Just diagnosed

[Reindeerdog]

Hi, this is my first post so I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little about my journey.

I am 4 years post liver & kidney transplant and I have this week been told I now have diabetes. I know that the medications I take make me prone to getting diabetes as does my kidney disease. I am 57 and overweight however I have polycystic kidneys so how much is fat and how much is kidney is quite difficult to know. I live in Devon with my husband and I am hoping this group will help me find my way through this new obstacle.

 

[Vonny]

Welcome to the forum @Reindeerdog 🙂 There are people on this forum who have a variety of complex medical needs in addition to diabetes and I'm sure they will be able to answer any questions you have. Are you being put onto any medication for the diabetes? And were you told your hba1c, which will give you some indication of how far into the diabetic range you are. Between 42 and 47 is pre-diabetic and 48 and over is diabetic. I was diagnosed when my hba1c was 76 and I've got it down to 38 through diet and medication, but I'm fortunate in that I have no significant other medical issues, so it may be different for you. In fact that is one thing you will find on this forum....everyone is different! I hope you find the answers you need.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Reindeerdog 🙂

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hello @Reindeerdog, and welcome. You have had your fair share of medical challenges without this extra twist.

To be able to make auggestions for finding your way could you possibly tell us a little bit more please: what symptoms have led to this diagnosis? Who has made this diagnosis that has resulted in a classification of Type 2 - GP or an Endocrinologist? Also what tests have brought this about - hopefully an HbA1c result from a routine blood analysis, rather than a fasting blood test? What treatment has been suggested or prescribed.

I ask because the type of diabetes is governed by the cause, not just because you have elevated blood glucose; and the treatment for diabetes needs to be appropriate to the cause. Your diabetes triggered by treatments for liver and kidney transplants do not make you a routine T2. A,s well as T1 and T2 there are subsets of the infrequently encountered Type 3 (a-k) where the diabetes is caused by other factors (not the autoimmune difficulties that leads to destruction of the insulin producing cells for T1 OR the increased insulin resistance that normally leads to a T2 diagnosis). In your case I surmise - and I have no medical background - that you may well benefitofthe workmz one of the T3s, perhaps for administrative convenience "as if T2". But I see no logical reason why transplant surgery or medications (steroids ?) should bring about increased insulin resistance, whereas steroids can and do cause damage to the pancreas thus affecting your ability to produce insulin. So arguably more "as if T1".

Anyway, something to ponder upon ....

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Reindeerdog

Sorry to hear about the complex health challenges you are living with. Must make things very difficult to manage

Which medications are you on?

And have you been told the result of your HbA1c check?