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Underweight and need advice

S

Skinny2

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi all, I went to a GP yesterday after a couple of days of suffering extreme pain under my right ribcage. After bloods and urine and an ultrasound I was told it was an inflammation of the pleura on my lung, sent off with antibiotics and assured it would settle down in a few days. An hour later the hospital called me insisting I come back immediately. The doc told me I have type 2 and you can imagine my shock as I am seriously underweight (BMI 16.1). I had expressed to her concern that I have little appetite and have rapidly lost weight recently although I have never been over the acceptable bmi of 18.5. I am a foodie and love good food, I just rarely have a decent appetite and being so thin I guess I figured I could eat whatever I want but usually decent meals not junk. I do admit to drinking more alcohol than I should but no more than my friends. Obviously alcohol has high sugar and I can see that is possibly a main cause. I've done a lot of research today and keep getting conflicting information. Is anyone in a similar situation with good advice? I am female and 39 if that info helps. Thanks
 
Hi @Skinny2 and welcome.
I will tag @daisy1 who will post information for newcomers.
I wonder if you might be a late onset type 1 being very underweight. Possibly someone can tag people on this forum who are.
Whatever type you are restricting carbs (bread, rice, pasta etc) that turn to sugar will help at this stage. Have you been given any advice yet? Do ask questions and people will try and help/
 
Hi @Skinny2 i would be asking your GP on what basis they have determined you are type 2, your clinical presentation does sound like you could be type 1. It would be worth asking for further diagnostic investigations into your diabetic status (with a cpeptide and GAD test).
 
Thanks for the replies, I am seeing my doc again in two days and will ask more questions. However if I do have type 1 wouldn't I know it? I haven't had black outs or anything like that although I did quite a lot as a teenager. Was tested a few times for anaemia but always negative
 
Skinny2 said:
Thanks for the replies, I am seeing my doc again in two days and will ask more questions. However if I do have type 1 wouldn't I know it? I haven't had black outs or anything like that although I did quite a lot as a teenager. Was tested a few times for anaemia but always negative
Click to expand...

No - black outs are not really a symptom of undiagnosed type 1, nor is anaemia.

Type 1 is autoimmune diabetes (where the immune system kills off the insulin producing beta cells). Can present in people of any age. Will present with sudden un-tried for weight loss, tiredness, excessive thirst & urination. And high blood sugar levels. The symptoms a diabetic patient presents with are those of high blood sugar, whether type 1 or 2 (although a type 1 is more likely to get very dangerously high blood sugar >30 and DKA). It's more your weight loss & your age that makes me think it's worth looking at type 1 as treatment options will differ depending on the diagnosis.
 
Again, thanks as this is really helpful. I'm going to get a second opinion. Have just talked to a good friend who has been type 1 since childhood and she agrees with your comments. I'm beginning to wonder if it's diabetes at all and I've just got a screwed up liver from too much wine.... Ultrasound revealed it as 'fatty'
 
Skinny2 said:
Again, thanks as this is really helpful. I'm going to get a second opinion. Have just talked to a good friend who has been type 1 since childhood and she agrees with your comments. I'm beginning to wonder if it's diabetes at all and I've just got a screwed up liver from too much wine.... Ultrasound revealed it as 'fatty'
Click to expand...


Fatty liver is not only related to alcohol, although if you're enthusiastically enjoying a drink it won't be helping, for sure. Many diabetics also have fatty liver.

The great news about livers is they can be extremely resilient and recover from some quite extreme assaults, so I wouldn't give yourself too much of a hard time over it yet. You may we find once you get a handle on your diabetes; whatever type it transpires you are, your liver will improve.

What have you been advised to do about getting through the next few days until you see your doctor again?
 
@Skinny2

Hello Skinny and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members, mentioned above, and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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 bloodglucose 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.
 
