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I was diagnosed as Type 2 ten years ago when I was given the pint of Lucazade test at a new doctors. I have tried every medication available and either have extreme side effects or they do not achieve the scores required by the NHS. I am now headed for insulin injections. My problem is that I do not feel ill. The only time I feel unwell is due to medication. I am so confused.
I'm not sure why you seem to think that the lack of symptoms is a problem. Many Type 2 diabetics have no clear symptoms except for high Blood Glucose. You must have had regular HbA1C blood tests - do you know the results from the last 2 of those ?
I presume that you have been unsuccessful at controlling your Blood Glucose if your Doctor is talking about insulin injections, since this is usually one of the last things they use to try to control Blood Sugar in Type 2's.
Were you ever advised to reduce Sugary foods (not just table sugar, but all added sugar and fruit juice) and starchy foods like baked products, pasta, potatoes and rice? - If so did you try to do that?
High glucose levels can kill cells in the body, notably the cells of the nerves, blood vessels and the eyes. The lack of sensation caused by damaged nerves, and a poor blood supply can cause minor infections in the feet to become infected very quickly.
Many foot amputations result from such infections, if not treated very quickly. A very common cause of blindness is diabetic complcations.
There are other problems too, associated with poor blood supply.
These kinds of damage are NOT reversible.
The best way to avoid such damage is to keep BG at reasonable levals. This is why your Dr. is talking of insulin.
It is worth noting that when you have had BG high for some time the body gets used to this and sends out warnings when the BG returns to more normal figures. This can make you feel very ill for a short time. This is not an adverse reaction!
I had no obvious signs of diabetes other than feeling rather old for my years.
That is not a normal diagnostic test for type two - at least not here in the UK. The Hba1c is the one used.
However - quite a few typical, and lucky type twos can lower their blood glucose levels by cutting down the amount of carbohydrate they eat. I have done that and feel much better than I had come to accept as normal.
Has your doctor ever suggested trying low carb due to your reaction to medication? I took Metformin and Atorvastatin for a few weeks and then threw them away - I could not live with them.
Hello @She Davis4 . They usually do blood tests (Hb1ac) here in the UK to diagnose diabetes.
When I was diagnosed back in 94 I had no symptoms my diagnosis came about due to an infection and
My Hb1ac blood test which checks the amount of glucose that has stuck to the red blood cells over the past 12 or so weeks was very high . My diabetes is controlled by my diet and medications, over the years I’ve been on a few and they eventually stopped working , so now I am on insulin and am very glad I am, for me it’s been a godsend but some medics and nurses hold it over our head like a threat , that it’s something awful and it really isn’t, for some unlucky people type two progresses no matter how hard they try to control it by going low carbohydrate and exercise.
For others it’s because they may have another type of diabetes
I am wondering if you or they have considered that you may not have T2 but another rarer slow onset type of T1 , LADA latent autoimmune diabetes in adults or type 1.5 (don’t worry as it’s very manageable);
This can initially respond to T2 medications and lifestyle changes but eventually they stop working and insulin is required.
TBH I think you ought to be referred to the specialists at the hospital diabetes clinic rather than the generalists
at your Gp practice where some have never even heard of LADA .
Their are blood tests that can help diagnose whether or not you have autoimmune diabetes (T1 or LADA) .
I think the best one but don’t quote me is the C-peptide test which checks how much insulin your pancreas is producing , this would be low to non existent with T1 or LADA and would normally be high with T2 .
Another is the GAD , which tests for antibodies that destroy the beta cells in the pancreas which produce our insulin. My understanding with this test is that antibodies will be high if they are attacking our beta cells but will be low or not showing if not in attack mode.
Insulin is a natural hormone that we should produce ourselves, so it’s unlikely that the insulin will cause you problems , but as it’s made in vats using chemicals etc some people can react to them however, their are many different variety’s produced using quite different methods and their is still one animal insulin available , so if you do need insulin they will find one that suits you.
Thank you all so much for your responses it is very heartwarming to know that there are people out there who understand. My HBA1c core has now reached 10, which is the highest in ten years. I diet, exercise and have lost three stone but it hasn't done a thing to the diabetes, cholesterol or triglicarides. Although I do feel fitter.
I must agree that the thought of taking insulin frightens me but as medication has caused me problems, I have to give it a try. A community diabetic nurse (who I sought out myself through a Diabetes UK event) has proved invaluable compared to the practice nurses who have continually blamed me for this condition. Thank you.
An Hb1ac of 10 is 86 in the not so new measurement, which is high.
When you say diet do you mean reducing considerably the carbohydrates or just the calories ?
Please don’t be scared of insulin, I’ve been on insulin for around three years now and it’s just another part of my life now and one that helps give me good control of my diabetes. A bit of useless info , in the UK Their are more folks with T2 on insulin than their are folks who have T1.
Please also consider that you may not have T2, do try to get those tests. Many on here were originally diagnosed T2 who later turned out not to be .
In my opinion with an Hb1ac at that level they should be referring you to the specialists at the hospital, you might have to fight for the referral but it will be well worth it.
