Diagnosed today

[unicorn09]

Hello everyone,

I’m Becky and today I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Feeling pretty overwhelmed and have a billion questions and thoughts, so thought joining a forum would help me make new friends and answer some questions!

Look forward to talking with you xx

 

[CathyB]

Hi Becky, welcome 🙂
You have definitely done the right thing coming here, it’s a great forum with lovely people. What led to your diagnosis? What have you been advised so far?
Best advice I could give at this point is to read as much as you can here, all you need to know to manage your diabetes is on these pages. Ask away with any questions you have, no such thing as a stupid question and we will all do our best not to give stupid answers 😉

 

[Sharron1]

Hello everyone,

I’m Becky and today I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Feeling pretty overwhelmed and have a billion questions and thoughts, so thought joining a forum would help me make new friends and answer some questions!

Look forward to talking with you xx

HI, Ask as many questions that you need and then some more. The forum is a mine of info and helped so much. I was diagnosed in July 2018 and managed to get my levels down to pre-diabetes in Feb 2019. I kept a food diary and self tested until I knew what worked for me.

 

[merrymunky]

Hi Becky and welcome.

It’s so overwhelming to begin with. You are in the right place though. Xx

 

[unicorn09]

Hi Becky, welcome 🙂
You have definitely done the right thing coming here, it’s a great forum with lovely people. What led to your diagnosis? What have you been advised so far?
Best advice I could give at this point is to read as much as you can here, all you need to know to manage your diabetes is on these pages. Ask away with any questions you have, no such thing as a stupid question and we will all do our best not to give stupid answers 😉

Hi Cathy,
Thanks for the lovely reply! I was having heart palpitations and a tight chest, was very thirsty all the time and my feet were very sore. The doctors did an ECG which came back fine, then I had a bunch of blood tests where the diabetes one came back positive. The doctor has prescribed Metformin and has told me a little bit about changing my diet but has said a lot of information will be given to me by my diabetes nurse.
I feel very guilty, like I've done something horrible to cause this diagnosis. My diet has always needed improvement and I am overweight. The diagnosis has made me never want to eat again which I know is harmful and absolutely ridiculous but I feel so guilty.
I guess on the bright side it will force me to lose some weight which I've needed to do for a long time and to take better care of myself. 2018/19 have been extremely traumatic for me and the doctor said stress makes diabetes worse.
Sorry I'm sure you didn't need my life story there! Thanks for reading xx

 

[Docb]

Hi Becky, first thing to do is to stop beating yourself up for being human!!!! Humans are designed to eat well in times of plenty and store the excess for times of famine. If there is no famine then the store just keeps building up. Whole thing is made worse by those purveying starchy and sugar laden foods who are very skilled at pushing the buttons. They know, but never tell you, that there is a downside to scoffing their products. You have got to be wary of the other side. The are a large number of people telling the population that they need to loose weight and if you give them money they can fix it. They know how to push your buttons as well. Never tell you that if you get obsessive about loosing weight and go undeweight then you are into a whole new set of problems. Trick is to get educated, understand the basics, and then take control yourself.

Polemic over. Did you get an HBA1C test result? Do you know what it was? If you have not got your head round it yet, your HBA1C is a good measure of where you are at, and measuring it every three months or so tell you how things are going.

 

[merrymunky]

One thing you need to come to terms with and accept is that diabetes is a genetic condition.

I didn’t know this and initially punished myself because I believed my lifestyle and diet made me this way. I admit the carbs and rubbish yo yo dieting hasn’t helped me, neither has my weight BUT...the only reason any of us are diabetic is because someone else in the family line was also diabetic. Of course there are some anomalies to this and some people are just unlucky. But the majority of us will be able to trace it through the family. My father, my granddad and uncle on my mothers side are/were diabetic.

It sucks. No other way to describe it really.

But with a carefully controlled diet and exercise you can massively reduce your hba1c and I some cases, even reverse the diabetes. Professionals will always refer to you as diabetic forevermore but you can put it into remission. That’s my goal. I’ve lost nearly 2 stone since January and have upped my walking whilst I am not at work (taking some time out following a devastating baby loss after ten years trying with fertility issues) and this is really helping. I’m following slimming world but have had to cut out and massively reduce a lot of the carbs that slimming world usually encourages. So nothing massively drastic at the moment but it is definitely helping.