My 1 st thought is type 1 LADA as well. I was controlled through diet and exercise for years and literally overnight my bs shot up and I could do nothing to bring them down. I have always been thin but dropped weight rapidly for no reason. Or not knowing the reason. I ate and are and kept losing. Insulin is the only thing that helped me gain weight. After starting it I felt SO much better. Get those two tests. Many doctors don't like doing them for some reason but they are seriously important for you. I was misdiagnosed as type 2 for too long and my health suffered for it. Much healthier with insulin. Never thought I'd say that but it is true
 
Skinny2 said:
Hi all, I went to a GP yesterday after a couple of days of suffering extreme pain under my right ribcage. After bloods and urine and an ultrasound I was told it was an inflammation of the pleura on my lung, sent off with antibiotics and assured it would settle down in a few days. An hour later the hospital called me insisting I come back immediately. The doc told me I have type 2 and you can imagine my shock as I am seriously underweight (BMI 16.1). I had expressed to her concern that I have little appetite and have rapidly lost weight recently although I have never been over the acceptable bmi of 18.5. I am a foodie and love good food, I just rarely have a decent appetite and being so thin I guess I figured I could eat whatever I want but usually decent meals not junk. I do admit to drinking more alcohol than I should but no more than my friends. Obviously alcohol has high sugar and I can see that is possibly a main cause. I've done a lot of research today and keep getting conflicting information. Is anyone in a similar situation with good advice? I am female and 39 if that info helps. Thanks
Click to expand...
You could have one of the later onset forms of type 1, Lada or Mody for instance, you do not seem to fit the profile of the typical type 2 diabetes patient. Just harangue the doctors and the all the tests for the subtypes of type 1 diabetes,

Edited to correct inaccuracies relating to MODY and LADA.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Skinny2 said:
Again, thanks as this is really helpful. I'm going to get a second opinion. Have just talked to a good friend who has been type 1 since childhood and she agrees with your comments. I'm beginning to wonder if it's diabetes at all and I've just got a screwed up liver from too much wine.... Ultrasound revealed it as 'fatty'
Click to expand...

It can recover, but no matter what is causing the fatty liver, the wine isn't helping.
I took it as a warning, and found a few dry nights helped.
 
Roytaylorjasonfunglover said:
You could have one of the special forms of type 2, Lady or Mody for instance, you do not seem to fit the profile of the typical type 2 diabetes patient. Just harangue the doctors and the all the tests for the subtypes of type 2 diabetes,
Click to expand...

For clarity, neither LADA or MODY are forms of type 2. LADA is slow onset type 1 and MODY covers forms of genetic diabetes (which can be tested for with genetic testing, but it's an expensive test & they don't tend to run it unless you have already had a negative GAD test).

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any special forms of type 2 - type 2 just sort of covers "everything else" if it's not type 1 or MODY, then it must be type 2. Which is massively unsatisfactory when there is such a range of type 2 presentations and causes, but it is what it is.
 
Really appreciate all the helpful info as I know very little about diabetes. I live in the Middle East and am not particularly happy with the diagnosis so will be making an appointment with a specialist diabetes clinic tomorrow. Also think the original doctor should have given me a copy of my blood results in the first place so will be requesting that too.
 
In the meantime, until I get a confirmed diagnosis of which type (if indeed it is diabetes, as I've been told) the more pressing issue I have is extreme pain under ribcage which is getting worse in spite of anti inflammatory tabs and pain pills. Doc said this is a lung issue but I'm not quite convinced. Anyone experienced similar? And apologies for going off topic it's just that the two things were diagnosed within an hour
 
Update: went to London imperial diabetes clinic and had very thorough testing done. Turns out I do not have diabetes of any type which is a relief of course. Just pretty angry with the original doctor and puzzled by the misdiagnosis. Goes to show you should always get a second opinion. Thank you all for your support and advice, and sorry to have wasted your time! I also wish you all the best in coping with your disbetes. I have some other health issues to deal with and will be focusing on that. Thank you so much all again, I was feeling in crisis and your comments helped a lot :)
 
Brilliant news,
But take it as a warning now you know you've got a fatty liver, and knock the wine down a notch. ;)
 
I listened to Brian Mowll's webinar last night when he described the 4 distinct subtypes of T2... This was a new one for me:

Type O: Overinsulnised - 60% - 65% of presenting patients: typically overweight, high insulin, high trigs, inflammation

Type I : insulin Reduction Induced - typically presents with underweight

Type H: Hormone induced - Possible adrenal fatigue/exhaustion, thyroid issues, lower sugars, note t1 or t1.5

Type S: Stress induced. Typically high sugar in the morning, high cortisol, normal weight.

Often they appear in combination, each needs narrowing down with specific blood tests and each has a different treatment regime.

For my full summary of the webinar see my thread later today.


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