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I am T2 diabetic

Great_things

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi

My life is over! I've been battling to stop type 2 'getting me' all of the last 20 years. My mum was diabetic, my dad is diabetic and my grandad (mum's side) was diabetic.

I found out 2 months ago that a random blood glucose test was high 11.4. Normally these have always been around 4.8. So I was called back for a fasting bloods. 12.4! I knew straight away what that meant!

My mum died of T2 complications and I know where this can end up. I'm gutted, I'm scared, I'm shocked, I'm angry. For the past month, since confirmation, I've done nothing but cry. I ran 3 half marathons in my time for diabetes UK because of my mum. Now I'm stuck with this horrible attack on my system with no going back. As I've said I've spent my life trying to avoid this situation. I knew that I'd get T2 at some point with having PCOS and after tests whilst studying in the states I was found to be glucose intolerant and given metformin. I didn't think that it would be at the same age my mum got it, 40!

My mum died 4th April 2012. She's had diabetic ulcers on her left leg, her right big toe amputated, 5 strokes, heart problems. She finally had her left leg amputated below the knee as this was more pressing than the heart bypass she needed too. She suffered greatly during the years between ulcers and amputation. She tried so hard to keep her leg and screamed (probably inside her head) when they cut it off under a spinal block and light sensory sedation as her heart was too bad to be given a general. She recovered from her amputation and came off the liquid morphine and morphine patches that she'd be living on for almost a year. We had a good year with her and then her blood glucose went too high. She wasn't given a nice epipen to inject insulin, just a rubbish wide thing which she struggled to inject into her. I believe it wasn't working and she got no insulin from it. Her levels rose to 27! Just before the schools broke up for Easter that year she went funny. She was throwing up on the Friday. By Monday the dr came out. He wasn't too happy but said it was a bug. I came over Monday afternoon and took her to bed. She was so weak. She went to be sick so I gave her the bowl which she put on get head. I immediately phoned the drs who asked for her BG reading. It was 27.8. An ambulance was called and she was admitted just for a few days to get her


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To get her blood sugars down.

Tuesday she was admitted to intensive care as the fluids they'd given her to rehydrate her cause her heart to be flooded. He was put in an non-invasive treatment to force her heart to work to pump out the fluid. We were told they were doing their best for her but either it would or wouldn't work as pneumonia had set in. Wednesday afternoon we got a glimmer of hope that she was getting better but by early evening her sats had dropped the machine was put up to 100% to bring her oxygen levels up but she faded and died at 6.32pm. She was 68. Too young.

I feel that I've only got 28 years left to live before I die of T2! I'm desperately trying to fix myself. I'm 5 stone overweight, most from the stress of my mum dying. I was 1 stone too heavy before she died but was physically fit doing 10 hours of exercise a week. I'd think nothing of running 5 miles. Now I've knackered my body. I did my last half marathon too fat and it killed my feet and as well as my usual anaemia I've got a B12 deficiency which I get injections for, vit D deficiency which I take tablets for but a low cortisol level which means I'm tired all the time. My low cortisol, b12 def and anaemia mean that initially exercise had to stop as I was almost passing out. I've eased myself back into it now and am back to 4 hours if exercise a week.

I've started back on the cambridge diet to get rid of some weight. 3 shakes and 1 low carb meal each day. The shakes have a very small amount of carbs in them that you burn off quickly.

My readings are still all over the place. My morning readings are ridiculous. Usually 9.4 to 10.3. Day time tend to be around 7.2. No way am I anywhere near the nice guidelines. My HBA1C was 8.8 when I got it back. The diabetic nurse told me that looking at my past blood tests this has only just happened to me. It's good that it's been caught early but not good that I've got it.

My life is over


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No it isn't there is lots you can do, and coming on here is the first step
 
I too thought my life over when I found out I had this.... I was traumatised and thought that was it for me and you know not many want to talk about it but being on this forum is like a new lease of life so many helpful people all with the same condition all wanting to help each other I do in fact find myself reading this forum when I should be working....SO do not give up hope take each day as it comes and gradualy you will find things will get better...........
 
Oh dear. You're not in a good place at the moment. But, if it's any consolation, many of us go through emotional turmoil, post-diagnosis.

If it's any consolation, my initial fasting blood test (taken for something else) was 15.6, and the follow up HbA1c a few days later 8.8%. My signature gives a high level overview of my blood scores since then. So, if I can make that seismic change, I'm sure you can too. You clearly have great self-discipline, to train on your fitness, as you have done, so this is just another facet of reining your life in.