Most people would tell me to ditch slimming world and go low carb high fat. Ultimately we all have to find what works for us personally. For me that is to stick to slimming world and reduce carbs. That includes things like low fat yoghurts and fruit as well as the obvious bad carbs in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes etc.

It’s not easy, I won’t lie. I’ve cried tears of frustration and anger over the last few weeks but I know that ultimately the changes I’ve made will be beneficial in the long run.

Find what works for you, reduce those carbs, increase exercise and good luck on your journey.

 

[SueEK]

Hi Becky and a warm welcome to you. Firstly and most importantly, stop blaming yourself. There could be lots of reasons for you having diabetes, mine is bad luck which sucks. Take things a day at a time, look through the posts and ask ANY questions that come up. I am still asking questions myself and certainly still learning. Don’t get overwhelmed by it all but accept it is normal to feel absolutely rubbish having been diagnosed, we have all been there. The fact you have come on here straight away shows you really want to get to grips with things and I’m sure you will. Very good luck to you and remember we are all here for you. X

 

[trophywench]

Exactly what tests did 'they' do in order to firmly establish that you are T2, Ms Unicorn?

Your symptoms are exactly the same as mine were pre diagnosis - and T1 can happen whether you're 7 months or 70! How long had you had them?

 

[CathyB]

Hi Cathy,
Thanks for the lovely reply! I was having heart palpitations and a tight chest, was very thirsty all the time and my feet were very sore. The doctors did an ECG which came back fine, then I had a bunch of blood tests where the diabetes one came back positive. The doctor has prescribed Metformin and has told me a little bit about changing my diet but has said a lot of information will be given to me by my diabetes nurse.
I feel very guilty, like I've done something horrible to cause this diagnosis. My diet has always needed improvement and I am overweight. The diagnosis has made me never want to eat again which I know is harmful and absolutely ridiculous but I feel so guilty.
I guess on the bright side it will force me to lose some weight which I've needed to do for a long time and to take better care of myself. 2018/19 have been extremely traumatic for me and the doctor said stress makes diabetes worse.
Sorry I'm sure you didn't need my life story there! Thanks for reading xx

As the others have already said....you did not cause this! Get the diet right and you will change the way you feel (and eat) for the better and the weight will come off. Diabetes was the best thing that could have happened to me, I wouldn’t have chosen it but I’m not sorry I have it. I have never felt better, eaten better, slept better and felt more alive! Trust me, if I can do it so can you, we will all be here to help you every step of the way

 

[Madeline]

‘They’ automatically assume anyone who’s middle aged + is type 2. I was excessively thirsty - getting up to pee and drink 4-5 a night alone, had lost 15kg in 6 weeks, numb feet, eyesight gone wonk, was fainting, the lot. My Dad was Type 1 and I have hypothyroidism, plus there’s lupus and vitiligo on my side too. It’s so frustrating.

Hitting brick wall with testing. Here, on the other hand, is fabulous - everyone is so supportive and kind, and knowledgable! Welcome 🙂

 

[Drummer]

You really have not done anything wrong - diabetes happens to anyone at any time of life - but - if you are a lucky type two, by eating all the wrong things you can get back to normal - meat, fish, eggs, cheese, shellfish - small amounts of fruit (mostly berries with a low carb content) but lots of salad stuff, low carb veges, nuts and small amounts of high cocoa chocolate have got my tests just about normal.
By using fats the foods come with as your fuel the problem with carbs is sidestepped, job done.

 

[unicorn09]

Did you get an HBA1C test result? Do you know what it was? If you have not got your head round it yet, your HBA1C is a good measure of where you are at, and measuring it every three months or so tell you how things are going.

Hello Docb, thanks for taking the time to reply. I beat myself up about quite a lot of things which is a bad habit, but I am feeling motivated and positive about changing my diet today without taking things out on myself too much!

What is an HBA1C test? The doctor just said my blood test came back way too high. Sorry for my ignorance! I really appreciate your help xx

 

[unicorn09]

Hello merrymunky,

Thank you so much for your reply. My grandmother had diabetes and my aunt also has it. The doctor did say that genetics plays a part in it, but I guess I went straight for my own jugular and blamed myself, like you describe that you did initially.

My doctor also said I'd get an appointment with a specialist nurse who would contact me and help me with diet. I'm almost afraid to eat now, obsessively checking labels, exercising more, but so scared that if I go anywhere near sugar I'm gonna go blind. Sounds ridiculous I know.

