diagnosed 10 days ago, my journey begins....

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Matthew rees

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Type 2
Hello everybody, great to see such energy and enthusiasm invested in this difficult modern disease, its clearly at epidemic levels and frankly I have wondered if the contagion could really gave reached these levels. Ironically I'm now diagnosed as Type 2 myself.
My first investigations into Type 2 where instigated by my Doctor testing me when I reached 60 years old, I scraped in as clear but definitely threatened. 18 months later, Boom! I'm shocked to be diagnosed as fully Type 2.
My bmi is 23 and getting lower as I'm shedding weight, my diet is ruined by lack of sleep and constipation, I'm not particularly thirsty, I have a permanent headache, and a very sore stomach ache with wind and flatulence.
I'm awaiting the results of CT scan and further diagnosis, early days, sadly I'm relying on will power to get some exercise, but it does make me feel better.
I feel this is some type of test, don't smoke, given up drinking, always taken lots of different exercise, never been over weight, is it possible to damage the pancreas with a diet of pasta, red wine, tomato, peppers, salads, the food of Elizabeth David!
Never added sugar, never drunk a fizzy drink apart from Tonic....gin, vodka, ice, lime or lemon.
Inspired and impressed by you forum members, I'm sure I won't match your levels of discipline but every journey starts with a small step.....what is your recommended step for this puzzled and sceptical Type 2 newbie?
My prescription is 500 mg Metformin twice a day and 160 mg Gliclazide twice a day.
 
Hi Matthew, welcome to the forum 🙂 When are your next tests due? Although weight is an important risk factor in developing Type 2 diabetes, a large proportion of people are normal weight when diagnosed (around 20% of all cases), so it can be a shock. Do you have any family history of diabetes? The other possibility is that you have been initially misdiagnosed and may in fact be a slow-onset Type 1 - also known as Type 1.5 or LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood). This is and autoimmune condition, nothing to do with weight or diet, where your immune system is attacking the insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas, meaning you are gradually losing the insulin that helps to keep your blood sugar levels under control. This process can take months or even years - in my case it took about 18 months before it suddenly became very apparent!

My concern is what you say about your weight, and the fact that you are not overweight, but losing it, which can be a symptom of LADA/Type 1.5. I would recommend that you suggest this possibility to your doctor - many GPs will diagnose a person as Type 2 simply based on their age, and we have had many, many people here who have been misdiagnosed on that very basis. I'm not saying that it is a misdiagnosis, just suggesting the possibility - you need a correct diagnosis in order to receive the appropriate treatment. Do you know the results of the tests that led to you being diagnosed?
 
Hi Matthew and welcome to the forum.
 
Matthew rees said:
a very sore stomach ache with wind and flatulence.
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Sorry, meant to add, those are common side-effects of metformin. They should ease as your body becomes adjusted to the medication, but do let your GP know if it becomes intolerable as there is a 'slow-release' version which many people get on with better. Also, have you been given a blood glucose meter and a prescription for test strips? Gliclizide is a medication which can cause low blood glucose so you need to be able to test your blood, particularly before driving, to ensure your levels are not too low i.e. not below 5.0 mmol/l if about to drive or 4.0 mmol/l at other times - if it does drop low then you need to 'treat' it with something sugary, like a jelly baby or a biscuit. Again, if you haven't been given a meter and strips ask your GP. How long have you been having the headaches - before or since you started on the gliclizide? Headaches can be a sign that your blood glucose levels have dropped too low, possibly in your sleep.
 
Headaches can also be a symptom of HIGH blood glucose as well!

Without knowing what your blood glucose is actually doing day to day at various intervals, it's very difficult to conclude much at all - bit like driving a car blindfolded really. Plus if you do drive a car and are on Glic - you should have a meter and strips prescribed definitely since the drug can cause hypoglcaemia and you are obliged to test.

The auto immune and genetic elements of diabetes are far too frequently totally ignored by the tabloids who automatically lump everyone diabetic together for being fat and bringing it on themselves. A tall T2 friend of mine - nicknamed Lanky since her schooldays - is always the human embodiment of this big fat lie, for me!

Headline news - thousands of thin people diagnosed with diabetes - just doesn't have the same pulling power since it seems the gutter press - and the gutter public - always need someone to blame for any sensation that hits the world, don't they? Every single Russian who ever enjoyed watching a football match in their life is a hooligan, and should be shot, obviously ....
 
