Hello from a cat mum
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
How did you feel on being given your diagnosis?
- Thread starter Quill
- Start date
interesting that kitties are T2 considering they are obligate carnivores
Hi @Quill
- When was yours? First blood test was mid September which came back with a HbA1c of 92 (11.?) the second test was a bit lower at 86.
- How did you feel? Angry at myself, knew exactly why I had type 2. That only lasted until the second test because the reality was, despite my GP niece saying it was probably a mistake, I knew it wasn't and crying over spilt milk was something my mother had always drilled into me was a waste of time. Funny how childhood lessons stick with us over time. Now I am pretty accepting of the position although I do go through bouts of obsession over my finger prick test results, which annoys my wife massively. She however, also points out that having got my HbA1c down to 47 I am actually doing a good job around control and that the occasional spike is not a sign of it getting out of control. I think that is the key for me, having someone around who can keep me grounded. She also drags me out running two to three times a week.
- What were the circumstances that led to it? I was working in Germany June and had what I thought was bad cystitis but was actually a urinary tract infection. On returning to the UK I went to see the doctor in case it was a prostate issue but following a number of other tests and scans not showing anything, he decided that as I hadn't had a blood test for a while they would do one. And then the issue reared its ugly head.
- To lighten the mood: What song is in your head right now? Back in love city - Vaccines. Although I think I might put Seven in search of a Ten (The Reytons) on as it always cheers me up.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Feb 13th 2019 Easy to remember because it was the day after my birthday and before Valentines Day.
I wasn't surprised as I had done an e consult to my GP saying I suspected diabetes 3 days earlier. I did however feel guilty that I had done this to myself..... having been a chocoholic and pretty much "sugar addict" as well as binge/comfort eater for many years. All OK though as I used that guilt to change my diet and that paid off in so many other ways, even if I couldn't reverse my diabetes.
I had been out for a meal on 30th January 2019 with my sister and as we were about to leave the pub I felt rather thirsty. I drank a pint of tap water when I got home, but half an hour later I was thirsty again. I thought maybe the pie had been saltier than I thought, but it didn't wear off and I was drinking and weeing all night and for the following 2 weeks. By the time I sent my e-consult, I was like a water guzzling zombie! That unquenchable thirst will stay in my memory forever. Thank heavens I just drank water otherwise I might have landed in hospital!
"Red Red Wine" by UB40 after Cliff mentioned not giving it up in his earlier post and indeed why should he! So easy to get an "ear worm"!
I wasn't surprised as I had done an e consult to my GP saying I suspected diabetes 3 days earlier. I did however feel guilty that I had done this to myself..... having been a chocoholic and pretty much "sugar addict" as well as binge/comfort eater for many years. All OK though as I used that guilt to change my diet and that paid off in so many other ways, even if I couldn't reverse my diabetes.
I had been out for a meal on 30th January 2019 with my sister and as we were about to leave the pub I felt rather thirsty. I drank a pint of tap water when I got home, but half an hour later I was thirsty again. I thought maybe the pie had been saltier than I thought, but it didn't wear off and I was drinking and weeing all night and for the following 2 weeks. By the time I sent my e-consult, I was like a water guzzling zombie! That unquenchable thirst will stay in my memory forever. Thank heavens I just drank water otherwise I might have landed in hospital!
"Red Red Wine" by UB40 after Cliff mentioned not giving it up in his earlier post and indeed why should he! So easy to get an "ear worm"!
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I suspect the problem is that people feed them kibble often adlib which contains cereals (carbs) and many people limit their exercise by keeping them indoors. A combination of unlimited fattening food and not enough exercise.
Proud to be erratic
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 3c
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hello @Quill, great question, seemingly innocuous but revealing from the many replies that we care sufficiently to reply and it seems to be cathartic into the bargain!
WHEN: 5 Feb '20.
FEELINGS THEN: On the day not a lot, I spent most of the next 48hrs recovering in ICU. In the following fortnight in Hospital I had mixed views, grateful to still be alive, grateful to hear that a substantial tumour had been removed, but irritated that I had ended up insulin dependent, when the risk assessment had included that as a possibility not a certainty.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Jaundice while on a walking cultural holiday in Sicily, caused by my bile duct becoming blocked; then a subsequent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. All very unexpected. Thus an operation frequently referred to as Whipples Procedure resulting in a "pylorus preserving" total pancreatectomy.
