Type 2 What are your symptoms? (I don't have any and I'm grateful but confused...)

Hello everyone. First time poster.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 last summer with an hba1c of 54. I'd had a blood test for symptoms which I have been told were not related to diabetes (headaches) and this had come up as part of that. I was badly overweight and did zero exercise, so I'm not proud of saying the diagnosis didn't really come as a surprise. Anyway, I went on Metformin and put my lifestyle through a 180 degree change. I went on a low carb diet, lost 4 stone and started cycling 10-15 miles at a time. My hba1c dropped to 36. I stopped the Metformin (with the doctor's approval) and my last reading without the medication was 39.

I was delighted with this and I've carried on with the low carb/exercise regime, although not as religiously as I did at first, admittedly. I've still got a couple more stone to go and I eat lots of salad, omelettes that kind of thing.

Anyway my point (finally) is that I have never felt unwell with my diabetes. It brought it home to me yesterday. I properly fell off the wagon due to a combination of a work's thing at lunchtime (I had a club sandwich on white bread with egg mayo and chips and a couple of pints) and a thing in the evening (more alcohol and a pizza) and then because I was drunk by bedtime I also had a big bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes. There must have been enough carbs and sugar in that lot to sink a battleship. But the thing is that neither yesterday nor today do I feel any adverse effects for all that. I've read on the forums about people feeling ill the day after a day like that, but my question (finally) is: how would you expect to feel? What symptoms would you experience in that situation?

Thanks to everyone in advance.

bulkbiker said:

I'm guessing that as you are a "relaxed" low carber that you probably aren't in ketosis so will not suffer from the "carb flu" when you get knocked out by your carbfest. Also the alcohol may have played a apart as your liver would have processed that first. Do you test your blood? would be interesting to see how your sugars reacted to that lot.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't count myself as a hardliner. I do eat some carbs, but I try to stick to as few as possible. I'm certainly not in ketosis.

I was discouraged from testing my blood by my doctor. That said, I've since changed doctors because I'm not entirely sure what the last guy's doctorate was in, but I'm guessing English literature. Maybe it's something I need to start doing.

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

I should reiterate, though, just to be clear. I've never had anything that I would class as diabetic symptoms. Even before I was diagnosed, when my levels were high and my diet was, frankly, awful. Is that normal?

That's really interesting feedback. Thanks everyone. That's really helpful.

It's a very good point about testing. I'm going to start doing that and taking more control.

Thanks again everyone.