Thank you so much! Well, I don't have the details of the original diagnosis, are these the figures you good people are showing on your profile pages?
My original test from my Doctors appointment was 18.80 with a strip monitor on 31st May, I have continued to use the monitor to test 4 to 5 times a day. My readings seem to have established themselves at a fasting point, very early in the morning in the 8.00's, it has taken 12 days to get to this level. They return those numbers after 3-4 hours during the day and lift 2-3 points after I've eaten. So I'm moving between low 8.00's and low 11.00's.
My weight loss is 10 kilos over a 8 week period since i became constipated and felt unwell, my caloric intake is very low, i was sent to A & E by the Doctor as I had Ketones in my pee, she seemed very concerned. I'm eating very few Carbs having become furious at the failure of Pasta and a Carb rich diet to look after me, it does give some evidence to the decline in food quality over the last 45 years. My energy levels are low, my stomach hurts, cooking is not on my agenda currently, i'll review that after my next appointment....the Slow Release Metformin sounds a great option to try.
I have another appointment on the 23rd June where I guess we will review the CT scan, and the improvement in my readings.
My self help regime is an early morning brisk walk, bike rides and some Anaerobic work in the gym to come after they've taught me how not to kill myself with the kit!
Frankly i could not tell if my blood sugars got below 5, I think its unlikely, I just don't feel very well at all, all the time.
You've given me much to ask my Doctor's which will inform the next stage, Thank you all again for your time....Matthew
 
The ketones are concerning Matthew :( What did they say in A&E? High blood glucose levels and high ketones can indicate a condition called DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) which can be life-threatening. Do ask for a meter and blood ketone testing strips also at the doctors. It does not sound typical of a Type 2 diagnosis at all, but does have some parallels with my own diagnosis. I lost around 10 kilos over an 18 month period (I was only 72 kilos to begin with) then I caught a virus which completely tipped me over the edge and I ended up in A&E with DKA (it's much harder for your body to cope when you have a virus). Treatment for me from that point on was insulin.

With a slow-onset Type 1 your pancreas is still producing insulin, but not enough. You've partly countered this by reducing carbs, which are what principally raise levels, and also the gliclizide stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin. However, there can be a limit to how long this situation can continue. Be very firm with the doctor and do not let them dismiss the possibility that you are not Type 2.
 
Hi Matthew, welcome to the forum....

Looks like you have the right positive attitude to get you on the way to controlling this disease. Like it has been mentioned, there is a significant genetic component, added to which this Low Fat thing they have been pushing down our throats for the last 40 or so years!!!

Didn't notice anybody mention the HbA1c test, this would be important to know as this gives a 3 month average of your BG so you can see (overall) whether you are meeting your goals as opposted to the daily management using a BG meter.
 
You probably wouldn't notice if you got under 5 - you aren't even supposed to - to any vast extent really! However if they get very much at all under 4 - you'll know alright! and if you can't feel anything different once you are below 3.3 then you are probably already dead LOL Below 3.3 is when, clinically speaking, it ALWAYS affects your brain - whether you choose to believe it has, or not.

And we do get exceedingly stubborn when our BG is low - it's an absolute that one LOL 😉
 
Matthew rees said:
Ketones in my pee, she seemed very concerned. I'm eating very few Carbs
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Very few carbs? go low enough then that can put you in Nutritional Ketosis (where you are burning fat as your primary source of energy). However, I think they were right in erring on the side of caution.... I have pee stick & check myself every so often even though I'm T2, tend to see my Ketone levels in the 1-2.5 range for the most part.
 
You are all so well informed and focussed on management of this little present we've been sent.
I have a sister who is type 2 so it is likely that my problems originate in the family rather than diet and lifestyle.
I've got to pin down the right diagnosis and only then can I set off on the road to recovery.....thank you all, I'll report back next week....
 
Hi Martin. Welcome to forum, and hope some of your symptoms settle soon
 
So I'm religiously taking my blood glucose levels 4 to 5 times a day, I guess I'll begin to get some idea of how I should be managing my diet.
I'm not sure whether this works but during the first week after my Doctor sent me to A&E my readings showed daily averages of between 18mmol and 13mmol. I was being prescribed one metformin 500 gm once a day and two gliclazide twice a day.
After this week I lost around 5 kg, I felt dreadful and did not eat any carb or very little, not hard to do when you feel sick as a dog, slept fitfully.
My Doctor doubled the Metformin and within a day my blood sugars had dropped to 10mmol, they have continued to drop so my morning fasting readings for the last 7 days are below 9mmol and have reached
ground breaking 6.5mmol.
I'm still at 50% of maximum Metformin dosage, I still have constipation, and wind....or what I think iswind, both ends are relatively explosive, yoga and exercise is not something I'll be doing in public for a while.
So I'm encouraged, exercise does work no doubt, hot baths relieve stomach pains, there is hope!
I'll be settling into a regime of everything " a little and often ", this seems to be a lifestyle changing disease, time consuming, such a pain in the arse in so many ways....next Doctors appointment.....so many questions?
 
Look Matt - if bodging your fingers to do blood tests is a PITA - you're doing it wrong!

😉
 
Doh!
What does this mean? It could well be a joke or advice.....but I'm clueless.....I've been 'bodging' most things in my life so far....xx
 
Some refer to the blood letting device to take bloods as a bodger!
 
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