Hello

[Josh223]

Hey, my name is Josh,

Recently in the last week, I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Always knew my diet was appalling but always felt invincible. Now I'm 25 with type 2 and honestly freaking out a little.

I don't have an appointment with the diabetic nurse for 4 weeks and my doctor didn't really give me much detail just that my hba1c was 89, which is extremely high and that I have an abnormal liver function which she said is most likely caused by a fatty liver.

I'm not in a good head space right now from it, I'm worried if I've had this for a while what damage have I done to myself already and if I could reverse it through diet.

Anyone else diagnosed around my age and does anyone have any good advice?

Thanks,

Josh

 

[zuludog]

Hello Josh, and welcome to the Forum

We can't tell you everything all at once, but here are a few things to get you started -

Being diagnosed with diabetes, or D as it is often shortened to on this Forum, is obviously a shock, so being worried and freaking out is quite a normal reaction
Try not to feel guilty about it. You can't turn the clock back, but there are lots of things you can do to improve your situation, so look to the future
The tendency now is to try to manage and control your own D, so you'll have to do a bit of homework

You say your diet was appalling. Let's assume that it was the usual junk food - pizzas, takeaways, sweet fizzy drinks, lots of fat, salt, & sugar?
Well, as you've probably guessed, that will have to change to the sort of healthier diet that you must surely know about? -- fruit, veg, less sugar & fat, more wholemeal carbohydrates, lean meat, and so on. Cut down on the booze too.
You should find out all about that in the near future
It might be a bit awkward to start with, but you soon get used to the changes in cooking, eating, and shopping
At first, don't get too bogged down with the finer points of which particular kind of brown rice to buy; get the basics right first

I'm not qualified to say if you can reverse D and other changes completely, but you could certainly improve things considerably
How's your weight? It helps if you can lose weight, but that tends to come automatically when you change from a poor diet

Exercise will help too. I like walking, but most things are OK - swimming, cycling, football, circuit training/gym or whatever

there is a sticky/pinned Thread at the start of this Newcomers section, work your way through that
Read other threads, especially in the Newcomers section, chances are that any questions have been asked before
Go to your library and get books on D. Some of them might be a bit dated or have different approaches, but they will all help to explain things and get you used to the jargon
Diabetes UK have a good introductory pack and a magazine. Also a Careline, you don't have to be a member to use it - 0345 123 2399

there are lots of books on D; This is as good as any to start with - 'Diabetes For Dummies UK Edition' About a fiver, used, from Amazon

Finally, if you want to know anything more, then ask, and don't be embarrassed, no questions on here are silly

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Josh and welcome.

I am not the same age as you but just diagnosed in Feb (initially as a Type 2 but recently re-categorized as Type 1 diabetic).

I had a very heavy sugar addiction before diagnosis despite an otherwise healthy diet but I am pleased to say that I have now got control of it and no longer eat sweet foods, except on very special occasions and no longer eat bread and only very occasional small amounts of pasta or potatoes. If I can do it, anyone can!
You cannot alter what has gone before but you can change things now and the best time is to start today and take it one step at a time. It is most difficult in the beginning, so try to make it as easy as possible for yourself to make the right choices. Find low carb things that you like and make sure you have them on hand for when you feel like you are struggling and need to treat yourself. I buy big bags of brazil nuts or mixed nuts or very occasionally pork scratchings since crisps and biscuits should be off the menu and boiled eggs are good for filling you up without adding carbs. Actually eggs are usually a good choice for breakfast too in any of their forms instead of cereals or bread/toast. My "go to" is olives, cheese or nuts when I am struggling.
Learning how to eat low carb is challenging when you have spent your whole life filling up you plate with them at every meal, but it is perfectly possible and you feel better for it once you get the hang of it. Try an omelette for breakfast with mushrooms or whatever else you fancy except carb rich things like potatoes and don't have bread with it.
If it is any consolation my reading at diagnosis was 112 and went up to 114 5 weeks later before I eventually cut right back on my carbs and it started to come down.
Good luck with it. It may seem impossible but it is not. Just take one day at a time and one meal at a time.

