Worried I May Be Diabetic

If your results come back as diabetic, come back here, you’ll get oodles of support and info. And remember it’s a pretty easy to manage condition, with a little homework and effort on your part you will be healthy again very soon.
PS there’s always Diet Coke

Yes, do see your GP and ask for the diabetes diagnosis tests. You will get what is called an HbA1c. This calculates your average blood sugar levels over the previous 2 to 3 months. While you are at the surgery, ask if they put test results on-line, and how to register for this. Failing that, when your results arrive you need to ask for a print out. You need all the information from the tests, which should also include cholesterol, liver and kidney functions. They are all equally important to us.

Good luck, and let us know what happens. We aree all here to help.

dbayley79 said:

Hi Everyone, my name is Dave and I'm from the West Midlands. I have had a pretty scary ride over the past couple of years as I managed to become addicted to painkillers which eventually led to me seeking treatment and being put on a drug called Buprenorphine. I take 10mg of said drug daily and I am monitored regularly at the rehab centre.

Since being put on this drug I have had an immense craving for sugar and all things sweet (I already had a sweet tooth before any of this happened). After almost 2 years of treatment I noticed some symptoms such as needing to pee a lot more, incredible thirst, headaches that can't be relieved with paracetamol/ibuprofen, sleeping all the time - day & night and some blurred vision. I recently bought some glucose urine test strips which were showing not high but moderate amounts of glucose in my pee. I then bought a blood sugar testing kit (Gluco Rd Nexus), and so far I've done 2 tests.
Test 1: 2 hours after eating dinner and the results were showing as 11.2 mmol/l
Test 2: I did this one this morning after fasting for 10 hours and the reading was 7.2 mmol/l
I have checked online and I see that this is classed as high for someone who hasn't been diagnosed with diabetes. Should I be going to see my gp straight away or should I do more testing first? I have put 3 stone on since being put on Buprenorphine and my Mom is type 1 diabetic. I am currently 18 stone 8 pounds.

Any help would be massively appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Dave B

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Everything I thought I should say, has already been said by others. HbA1c, kidney, liver and cholesterol will all be checked by the lab, there's still a diet coke, and two home tests aren't conclusive, but enough reason to get checked.

Just so you know, IF you are diagnosed a T2 (or 1, or mody, lada, whatever), you're welcome here for support and answers. And most importantly, you WILL be okay. Really. There's been a lot of developments in diabetes care. Though not all doctors and dieticians are up to speed, people here certainly are. You're not alone in this.

Good luck!
Jo

dbayley79 said:

Hi and thank you very much for replying so quickly - I know how busy everyone is these days and we hardly get a moment to ourselves!

I will book an appointment with my GP this afternoon and will take it from there. Thanks again

Dave B

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Keep us informed on what the GP says

Not a lot more I can add, but maybe take some more home blood glucose tests before you actually see your GP, for example as you take your first bits of a meal, and 1, 2 & 4 hours after. The more info you can take with you, the better.

@dbayley It is a lot to take in when you get that diagnosis, and will take a bit of time to get your head around it all.
Do you know what your HbA1c test result figure is?

@dbayley79

Hello Dave 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 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.
  

dbayley79 said:

Aah thank you and yes I will get an appointment ASAP. Its nice to know there's somewhere to post online for support as well.

Looks like either way I'm going to have to give up my favourite beverage - Coca Cola . Just seeing how much sugar is in a 500ml bottle is a wake up call!

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Hi Dave, never mind the coke, wait until you realise the sugar content in just about everything else as well! I never thought I would be afraid of an apple.

KK123 said:

Hi Dave, never mind the coke, wait until you realise the sugar content in just about everything else as well! I never thought I would be afraid of an apple.

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Indeed, you can get Diet Coke but unfortunately not a Diet Apple!