Hello! Diagnosed 3 weeks ago

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nbegbaaji

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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She/Her
Hb1AC came back at 85 in May, but I wasn't notified because my 'assigned' GP was on holiday when the results came in. Unable to book an appt with her, I eventually booked in with another GP, in August, for other test results and asked: "First of all, AM I diabetic?" "Well, Yes!" she casually replies - by which time my Hb1ac was 105! ‍♀️

The scary thing is that I had felt absolutely fine up until then. I had become extremely thirsty, but simplty increased my water intake THEN my weight miraculously plummeted, but I simply embraced it!️ ‍♀️ Other than that, I was experiencing some tiredeness, but not narcolepsy level!

I got a bit overwhelmed when I first came to this site. There was just soooooooooo much info to absorb and take in and I couldn't figure out where to begin!

Anyway, hello to you all!
 
nbegbaaji said:
Hb1AC came back at 85 in May, but I wasn't notified because my 'assigned' GP was on holiday when the results came in. Unable to book an appt with her, I eventually booked in with another GP, in August, for other test results and asked: "First of all, AM I diabetic?" "Well, Yes!" she casually replies - by which time my Hb1ac was 105! ‍♀️

The scary thing is that I had felt absolutely fine up until then. I had become extremely thirsty, but simplty increased my water intake THEN my weight miraculously plummeted, but I simply embraced it!️ ‍♀️ Other than that, I was experiencing some tiredeness, but not narcolepsy level!

I got a bit overwhelmed when I first came to this site. There was just soooooooooo much info to absorb and take in and I couldn't figure out where to begin!

Anyway, hello to you all!
Click to expand...
Hi @nbegbaaji and welcome to the club that nobody wants to join. (I stole that from someone else on this forum BTW - it's a very good line) Your GP experience is not uncommon unfortunately, generally speaking. I don't think many GPs fully get what it's like to be told that you're diabetic.

The single best online resource I know of on the subject of Type 2, how it happens, and what to do about it, is this long video interview with Prof Roy Taylor - Link. I link that video every day or two on various (other) internet forums as it contains pretty much everything a recently-diagnosed person needs to know to get started, though I imagine few people watch it all as it's 2 hours long.

It's well worth checking out the 'Learning Zone' on this website first if you haven't already, to get a handle on the basics, so the information in the video might be easier to understand.

I would recommend the following books if you're a reader:
'Life Without Diabetes' by Prof Roy Taylor (most of the key information is in the video linked above but the book explains it better and in more detail)
'How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes' by Dr. David Cavan

Both of these books were written fairly recently by actual diabetes experts (unlike many other books out there) and take the most recent science into account. Taylor explains how Type 2 happens and what to do about it, and Cavan explains how a low-carb diet and testing your blood glucose levels in order to plan a diet can help enormously. Perhaps take the things Cavan has to say about subjects like cholesterol and exercise with a gigantic grain of salt - he's very much the 'fringe' low-carb endocrinologist and as such he has his biases. Reading both books may however give you a head start on getting your diabetes under control very rapidly - months of Googling and reading of forums in two books.

Do feel free to ask any question that comes to mind - the good people of this forum are knowledgeable and enjoy helping others.

Very best of luck! Also, know, it'll be fine. You've got this!
 
A couple of things you have said put up a red flag for the fact you may be Type 1 not Type 2, extreme thirst, weight loss and increased HbA1C in quite a short space of time when your presumably had made some dietary changes when diabetes was suspected.
If the medication and diet does not bring your blood glucose down then you should discuss with your GP getting tests for Type 1 which would be C-peptide and antibodies.
 
Firstly welcome to the forum. There is a lot of information on here, but alongside that there is plenty of support and experience to tap into.

I am another vote for you getting checked for Type 1. The sudden weight loss is definitely a red flag.
I lost 1 1/2 stone in a week just before diagnosis. Your glucose level is already very high, and you had a sudden onset of symptoms. It is not uncommon for GPs to assume that it must be Type 2 when we are adults presenting with diabetes.

Let us know how you get on.
 
Hi @nbegbaaji and welcome to the forum from me too!

I’ll second what others have said in regards to T1, not to give you additional worries, but to ensure you receive the correct diagnosis. A lot is to be said about how differently diabetes can affect people’s bodies, however getting a definitive answer from your doctors from the getgo will ensure you’re not having to learn ‘double’.

Also, there IS a lot of information out there, PerSpinasAdAstra has shared great pointers for you here, so do have a look and as everyone have mentioned - any worries or questions - just ask away!
 
Another vote for you possibly being Type 1. There are many of us here on the forum who were initially just assumed to be Type 2 as most adults are, but the sudden increase in HbA1c, with thirst and unexplained weight loss are, as mentioned, red flags which make you more likely to be Type 1 than Type 2. The 2 tests to assess if you are Type 1 are the C-peptide test which measures how much insulin your pancreas is able to produce and the antibody tests, which look for the antbodies produced as a result of your immune system killing off your insulin producing beta cells. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition where your own immune system mistakenly attacks and kills off the beta cells which produce insulin.
Do you have any other autoimmune conditions as having one makes you susceptible to others, so that is often another red flag, although for me Type 1 diabetes is so far my only autoimmune condition and hoping it stays that way.
Unfortunately many GPs are under the false belief that Type 1 only develops in children or young adults, so if you are a mature adult with a high HbA1c, they just assume Type 2, because most people are Type 2, but there are a lot of us here on the forum who developed Type 1 in out 50s and indeed older.
 
It's been interesting to read the comments about the possibility of T1 as I had similar symptoms and my DN was unsure whether I was T1 or T2, but went with T2 and prescribed Metformin. She did, however, tell me to pick up a test kit from Reception, and looking back I suspect this was in case she'd got it wrong. By my next appointment with her 2 weeks later my BG was in single figures and 4 weeks later I was told I could stop taking the Metformin as it didn't look like I needed it. I did ask my GP about C-peptide and antibody tests but he didn't think they were necessary. In fact he seemed a bit taken aback that I was suggesting I might have been wrongly diagnosed. From what I've read about other people's experiences I think I've been incredibly lucky with my HCPs. It could all have been so different.
 
I really find this all fascinating - I lost 2 stone in weight in 3 weeks which my GP noticed (having initially seen me for psoriasis (another auto-immune disease), she immediately ordered bloods and an antibody test (she is brilliant)) - on to insulin 2 weeks after and now coping reasonably well 2 years after diagnosis (have doubled my insulin intake over the past 6m as the honeymoon period has sadly come to an end - it is a LOT to take in but you are in the right place on here @

nbegbaaji​

 
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