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Newbie......Am I Diabetic? Am I just in denial?

Shelleymomma

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, to state the obvious.......I'm a newbie.....my head's still swimming and I'm just looking for the way forward. I've read lots of your posts and information.....which are brilliant for total beginners like me. I found my GP confusing, to say the least, he told me I'm diabetic based on my HbA1c and symptoms but went on to say I needed a further test to confirm. I asked if that meant that I might not be Diabetic but he said the diagnosis was certain?!?...I'm currently waiting for my test result but have been sent away with no further advice at present until the result's in....apart from "lose weight & exercise" which seems a little non-specific in regard to diet.

I don't want to believe it...although I know it's true....I imagine many people feel the same way at diagnosis....but I feel I should be doing something more than waiting for a result.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Thanks for reading.
 
Hi Shelly,
I am but a few short steps ahead of you in this, and my initial advice was as yours is now ..... lose the weight and exercise - which is exactly what I did! It is all very bewildering, scary and upsetting, and I'm very much still there, so know how you feel - as I think we all have at the beginning.

If your experience is anything similar to mine, you will be shortly sucked into a myriad of clinical appointments - I have spent more time in medical appointments in the last 3 months than I have in over 30 years! I know many others in here have had differing experiences with the NHS , but I can't fault mine, the system has kicked in and they have been incredibly supportive and helpful - and they can see how I've struggled emotionally and mentally.

You will be given lots of advice and guidance, and some of it will conflict and contradict. I have found this site very useful (if sometimes scary), and some of the views in here you will find contradict what you will be given and see elsewhere. You need to do what is right for YOU and make your own decision as to how to manage this YOUR way.

Wait for the GP to come back to you there is time to sort this - and take it from there. This is not a sprint, nor a marathon, but a journey!

I hope this helps
 
Hi and welcome,

What was the first test result and was it an HbA1c test? (Taken from your arm to give a sort of average of your blood glucose over the previous 2 to 3 months) Or was it what we call a snapshot blood test, either random or fasting?

It is recommended practise for people to have 2 such blood tests. The second is to confirm the first. I had 2 HbA1c tests within 10 days.
 

Thank you for replying...it's certainly a very strange place that I find myself in.....a bit of a whirl if I'm honest. I just need the test result to come back now so that I can get started with it all...it's tempting to jump in and start testing but I think I'm probably better to wait and get the advice first....trying to watch my diet though whilst I'm waiting...thanks again.
 

No time like the present - better today than tomorrow. You are highly unlikely to be given any useful advice after your next test results. You will receive far more valuable advice here on the forums from diabetics, not from doctors/nurses who know a lot less about controlling diabetes. So jump in and start your new life.
 


Hi, yes it was a HbA1c. About four months ago the test came back at ?41....the nurse told me I was borderline pre-diabetic with high BP and should see the GP, which I did. The GP gave me some BP medication (Had had a 24hr BP monitor already) and pooh poohed my concerns about my result saying I was ONLY borderline pre-diabetic not diabetic and shouldn't stress about it....I felt a little silly for mentioning it and explained that the nurse had been quite concerned at the result and that was why I was concerned.......felt a bit of an idiot really!
Three months later my next test came in at 53 and my GP, at my BP review, asked if I had been spoken to regarding my latest blood tests...usually I ring up the week after my blood tests for the results but, quite honestly, I had been feeling so tired and generally rubbish in myself, sleeping all the time and feeling totally exhausted, that I hadn't rung up.....and no-one had thought to contact me either! I asked why he was asking and he said because you're diabetic! I was really shocked and thought that he must mean pre-diabetic but he assured me that I was actually diabetic and needed to arrange the second test.....I left the surgery with my head spinning and I think it still is.....thanks for the welcome
 
They could potentially want to do a GAD ( see if it's autoimmune) or a c- peptide which measures your insulin output.

As @Bluetit1802 mentioned, no time like the present to get a meter and start testing. You're going to need one soon enough. Certainly has no negatives. You will only gain knowledge of what food do what in your body
 

Thank you...I do have Inflammatory Arthritis (Rheumatoid without the factor) and have in the past had a problem with an overactive Thyroid...could these be linked @Kristin251?
 
Shelly,

I'm 3 months in, and my latest hba1c result is NOW 53 - it was 97, though still desperately wishing it was 'normal' which obviously it isn't - yet!

To test or not to test is one of the conundrums you will have, and I have been advised both ways by both HCPs and other T2 diabetics ..... for me the jury is still out. As yet I don't test, I've just embarked on a very heathy diet regume, on which I am to a degree conscious of carbs - but not eradicated them. I'm doing a lot more physical activity / sport etc, have lost 22kilos in weight, I too had high BP, that is now perfectly normal, as is my Cholesterol level ....... I feel a lot better than I did, just very resentful of the 'label' I now carry with me for life!

