Why am I diabetic 2?

foxglove said:

I know that it is a strange question but I really don't know how it is that I have been diagnosed with this.
I have never had a bad reading of my sugar levels and I have been doing them myself and not had a high reading either.. I am at a loss to know how this is. I have not been prescribed anything.

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What was your HBA1c?

foxglove said:

I really don't know how it is that I have been diagnosed with this.

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Are you saying that your HCP has told you nothing?

You must have had some test or other that would have resulted in the diagnosis.

How often and when do you test your BG?
Bear in mind all a BG test can tell you is your BG at that time and gives no indication of your BG between readings.
You may find your BG goes high between readings.

As above, you need to see your GP and ask what is the evidence for diabetes.

We screened the elderly of Melton Mowbray for diabetes 30 years ago and on the GP diabetes register were three folk who did not have diabetes; one had impaired glucose tolerance, one had a low renal threshold for glycosuria and one had a name similar to that of a diabetic person. So mistakes with labels occur.

People can have a fairly high glucose level whilst unwell and not be diabetic - highest I have ever seen was 21 mmol/L, and conversely, people with diabetes can have very normal glucose levels on fingerprick testing if well controlled. And some diabetic people lose a lot of weight and reverse the diabetes; 50 lbs weight loss is impressive - well done.

So your GP should have the answers

good luck and best wishes

Hi. If you are defined as diabetic you will be on the NHS Diabetes register and entitled to a review at least once year, eye-testing and so on. Yes, do check all this with the GP.

foxglove said:

Thanks for the replies everyone .. I had to look up what some of the words were
I was diagnosed some many years ago when I was at my heaviest and just accepted what I was told and have never questioned it!
I don't do a test every day but when I have and when I was in hospital my readings have always been okay ., I definitely will be asking my doctor (HCP) about it.
Thanks again.

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Ask what tests you had to diagnose you and what the actual levels were (numbers) and have been ever since. “Fine or okay” can mean a lot of different things to different people and sometimes really aren’t fine at all.

What numbers do you see? What sort of diet do you eat?

As to why you got it? Well there’s lots of factors including an element of genetic bad luck, a carb heavy diet purported to be healthy but not really at all if suspectible to diabetes, a diet full of processed or sugary foods stressing the metabolism the tries to cope - until it can’t anymore, weight gain is both a symptom and an aggravating factor. And possibly more that we just aren’t certain about.

Ask for copies of your blood work each time you get it done. If you can I think you would find it helpful to get copies of the past blood work or at least find out what your past A1C's were and write them down. And different doctors will have different opinions what is okay.

This will give you an idea of how you are doing test to test.

foxglove said:

Thanks for the replies everyone .. I had to look up what some of the words were
I was diagnosed some many years ago when I was at my heaviest and just accepted what I was told and have never questioned it!
I don't do a test every day but when I have and when I was in hospital my readings have always been okay ., I definitely will be asking my doctor (HCP) about it.
Thanks again.

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If you were diagnosed as T2 some years ago have you never been asked to go to your GP practise for a diabetes review you should have one every year at least

foxglove said:

I have never had a bad reading of my sugar levels

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foxglove said:

when I was in hospital my readings have always been okay

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What are your readings? When I was last in hospital (4 months ago) for a procedure requiring a general anesthetic, my BG was 10 mmol/l and was told that was OK. As I hadn't eaten that morning I would have said that was high and not OK. I wanted the procedure done and dusted so didn't argue.

Your HbA1c will be a good indicator of how your diabetes is being managed.

@David The hospitals, whether for surgery or admitted to them, like to keep your Bg's at higher levels than most of us would want. But they are deathly scared of hypos and you probably won't win any arguments to have it too much lower than what they want it at.