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newly diagnosed

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poppy30

Newbie
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I have just been newly diagnosed and am feeling a little confused and overwhelmed by it all. Having went to the doctors with a urine infection, glucose was high in my urine which led to a blood test which was 10.3, this led to another blood test which was 8.4 at this point the doctor was saying it was type 1 and i had to have another blood test to be sure followed by the glucose drink and another test which was 9.6 then went upto 14.3. She gave me a leaflet on type 2, i questioned this and basically got told it didnt really matter what type i had the point was to get my sugar levels down.

They said i didnt really fit in to a catagory?! Reading the leaflet i felt confused as i am not over weight what so ever, i do excercise, no one in my family has it (apart from my grandas brother who developed type 2 late on in life) and im only 30, this did not seem to be me. I have to go to an educational afternoon next week but mean time am left feeling confused. I do have a sweet tooth but eat otherwise a normal diet. How do they determine which type you have? :?
 
It isn't always easy to tell the dfference between T1 and T2. They tend to diagnose by making assumptions. It used to be that any adult would be considered a T2, however there are some characteristics which give clues. Typically T1 comes on over weeks or even days, with weight loss and considerable thirst.linked to a lot of urination. T2 tends to be slower and less obvious. It can creep up in a sneaky manner, almost without symptoms.
Treatment gives further clues. Insulin therapy will control either type of diabetes, but the oral medications and diet only treatment, generally only work for T2. T1 always ends up needing insulin
This is because they have different causes. In T1, the pancreas stops producing insulin, so glucose cannot be transported to the cells. In T2, the body becomes resistant to its own insulin and doesn't use it properly.This is a simplification, but gives an idea of what's happening.
No -one knows definitively what causes diabetes. It obviously isn't a simple cause and effect scenario. It's fashionable to call T2 a "lifestyle disease" and blame the patient. This fails to account for the loads of people with "at risk" lifestyle, who never develop it and the ones with no obvious risk factors who do.
Your medics are right in saying that controlling it initially is more important than knowing which type. ( there are actually more than 2 :cry: ) As you learn more, you will find clues in yourself and it may be necessary to do some more tests which can give more poineters. First. Get under control. ITisn't anyone's fault, but YOU have to cope with it.
 
Thanks for your reply :) I guess the more i learn the easier it will become in understanding everything! Reading all the posts help give you a better insight too, glad i came on!
 
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