Not Winning.

Have a read about LADA. You may be slow onset T1.

Hi @J9sunshine and welcome to the forum. I'll tag @daisy1 for the newbies information, which should appear on this thread a little later on. Do read it, lots of useful information.
Many people here, have found that the answer to bringing down sugar levels is not more and more pills, but simply eating much less sugar. Many doctors and dieticians haven't caught on to this simple solution, though an increasing number have. This approach is referred to as a Low Carb (ie low carbohydrate ) diet and cuts out starches as well as simple sugars.
Things will look up from here!
Sally

Edited to add: I took your type 2 diagnosis at face value, but agree that @Diakat has a very valid point.

Welcome to the forum @J9sunshine. It seems you need to ask your doctor for tests to see if you are late onset Type 1.
You should also talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. It does sound as if you are clinically depressed. There is treatment available, usually counselling therapy and/or medication, which should help, but takes a few weeks to take effect.

J9sunshine said:

Good day all,

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2 days after my 31st birthday on the 19th of December 2017. Things have rapidly gone downhill since, my body has responded to very little medication, I was first put on Glucophage with glamaryl (sp), it made me feel beyond ill. I then went to go see a specialist that put me on calvusmed (sp), which wrecked havoc on my kidneys, I then saw another Dr whom again put me on Glucophage, I continued to lose weight, I have now lost 38kgs. He decided to put me on diaglucide 60mg, I now take 2. my body responded pretty well with readings and readings were within range, prior to that my nody once again stopped responding to glucophage with reading of fasting and post meals of 10.6-16. The medication, I feel once again stopped working with readings between 10.6 and 14. I am at my wits end, I am now too scared to put food in my mouth because of the astronomical readings and I feel I eat right as the per all the forums, dietician etc. on top of that I'm still losing weight! I've sunken into a deep hole of depression where suicidal thoughts have been swirling round in my head almost daily. I'm lost and don't know where to go from here.

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I have to agree with the others; get a double-check on the type 2 diagnosis. In the meantime, a low carb/high fat diet might bring your levels down. (It is often used to lose weight, but if you add extra calories/fat/proteine you might be able to halt the weight loss you're experiencing due to your high levels?) Cutting bread, potatoes, rice, cereal, pasta, fruit etc might bring your levels down. Do be careful, as I don't know your meds and you might hypo. Test often!
I've been clinically depressed all my life, but I find that now I have my blood sugars under control, I feel less of that black, pressing absence of hope, and my panic attacks are fewer and less severe. High bs messes with our emotions too. Being chronically ill is enough of a downer in and of itself, but high bs makes it that much worse. Hang in there. It can get better, it's not completely hopeless.

If you're not a T2 after all, diet can only do so much. You really, really have to get it checked out, so you can get the right help to get your bs down. Take care of yourself. Life's worth it.

J9sunshine said:

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your support and advise. It does admittedly depress me even more at the thought having type 1 diabetes. May I add that I have not been sleeping much average of 3-5 hours per day, my mouth always tastes sweet, my HBA1C has increased from 5.3 to 6.3% in the past 3 months. Also a been experiencing A LOT of stress and was also diagnosed with a viral infection wrecking havoc on my body. Could this be contributing to my high readings? I'm just so lost and confused to be honest. disclaimer: I haven't been exercising.

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Stress, lack of sleep and infections can and will elevate your bs. One of those is enough to up your levels, so all three together... Try to get enough rest.

@J9sunshine

Hello J9sunshine and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.
  

Hi @J9sunshine,
YOU need to see your GP asap - NOW to tell him/her who you feel, that you have thought about suicide, and do not be put off by the receptionist or the nurse - this IS your LIFE. Nothing is more important.
Other matters can wait but include, as others have said: getting your specialist to look more outside the square of medical orthodoxy by doing the following:
testing maybe for what type of diabetes you really have
ensuring you are not becoming insulin deficient
what diet would be best for you
whether there are other reasons which could contribute to your feeling depressed
reinforcing your referral via your GP to a psychiatrist, as in the first sentence.( I have, and it made the world of difference)
and also whether there could be other factors at play like coeliac disease etc exacerbating your diabetes and health.
Of course it is difficult to maintain an even keel when some much is happening, being considered and you feeling unwell.
Having some one to support you through this is important, do you have one or two people that can do this ?

Hello @J9sunshine I can appreciate how your feeling, it's like being in limbo but without a clear focus I also had to send you a message as it was sad to read from a member with your name (sunshine) about how down you are feeling, big hug.

Get back to your GP as suggested by others and explain how you are feeling, write it down as you have here and take it with you so you can clearly explain how down you are.

Any diagnosis is depressing to be honest, it's the resilience with which you can pick yourself up and fight the battle afterwards which counts, running high blood glucose levels will make you feel awful so take some comfort in knowing that when this gets sorted that you will feel alot better. My mantra is exercise for feeling better when feeling down, whether it's a walk in a green space, run, bike or swim, any form of exercise will increase the endorphins and help you relax more and in turn sleep better.

Don't give up stay strong and make that appointment now, best wishes.

If it is T1 then getting the correct treatment will make you feel better. Is your GP one where you could insist on antibody tests to see whether T1 is a possibility? 31 isn't that old for diagnosis - I was 43.

If you’ve lost 38kg you’ve done amazingly well. There’s lots you need to deal with and need help from your GP as others have said. But with the will power you’ve shown to get this far you can get through this difficult moment- draw strength from what you’ve achieved so far.

When i was first diagnosed i was thought to be a type 2, i was given a cocktail of medication which somewhat reduced my glucose levels but did not normalize. It wasn't until i got home and i had a proper blood test that they found out i was type 1 but had 50% function of my pancreas so the medication worked a little.... For around 2 months i was deteriorating and my weight also dropped rapidly, i remember trying to focus on the toiletries in the shower and not being able to read them, its very depressing, anything messing with your body is daunting, particularly when you feel like nothing is helping.

It wasn't until i got given my first dose of insulin it was like taking a fresh shower, within 24 hours i was perked up and feeling normal. I would inquire about late set type 1.

Remember YOU ARE NOT YOUR CONDITION!!

Do not be held captive by the prison of your own mind, you are not alone, this is a struggle many of us have had to fight with and neither one has to go this road alone.
Congratulations, you have taken the first step by contacting this group and probably some portion of your stress has already been alleviated by the response and support, find someone to talk to or share more on here, a problem shared is a problem halved.