 

[zuludog]

Don't be worried or upset if you hear about amputations, blindness, and other horror stories. If you look after yourself you'll be OK
I've had D for over 20 years. Just had my latest review last week - blood sugars OK; blood pressure OK; foot sensitivity, kidney function OK. I have my diabetic Eye Test in 3 weeks and I'm not expecting any problems
That's the good news. The bad news is that you have to be careful every day for the rest of your life, but you get used to the changes, and it becomes normal

There are lots of videos on YouTube about D and D meals & diet, so many that it can be overwhelming; and most of them are American. But watch some of them, they might help you
As with anything on YT you have to be just a bit cautious

If you've been feeling tired & miserable lately, that will almost certainly improve as you get your blood sugar under control

 

[Drummer]

My starting point was Hba1c of 91 - and I got to normal in 6 months.
It is all about carbohydrates.
My basic advice would be - if it is high carb, don't eat it.
Look for low carb veges to stirfry, eat salads, as long as they do not contain pasta or sweetcorn or croutons.
Drink coffee with cream, herb teas which do not have sugar or starch in the mix - some do, and a little diet soda or flavoured water.
Avoid low fat options, and brown carbohydrates as they are little better than white ones.
You can have any meat or fish, seafood, eggs, cheese, as they are low carb.
Avoid most fruit to start with, but a few berries should be fine once you get your levels down.

 

[Josh223]

Thanks, everyone for the support, I think reading about all the complications and other things like life expectancy sent me into a panic. I've been eating better for the last few weeks anyway using hello fresh but some meals are pretty carb-heavy like 80g in one meal. I've read a lot of things about doing Keto as well, which I've tried before in the past, cut out Pepsi Max as well and only drinking water right now.

A couple of weeks ago I was about 308lbs at 6ft, I'm now just dipping below 300lbs so I hope I'm on the right track now to sort this. Trying to keep my head up and not let it get me down too much, I'm just hoping the appointment comes around quickly so I can get the correct advice.

I'm hoping that because of my age I can get this under control, start having a healthy normal life foodwise and health and living life like a normal 25-year-old while keeping a close eye on it and not being worried all the time.

 

[Eddy Edson]

Hi Josh - Don't panic! You've got plenty of time to sort things out. Don't rush into a strategy, but listen to what you're docs/nurses have to say, do your research and try to settle on a management plan which is sustainable in the long term.

I would bet the main advice will be to lose weight. You will have to find a way of doing that which works for you, has realistic goals and is sustainable in the long term after perhaps a shorter-term effort to lose some pounds more quickly.

The chances are that you don't have any significant complications yet but it is appropriate to take the risks very seriously: you have a lot of years to go, more than the rest of us old farts, and apart from that there's research which suggests the risks are heightened for younger people.

An HbA1c of 89 is pretty high - it's exactly where I was at diagnosis - but I see plenty of people here & elsewhere who started at even higher levels and who have managed to get things under control quite quickly. So there's no reason why you shouldn't also, with a bit of focus & effort to change your habits. I really recommend taking the diagnosis as a spur to get yourself healthier, as you're doing - it's very rewarding to see the effort leading to improvements.

If you want to dig into things a bit, this position statement from last year by the American Diabetes Association is worth a look: https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2018/10/26/dci18-0052.full-text.pdf It's mainly focused on people diagnosed with diabetes in adolescence but also includes discussion of early adult stuff & might be useful at any rate in giving some context to what your diabetes team recommends and prescribes.

All the best!

 

[KARNAK]

Hi Josh panic not yon kipper,🙂 I know I am T1 and started on this incredible journey from HbA1c of a 156,😳 three months later down to 48, now down to 38/39 and enjoying life. Hey mate I would be lost without this forum, read and learn, a big family here please join in.

 

[CathyB]

Hi Josh, the others have said it all really so I’ll just say that once I got over the initial “I’m going to starve to death” thoughts......I now absolutely love my low carb diet, feel better than I have in years, I’m over 4 stone lighter (yay....new wardrobe 🙄) and would never go back to my old ways. Diabetes was the best thing that could have happened to me