Newly Diagnosed Today

Being overweight, I think, almost certainly rules out type 1. You can’t store fat in the absence of insulin. Very often it’s a sliding scale though, and no one really knows where you currently are on your scale. Seems safe to assume your doctor is correct with the T2 diagnosis, but time will tell as your treatment progresses

BJB335 said:

Liver,kidney,thyroid,glucose,hba1c and some other ones i think.he said they all came back normal but my blood was reading in the 14s after fasting in the morning so has said type 2.

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The HbA1c came back as normal? That's what's normally used for diagnosis.

Sorry to hear you've got diabetes.
As you're overweight have a read about the Newcastle Diet.

BJB335 said:

@JoKalsbeek Wow that must have taken a while to write thank you!i have got a lot to learn it seems. I am overweight at the moment but it still came as a shock to hear as you typically only really associate diabetes with obesity etc. I have lived a fairly active lifestyle being in the military but have admittedly slowed down since leaving 2 years ago and now having a desk job so im pretty sedentary. I have spates of doing exercise for a few months and then just stop for some reason. I guess i will now be making more of an effort.

Thanks again for the reply. It was very informative

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It gets more informative. (I feel like going "But wait! There's more!)" You gained weight because you were becoming diabetic. Your body starts having trouble with the glucose, so it puts out more insulin. With so much insulin around, you become insensitive to it, so hello, vicious circle. The thing is... All that glucose that can't be processed out, it gets stored. In fat cells. You don't get diabetes because you're overweight. You get overweight because you're slowly developing diabetes. Then after a while there's a watershed moment where insulin-resistance and prediabetes become full fledged diabetes. The glucose doesn't have anywhere to go, so it goes EVERYWHERE. Affecting your eyes, kidneys, veins, nerves, heart... It's all one thing following the other.

Good news being, once you cut carbs, you lose weight. Sometimes oodles of it. For me, it's slow going, because my thyroid's down, I have PCOS and my meds work against me, but I still got rid of those 25 kilo's in 2 years. I actually recognise myself in the mirror again. (Had been looking at a blobby stranger for 10 years). For quite a few people it goes a lot faster. While moving around helps, the most important thing is diet. (I think if was Dr. Fung who said "You can't outrun a bad diet", but I could be mistaken). I think you just might be on your way to becoming a whole new person.

BJB335 said:

Sorry to confuse.i meant the liver kidney thyroid tests. I should have asked what level the hba1c was but i guessed it would be something the nurse will go over with me at my appt next friday

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Always ask for your testresults. Don't know where you're going, if you don't know where you've been. I have a stack.

Jim Lahey said:

Being overweight, I think, almost certainly rules out type 1. You can’t store fat in the absence of insulin.

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Not necessarily
https://www.diabetesselfmanagement....betes/a-focus-on-adults-with-type-1-diabetes/
Diagnoses are sometimes made on the basis of false assuptions - I was initially diagnosed in 1997 as an “insulin dependant diabetic” (aka type 1 nowadays) because I was admitted to hospital with sugars in the high 20’s and the consultant thought I was 10+ years younger than I actually was

BJB335 said:

He tested my urine for ketones and none were present, im not sure how fullproof that yest is to detwrmine type 1 or 2 but as far as im awate he believes type 2 and no further testing will be taking place.should i be asking for further clarification? :-/

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Hi there, the presence of ketones in itself does not determine the type, it is just that if they are present along with high glucose levels it may need immediate treatment. The specific tests I had (on top of the 'let's see what you look like physically' ones), were a C Peptide test (checking to see whether I was producing any of my own insulin) and an antibody test of which there were several. My C peptide was low and I was positive for one of the antibodies, that along with the 'you're thin/you exercise/you don't smoke or drink', you nearly had DKA and then all the other presenting symptoms, they said type 1. Be aware though that even type 2's can present many conflicting symptoms as can type 1 and probably other types, ie type 2s can get DKA, they can obviously be thin or old or young, I was even told that GAD antibodies can be present whether diabetic or not! It is confusing and I would hope your Doctor is satisfied you are type 2! x

BJB335 said:

Well i can certainly store fat and have been quite good at it for the last 10 years. Haha. Not excessive but ive never been able to find my six pack put it that way

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Mine's in the fridge.

Boo1979 said:

Not necessarily
https://www.diabetesselfmanagement....betes/a-focus-on-adults-with-type-1-diabetes/
Diagnoses are sometimes made on the basis of false assuptions - I was initially diagnosed in 1997 as an “insulin dependant diabetic” (aka type 1 nowadays) because I was admitted to hospital with sugars in the high 20’s and the consultant thought I was 10+ years younger than I actually was

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Sure, but you snipped off the second half of my post stating that nothing is certain, seemingly so that you could tell me nothing is certain

Jim Lahey said:

Sure, but you snipped off the second half of my post stating that nothing is certain, seemingly so that you could tell me nothing is certain

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No.
I assumed anyone would have already read your post so I just included the bit that was relevant ro my answer.
Not a default conspiracy theorist myself, but it seems that I obviously need to be more sensitive to those of you that are!

@BJB335
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Welcome to the forum ! There is so much knowledge here. I too was misdiagnosed initially by my GP as Type 2 and later was told I was Type 1 by the endocrinologist.