SONG: Right now nothing specific, but I love jazz and blues and the Beach Boys "Smiley Smile" Album reaches parts of my brain more than any other music. It is my go-to choice when I'm chilling. Slightly weird, I know.
Hello also @Chris88. Following on from your pm yesterday, I wonder if this thread might help in some way? Perhaps just knowing, or being reminded, that others had that moment when their world was changed might help you put your diagnosis a little more in perspective; and somehow provide some reassurance or motivation.
JJay
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
January 1995
I’d had a bad cold/flu-ey type thing and I’d been off work for a couple of days. I rang on Monday to tell my line manager I should be ok by Wednesday. Instead I got the boss (department head) who said “ you don’t sound ok, go to the doctor”.
In the meantime I’d been feeling really thirsty, peeing a lot, and was aware I was losing weight (quite happy about that bit!). It was the next day when I found myself in my pyjamas asking the milkman for bottled water because the tap stuff wasn’t cutting it, that I realised it was time to go to the doctor. Almost the first thing he said was - we’d better get you tested for diabetes. And it was only then that the penny dropped - my brother had been Type 1 for 10 years and yet I hadn’t recognised the symptoms!
Indeed the result was positive and I was told with the words “as you’re young and not overweight you’ll probably be on insulin” (I was 43!)
I did feel a bit like my world had shattered, despite knowing that my brother was coping fine in a far more pressurised environment (newspaper editor) than me. Dealing with what was then a very regulated routine of 2 jabs a day, 3 meals and 3 snacks, with a specified number of carbs for each, was anathema to my previously spontaneous lifestyle and eating habits. Pens were quite a new thing then and you couldn’t get the needles on prescription, so every month I was at Boots filling in a VAT form. Indeed the terms Type 1 and Type 2 etc weren’t in use, either - you were either IDD (insulin-dependent diabetic) or NIDD (non etc, etc). My meter was a pretty basic thing that certainly couldn’t have communicated with the mobile phone I didn’t have. We’ve come a long way in 30 years!
Footnote - I still see the boss every day, as I ended up marrying him! So the song in my head now is “As time goes by” from Casablanca - “our film” and “our song”
I’d had a bad cold/flu-ey type thing and I’d been off work for a couple of days. I rang on Monday to tell my line manager I should be ok by Wednesday. Instead I got the boss (department head) who said “ you don’t sound ok, go to the doctor”.
In the meantime I’d been feeling really thirsty, peeing a lot, and was aware I was losing weight (quite happy about that bit!). It was the next day when I found myself in my pyjamas asking the milkman for bottled water because the tap stuff wasn’t cutting it, that I realised it was time to go to the doctor. Almost the first thing he said was - we’d better get you tested for diabetes. And it was only then that the penny dropped - my brother had been Type 1 for 10 years and yet I hadn’t recognised the symptoms!
Indeed the result was positive and I was told with the words “as you’re young and not overweight you’ll probably be on insulin” (I was 43!)
I did feel a bit like my world had shattered, despite knowing that my brother was coping fine in a far more pressurised environment (newspaper editor) than me. Dealing with what was then a very regulated routine of 2 jabs a day, 3 meals and 3 snacks, with a specified number of carbs for each, was anathema to my previously spontaneous lifestyle and eating habits. Pens were quite a new thing then and you couldn’t get the needles on prescription, so every month I was at Boots filling in a VAT form. Indeed the terms Type 1 and Type 2 etc weren’t in use, either - you were either IDD (insulin-dependent diabetic) or NIDD (non etc, etc). My meter was a pretty basic thing that certainly couldn’t have communicated with the mobile phone I didn’t have. We’ve come a long way in 30 years!
Footnote - I still see the boss every day, as I ended up marrying him! So the song in my head now is “As time goes by” from Casablanca - “our film” and “our song”
Ivostas66
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- When was yours?
- How did you feel?
The next 24 hours were awful. I waited from 9am until 4pm to be seen (my appointment was supposed to be at 9:30am). I saw a junior doctor who hadn't had a break since her shift started at 6am. Throughout the day my blood was taken several times. The doctor confirmed I was type 1 and explained that a nurse would show me how to inject. I was put on Novamix and the doctor said it was a dose of 30 units at 12 and 6. I injected and then my wife asked the nurse "so he has to inject at midnight and 6am every day?" The nurse went to double check. She returned with a team of nurses who looked very worried and a sobbing doctor. "Right... the consultant said it was a dose of 6 units in the morning and 12 units in the evening. [She glared at the doctor] You now need to eat." My wife had to run to the hospital shop and was told to get sandwiches and sugary drinks. I had to stay in overnight and my blood was tested every 15 minutes until dawn. The doctor came to see me around midnight, she had been crying and was extremely apologetic. I don't know why, but I held her hand and told her it wasn't her fault. Her shift had started at 6am and finished just before she came to see me at midnight - something that she said was not uncommon.
