I may have diabetes

It depends what type of diabetes you may have.
Type 2 may be "reversed" /"kept in remission"
There is no known cure for type 1.

Hiya,

Firstly welcome! Whilst some would say 8.4 is high, my reading when was diagnosed was 18 (and I had stopped eating at that point as I felt so rotten). So don't panic too much (I know it is easy to when you see others on here post very good numbers).

The blood test your doctor done was probably a HBa1C which calculates your average blood glucose for the last 2-3 months. Did you doctor give you this result?

Many people on this forum have gone into 'remission' with diet and exercise alone, so it can be done. I'm sure some of them will comment shortly.

This forum has so much information - take a look around at other peoples success stories. I have found it so useful and encouraging to see what other people do.

On a side note, 23 is quite young to get diabetes - is your doctor testing for Type 1 as well?

Best of luck with everything!

Hi Molly and welcome to the forum!

With regards to Type 2, it's debatable whether diabetes is every truly "reversed" or just put into remission. Some people do manage to "reverse" it but many people find that they have to adjust their way of eating for the rest of their lives. Type 1 cannot be put into remission/reversed.

Try not to stress too much about it until you have heard more from your GP. I'm afraid at this point it is just a waiting game for your blood test result. Without a diagnosis it's hard for us to offer any further advice at this stage as that will depend largely on what type you may have and a host of other factors.

You haven't made it clear what sort of blood test it was. Was it an HbA1c or was it just a plasma blood glucose test? It does sound like it may have been an HbA1c, especially if you didn't fast for the test. It makes a big difference.

Not a lot you can do other than wait for the second test and speak to your doctor.

I agree. I think your test was probably just a random finger prick test (HbA1c wouldn't be shown as 8.4 mmols). 8.4 is higher than you'd expect, but not remarkably so like lots of us on here, particularly if you had recently eaten. The follow up test will be the A1c. Definitely don't do any crash low carb dieting before results of next test - it might just mask the results, although unlikely to.
The test won't really show if you're type 1 or 2. If they suspect 1, they may do other tests to confirm.
Just don't worry. If it is type 2, you caught it really early and a dietary change will help you to manage it easily. People on here will show you how. If it's type 1, you need to know.

Mollyc1995 said:

hi everyone I’m 23 years old, and I had a blood test 2 weeks ago and my doctor phoned me this week about my result (I was having problems with my period), he said my blood sugar levels were high and he think I may have diabetes, I had a reading of 8.4 mmol.....

I have been really worrying about it and half my dads side of the family have this condition.

I have to go for another blood test in 3 weeks so I’m trying to get it down as much as I can....

I have heard it’s reversable through diet and exciting which I have been doing and joined slimming world......
My main question is, if I’m diagnosed with diabetes and I manage to get it down to normal levels and maintain it would it be reversed meaning I no longer have diabetes?

Thankyou x

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Well, whatever happens, you'll be okay. That's the first thing to realise. You've got help here, medical help with your doc... And your family's familliar with it, so... You're certainly not alone.

There's two blood tests they can do. A fingerprick test, usually in mmol/l, and you don't really want that higher than 8,5. Just keep in mind that in the morning, especially if we fast, our liver may dump glucose to keep us going, giving us energy. So a fasting blood glucose test doesn't always tell us everything we need to know about where we're at. So breathe. The test that IS a good indicator is the HbA1c, which is an average of your bloodglucose of the past 3 months. So that's the test you really wants, plus, if that is positive for diabetes, you'll want, seeing your age, a C-Peptide test and check for antibodies to find out the type. As for remission, well... Once you're diabetic, you're diabetic. With T1 that means needing insulin, with T2 that means needing medication and/or a dietary change. When we speak of remission we mean having non-diabetic bloodglucose levels for a prolonged period of time (2 years or so), and that also means being so low in bloodsugars we don't get diabetic complications. But if we start eating like we used to and don't control the T2, we're right back where we started.

But for the moment, just live your life, eat as you normally would (as to not mess up results in the future, because answers are the priority right now), and don't worry overmuch until you're certain one way or the other. And hey, if you do have T1 or T2, don't worry overmuch then either. People can live a full, LONG life with either type, and if we can help you at all, we will. It's nothing to be sneezed at, true, nor taken lightly... But it can be managed.

Mollyc1995 said:

My doctor hasn’t even said which one they are testing me for...they just said to phone and book for another blood test in 2/3 weeks.....my nanna has type one and my dad and all his sibling have type 2....so I presumed it would be type 2 as I havnt had any diabetic symptoms to be honest....I’m really worried now....and I don’t understand all the different types of blood tests as my doctor hasn’t really told me

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Hi, please don’t panic or worry - I know it’s easier said than done. I remember crying when I was first told I was diabetic and questioned why it was happening to me. Looking back it seems pretty silly to have got myself in such a state as even if you are diabetic it’s not a death sentence.

Your reading of 8.2 is a bit higher than most would like but it’s not astronomical.

As others have said, don’t make any crazy changes to your diet until you know what you are dealing with.

helensaramay said:

It depends what type of diabetes you may have.
Type 2 may be "reversed" /"kept in remission"
There is no known cure for type 1.

Click to expand...

I've read of ONE person proven to have been cured of type 1. However, it does not leave you in better condition than most people with type 1. A man had both type 1 and a bone marrow condition expected to be fatal in a few years. His doctors decided to cure the bone marrow condition by first killing of his bone marrow with radiation, then giving him a bone marrow transplant. They were able to find a bone marrow donor with a close enough match, but also with the absence of the particular type of white blood cells that attack the beta cells of the pancreas. This cured his type 1, but left him needing to take immune suppressors for the rest of his life.

Welcome to the forum @Mollyc1995. Was the test you did just a finger prick test, or was a vial of blood taken from your arm and sent away for analysis?

Hi and welcome @Mollyc1995 - I am going to tag @daisy1 for our new members information to help you along.

Unfortunately it's being in the dark about what's going on which doesn't help, hopefully you will have some answers soon, either way if it helps you towards a better quality life then it's a good thing so try to remain positive

@Mollyc1995
Hello Molly and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

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
  
  
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