Hello Donna
@Donna86,
Welcome to the forum. In my very non-medical opinion I believe, as you have already stated, that you should be formally diagnosed as T3c and it is very much in your interest to resist anyone categorising you as T2. It is the cause of the Diabetes, not the subsequent treatment, that leads to the categorisation after the initial diagnosis.
There are some 4.5 million people in UK with a diabetes diagnosis. Of those about 90% are categorised as T2 and although some of the causes of their T2 diagnosis vary, in very broad terms those 90% produce sufficient insulin, but their bodies resist making best use of the insulin they are producing. Treatment for T2 is often by oral meds, but some T2s need to inject insulin either alongside oral meds or sometimes just multiple daily injections. That's a somewhat simplistic overview. But the net outcome is that all T2s are treated by their GP Surgeries; this is in accordance with National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidance. By definition GP Surgeries are "general" and wide ranging in their understanding of medical conditions; whereas Diabetes can be complex and needing more specialist support.
There are some 10% who are diagnosed as T1. This is quite specific to people who have an autoimmune condition that destroys (or has destroyed) their ability to produce insulin. All T1s are, in accordance with the NICE Guidance, treated by specialist clinics, usually hospital based and at the very least come under a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN).
There are several other categories of diabetes, but the total number of people within "these others" is small, less than 1% and with one exception (gestational diabetes) have type descriptors that make little sense to anyone, including sometimes Health Care Practitioners (HCPs).
T3c is such a category - tiny population, but potentially quite complex mix of 2 ailments. Strictly there can be a range of T3s, from a to k, which embraces people with any damage to their pancreas that causes diabetes. T3c is specifically for those with damage from pancreatitis (such as yourself) or who have had their pancreas surgically removed (such as myself, to remove the cancerous tumour surrounding my pancreas). Because the T3c category is relatively new terminology many GPs have never heard of it (mine hadn't) and similarly it isn't necessarily going to be recognised by A&E doctors. So far, clear (ish)?
Most T3cs end up needing insulin - but not all. There is one forum member,
@zippyjojo, who has diabetes after pancreatitis and currently being treated solely by oral meds, even after surgery that has left her without part of her pancreas; those oral meds help her body to make the most out of the insulin she does produce.
@eggyg started with oral meds but is now fully insulin dependent. I, without any pancreas, immediately became insulin dependent - but I have only a small understanding about pancreatitis. I had pancreatic cancer and am currently, happily, in remission from that and I know a certain amount about chemotherapy and oncology in general! We T3cs can arrive at this diagnosis from different start points. Those of us who are insulin dependent need to come under Specialist Diabetes Clinics (as if T1, but not actually T1) and not GP Surgeries where the knowledge and understanding can be alarmingly poor - and that is just for the diabetes, never mind (in your case) the underlying pancreatitis. Not wishing to alarm you but you have 2 co-morbidities which could provide some contradiction in the treatments needed.
Hence why it is important for you to get your diabetes type formally confirmed as T3c and as if T1, thus eligible for T1 treatment, including devices such as Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM).
Stepping away from the categorisation aspect, as someone now with identified insulin dependency you are now facing a huge learning curve and I can wholly empathise with you at this time. Gary Scheiner, in his book "Think Like a Pancreas" remarks that Diabetes is Complicated, Confusing and Contradictory; it can also be pretty frightening at first. I found that book very helpful and pretty easy to read from cover to cover (well almost, I skipped the chapter on pumps - reserving that for a later date). I also have Dr Ragnar Hanas's book "Type1 Diabetes - in children, adolescents and young adults", which is more of a reference book to dip into as needed; don't be put off by the title, it is fine for this 73 year old.
You will find a vast amount of information about D from Google - so much that it can overwhelm one. There is a huge amount of good, high quality info from the Diabetes UK main site as well as this forum. There is literally centuries of accumulated knowledge within the forum; it might help you to be aware that at this early stage the treatments for T1 can be very different than T2, particularly when it comes to food choices; thanks to taking insulin you should be able to eat your normal diet. Possibly your pancreatitis will influence your food choices more than your D. Advice offered by forum members is not "judgemental". Do ask questions - any questions; there is no such thing as a silly question. We all started "new to D". And we are all different; what works for one person may not work for another. So you have to find what works for you, amidst certain D commonality.
Good luck, take things steadily - you've started a marathon (even if it wasn't your choice!). To help you manage your expectations - it takes time to get to grips with all of this and I don't expect to ever finally get control of my D, just to manage it as best I can with all of its contradictions.
My HbA1c 3 months after surgery was 99 so I started on Metformin and managed to reduce it to 52. I then got a bit complacent and it's gone up to 68 so I'm trying to focus again. Anyone on here who knows me knows that I'm trying to fend off having to use insulin but my consultant did once say that it's much better to go on insulin than live with badly managed diabetes and as everyone says, it's nothing to be ashamed of as it's not a lifestyle thing, just that I've had over half of my pancreas removed. Not sure if this helps but I can honestly say these forums have been amazing. There is a lovely one called Group 7 day waking average which is a general chit chat and definitely worth going on.