I hopped out of my hospital bed around 6am, headed to the bathroom and had a damn good cry, but decided this was not going to get the better of me. I washed, changed and packed my things. I grabbed my laptop and set cover work whilst I waited for the consultant. "He'll be here soon" (famous last words). At midday he arrived, sat on my bed, held my hand and discussed the condition. He kept apologising that I now had to deal with this condition.
- What were the circumstances that led to it?
Like @mashedupmatt points out on the curve, I have tended to hop between stage 2 and 3 over the past 6 or so years - periods where my health is a bit shaky or stress is an issue, my body plays up and I find things difficult to manage.
- To lighten the mood: What song is in your head right now?
"I don't think I'll go out there today"
Elenka_HM
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Warning: veeeery long post!!
I was properly diagnosed in December 2021, tho I was pretty sure I was diabetic since October from a blood test. Still, I was shocked to find out it was type 1 and I needed insulin for life.
How did I feel? Really upset and scared about the needles. It was hard to accept I had a chronic condition when I had always been pretty healthy. I was lucky in that I was allowed to start on only basal, and it worked for me for a while, so it was only one injection per day at the time, in the morning. For at least a week it was my first waking thought and I dreaded getting out of bed because it meant doing the finger prick and injection. I had a few good cries in the shower thinking how much this would limit my life in terms of food, activities, travel...Spoiler alert, it doesn't! Sure, it takes some extra thought and carrying supplies around, but it hasn't stopped me from doing anything important to me. I am generally a positive person. The first few months I was in a dark mind place, eventually I came to terms with it and focused on managing as best as I can. The forum really helped 🙂
How did I find out? It was my first summer working in the hotel restaurant. It greatly disturbed my eating and sleeping routines, and I did a lot more hours than I had in my previous job. So I didn't give much importance to the first symptoms or tiredness and feeling "off". Later they got worse and I also felt the extreme thirst, blurred vision and the worst one for me: peeing for England. It was very disruptive, I woke up multiple times per night, couldn't stay far from a toilet for long and sometimes got to the point where I barely made it to the toilet. I remember thinking "I'm 25, that's too young for incontinence!". It was particularly bad at work, where I was supposed to let my manager know when I went to the toilet but I was embarrassed to say it every time so I sneaked out. At times I tried not to drink anything during the shift, but it felt like torture and I STILL had to pee every 30 minutes.
Coincidentally my period disappeared around that time (to this day I am not sure why, but it lasted 8 months!) so I feared I was pregnant. Once that was ruled out I thought it might be a hormonal problem that was causing all of my issues. In October I went on holiday to my home country, where I was more familiar with the health system and got a full set of blood tests. I also had a very long check at the opticians, since I was struggling to read, and the man clearly saw something was wrong but couldn't figure out what. They made me a pair of glasses that didn't help much and have been sitting in a drawer since I got on insulin and my eyesight recovered 🙄
The blood test results came when I was already back to England. My fasting BG was 280 mg/ml (15 mmol/ml) and it clicked. I googled "diabetes" and found out I ticked all the boxes. The doctor told me to get tested to confirm it, which was a long and stressful wait: almost 4 weeks for a phone appointment (NHS was still very strained with COVID) and another few to actually get my blood taken. It just so happens that my dad had been diagnosed with Type 2 the same year and had very good results with diet and Metformin, and I assumed that would be the case for me. So I cut carbs down while I waited for diagnosis and it did help my symptoms. I got a call soon after the test saying my HbA1c was 84 and if I could go to the hospital the next morning for further tests, as they feared I was Type 1. I didn't know you could get that type as an adult! 😱
They were not completely sure about the type as my age and weight didn't suggest T2, but the symptoms were not as drastic and quick to appear as they are usually in T1, and I have family history of both. But they wanted me to start insulin ASAP because they were concerned about my levels. As I mentioned, I was not happy about the injections and it took me a while to get used to it, but I didn't have a choice! The antibodies test came back strongly positive so I've been treated as Type 1 since then. It seemed to be a slow progressing case though, because I've not needed a full basal-bolus regime until recently, so 3 years later! Before I went through seasons of only basal, only bolus and even no insulin. I spoke about it with the consultant and he said that autoimmunity is different for each individual, and as long as my BG was good I didn't need to change my system. Oh, and I got Libre one year after diagnosis, so I had plenty of time to practice my finger pricks! Libre is the best thing that's happened for me as a diabetic
Song in my head: Espresso, by Sabrina Carpenter.
