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High all another newbie

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Cumbrian67

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a month ago after a routine NHS check up. Been losing weight over the last few months and been drinking a lot of water due to a dry mouth but never thought much about it. Having a doctor knocking on your door at 8 in the morning was a bit confusing. Apparently the nhs had been calling me all night to make sure i was ok. I'd had a blood sugar reading of over 130.
I'm now on metformin(500g twice a day) and another tablet for high cholesterol.
Met with the dietition last week and this week i've had to take a urine sample and today had more blood taken.
Foot doctor is next month and waiting for a date for an eye check up.
Just got to get a grip on adjusting my diet as at the minute i'v turned into a rabbit that can eat chicken lol.
 
Cumbrian67 said:
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a month ago after a routine NHS check up. Been losing weight over the last few months and been drinking a lot of water due to a dry mouth but never thought much about it. Having a doctor knocking on your door at 8 in the morning was a bit confusing. Apparently the nhs had been calling me all night to make sure i was ok. I'd had a blood sugar reading of over 130.
I'm now on metformin(500g twice a day) and another tablet for high cholesterol.
Met with the dietition last week and this week i've had to take a urine sample and today had more blood taken.
Foot doctor is next month and waiting for a date for an eye check up.
Just got to get a grip on adjusting my diet as at the minute i'v turned into a rabbit that can eat chicken lol.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum
What you say about your diagnosis casts suspicion on being Type 2 as the symptoms of weight loss in particular and a very high HbA1C, thirst etc suggest possible Type 1 or LADA. It might be worth asking for the tests for Type 1 those being C-peptide and GAD antibodies.
Type 1 is often dismissed as GP think it is only in young people but as you will read here many are diagnosed as mature adults.
Have you been given any dietary advice as that is going to be important as metformin only helps alongside lifestyle changes.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum
What you say about your diagnosis casts suspicion on being Type 2 as the symptoms of weight loss in particular and a very high HbA1C, thirst etc suggest possible Type 1 or LADA. It might be worth asking for the tests for Type 1 those being C-peptide and GAD antibodies.
Type 1 is often dismissed as GP think it is only in young people but as you will read here many are diagnosed as mature adults.
Have you been given any dietary advice as that is going to be important as metformin only helps alongside lifestyle changes.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet.
Click to expand...

Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum
What you say about your diagnosis casts suspicion on being Type 2 as the symptoms of weight loss in particular and a very high HbA1C, thirst etc suggest possible Type 1 or LADA. It might be worth asking for the tests for Type 1 those being C-peptide and GAD antibodies.
Type 1 is often dismissed as GP think it is only in young people but as you will read here many are diagnosed as mature adults.
Have you been given any dietary advice as that is going to be important as metformin only helps alongside lifestyle changes.
This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the info. Been referred to an organisation called desmonds apart from that not had much information.
 
Cumbrian67 said:
Hey thanks for the info. Been referred to an organisation called desmonds apart from that not had much information.
Click to expand...
It is a program where you work thorough various learning modules and then there are extras which are released to you gradually, there is also a chat forum. Not as active as this forum and most are new to it so asking questions.
The dietary advice follows the standard NHS regime which many people find would be far too high carb to manage to lower blood glucose. You will get better suggestions here but it goes through the basics so you will most likely find it useful.
Is it now back to being face to face or still on line?
 
Leadinglights said:
It is a program where you work thorough various learning modules and then there are extras which are released to you gradually, there is also a chat forum. Not as active as this forum and most are new to it so asking questions.
The dietary advice follows the standard NHS regime which many people find would be far too high carb to manage to lower blood glucose. You will get better suggestions here but it goes through the basics so you will most likely find it useful.
Is it now back to being face to face or still on line?
Click to expand...
U get to chose what u want now
 
I would second @Leadinglights concerns about you being a possible Type 1 and I would ask your GP or nurse for a referral to a specialist clinic or at least further investigation via the tests mentioned. The unintentional weight loss leading up to diagnosis and the excessively high HbA1c are red flags and put you at a potential risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) You should ask for some Ketostix (ketone testing strips for your urine) and a Blood Glucose meter, so that you can monitor your levels and get help if you need it. Keeping yourself safe is a bit of a top priority with us Type 1s. It is something we have to consider quite often every day and night. Having the right tools to keep ourselves safe is very important and a BG test kit with test strips and Ketostix would be the minimum required. I know they have suggested you are Type 2 but you need to plant the seed in their mind to at least consider you might be Type 1. Like many others here I was initially assumed to be Type 2 but turned out to be Type 1. I was lucky that my nurse was switched on and in touch with the consultant about my case because she had doubts and I was given testing kit and Ketostix to monitor myself.

If you start to feel unwell, stomach pains, nausea, difficulty breathing or your breath starts to smell funny (like pear drops) then get yourself to A&E pronto. DKA can cause you to go into a coma and your organs to fail in extreme cases and it can develop quite suddenly, so it is a very serious complication of high BG levels in people who are not producing enough insulin. Please keep this in mind.
 
Thanks Barbara. I think the nurse I saw was a bit concerned which is why she ordered the urine test and the extra blood tests. Have to wait till next week for the results for the bloods but urine was OK.
 
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis @Cumbrian67

I wonder if perhaps the nurse shares the forum members’ concerns? Were you told if the urine strip was measuring glucose or ketones?

Hopefully the extra blood tests will shed more light on your classification and which type of diabetes you have. Getting an accurate classification is really important in terms of accessing appropriate treatment in a timely way, and you certainly wouldn’t be the first forum member whose type of diabetes is changed.

In the meantime, if you feel abdominal pain, shortness of breath, if you smell acetone or ‘pear drops’ on your breath, or if you experience nausea or vomiting, please go to A&E - diabetic ketoacidosis isn’t something to mess with, and time is of the essence.

Do let us know what happens when your results come back 🙂
 
Was told the urine test was to check on protein levels I was passing
 
Cumbrian67 said:
Was told the urine test was to check on protein levels I was passing
Click to expand...

Ah OK, that checks for early signs of kidney damage, where tiny fragments of protein (micro albuminuria) can begin to leak through the kidneys’ filtering ‘seives’.
 
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