2 stone since January is absolutely amazing and I completely admire you for your dedication. I have been living on carbs, changing that is going to be a huge battle for me. I successfully lost 2.5 stone on Slimming World previously so perhaps following some of their recipes would start me off? Like you say I guess I will have to find something that works for my body as one thing won't work for everyone. I'm so sorry for your loss also, how heartbreaking for you. Sending lots of love!

Thanks so much for your encouragement xx

 

[unicorn09]

Exactly what tests did 'they' do in order to firmly establish that you are T2, Ms Unicorn?

Your symptoms are exactly the same as mine were pre diagnosis - and T1 can happen whether you're 7 months or 70! How long had you had them?

Hi!
I've had one blood test that the doctor said confirms Type II diabetes. I've had pains in my feet and legs, blurry vision, constantly thirsty, heart palpitations.. I had those symptoms for about three weeks before I went to the doctor who ordered the blood tests on Thursday, I had them done on the Friday and was diagnosed on Monday. So a pretty fast turnaround really!
Apparently the diabetes nurse will do a bunch of checks though I don't know how long I'll need to wait for an appointment xx

 

[Docb]

Hi unicorn. My guess is that you had an HBA1C test but your doctor did not tell you what it was but it must have been above the threshold for diabetes. The symptoms suggest it might be well into the diabetic range.

Anyway, diabetes means that your blood glucose levels are above normal. There are essentially two ways of checking blood glucose. You can get an instantaneous reading from pricking your finger to get a drop of blood and using a meter to get a reading from it. Because your blood glucose varies a lot during the day the number you get depends on a load of things and only by doing a lot of tests can you get a decent picture of what is going on. The HBA1C is a single test which gives a measure of your average blood glucose over the last couple of months or so. It is the test normally used to diagnose diabetes and to get some measure of how far into the diabetic range you are. It is then used periodically to monitor how well medications, diet, exercise or whatever are working on reducing your blood glucose. Don't worry, you will soon get used to it all. When you go to see the nurse, ask what your HBA1C was because that is your starting point for getting things back under control. Take a note book with you and write it down together with whatever plan you and the nurse come up with to get your blood glucose down to normal levels.

You could do a lot worse than reading around things on the main site and dibbing into threads on this forum. As your knowledge increases things will begin to fall into place and allow you to go to your diabetes nurse appointment with a positive frame of mind and a load of questions to ask.

 

[leonS]

A few tips: get a note book and pen. Write any questions that you have and record the answers, and any other information that you are given.

Next insist that you are told what tests were performed and what the actual results were. Two reason for this: there are many very with-it members on this site and although the name of the test may mean nothing to you, they do know and a numerical result tells them a great deal. Second it shows your medical team that you are interested!

Next: medics tend to imply, or sometime even state, that any poor results are all your fault - treat such nonsense with the contempt that it deserves.

Good luck with DN and hope you see her very soon.

 

[Lynnelsf]

Hi Becky - welcome to a very select Club! I think you're very brave coming on here so soon - like you I was totally overwhelmed with it - I am overweight, eat c**p and drink too much so why it came as a shock I have no idea! But you can do this - you just need to alter your diet, and take more exercise, whatever that might be for you - just more than you did before. I have had absolutely no desire to eat sweets since my diagnosis - Cadbury's may go out of business, but that's their lookout! I have changed what I drink and how much and how often. The Diabetes UK website is great and I've just been on a self management course - Desmond - and they recommend that you use this site for reference as it has the most uptodate and accurate info on it. Just take a day at a time and you'll get there - but be kind to yourself too - it is a biggie, so just take some time to get your head round it. Keep us posted with your progress!

 

[CathyB]

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/food-carb-queries-recipes.4/

You might find this page useful 😛

It’s not as hard as you think, I looked at it that avoiding carbs was in the same box as taking my metformin or my heart meds, it had to be part of my ‘treatment’ so that my head would accept I couldn’t, rather than wouldn’t eat them. I love a good curry, I now have it with cauliflower rice or sometimes just on its own, same with chilli, I just add cheese 🙂 I make a lot of soup, playing with different veg mixes, cauliflower & broccoli is really yummy and quick to make, then again I put a sprinkle of cheese and a splash of cream & dive in! Omelette & salad, another quick meal. You will find after a while that you can’t eat the amount you may have had before, with the higher healthy fats you will feel full quicker. Loads of great food ideas on the link above and in other threads so go make a cuppa, get comfy and read as much as you can, then post any questions you have