I was properly diagnosed in December 2021, tho I was pretty sure I was diabetic since October from a blood test. Still, I was shocked to find out it was type 1 and I needed insulin for life.
How did I feel? Really upset and scared about the needles. It was hard to accept I had a chronic condition when I had always been pretty healthy. I was lucky in that I was allowed to start on only basal, and it worked for me for a while, so it was only one injection per day at the time, in the morning. For at least a week it was my first waking thought and I dreaded getting out of bed because it meant doing the finger prick and injection. I had a few good cries in the shower thinking how much this would limit my life in terms of food, activities, travel...Spoiler alert, it doesn't! Sure, it takes some extra thought and carrying supplies around, but it hasn't stopped me from doing anything important to me. I am generally a positive person. The first few months I was in a dark mind place, eventually I came to terms with it and focused on managing as best as I can. The forum really helped 🙂
How did I find out? It was my first summer working in the hotel restaurant. It greatly disturbed my eating and sleeping routines, and I did a lot more hours than I had in my previous job. So I didn't give much importance to the first symptoms or tiredness and feeling "off". Later they got worse and I also felt the extreme thirst, blurred vision and the worst one for me: peeing for England. It was very disruptive, I woke up multiple times per night, couldn't stay far from a toilet for long and sometimes got to the point where I barely made it to the toilet. I remember thinking "I'm 25, that's too young for incontinence!". It was particularly bad at work, where I was supposed to let my manager know when I went to the toilet but I was embarrassed to say it every time so I sneaked out. At times I tried not to drink anything during the shift, but it felt like torture and I STILL had to pee every 30 minutes.
Coincidentally my period disappeared around that time (to this day I am not sure why, but it lasted 8 months!) so I feared I was pregnant. Once that was ruled out I thought it might be a hormonal problem that was causing all of my issues. In October I went on holiday to my home country, where I was more familiar with the health system and got a full set of blood tests. I also had a very long check at the opticians, since I was struggling to read, and the man clearly saw something was wrong but couldn't figure out what. They made me a pair of glasses that didn't help much and have been sitting in a drawer since I got on insulin and my eyesight recovered 🙄
The blood test results came when I was already back to England. My fasting BG was 280 mg/ml (15 mmol/ml) and it clicked. I googled "diabetes" and found out I ticked all the boxes. The doctor told me to get tested to confirm it, which was a long and stressful wait: almost 4 weeks for a phone appointment (NHS was still very strained with COVID) and another few to actually get my blood taken. It just so happens that my dad had been diagnosed with Type 2 the same year and had very good results with diet and Metformin, and I assumed that would be the case for me. So I cut carbs down while I waited for diagnosis and it did help my symptoms. I got a call soon after the test saying my HbA1c was 84 and if I could go to the hospital the next morning for further tests, as they feared I was Type 1. I didn't know you could get that type as an adult! 😱
They were not completely sure about the type as my age and weight didn't suggest T2, but the symptoms were not as drastic and quick to appear as they are usually in T1, and I have family history of both. But they wanted me to start insulin ASAP because they were concerned about my levels. As I mentioned, I was not happy about the injections and it took me a while to get used to it, but I didn't have a choice! The antibodies test came back strongly positive so I've been treated as Type 1 since then. It seemed to be a slow progressing case though, because I've not needed a full basal-bolus regime until recently, so 3 years later! Before I went through seasons of only basal, only bolus and even no insulin. I spoke about it with the consultant and he said that autoimmunity is different for each individual, and as long as my BG was good I didn't need to change my system. Oh, and I got Libre one year after diagnosis, so I had plenty of time to practice my finger pricks! Libre is the best thing that's happened for me as a diabetic
Song in my head: Espresso, by Sabrina Carpenter.
nonethewiser
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Song remember well in charts when diagnosed was A Winters Tale by David Essex, every christmas here that song reminds me of my time in hospital.
Ok here goes:
2nd half of 2023 and first half of 2024 my anxiety was through the roof, and I did not know why. I knew I was stressed from my job, and I knew I was overweight - I had put on ALL of the weight that I had lost during Covid and was actively trying to lose it again.