There's a huge amount of information out there, and support. But, I would urge you not to assume your journey will mirror your Mum's. These are different times to 20 years ago. We have far more information. There is greater expertise. We have far more opportunities for home testing, more insight into the impact of diet. Just more of everything positive, at our fingertips. We just have to grasp it. Me? I grabbed my diabetes by the throat, and I'm not letting go!!

Of course, we are all different, and the fact that I have been able to achieve good blood scores doesn't mean everyone can. Please don't think I'm crowing here. I have been lucky to be diagnosed early. But, and it's a big but, I truly believe that the earlier we can intervene with our diabetes, the better chance we have of making a real, material difference in our outcomes. Your DN is suggesting your condition is new. Notwithstanding it's horrid to be diagnosed, this is fabulous news. You have an opportunity to make a difference. Don't waste it.

Are you still taking Metformin? What treatment plan or lifestyle changes do you have in play to start fighting this thing?

There are lots of people here who will help you move forward with your diabetes. Use this priceless resource; after all, we all did.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Hang in there GT, your life isn't over, it's just a new one starting. There's lots of advice and support on here to help you manage T2 and minimise the risk of complications in the future. Clearly you have experience of what diabetes can do, but it needn't be like that for you. Read around and ask any questions.
 
Hi and welcome. With the knowledge and support these days there is a much better chance of avoiding the complications our parents generation may have experienced. You are already taking the right steps. Moving to a normal weight is the highest priority and keeping the carbs down as you are is the best way to approach it. With a 'normal' weight it will be easier to see whether you need to have further meds including insulin. PCOS can make things a bit more complicated and I wonder whether your family typically have Late onset T1 rather than T2 although the treatment approach is similar. With controlled blood sugar and good weight control you should be able to avoid complications for many years if not a long life. Take care.
 
Welcome! Unlike you, I weighed 16st 1lb my fasting bs was 13, I had a colestrol problem and was on statins. My hba1c was 79. My doc gave me metformin and told me not to eat sugar. Since 28th of Jan this year I have lost 1lb off 3 stone and my hba1c is currently 36 or 37. My cholestrol is 7.4 HDL 1.3, LDL 6 but triglycerides 0.6. I appreciate you don't want to lose weight but you can reduce your bs my simply ditching starchy carbs ie rice, pasta and bread. I don't eat potatoes either. My bs was under control within a week. A very kind forum member @Totto was a complete lifesaver and redirected me to
http://www.dietdoctor.com
So I am doing the same for you. It sounds counterintuitive, especially for someone with a cholesterol problem but it really works.
Good luck and keep posting.
 
Hi

I do want to loose weight. 5 stones. I've tried hard for a month and my bloods are not getting any better. Still high. The diet I'm doing does show results and used to do it very quickly. Not so quickly these days. My old stupid dr took me off metformin after child number 1 and I asked for it back after child number 2! My stupid dr was reluctant as "I'd had my kids so why!" I was never given it back again and the glucose intolerance has put strain in my body over the last 8 years. The stupid dr was the one who kept giving my mum more tablets and physio for something that needed surgery and added complications to her situation and eventually led to her death.

I've been referred for a gastric bypass/sleeve. I feel this is one of the only ways that I can avoid a situation that can lead to complications and death. It's extreme but when you've witnessed what I did and went through what I did I don't want my kids to suffer the despair I did.
 
Calm down, no need to panic. Do you have bg meter? If not, that is the first step.

I also advice you to have your thyroid checked, not only TSH but FT4 and FT3 too, along with antibodies. Do you know why your cortisol is low? Both cortisol and thyroid hormones are regulated by the pituitary gland so any problems there will affect them. Low thyroid hormones will make you put on weight, it did for me anyway but I have now lost all the 25 kilograms I gained.

As @Scandichic says LCHF works well both for bg control and weight control. The science behind the weight control thing is in the hormones. If you eat a lot of carbs you bg will go up along with insulin level, and insulin will stop your body from using its own fat stores. If you avoid carbs and eat fat instead you usually normalise insulin levels along with bg, thus helping your body to use the stored fat. It also normalises leptin, the hormone that tells us we are full, so we don't get peckish all the time. And other hormones too. While a high carb diet will stimulate hunger. LCHF usually helps with normalising BP and cholesterol too. High LDL and high cholesterol in general can be signs of low thyroid.
 
