Hi all

[StigOfTheDump]

I got a call from the doctors yesterday confirming diabetes. I have an appointment next week.

I have had pancreatitis on and off since 1997. I have been hospitalised twice, once in Africa in 97 and once in Scotland in 2020.
In 2013 I had a Crawford type 4 Thoracic Abdominal Aortic Aneurism surgery which required a blood transfusion. I have had haemochromatosis since then. I always assumed it was from the transfusion as it is a lot more prevalent in Scotland.

This morning I was reading about the connections between pancreatitis and haemochromatosis and type 3c diabetes. I also read that is often mis-diagnosed and can find little mention of it on the NHS website.

What types of questions do I need to ask at my appointment with the NHS doctors surgery to make sure I am properly diagnosed? Is there any particular test I can request to see whether it is type 3c? Watching a video from Stanford Medical this morning suggested that a low carb diet, which might be recommended if mis-diagnosed, is not appropriate for 3c.

I am 63, male, moderate (formerly heavy) drinker, ex heavy smoker now a vaper (10 years). I was quite fit before my operation but haven't managed to recover this. I'm not particularly overweight 12 stone, 5'10" but gained a large belly when I stopped smoking in 2013.

Any help gratefully received
Martin

 

[Inka]

Welcome @StigOfTheDump 🙂 There’s some basic info about Type 3c here:

What is type 3c diabetes?

You may have heard of the more common types of diabetes like type 1, type 2 and gestational. But there are actually many other types of diabetes that aren't as well known. Type 3c diabetes develops because of the damage to the pancreas, which can happen for a few different reasons. And although...

www.diabetes.org.uk

but I’ll also take some members with Type 3c - @Proud to be erratic @Wendal

There’s also a short item about haemochromatosis:

Haemochromatosis and diabetes

Haemochromatosis is when there’s too much iron in the blood and that can lead to diabetes. This type of diabetes is secondary diabetes and is like type 1. Secondary diabetes is when diabetes occurs because of another medical condition, like haemochromatosis. You might also hear haemochromatosis...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[JITR]

AFAIK hemochromatosis is down to defective genes, like mine. I reversed my fatty liver, put my T2D into remission, and returned to a healthy weight by losing 22kg. The hepatologist says the reduction in my ferritin levers from 1,200 to under 100 is entirely due to phlebotomy (venesections). Wrong, it went down to 600 before the first venesection due to my diet. Bottom line, do whatever you can to get rid of your fatty liver as well as managing your diabetes. You will be all the better for it.
If I were losing weight again I'd follow the principles of the Harcombe Diet described at some length here:
What should we eat? https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2021/08/what-should-we-eat/

 

[StigOfTheDump]

Thanks for the responses.
I wasn't aware haemochromatosis was a genetic disorder. After my operation I was on iron tablets for a few months as it was considered to be low. When I stopped taking them my ferritin continued to rise and I was told I had haemochromatosis but no treatment was given. About 5 years later after I had moved to another area, my ferritin was just under 1000. They started venesection but it didn't seem to come down much. Eventually I was giving up to 1 pint each week and it came down to under 400. I can't remember if it was decided I should stop the venesections or whether it was the pandemic that made it impractical.
Since then our local surgery has been in limbo with different contractors running it for brief periods interspersed with it being under direct NHS control. Finally we have been adopted by a neighbouring practice who are starting to get things going again.
I don't know much about fatty livers. I know I do have impaired liver function and that one kidney is dead and the other has reduced performance. This was due to my aneurism which was severely restricting blood flow below the waist. This gradually got worse over a 10 year period until I was intermittently numb below the waist. Diagnosis still took 2 years as it was activity that brought it on, and when I had all the scans I hadn't been active that day. It was only when I made myself deliberately bad before a scan that they found it.
I don't feel that I need to lose weight, but wish it were more evenly spread around my bony frame than in a pouch at the front.
Martin

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @StigOfTheDump

Haven’t got any pearls of wisdom to offer, or experience to share of the foibles of living with Type 3c (though I know several members here will have!)

But I mostly just wanted to congratulate you on your username! Stig of the Dump was a firm favourite book of mine as a kid 🙂