Hi!
Hi Cherry!
I'm 32 and i was diagnosed 9-10 months ago, when i'd literally just turned 32. I'd probably been diabetic for at least 6 months before that, and maybe longer. You're right, none of the paperwork says that people under 45 get type 2 diabetes and it scared the beejezus out of me. My parents arn't diabetic but 2 of my 3 80+ grandparents are. I thought diabetes was a disease that affected kids (type 1) and old people (type 2) and and I work in a hospital and spent two years doing a BTEC, so really, that's terrible. I now know better, but i was scared silly, i's come to all sorts of wild conclusions like i'd ruined my body by eating badly, that i'd brought this upon myself from eating too much chocolate, and that clearly, if i shared a condition with my 80 year old grandma, then i have the body of an 80 year old. Thankfully i met nurses Eileen, Angela and Janet, who are not paid anywhere near enough for the wonderfull jobs they do. It's actually reassuring to find that i'm not the only under 40 year old ever to have type2 diabetes, but seriously, it is soooo not your fault, you're not a freak.
Your drug questions. I'm not an expert, i'm not a pharmacist, but i do work in a hospital pharmacy so i can at least offer some suggestions.
I don't think your Quetiapine or Clomipramine have caused your diabetes, although one of the side effects of clomipramine is changes in blood sugar levels. Have you been taking these longer than you've had diabetes? Quetiapine can also increase Cholesterol levels.
About starting a family: It's not impossible, i have a friend at work who's been Type 1 since she was a teenager and she's had kids. I wouldn't have thought that stopping your Atorvastatin for a year or so would be a huge disaster. metformin and Pioglitazone are also not recommended in pregnancy, according to my trusty BNF (the pharmacy bible 🙂 ) expectant mums on these two usually get put on insulin during pregnancy. Your biggest problem may be having to stop your Quetiapine, but i'm sure there's a way round it.
The baby thing scares me too, only one person has even assumed that i might want to have kids, i'm on metformin, simvastatin and carbimazole, (oh and seem to be terminally single....).
You won't nessasarily end up on insulin, they do lay that on pretty heavy i know, but my grandad has been diabetic for 40+ years and he's still on oral meds, it is do-able. Also Nurse Angela told me that being younger with diabetes isn't a bad thing, you're younger and can do more about it at your age, you can fix your lifestyle easier than an older person can and avoid those complications. You won't nessasarily die younger.
It is really hard to find emotional support for your diabetes, but this place is really great. It's made a huge difference to me, coz i don't feel so alone anymore. Everybody here is incredibly supportive, and nobody minds a rant.
Glad to hear from you, hope some of this helps
Rachel