I would also have a bit of trouble sleeping, my heart rate was literally always in the mid 80s at rest, and I was getting chest and arm pains (which is a symptom of anxiety) that last one landed me in A&E and the doctors a few times and every time I was told it was just anxiety, but I wasn't sure I just knew something was off.
Towards July 2024 I also started getting pains in my legs, and feeling sleepy a lot.
So I called my doctors and just said basically help me, I shouldn't be feeling like this at the age of 34. So they booked me in for a full set of bloods and my HBA1C came back as 80.
My Doctor notified my via text message (which was lovely) that I "might" be type 2 diabetic and told me I would need to come back in two weeks for another HBA1C test.
I then went into panic mode for about 2 days and ate very little because I didn't know what to eat, and I felt if I ate the wrong things I would be in danger.
Then I found this forum and poured my heart out in my first post, and got some very much needed reassurance and important info from that.
Went down more than a couple of worm holes on Diabetes too.
Then I went through the stages of Fear, Denial, anger, and acceptance.
I picked myself up, dusted myself off and decided that I would just go Full Keto and get more active so that's what I did. Keto meals, 10 minute walk after every meal and 2 weeks later my HBA1C came back as 65. So the diagnosis was confirmed and Initially the wanted to put me on Metformin but I declined as I am not keen on taking medications, I wanted to try and fix the problem by fixing MY problems. The Nurse agreed, but if my numbers weren't down by the next test in October then I would be put on Metformin. I just carried on doing what I was doing, purchased a monitor and have been testing pretty much every day since.
I set myself some goals of getting to normal figures by July 2025, and secretly wanted to get there by Xmas. I had also decided that I was going let myself have a full Xmas dinner too.
When October came around I had gotten my weight down from about 110kg to around 85kg, and using the accucheck calculator my average readings were showing my HBA1C should be something like 38 - Which I did not believe and assumed it would be higher, but then the result came in at 37 and I was stunned.
And that is the story of how I was diagnosed.
P.s The song in my head a lot of the time is "My Amazing Horse" - Look it up on Youtube at your own risk.
2nd half of 2023 and first half of 2024 my anxiety was through the roof, and I did not know why. I knew I was stressed from my job, and I knew I was overweight - I had put on ALL of the weight that I had lost during Covid and was actively trying to lose it again.
I would also have a bit of trouble sleeping, my heart rate was literally always in the mid 80s at rest, and I was getting chest and arm pains (which is a symptom of anxiety) that last one landed me in A&E and the doctors a few times and every time I was told it was just anxiety, but I wasn't sure I just knew something was off.
Towards July 2024 I also started getting pains in my legs, and feeling sleepy a lot.
So I called my doctors and just said basically help me, I shouldn't be feeling like this at the age of 34. So they booked me in for a full set of bloods and my HBA1C came back as 80.
My Doctor notified my via text message (which was lovely) that I "might" be type 2 diabetic and told me I would need to come back in two weeks for another HBA1C test.
I then went into panic mode for about 2 days and ate very little because I didn't know what to eat, and I felt if I ate the wrong things I would be in danger.
Then I found this forum and poured my heart out in my first post, and got some very much needed reassurance and important info from that.
Went down more than a couple of worm holes on Diabetes too.
Then I went through the stages of Fear, Denial, anger, and acceptance.
I picked myself up, dusted myself off and decided that I would just go Full Keto and get more active so that's what I did. Keto meals, 10 minute walk after every meal and 2 weeks later my HBA1C came back as 65. So the diagnosis was confirmed and Initially the wanted to put me on Metformin but I declined as I am not keen on taking medications, I wanted to try and fix the problem by fixing MY problems. The Nurse agreed, but if my numbers weren't down by the next test in October then I would be put on Metformin. I just carried on doing what I was doing, purchased a monitor and have been testing pretty much every day since.
I set myself some goals of getting to normal figures by July 2025, and secretly wanted to get there by Xmas. I had also decided that I was going let myself have a full Xmas dinner too.
When October came around I had gotten my weight down from about 110kg to around 85kg, and using the accucheck calculator my average readings were showing my HBA1C should be something like 38 - Which I did not believe and assumed it would be higher, but then the result came in at 37 and I was stunned.
And that is the story of how I was diagnosed.
P.s The song in my head a lot of the time is "My Amazing Horse" - Look it up on Youtube at your own risk.