I had the c-peptide test a month ago which came back with 'good insulin production' - this was not explained to me by the general nurse at the doctor's, but I did hang onto the word 'good'. The diet I've been on for the last ten years is no salt, no sugar - I haven't tried the low-carb. I could give that a try. I lost a lot of weight when I stopped taking Pioglitazone after four years. I was criticised for gaining weight by the nurses, when it was a side effect of the drug!
Oh, and I'm under a lipidologist at the hospital but although she gets blood tests for my diabetes along with 'fats-related' issues. The latter being her main focus.
I had the c-peptide test a month ago which came back with 'good insulin production' - this was not explained to me by the general nurse at the doctor's, but I did hang onto the word 'good'. The diet I've been on for the last ten years is no salt, no sugar - I haven't tried the low-carb. I could give that a try. I lost a lot of weight when I stopped taking Pioglitazone after four years. I was criticised for gaining weight by the nurses, when it was a side effect of the drug!
Ahh the C peptide tests showed good Insulin production so you definitely have T2.
Yes I suggest you try a low carb diet as with T2 it’s not really sugar we need to concern ourself about, it’s all starchy carbohydrates of which sugar is one of, as you are already under a Lipidologist it may not be a good idea to follow the High fat part of the LCHF (low carb high fat ) diet many of us here follow, but do check with your lipidologist.
Some things that are considered healthy may not be good for us. Fruit esp the juicy ones are full of fructose, a fruit sugar anything with berry in its name is often tolerated better, fruit juice and smoothies are high carbohydrate as are many breakfast cereals.
I know you are not new to diabetes but you may find the info in these links helpful.
For future reference you’ll find the below and and more on the thread called
Useful links fir people new to diabetes , which is at the top of the newbies forum. maggie-daveys-letter-to-newly-diagnosed-type-2s.
test-review-adjust by Alan S
Sadly most Gp practices won’t provide a glucose meter and test strips unless we are on meds that can cause hypo’s , it’s a cost saving measure.
So many of us self Sunday’s our own , it the ongoing cost of the test strips we have to watch out for, some meters use test strips that cost £15 or more for a pot of 50 (you can only use each strip once)
The SD Codefree meter is one of the cheapest ones to self fund we know of , it’s strips are £8 for a pot of 50
I think this is a problem with the advice that health care professionals give to diabetics. Sugar is a very small part of the diabetes issue. It is carbohydrates in general as the body breaks down starchy foods very rapidly into glucose too and in fact I found that the healthier brown carb alternatives like wholemeal bread and pasta and porridge spiked my blood for 8-10 hours which meant that if I had porridge for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch and some potatoes with my evening meal then each meal I ate, the spike from it was partly piggy backed onto the rise from the previous meal, so that my BG just steadily rose and whilst it dropped back slightly overnight it was still incrementally higher each day. By stopping eating those starchy carbs as well as sugar and being careful about fruit I eventually got down into single figures. I know it seems impossible to live without bread and pasta and potatoes and rice and porridge or breakfast cereal but once you learn a new way of eating which includes meat fish eggs nuts mushrooms full fat dairy and lots of veggies, you get to a point that you enjoy your diet and don't really miss them.... it just takes a few months to figure out what to buy and how best to cook things to make it work for you.
If you give us an idea of your average daily menu, we might be able to suggest ways in which you could alter it to make it lower carb.
Buying a BG test meter and testing yourself before and 2hrs after each meal is also a good idea so that you can tailor your diet to how your body responds to certain foods. They are not expensive to buy, but the on going cost of test strips can become a financial drain so it makes sense to buy one which has the cheapest test strips and for that reason the SD Codefree is mostly recommended here on the forum. It costs about £13 and then £8 per pot of 50 test strips. I believe it is available on Amazon.
Thank you Barbara and Ljc
I learnt very early on that fruit is a problem as I had tingling fingertips. Tried the low-carb/high fat but couldn't get used to the fat as I'd cut it out of my diet years ago. I have a test kit so I feel quite lucky compared to you having to buy it.
I'm gonna try reducing carbs though - who knew about porridge (which I've been told to eat by the nurse).
Plenty to thing about - best thing I've done joining this forum x
I've read all these posts from members who are very much more experienced dealing with diabetes than I am, being diagnosed in August 2019. But I've been told by my GP and Diabetes Support nurse to follow a low carb, low fat diet, as I can't take statins, other cholesterol lowering medications or Metformin. So I thought it might help you to see what I eat, as I certainly don't starve, but have lowered my HbA1c and my weight in 4 months, whilst I continue to socialise. My daily carb intake is around 75m a day - I did try lower but was concerned I wasn't getting enough essential vitamins and minerals, as I began to feel very tired. Diabetes UK recommends less than 130gm a day.
Breakfast is usually some combination of poached egg, low salt bacon medallions, grilled mushrooms, grilled tomatoes. I do sometimes have some frozen fruit which I realise you can't take, with Greek yogurt.
