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Not sure if this is type one diabetes?

C

clonners8

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I have had health problems since being a kid, I am now in late thirties and doctors have never got to the bottom of it, there are a whole load of symptoms but the main ones are not feeling quite right, foggy headed (like hungover everyday) low energy, determination and motivation.

I feel terrible in the mornings like i have been drinking the night before although I don't drink and it takes me till about mid day to start feeling better, and the best i feel is always late at night.

My doctors have been hopeless and have diagnosed IBS and they will not change their view so i decided to try and self diagnose.

I have many symptoms but some of them are being dehydrated all the time and craving sugar, I crave sugar like a junkie would crave heroin.

I got to thinking this might be the onset of diabetes, but wonder if it is possible to have this for decades without it being diagnosed.

I got a glucose monitor and my blood sugar seems to fall into what i think is normal levels after eating 5mol to 6 mol

But in the morning after 8 hours of fasting the lowest it has been is 5.6mol and it tends to be around 6.6 to 6.7 mol.

It is only lower around 5.6 in the morning when I have had one of my crazy sugar binges the day before and eaten tons of chocolate bars etc all day.

If i go out for a drink of beer which is rare, i feel the need to eat more sugar when i get in from the pub and it is not uncommon for me to eat ice cream and chocolate at 1 in the morning after a beer binge at the pub.

Does anyone think this sounds like pre diabetes as I am at my wits end trying to work out what is wrong with me.

Thanks in advance?
 
I think you could rule out type 1, as your sugar levels would definitely be much higher after eating. Also, if type 1s aren't treated with insuline, they'd quite quickly become very ill. Your morning blood glucose levels seem a little high though. I know more about type 1 than type 2, but I think the cut-off for normal (non-diabetes) levels are 5.6mmol/L in the morning? Anything over might warrant further investigation for (pre-) diabetes?
 
Forgot to ask...have you ever had your thyroid levels tested? It's just that the symptoms you're describing (fatique, feeling foggy etc) could be due to an underactive thyroid. Also some suggestions online that an underactive thyroid could cause sugar cravings?
I agree with you that you need to get to the bottom of this. Not good enough for doctors to say 'IBS' and let you get on with it. Presumably you've followed any recommended diet when you were diagnosed with IBS? If this obviously hasn't made you feel better then you are right to ask more questions.
 
Hi, Thanks for the reply.

Hmm well yes it could be a thyroid issue, my mother has recently been diagnosed with unactive thyroid so this is possible, however she has the same kid of issues as me but has been tested throughout her life for thyroid issue and it has always been OK. She is now nearly 70 and has been diagnosed with this so i think this could be age related rather than in the genes.

Also something that I don't understand is when I have fasted in the past for 2 or 3 days I actually begin to feel better, so I would say that when I don't eat anything my body feels much better, than when I eat which is kind off odd.

Thanks Mark
 
The easiest way to check if you might have Type 1 diabetes is to see if your symptoms match up to the 4 Ts test ....

1) Thirst (constantly craving a drink)
2) Toilet (constantly wanting to pee)
3) Tired (feeling tired, even after sleep)
4) Thinness (losing weight for no obvious reason)

Craving sugar has nothing to do with diabetes.

Jonty
 
I am type 2 but recently can't get sugar under 9.9 first thing in morning, by bed time it is 19.9. My sugars were never higher than 6.0 after food. Haven't changed my diet at all, but am thirsty, going to the loo constantly and tired all the time. I am on 2000mg metformin a day and recently had pancreatitis. My dr says they would be more worried if the bm was low , I feel lousy! Can anyone comment on this?


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Lesley,

You're feeling lousy, 19.9 really is high (I take it these high readings aren't one-offs?), I would insist they look at your medication/diet etc. Yes, being low isn't good, but neither is consistently running high, this is when complications can happen over time. So it's really important that your HCPs help you to get better control. Go back and ask them to help you!
 
Can't get an appointment they said I'd had pancreatitis I should expect funny results and wasn't an emergency! Also they couldn't find a cause for the attack so it could come back!


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Defentley get thyroid checked, symptoms sound like underactive, dtrs seem reluctant to test for this in under 35s. I had to insist on a test for it and had .0.01 thyroxine levels!! Also annemia and vit b differancy are worth checking too!
 
If my yearly tests have all come back normal how are my readings between 15 and 22? Is it not showing because they have only gone high in the last 3 weeks since the pancreatitis?


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