Hi guys, I was diagnosed three days ago with no symptoms, I had a routine blood test and my hba1c came back as 104. I got put on 1 metformin per day and two types of insulin. I have family history on both sides so I knew I was destined at some point but thought I would get more warning. I also have underactive thyroid and Pcos.
My question is this, with my other conditions, should I expect to be within 'normal' ranges? The more i look at different websites the more variety of answers I get. Is anyone else in the same boat as me? Thanks.
Disneycat, to be honest, you pose an impossible question.
Right now, we know you are newly diagnosed, with an HbA1c level, well into the diagnostic ranges, you have underactive thyroid and PCOS. From the PCOS, we can tell you are female, and you tell us your family history included diabetes, on both sides.
To be honest, it isn't too common for those presenting without symptoms (which is an assumption, related to the routine nature of your blood test), suspected as T2 to go straight to insulin, so I am glad your team are doing additional diagnostic tests.
I was diagnosed T2 on a single, routine test in 2013, with an HbA1c level of 73. No other tests were done at he time. I also have a family medical history littered with diabetes, of all sorts, plus a litany of autoimmune conditions.
What I know, for self is that my HbA1c levels improved significantly when I started self testing my blood and adjusting my eating to manage any upward spikes I saw in my blood glucose numbers. I am assuming as you are taking insulin you have testing kit? If not it is very important to receive it immediately.
Others have mentioned a lower carb (LC) style way of living, relating to PCOS. Studies are now showing PCOS improves with a lower carb lifestyle, in significant numbers of people. Indeed, this site is just entering into a research phase looking at PCOS alongside a LC diet.
We don't know what your blood glucose numbers are running at, now you are taking insulin, so to make suggestions for dietary amendments could be risky. Insulin can drive those numbers down significantly, so you must proceed with care.
Finally, relating to your hypothyroidism. You don't give us an you indication how well managed that is. Hypothyroidism is ver common indeed I need the general population, so as a follow through, many living with diabetes will also be impacted.
A well managed (medicated, good vitamin levels and regular testing) can make a significant difference to our overall metabolic health. What were your most recent test results like for that? Is your treatment stable, or are you still tying to get to your thyroid sweet spot? I'm still looking for my sweet spot over 3 years into treatment and over 5 since symptoms began.
If you could share a bit more information, it'd be easier to ensure the responses you receive will be more likely to be right for you.
Welcome aboard. Living with diabetes can be a shock, but you can forge a new normal, often quite quickly.