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Newly diagnosed and confused!

R

Ra1234

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hey everyone new member here.
So I had a routine blood test with the doctors a couple of weeks back. Got a call from doctor 2 days later asking me to come in. They asked me if there was any history of diabetes in my family which there isn’t. Turns out my levels were very high so I was given a testing kit and told to monitor for 5 days and have another blood test to check HBA1C levels.
I got the results back and was told my HBA level was 108 and that the dr thinks I have LADA.
I have been told to monitor and test bloods four times a day and have an appointment with a diabetes specialist at the end of the month and potentially go on to insulin injections. I am currently on 500mg metformin. 1 tablet a day.


Obviously this has all come out the blue and I am overwhelmed and confused by everything.
On the testing device I wake up and I get a reading of 12.5-13 every day and this ranges up to 20 by the end of the day. I am still very confused over what all this means and just want some general advice.

Sorry for long message and looking forward to talking to people.
 
Hi and welcome, this board is amazing and very supportive, I havent been here long myself.

How are you feeling?

Here are a few links (Im sure others here will have much better links)

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/newly-diagnosed-with-type2-diabetes.html
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

Ideally you should fall in these ranges

Its suggested you test just before food and 2 hours after and the increase should be less that 2.0 (Im sure I will be corrected if wrong)

I used the Mysugr app (its got a little green monster) to track my readings and my food and see patterns


Plasma glucose testNormalPrediabetesDiabetes
Random​
Below 11.1 mmol/l
Below 200 mg/dl		N/A11.1 mmol/l or more
200 mg/dl or more
Fasting​
Below 5.5 mmol/l
Below 100 mg/dl		5.5 to 6.9 mmol/l
100 to 125 mg/dl		7.0 mmol/l or more
126 mg/dl or more
2 hour post-prandial​
Below 7.8 mmol/l
Below 140 mg/dl		7.8 to 11.0 mmol/l
140 to 199 mg/dl		11.1 mmol/l or more
200 mg/dl or more
 
This chart is so handy thank you so much..
 
Welcome @Ra1234
You are in a sort of diabetic limbo until you get a definite diagnosis. The types of diabetes are very different and only really share a name and a symptom of high blood sugar.
T1 and LADA are autoimmune diseases where the body's own defense system attacks the cells that produce insulin.
T2’s have no problem producing insulin, but their cells become resistant to it which means they have trouble using the glucose that comes from the carbs in their diet.
For you it all depends on how much insulin your pancreas is producing. If the tests prove you are LADA then your insulin production will eventually diminish and you will need to go on insulin.
If you are T2 and already produce lots of insulin, injecting more is usually counter productive and the answer is to stop eating the carbs that are causing your high levels.
All carbs apart from the fibre which passes right through, are converted to glucose when digested and will cause your levels to rise.
So until you get your definite diagnosis and a suitable treatment plan cutting out as many carbs as possible is probably your best bet.
 
I was where you are at the end of December albeit my A1C was lower.
I felt overwhelmed,angry and worried. It's normal I think.
For me I read what people wrote on here, looked at the work of Dr Unwin and also resources on YouTube. There is lots of good stuff out there
Also listen to your medical team and pay attention to what your body is telling you via the testing.
You will find your own way I'm sure.
The only advice I would give is certain foods spike my blood sugar & insulin and my body responds by craving carbs. Once I cut those spikes out by understanding what caused them, I suddenly didn't want to eat anything like as much.
My A1C and weight dropped dramatically.
 
Hi @Ra1234 Been there, done that, but took me months to get the t-shirt!

I was eventually diagnosed as LADA, but a family member recently had an HbA1c similar to yours, but it appears that this may have been due to a spate of antibiotics, covid and 'Christmas food', and after the antibiotics and covid cleared her system, her daily figures have already come right down, on metformin, eating pretty low-carb, and with no T1 antibodies so possibly T2, but she has another HbA1c in a month.

As you were having routine tests, were you having any diabetic symptoms (with hindsight)? Have you been ill or on medication in the last 2-3 months? I had no obvious causes/triggers, but covid vaccinations can't be ruled out.