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Have you read anything about the Newcastle Diet? The following link, and the links embedded in this page contains a lot of valuable information: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm. This treatment mimics gastric surgery, without the surgical intervention.

I haven't done the Newcastle Diet myself, but there are others on here who have, with great success. In your shoes, I might be keen to try it, rather than have surgery - which could always be an option later, should you not get along with the diet?

Just a thought......
 
@Great_things ,
I feel for you. You are still grieving for your mum. I know what it is like to nurse your mum through terminal illness, and to feel that GP has failed you. I too gained a lot of weight when I was caring for my sick parents and trying to do everything else that working mums do. It is time now for you to give some attention to your own needs.

Can I suggest that before considering drastic surgery or anything else that seems extreme that you take time, read, research, reflect, ask questions then work out an acceptable achievable management plan for you.

As others have said, there are many good people on the forum who have found a way to control their diabetes. We are all different, and some favour one diet type over another. So, have a read, then ask questions. You will find a way to suit yourself.

I admire the fact that you ran in support of diabetes for your mum. Running may be a bit too much right now but some form of low impact exercise will help with anxiety and will aid weight loss.

I hope you can find support you need here on forum, from medical professionals, and your family and friends.
 
Thanks for your encouragement. The trouble with my weight is that I can loose but not maintain the loss unless I'm running 40 miles a week. I was a fat child from the moment I started full time school. I apparently ballooned overnight. I've been on every diet I can think of including cambridge diet a few times. The cambridge diet is the only diet I've ever lost weight effectively on.

I'm having 3 low carb shakes a day, 450 cals aprox, and a salad + protein meal each night. I have a small amount of semi-skimmed milk a day for coffees. Totalling around 900 cals a day. I'm in ketosis. I exercise 4 to 5 times a week.

My TSH is the only thing that the dr will test. It's always between 1.36 to 2.39. My cortisol was 195nmol (range of 185nmol to 800nmol). Seen an endo who ran an SST test. My levels went 195 baseline, 517 after 30 mins and 600 after an hour. She was "happy!" Low cortisol and B12 deficiency are linked.
 
The SST test shows your adrenals are working but the low baseline indicates your pituitary isn't giving the right signals. Your thyroid hormones might be low too but without testing them you won´t know. Ask your Dr about how to go about diagnosing secondary hypothyroidism. It is rare but it happens.

My cortisol picked up once I started on thyroid meds.

Hormones seem to go together. Once I got my bg under control I could half my thyroid dose and got my periods back the age of 51.

Do look into LCHF. It often helps to control autoimmune conditions.
 
Thanks for sharing your story.
My parents are both T2 and my gran (dads mom) was, but for me I've been fortunate never to see any of the other issues it can cause, so when I was told I wasn't really worried by it, and wondered why the nurse kept asking me if I was ok about this. I was only diagnosed about 5 weeks ago and haven't really been thinking about it - think I need to focus! x


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Hi. I think you need to press your GP for a medication review. If noticeably overweight, apart from low-carbing, and max dose Metformin (2000gm), many overweight posters are put onto Victoza or similar injectables as these help T2 when overweight. Looking at these together with the right diet is far better than having stomach surgery.
 
My surgery won't find victozia. I'm seeing a private consultant who may be able to prescribe victozia at a cost. I'm on 1 metformin in the morning and 1 at night. It upsets my stomach, happened last time. I'll probably be told in increase to 3 tablets a day which would be 1500mg of metformin.
 
You don't like your doctor. You don't have any confidence in your doctor. Is this the same doctor that treated your late mother? Any chance of changing your GP? You really do need to have support from medical team you can trust and confide in and work with to fond the best treatment regime for you.
 
I ditched the killer dr. I've a new dr. I have no faith in any drs. I've only ever felt let down.
 
Great_things said:
I ditched the killer dr. I've a new dr. I have no faith in any drs. I've only ever felt let down.
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I am sure that with your experience that is understandable. Yet there are some good ones.
I researched and went armed with copies of info I wanted to discuss. Made it clear to the doc that I wanted to be responsible for my own health, and expected to work with the surgery staff to find the best treatments and solutions as an equal partner. I think some of them are a bit taken aback at first with this approach, but find they usually accept it when I prove that I am not just using empty words and really do concentrate on getting as well as I can be.

You have had a terrible shock being diagnosed when you are still grieving for your mum, but you are young and have a family who need you and they need you to find a way of managing your condition too, for their sake as well as your own.

Take your time, read, reflect, ask questions, then act on findings. All is not lost. Stay strong.
 
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