You appear to be starting from a better place than I did, so maybe adjustment is required?? ... but just that!

Btw - that's why my name is 'Heretic'!
 
Shelleymomma said:
Thank you...I do have Inflammatory Arthritis (Rheumatoid without the factor) and have in the past had a problem with an overactive Thyroid...could these be linked @Kristin251?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately everything CAN be linked to diabetes. However diet in both circumstances can go a long way.
As far as arthritis and other inflammaotory conditions, many people ring the exclusion of all grains, dairy and especially nightshade vegetables ( potato, peppers of all kinds, eggplant and tomato) to give lots of relief. I have excluded all of those and rarely have any arthritis pain now, unless of course I eat some occasionally. Tomato is the worst for me. The back of my knee swells it up. I can tell they inflame me because I rarely eat them but when I do the scale goes up a few pounds for a few days. Might be worth eliminating them for two weeks to see if you get relief. Hyperthyroid can be linked to inflammation as well so that could fall nicely back into place as well.

The best diet for ME, who is prone to inflammation is very basic. LC above ground veggies, moderate amounts of protein and some healthy fats such as avocado, mayo, nuts/ seeds, olives and olive oil.

So I eat lots of salads or lettuce wraps topped with protein and flavored mayo with some avocado somewhere in the meal. Snacks are a few pumpkin seeds, olives or a slice of avocado. I eat a whole avocado a day throughout the day. By the end of the day it's always gone. Very good for bs as well as inflammation. Hope you like them!
 

Thanks...I see my GP on Friday so I think I'll see how that goes before buying a meter but obviously the dietary changes have begun already.....I know my levels could have been a lot worse but I won't be happy until they are normal....I don't expect it to be easy and I'm sure I'll need lots of help and support along the way. The drop in your levels is great...really encouraging, thanks again.
 

Interesting...unfortunately I don't like avocado or nuts.....but maybe I will develop a taste for them who knows?.....tomatoes though...who knew...must give that a try as I love tomatoes...thank you for that.
 

I actually didn't want to believe it was happening and carried on as normal for about a year, kept falling ill. This was not helped by a tumour in the soft tissue along my jaw and nasal cavity. Once the tumour was removed and I got over the shock of not having enough bone to have screw in teeth, I started to tackle my Diabetes, 2 years on and with a mass of changes, sometime Yo-Yoing in and out of different idea's I have found the Low Carb to be the most effective.
I posted this morning at how I'm back in 34" waist jeans, the first time in a decade.
 
Shelleymomma said:
Interesting...unfortunately I don't like avocado or nuts.....but maybe I will develop a taste for them who knows?.....tomatoes though...who knew...must give that a try as I love tomatoes...thank you for that.
Click to expand...
You misunderstood. Tomatoes are very bad for arthritis and inflammation. Nightshade vegetables in general. Google nightshades and arthritis. It's all over the place that they are very inflammatory
 
In the immortal words of LCpl Jones ...... Don't panic!

Take your time, weigh up the benefits and possible issues of ALL the advice provided - then YOU decide in your own good time. HCPs have been brilliant for me, and I have learned a lot from coming in here also - but a lot of what is said are (sometimes) poles apart.
 

Hi, well done with your weight loss and coming to terms with your diabetes...you've obviously had a lot of things to deal with as well as this. I think low carb is the way I need to go too.......it'll be tough because I love my carbs and portion control is definitely an issue for me...probably why I'm here today. Thanks for the response.
 
Kristin251 said:
You misunderstood. Tomatoes are very bad for arthritis and inflammation. Nightshade vegetables in general. Google nightshades and arthritis. It's all over the place that they are very inflammatory
Click to expand...

No, I understood....I was just saying that I love tomatoes and eat lots of them so will look at cutting them out and seeing if I see an improvement in my Arthritis, thanks.
 

I didn't know that about tomatoes. I eat tons of them, and have them every day for lunch, and also many of my evening meals. I had arthritis in my knee. All symptoms totally gone since going low carb/high fat. Sadly it hasn't done anything to repair the damaged cartilage in my other knee!
 

Thank you....I will....there is so much information available and I'm hoping that people who live with this will have the best insight which will give me a starting point to try to figure out the best way forward for me.
 
Same here with the love carbs thing. I called my previous diet the Elvis Presley, I only ever ate foods I liked. So Burgers, Chips, Pizza eat out or takeaways, all washed down with flagons of ale. So to be honest the writing was on the wall for me as well
 
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