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pre-diabetic/type 2 diabetic

K

kaylesxxx

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Hi Everyone,
Hope your all ok. My name is Kayleigh and i am 26. I have just been told im pre-diabetic possibly type 2 diabetic. However, i tend to have hypos alot, i feel rubbish when i have them. I have suffered with this since i was 17 and my doctors have only just started to look into this. I have unquenchable thirst, i wake up in hot sweats, I get blurry vision alot, shakes, and generally feeling rubbish. My hba1c came back at 42 and GP said this was normal but my friend who is a diebtic specialist nurse said this was pre-diabetic stage and the fact i have all the symptoms including extreme tiredness and drinking through the night and going to the toilet frequently ect, she thinks my sugarsa have risen even more so the past 2 weeks. Yesterday was my worst day ever, felt sooooo ill. GP isnt doing anything apart from wanting me to have a full examination on saturday. Im fed up of this as the monitor i use at home shows my sugars vary from 2.1 (low i know)-18.8 However GP says theres not a problem. Do i have a right to ask for a GTT? I jsut want to feel normal and not feel so sick all the time, when i have a hypo its horrible, i get weak and have passed out a few times in the past. What are your thoughts on this?

xxxxx :cry:
 
Hi there!

You need to have a GGT! Those figures are all over the place? Daisy will be along shortly to give you valuable insight into your condition. Do not stress as stress make you BG go crazy. Chin up Girl, we will all help you.

Vern.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi. Yes, a GTT may help although the HBa1C shows your average blood sugar is quite reasonable. There are variants of diabetes, not very common, such as MODY where there are very large blood sugar swings. It is unusual to have sugars going down to 2.1 i.e. hypo-land without any medication so your doc does need to investigate. If you are not happy with the GP's conclusions I think you should ask for a referral to the local Diabetes clinic or an endo as your blood sugar swings do not fit the 'normal' diabetes pattern. Meanwhile all you can do is continue to measure and have some carbs if your sugar goes too low. If you fell really unwell then go to A&E and explain your recent history.
 
Hi Kayleigh and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information, mentioned by Vern, that we give to new members and I hope this will help you. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will answer you.


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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
 
Hi Kayleigh,

HbA1c is an average over the last 3 months, weighted towards the most recent end of the period.

A type 2, unless they are on specific meds, should not have hypos and judging by your age (26 is very young for T2), you may be T1 or T1.5.

I would suggest you let your GP, investigate your condition, get more exercise and, if you are overweight or obese, reduce your weight to a healthy BMI

Ellis
 
Hi there,

I agree with the other posters. I'm 26 also and was told originally I was type 2 but then it was changed to type 1.5. I'm with Daibell as well in that unless you are medicating its unusual to have hypos and there is a genetic type, as mentioned, where the swings are large and unpredictable. May be worth asking the doctor for more detailed blood tests to find out for sure, 26 is very young for type 2 diabetes though not impossibly so.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.
 
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