Hi everyone

[alan_shropshire]

Hi everyone, today is my third day with a diagnosis of T2DM after an unplanned stay in hospital, and the beginning of my new/rebooted life. It will be a long journey to get health but I’m sure I can do it.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @alan_shropshire and welcome to the forum. Have you decided which method you are going to use to control your T2DM?
If your HbA1C measurement off the past 3 months blood glucose levels wasn't too much over 48 then just a small reduction in the carbohydrates you eat may be enough, meaning for example switching from breakfast cereal to a non-carb or a low carb breakfast such as eggs, then reducing bread etc.

Many still think T2 D is about sugars, but starches start to turn into glucose (a sugar) even while still in the mouth which is why refined carbs have a GI higher than that of table sugar.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @alan_shropshire 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Alan and welcome

Was your unplanned visit to hospital as a result of diabetes or was the diabetes found after being admitted for something else? Just wondering if you are definitely Type 2 or could possibly be a late onset Type 1 if you were admitted due to severe diabetes symptoms possibly with ketones/DKA.
I know you say that you you were diagnosed with Type 2 but there is no specific testing for Type 2 and the Type 1 testing takes weeks for the results to come back. They often just assume you are Type 2 if you are a mature adult and perhaps carrying a little extra weight, but quite a few of us here were initially assumed to be Type 2 but subsequently found to be Type 1, which is why I ask about the circumstances of your diagnosis and hospital visit.

Anyway, it sounds like you have a positive attitude and are prepared to make some changes to start your new and hopefully healthier life and I am sure we can help and support you with that regardless of which Type of diabetes you have..... but getting a correct diagnosis can be quite important.

Feel free to ask any questions you have. We all know how confusing and overwhelming it can be at first and how a lot of what you are told by health care professionals can go in one ear and out of the other, so the forum is great for filling in the blanks and making sense of things.

 

[alan_shropshire]

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for you welcome and good questions. In brief, my hospital visit was due to severe diabetes symptoms query DKA (was close but not quite), and the medics’ view was that Type 2 is most likely. Yes I am overweight with high blood pressure. I am literally in the first week of this so I’m sure that I’ll learn more about my condition as will the doctors and nurses.

 

[alan_shropshire]

Hi @alan_shropshire and welcome to the forum. Have you decided which method you are going to use to control your T2DM?
If your HbA1C measurement off the past 3 months blood glucose levels wasn't too much over 48 then just a small reduction in the carbohydrates you eat may be enough, meaning for example switching from breakfast cereal to a non-carb or a low carb breakfast such as eggs, then reducing bread etc.

Many still think T2 D is about sugars, but starches start to turn into glucose (a sugar) even while still in the mouth which is why refined carbs have a GI higher than that of table sugar.

Hi Ian, today I found out my HbA1C measurement was 127 when I was in hospital two weeks ago, so on the high side hence the more drastic changes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @alan_shropshire

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and the rather dramatic circumstances of you entering our exclusive club 😱

Have you been started in any medications to help with your blood glucose management?

Did your symptoms build up over some time? Or did it happen quite suddenly? Did you have any unintentional weight loss before you were diagnosed?

As they are assuming T2 to begin with (most likely on the basis of age and weight) there will probably be a flowchart style protocol to be followed with meds, review, additional options… to try to ease your numbers back down into a healthy range. Don’t worry if this takes a number of months to achieve - because a gentler descent is kinder on fine blood vessels and nerve endings.

But do keep an open mind if the initial treatments don’t seem to be having the intended effect. Especially if you are also working hard at reducing/moderating your total carbohydrate intake and increasing exercise in balance with any meds you are taking.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[alan_shropshire]

Welcome to the forum @alan_shropshire

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and the rather dramatic circumstances of you entering our exclusive club 😱

Have you been started in any medications to help with your blood glucose management?

Did your symptoms build up over some time? Or did it happen quite suddenly? Did you have any unintentional weight loss before you were diagnosed?

As they are assuming T2 to begin with (most likely on the basis of age and weight) there will probably be a flowchart style protocol to be followed with meds, review, additional options… to try to ease your numbers back down into a healthy range. Don’t worry if this takes a number of months to achieve - because a gentler descent is kinder on fine blood vessels and nerve endings.

But do keep an open mind if the initial treatments don’t seem to be having the intended effect. Especially if you are also working hard at reducing/moderating your total carbohydrate intake and increasing exercise in balance with any meds you are taking.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂

Hi Mike
I have started on Metformin and Insulin and that has certainly helped
I had unintentional weight loss for about six weeks, initially thought it was a good thing but then it continued more than was reasonable. I actually lost towards 10 kg.
The belief is that it is Type II, and yes they’ll be a sequence of tests et cetera going forwards.
Thanks for the encouragement, I am keen to get my blood glucose in range and it has already made quite a lot of progress. The big challenge for me will be planning and having a suitable balance low carbohydrate diet.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

The belief is that it is Type II, and yes they’ll be a sequence of tests et cetera going forwards.

It's good they're testing. As I'm sure you've gathered, sudden weight loss is a common symptom for Type 1 diabetes, so it makes sense to check for that.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I am keen to get my blood glucose in range and it has already made quite a lot of progress. The big challenge for me will be planning and having a suitable balance low carbohydrate diet.

Sounds like you are off to a good start Alan.

As you are on insulin it is wise to be fairly cautious and staged with your dietary adjustments. Sudden changes to average glucose levels can be quite hard on fine blood vessels and nerves, and modifying your menu more gradually over a period of weeks and months can make it easier on your eyes and legs/feet.

As is often said on the forum, diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint.