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Newly Diagnosed with a lucky break!

c_s_k22

Member
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10
Hi! I developed severe kidney pain recently and as it was intolerable, I contacted 111 who sent an ambulance with consequent admission to hospital. Due to the health checks performed by the ambulance crew I was discovered to have very high blood sugar levels and as a result of this have been tested and diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2. The kidney pain, whilst causing agony seemed to have been a Godsend as I had no signs or symptoms of my diabetic condition. I feel like I have had a very lucky break. Weird or what?!!
 

Hello @c_s_k22 to the forum. So sorry to hear about your experience. Hope you feel better now.

How high were your blood sugar levels? Have you been put on any medication?
 
Thank you for the warm welcome. A CT scan showed an enlarged kidney but they couldn't see a stone. I think a stone travelling through the kidney caused the pain which I have either (unknowingly) passed or it has settled somewhere. I have to go back for another scan and to see the nephrologist. My finger prick blood sugar test by the ambulance crew started at 16 and rose an hour later to 16.6. At the hospital another hour later it was 18 despite me not eating or drinking anything. The blood test I have had since (HbA1C) is 72. I have been started on Metformin 500mg; one in the morning for two weeks and then add another tablet with evening meal. I will be taking my first tablet tomorrow. The surgery nurse was so lovely and really put me at my ease. I am looking forward to increasing my activity and hopefully losing a bit of weight! I feel like I've joined a friendly group here and look forward to sharing experiences with you all.
 
This sounds very painful, @c_s_k22. Hope they find out what is wrong with the kidney.

As to the increase in blood sugar levels without food, it was probably the stress due to the pain and hospitalization. It is not only food that can do this to us.

Have they given you a blood sugar meter? Measuring how we react to different foods can be extremely helpful.
 

Hi.

also so sorry to hear of the pain and worry that must have caused.

as of the advise above.. all good.
and exactly what i heard and needed to hear when i got diagnosed (Dx)

just a note on metformin, many say it causes stomach upset, hence i think most of us start on one per morning, one per evening then up that to two at each time of day

I was lucky, i think it caused me little issues, and also i have learned is one of the more effective drugs with the least side effects...and a little protective element if stories are to believed, to boot.

I would say it's wise to take for now, get the blood glucose under control, worry less about the exercise.. as important as that is, the diet IS the key to type 2..cut down the 'Fuel' that causes the complications and spikes and your halfway there to fixing what is wrong.
and the meter is most instrumental in helping you make the right food choices early one.

good luck sorting the kidney aspect, hopefully it was just a stone that you DID pass,
maybe missed in all the anxiety ?

Take care, and good luck on the rest of the Journey
a long and difficult road it may be, but now your on the forum,
it's certainly no longer a lonely one.
 
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You have made a great start by being thankful that you have the diagnosis. I was getting similar high readings to you at the end of May this year. By cutting out all of the sugar in my tea/coffee and no longer partaking in cakes, pastries, chocolate and pop and reducing my carbohydrates, I am now getting most readings of between 6 and 9. I also started moderate exercise each day having been a couch potato for many years. It all makes such a big difference and you start to feel so much better in yourself.

Its great that you have the support of a good DN as that is an invaluable bond.

Good luck on the start of your journey and welcome to this great place with lovely people who will give you any advice and all the support you need.
 
Welcome to the forum @c_s_k22. You will get a lot of good advice and support on here. Ask any questions you want to.
It would be useful to get a blood glucose meter so you can check your bg levels and find out which foods raise them by testing before eating and then two hours later.
Were you tested to see if you might be Type 1 diabetic?
 
Not a lot of people'd call their diagnosis a lucky break. I know I didn't realise that was exactly what it was until almost a year later, when I basically had gotten my life back. Excellent mindset, and a good start to this adventure. I do hope the kidney stone is a thing of the past. T2 can cause kidney stones, apparently, so if you tackle that, odds are you can avoid another episode. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/kidney-health#kidney-stones and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ may be useful here.

Anyway, welcome... And I hope you'll be back to 100% soon!
Jo
 
Yes ziggy_w, I think you are right. Stress definitely played a role in my sugar levels. We bought a sugar monitor and I have been checking here and there.
 
Hi and welcome! My type 2 diagnosis was by chance too. Mine was discovered as I had a routine blood test for another health condition. I got my type 2 under control with low carb eating, Metformin and self monitoring. I also lost a shed load of weight. As a result I realise how poorly I was feeling before diagnosis, it had all crept up so slowly I hadn’t realised until I started feeling better! I always say my type 2 diagnosis has been a blessing in disguise!
 
Erm.... I'm not sure but I'm 61, overweight and my mum had Type 2 so I guess it's pretty safe to make some loose assumptions at this stage.
 
Exactly how I feel Rachox! I am very positive and determined to achieve a much higher level of health and fitness. I have dieted and made half-hearted attempts at improving my health over several years but somehow now I have a real challenge and I feel I can embrace it. Us folk eh?
 
Wow, what a great proactive attitude, @c_s_k22. It looks like you may have this thing beat in no time.

Lots of us T2s have been able to return to normal blood sugar levels by eating very few carbs (eliminating sugar, bread, cereals, rice, noodles, potatoes and other starchy food from our diet and often raising the fat content if we feel hungry. Protein pretty much stays the same). With time, I personally found substitutes for some of the foods I missed (see for example the dietdoctor website for alternatives). For me this has been easy and I really don't miss my old way of life, especially as I now feel tons better. As a positive side effect, this way of life often also helps us lose weight without feeling hungry.

Using a meter can also help us determine whether the meal we had was good for us. The general rule is to measure blood sugar level before starting to eat and then again two hours after the first bite. The rise should be no more than 2 mmol. If blood sugars go higher than this, this is generally an indication that we weren't able to deal with something contained in the meal.

This way of eating is very effective in lowering blood sugars, but since you are only on metformin, you don't have to worry about going too low. Make sure to have enough salt in your diet to avoid getting painful headaches.
 
Thankyou ziggy_w. Some very helpful information here. Didnt know about the salt/headache thing at all!
 
VashtiB said:
Welcome to the forum. You have an amazing attitude and will be a welcome addition to the forum. I've been diagnosed for 6 weeks and am now way (yet) as positive as you- I'm sure I will learn a lot from you.

Welcome!
Click to expand...
I'm sure it'll get a lot easier for you VashtiB, especially when you start to feel better. I guess it's a bit like getting new glasses - you never realised how bad your sight was until you put on the new specs. Having my disbetes diagnosis has made a lot of sense to me of niggly little symptoms I have been experiencing in the recent past when I told my husband on a number of occasions - 'I can't put my finger on it but I just don't feel so good'. I hope we can help each other in these early baby steps we are taking VashtiB
 
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