Lunch is either a salad or home made soup. The salad consists of lots of different salad veggies (not the pre-made supermarket salads loaded with oils, fatty dressings etc) with a fat free dressing, and a portion of protein (75-100gm), like tuna in spring water, prawns, poached salmon, egg, fat free cottage cheese, reduced fat mature cheddar, baked chicken, low salt ham. The soup I make without thickening (no potato, flour, pasta etc) but thicken by pureeing some of the vegetables, then I add some diced cooked chicken.
Dinner is usually a portion of baked fish or poultry (in tinfoil with lemon and herbs, not in batter or breadcrumbs), plus around 5 veggies. I do a casserole with chicken, veggies and stock occasionally. I use carrot/swede puree or roasted squash instead of potatoes. Others use things like cauliflower or broccoli rice, or protein noodles/courgetti for rice or pasta substitutes.
In addition I have 5 mugs of tea with a dash of skimmed milk. After that I drink lots of water. Eating out I usually go for a soup or salad, and ask for a side salad instead of bread, or instead of potato if I have a main meal. I'll ask for stir fry veggies with cashew nuts when we go out for a Chinese, or Tandoori Chicken and salad at the Indian restaurant.
There are lots of other food suggestions from various members in this Forum. I hope the low-carb approach works for you, as it has for me.
Thanks for this Felinia, I wish I'd got this advice ten years ago and that nurses knew about it too, so that we were pointed in the right direction earlier. I now realise porridge and potatoes are my downfall. Although I don't like cauliflower I'm going to try the 'rice' and stop feeling guilty about my meat intake. I realise I can't go into any sort of remission as I've had diabetes for too long. I was the bane of the nursing profession because I couldn't take Metformin or Statins (they reduced me to a zombie-like state with terrible balance issues).
Interesting that a third of people diagnosed with type 2 cannot tolerate their meds - I was made to feel I was just being awkward because I felt so bad!
I fed back to someone from the local CCG looking into the treatment of diabetics with a four-page document about my 'journey' which was not good. I am pleased to say this has shown signs of improvement now - hopefully helping newly diagnosed people like yourself. Bit late for me though.
Thanks for this Felinia, I wish I'd got this advice ten years ago and that nurses knew about it too, so that we were pointed in the right direction earlier. I now realise porridge and potatoes are my downfall. Although I don't like cauliflower I'm going to try the 'rice' and stop feeling guilty about my meat intake. I realise I can't go into any sort of remission as I've had diabetes for too long. I was the bane of the nursing profession because I couldn't take Metformin or Statins (they reduced me to a zombie-like state with terrible balance issues).
Interesting that a third of people diagnosed with type 2 cannot tolerate their meds - I was made to feel I was just being awkward because I felt so bad!
I fed back to someone from the local CCG looking into the treatment of diabetics with a four-page document about my 'journey' which was not good. I am pleased to say this has shown signs of improvement now - hopefully helping newly diagnosed people like yourself. Bit late for me though.
I was told that I'd had the worst side effects the practice had seen from statins. Fortunately with an HbA1c now at 48 Metformin would not be prescribed anyway. I just need to stick to the eating plan. My other issue was portion size, but now I weigh and measure everything, to be sure of my carbs, and that too helped. Best wishes
Do be aware that fat in the diet doesn't become fat in the body - nor does it become cholesterol - your body makes it, as it is an essential component of your nervous system, including the brain.
You do need to use fat as fuel to kep the body in ketosis rather than chasing glucose and possibly breaking down protein to make it - it can mean losing muscle mass, which is not good.
eating low carb doesn't mean slathering on butter or other fats - I have two bottles of olive oil one light for frying and one virgin for salad dressings, and they last for months. I don't use any other fat except that which comes with the meat or fish I buy.
My Hba1c was 91 at diagnosis, but I went straight back to low carb, and in 80 days was no longer in the diabetic range.
I do feel that so much effort and finance has been wasted chasing low cholesterol, even though there is very little to show for it in extended lifespan or avoiding cardio vascular problems.
Thanks for this Felinia, I wish I'd got this advice ten years ago and that nurses knew about it too, so that we were pointed in the right direction earlier. I now realise porridge and potatoes are my downfall. Although I don't like cauliflower I'm going to try the 'rice' and stop feeling guilty about my meat intake. I realise I can't go into any sort of remission as I've had diabetes for too long. I was the bane of the nursing profession because I couldn't take Metformin or Statins (they reduced me to a zombie-like state with terrible balance issues).
Interesting that a third of people diagnosed with type 2 cannot tolerate their meds - I was made to feel I was just being awkward because I felt so bad!
I fed back to someone from the local CCG looking into the treatment of diabetics with a four-page document about my 'journey' which was not good. I am pleased to say this has shown signs of improvement now - hopefully helping newly diagnosed people like yourself. Bit late for me though.
Who says that you can't go into any sort of remission!
There have been T2's of up to 20ys since diagnosis who have gone LCHF (or just Low Carb) and have gone into remission with zero diabetes medications - so it is possible!
Don't get me wrong though, the longer since diagnosis, the less likely it is and the longer it will take. But possible? - Heck, YES even after they start amputating toes!
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
is the C-peptide test which checks how much insulin your pancreas is producing , this would be low to non existent with T1 or LADA and would normally be high with T2 .
