Official type 2 - struggling with diagnosis

[HeatherC92]

Hi all,

So today I got official confirmation I am a type 2 diabetic not type 1 as my antibodies were negative. I am a slim (46kg) active 32 year old female who is in complete shock and upset at this diagnosis. My mum was also diagnosed type 2 9 years ago at the same weight roughly and now at the age of 65 has extreme peripheral neuropathy to the point she cannot walk unaided although was told for years she had good control of her blood sugars. I am extremely paranoid about developing peripheral neuropathy now and I am now finding myself with the fear of eating any food that might slightly highten my blood sugars.My dr even stated he couldn’t believe how often I was checking my bloods which is around 4 tines per day but with no cgm etc I don’t know what else to do ! He also suggested because I currently have quite good control dropping a metformin tablet to once a day and anything under 10 mmol is good control but this seems to high, am I being paranoid ? My diagnosis hba1c was 84 and today came back at 55 I’ve been diagnosed since March. Any advise for someone who is really struggling with her diagnosis

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you are struggling with your diagnosis @HeatherC92 - it can feel overwhelming in the beginning, and especially with your family history weighing on your mind, feeling how you have ben is completely understandable. Be kind to yourself.

The recommended levels for people with T2 always used to be:

4-7mmol/L before meals and
No higher than 8.5mmol/L by 2hrs after meals

“Below 10” is an older ready-reckoner I think. The sort of thing I was told 30-odd years ago.

Try not to obsess over small wobbles in your BG levels. You can use pairs of before-after meal checks to evaluate each meal, aiming for a “meal rise” of no more than 2-3mmol/L above the ‘before’ number at 2hrs after the first bite.

If you see bigger rises, perhaps experiment with smaller portion sizes of the carbohydrate in the meal, or try a different carbohydrate source. Some people seem very sensitive to carbs from some sources, but have a much gentler response from others.

A BG meter can be a great way to fine-tune your meals, based on how your individual body responds.

Good luck!

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum, you have made very good progress since March especially since you were in doubt about the diabetes Type but now you have it confirmed then you can concentrate on finding an approach which will be enjoyable for you and therefore more likely to be sustainable.
Many find that a low carb approach is successful but that is usually because they also need to lose weight which really you do not need to do so it would be important to make sure that you also have plenty of protein and healthy fats.
This link may help you find a way you can modify your diet to get further reduction in blood glucose, it is based on no more than 130g carbs per day though some people find they need to go a bit lower. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
Ideas have changed since your Mum was diagnosed in how powerful diet can be in reducing blood glucose, I'm sorry to hear she suffers so much.

 

[Lisa65]

With such a low weight, early onset plus the familial aspect I'd be querying whether it could be MODY (monogenic diabetes caused by one faulty gene)
There are several kinds. You can read about it here.

What is Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young? // Diabetes Genes

 

[JITR]

@HeatherC92

You have done very well to get your HbA1c down to 55.

From my perspective (down from 104 to 32 in six months, without taking medication or BG readings) all you need to do now is tweak your diet, and take as much exercise of any kind as you can.

The tweaks I have in mind are well summarised by Dr Andrews' (Freshwell) Meal Planner and Food Lists.

How does your current diet compare?