My one word of warning that I wish someone had told me on diagnosis was that dropping blood glucose quickly from on high, can really affect your eyesight, so do not worry if you decide to go low carb, (or in my case, too frightened to eat anything at all!) and find the world getting blurrier and blurrier. It will get better as your blood glucose stabilises, but it could take a bit of time, so please do not panic! I hope this doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen to everyone, (and apparently to no-one my diabetes nurse at the time had ever encountered!), but you might want to get your hands on a magnifying glass just in case
 

Hi thanks for your reply.

So I have ulcerative colitis but haven’t been taken meds for it for a few years now and when I had my review the gastroenterologist asked me to speak to doctor and getting meds just incase I have a flair up but before I have the meds I’d need to have a routine blood test as I need to check liver and kidneys are ok before taking the meds. So had the bloods done and they noticed my levels were very high. I hadn’t been ill or on meds before that. I am one of the lucky ones that hasn’t yet had covid.

I have been feeling very tired and very thirsty for a couple of years now but put it down to my physical job and the ulcerative colitis. I ignored a lot of signs which was a bit stupid of me but I always thought it’s probably nothing and I’d just be wasting the doctors time.
 
I avoided covid until after my diagnosis, but noticed my first diabetes symptoms just after my 2nd jab but talked myself out of going to the docs for another 6 months: drinking more - it's a hot summer; peeing more - I'm drinking more; tired and irritable - must be hormonal; losing weight without trying - fantastic; blurry eyes - need new glasses!

You are definitely not the first to 'justify' the signs.

It sounds like your doctor has at least read a diabetes journal recently, so that's a good start and seeing a specialist soon will help; as if they agree T1/LADA you should be on the fast-track to getting Libre on prescription (insulin or not) and that makes the BG monitoring and getting a grip on what's happening so much easier.

This forum saw me through the minefield after diagnosis and a whole bunch of confusion since then - there is always someone on here with wise words, (or chatter-boxes like me, who aren't experts but hate seeing people going through the mill and want to pay it forward), so you will never have to deal with stuff alone.
 

Ahh ok. Sorry to ask but what’s libre?
Thank you for the replies
 
ChelseaEllie said:
Its a sensor which constantly reads your blood sugar levels, google Libre 2 to find it

I think its about £50 for one that lasts 2 weeks, it allows you to not have to constantly finger test your blood
Click to expand...

Ahh ok. I hve seen people with those. That seems quite pricey though lol.
 
Ra1234 said:
Ahh ok. I hve seen people with those. That seems quite pricey though lol.
Click to expand...
If you are diagnosed T1/LADA you will get them free on prescription - you will also now be able to have all your prescriptions free if you are taking any diabetic medication/CGM/test strips, got to take the perks where you can get them!! Ask your nurse for a form, (my nurse forgot and I was liable for over £100 on my first trip to get loaded up with Metformin and insulin, surgical waste bin, test strips etc - fortunately you can reclaim, or do as I did, and get a photocopy of the form you can complete straight away from the surgery, even if the doctor has not signed it yet, and with a sympathetic pharmacist you won't get charged, but liable if it turns out you are making your diabetes up!).
 
So glad I'm not the only one who scared to eat after my initial diagnosis. I'm 5 weeks post diagnosis and although my nurse thinks I have LADA they are still awaiting the test results so they are treating me as T1. Basal insulin daily and 3 x fast acting shots. I did finger pricks for the first few weeks but they were depressing so got the free Libre 2 trial and then bought my own as I find having the CGM liberating and as 'normal' as it can be (as I don't have a final diagnosis they won't prescribe CGM yet). I'm still very much in the shock of capture of all this and will be for a while. Sometimes feeling like all there is ahead is a (shorter than I had hoped) life of constant medication leading to chronic illnesses and an early check out. But then I have moments when I think my 9 YO godson who has had T1D since he was 6 can manage it then an old sod like me can. And as long as I manage my insulin, diet and exercise then there is no reason I can't live a relatively decent healthy longish life. But there is no getting away from it being a huge shock and making adjustments is a way of life.
 
You have made a good start to look for help here as many people have good answers to help you understand. My surgery was hope less with " take these pills " and that was it. Nurse said no need for testing, how wrong that advice was. The glucose meter told me the effect of foods on me as I drive long distants at times.
Post up and wait for the reply from many wonderful people. Best of luck you will learn and control your diabetes.
 
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