because I'm soooooooooo tired all the time.

After those 2 Fasting Glucose tests my GP just told me I was diabetic, she then mentioned an HbA1c but to be honest I hadn't a clue what that was until I looked it up on Google and I don't know if I've yet had one, I know it certainly wasn't on the blood test form because I always make a note of the tests I'm having and it definitely wasn't there.

And I totally agree with you - no-one seems to know their **** from their elbow, I've yet to meet my GP because his practice is run by a series of locums who come and go with regularity. There's no continuity any more, the NHS seems to be staffed by temps (I'm a temp myself), bank nurses and of course doctors in training who spend 6 months in one area of medicine and then move on. It is a bit of a shambles but I don't blame the clinical staff at all, they're doing their best within the constraints imposed on them by Trust Managers. Doctors make clinical decisions based on patient need and the doctors need to monitor, eg my Consultant specifically said I was to be brought in the night before a hysteroscopy because I have diabetes and anaphylaxis and asthma. Did it happen? Did it hell! In fact, I was given an early morning appointment which was then cancelled and then I was given an afternoon appointment. I turned up only to be told they had no beds and I was last on the list which meant I'd be in theatre around 8pm. I kicked up a fuss and miraculously 3 beds were found.

Why did all that happen? Bed Management fiasco is why. Funding issues is why. So doctors instructions are ignored, patient safety is compromised because the Managers want to cut costs. And don't even get me started on 'risk assessment' because that really makes me laugh. Just one more piece of management jargon and a form with boxes to tick to prove they're actually 'working'.

Sorry, I'm sounding bitter and twisted now ... so I'll leave it there. :wink:
 
Sorry Grace you had to go thru all that. Good advice about having copies of the notes.
I was diagnosed after months of really not feeling good. Hair thinning, thrush all the time, tiredness etc. I am lucky with my surgery as the practice nurse got right on it and I had a blood test. I then had a letter to ask me to attend the hospital for blood glucose tesing. Within about 2 days my practice nurse was on the phone explaining that I had early diabetes. She then set up an appointment for me to see her and my husband and I spent an hour with her, she was very thorough and took her time to go thru everything with me. I am going to have my HBA1C test on Monday and then a follow up on Thursday with the PN. I am so pleased I have found this forum as I feel that when I start to worry about something, there seems to be an answer or comment here to help.
 
I had felt very tired for a good while maybe even a few years. Went to Greece for a fortnight and felt terrible the whole holiday and being a bloke put it down to the heat. Got home and became constantly thirsty and craving orange juice/ice pops etc and started needing the loo a lot in the middle of the night. My dad is T2 so I had an idea I might be the same. Eventually went to the docs and after some tests they said definite T2 and onto 2 metformin a day and a statin as I had raised cholesterol. All happened 16 months ago and since diagnosis I have altered a great deal of my lifestyle, lost 3.5 stone and aiming for another stone, came off the diabetes medication and have began low carbing which should help me get off the statin as they don't agree with me. My bloods are great and I feel better than I have done for years. This forum has done me a great service and is very much appreciated :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
2008. I was down at my brothers in england and was feeling pretty lousy threwing up lost loads of weight put my mums size 10 jeans managed to hydrate myself and got back to scotland and 2 days later I was in hospital hooked to drips type 1 I had lucky to be alive
 
I had no symptoms that I was aware of (although that was partly ignorance on my part)
Had a routine fasting test which showed over 7, followed by a repeat a week or so later.
My Doc (and others I believe) simply states that you are defined as having T2 if you have 2 fasting tests over 7.
HbA1c comes later.

Even though (18 months later) I now know that fasting tests in my case are unreliable, I would still accept that this is probably a sound basis for diagnosis as "normal" people just generally don't run fasting levels above 7.
 
i was diagnosed 8 years ago i did not know what was wrong with me the night before i was at a party and having a great time i was drinking coke and lucozade and eating sweets. The next day i went to school and i came home and fell into bed i was so tired.
The next day mam was worried when i was at the kitchen table and totally lifeless so she told me go back to bed and that we would be going into the doctor. The night before all this happened i threw my heart up i was violently sick and i thought it was just what i had to drink and eat that day Boy was i completely wrong. At the doctors he took all the blood tests and then told me i he suspected Diabetes and he was right i went off to the hospital anyway and was given insulin and i was like a new girl i was full of energy and mam was completely overwhelmed as i was gaining more weight eating right and taking the injections I am now 19 years old and my life is amazing i have all the help i could ask for and i'm type 1 diabetic .
 


Your post made me feel really happy. I'm so glad you're life is amazing and you're doing really well. It's good to hear such positivity.
 
For a number of years I had medical issues that were making my life unbearable but for one reason and another, no one could tell me why it was happening or what the cause was. Finally after all those years my GP did a blood test, low and behold I was a T2. Since my diagnosis my life has changed beyond recognition. I don't see diabetes as an enemy any more, more the cure/help to aid me with my other conditions, and so as a friend who gave me a gigantic kick up the bum and with hindsight I needed it.

I am now over 5 stone (almost 6) lighter, my mobility is almost perfect, and my other medical conditions have also either gone into some sort of remission or have gone all together. Hell, if I wanted I could run for a bus (well maybe). :lol:
 

Hi GraceK and interesting that you mention exhaustion. If you still have it once your BG is under control, I'd strongly suggest that you have your Vitamin D levels checked. I was diagnosed with only mildly low Vitamin D at the same time I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2. Within a week of starting on Vitamin D supplementation and prior to my having tight control on my BG, it was like someone flipped the switch to "ON" when it came to my energy. Up till then, I was sleeping and/or feeling exhausted for most of the day, could barely walk for 10 minutes without feeling like I was going to keel over, etc. Once the Vitamin D kicked in, the difference was incredible.

So, if you haven't already had your Vitamin D checked, please do so. I live in sunny Western Australia and I was low, so it must be even harder for people in the UK to maintain decent levels.
 

Thanks Indy ... you could be right because since 2010 when I developed urticaria, angioedema and anaphylaxis I've became very sun and light sensitive so I've had to stay out of the sunshine since then. I've never been good in direct sunshine anyway but over the later years I just can't tolerate heat at all so I tend to stay indoors in the shade where it's cool. So I could be Vit D deficient.
 
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