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mark hawksworth

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Type 2
Hello everybody, my name is Mark and I'm 57,male.

Had bloods of 57 in December 2017 and told to leave it as it was borderline, over last few weeks vision started to go blurred and losing weight (1 stone over 6 weeks) going toilet every 2 hours.
New blood test Monday came back at 107, diabetic nurse is fuming as this could have been avoided if they had treated me from last December as she said I was diabetic then. Taking blood test about 8 times a day, readings between 15 and 22 and on gliclazide.
Not very happy because I already suffer with hemiplegic migraine on a daily basis.
Feel for all you people with diabetes because I didn't understand it until now. And so the journey begins.
 
Welcome to the forum @mark hawksworth

It’s the club no one wants to join, but it’s great that you have found the support of the forum.

It might help you to read some of the links and resources in the newbies ‘useful links’ section. In particular, Alan S’s Test Review Adjust (though you would need to exercise a little caution in dietary modifications as you are on Glic) and also the Gretchen Becker book which is very well thought of here.

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406/
 
Welcome and sorry for your diagnosis.. Use this forum as there is loads of good advice and knowledge on here.
 
Its all a bit mind blowing at the moment, just that simple statement of watch my diet because I'm on glic is another subject to check out. The nurse has told me to concentrate all on carbs at the moment so have adjusted my diet to that. I'm sure it will all get easier as I go on, just glad it was caught in time as she said I was close to T1. Will check that link.
many thanks
 
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum. Yes it is mind blowing at first. As you read the links in the helpful links thread, you’ll probably think I’ll never get the hang of this, believe me you will and it won’t take that long either !

I think what the nurs meant by this statement , is that much higher and you’d be on insulin.
mark hawksworth said:
as she said I was close to T1. Will check that link.
many thanks
Click to expand...
.
You see the cause of T1 is due to the immune system destroying insulin making cells in the pancreas, T2 has different causes and it’s not always down to lifestyle and obesity like many would have us believe.

I expect you are reeling at the mo and have tons of questions, well come here and ask, we’ll do our best to help.

Has the nurse explained about hypo’s and how to treat them?

As I’ve said to many a newcomer, we don’t live on lettuce and fresh air, neither should you, we actually eat good tasty meals and snacks. To give you some ideas a read if these two threads, pay more attention to the the T2 posts.
what-did-you-eat-yesterday

We have some innovative cooks who put some delicious recipes here
 
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mark hawksworth said:
Its all a bit mind blowing at the moment, just that simple statement of watch my diet because I'm on glic is another subject to check out. The nurse has told me to concentrate all on carbs at the moment so have adjusted my diet to that. I'm sure it will all get easier as I go on, just glad it was caught in time as she said I was close to T1. Will check that link.
many thanks
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Hi Mark, and welcome to the forum. I'm glad you're getting sorted, and it's now being taken seriously. However, one thing your nurse said seems a bit odd. Type 1 and Type 2 are completely separate conditions, one cannot turn into the other just for want of treatment.
Oh, just seen LJC has replied and said just that! I'll shut up now, but if you need to ask any more questions, fire away, it's what we are here for.
 
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Hi mark & welcome to the forum.🙂 57 isn't terribly high but definitely well into the diabetic range. The same happened to me though. I had a HbA1c of 56 that was totally ignored. It was just a regular blood test for a different reason. 6 months later I went to the GP as I had a very sore tongue. They did bloods again & HbA1c was 86! I put a complaint in & they apologised & admitted it was an oversight.
 
mark hawksworth said:
Its all a bit mind blowing at the moment, just that simple statement of watch my diet because I'm on glic is another subject to check out. The nurse has told me to concentrate all on carbs at the moment so have adjusted my diet to that. I'm sure it will all get easier as I go on, just glad it was caught in time as she said I was close to T1. Will check that link.
many thanks
Click to expand...

Just for clarity, often what members advise to new T2 arrivals is to use a BG meter to discover carb tolerance. Often this can involve some experimentation during which they avoid all potatoes, rice, grains, pasta, pastry bread etc

In your case, you may need to moderate your carb intake a little more cautiously as the Glic could lead to hypoglycaemia if you reduce carbs too much - it’s all a balancing act. The meds can’t do everything on their own, and with the right carbs at the right levels you may be able to reduce meds (not everyone can) or find the right balance between food intake, variety and BG levels that you are happy with.

Of course all this might change completely if your diagnosis changes to LADA!

Good luck and let us know how you are getting on.
 
As I am new to all this the nurse said that if the pancreas packs in all together you then go from T2 to T1 (Insulin dependent), I think she was giving worse case, to scare me a bit and take it seriously. Which I am doing and started already as everything was pointing to diabetes before my test. And what's this LADA, another subject to check LOL
 
Hi Mark, was 109 when I was diagnosed (hadn't had any previous tests either) just over 2 months ago & I was placed on Insulin & the hospital, at the time they were unsure if T1 or T2 but have now confirmed T2.
you have come to the right place, the members here are exceptionally friendly & helpful.
The good news is it does get better from here once you get start to learn what foods are "good" & which are "bad".
Took me a couple of days to realise it is not just sugar but the Carbs that count, I had been advised that starchy Carbs were "Better" but took a few days of testing to realise that this is still not good. Bread seemed to be especially bad & then I found this forum which confirmed it, but also recomeded Burgen bread which definitely seems to do the trick.
unfortunately some carbs are needed so you cant just ditch them completely, personally I stuck with pasta (wholemeal) & rice (again wholemeal) but now have only half as much with a meal.

Take things slowly as is often stated this is a marathon not a sprint.
with those reading you may be at risk of ketoacidosis, at least that was what I was advised & my meter can also test for ketones.
I was advised that if i had BG readings of Higher than 14 AND felt nauseous I should do a keytone test.

Check in with your DN regularly especial at this early stage.
 
You can't go from type 2 to type 1. That's impossible. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. Type 2's on insulin will be type 2's on insulin. LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults) is a form of late onset Type 1. Type 1's generally have a pancreas that doesn't work very well or not at all. Type 2's often have a perfectly working pancreas but are insulin resistant so they can't use the insulin their pancreas produces efficiently.
 
Hello Mark. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you have come to the right place. 57 is not horrendous but definitely diabetic and the DN is right, it should have been dealt with. I went pre-diabetic two years ago and the GP was sending for me at 42 which then went to 43 and I was sent on a prevention programme. It went back to normal but, unfortunately, it has gone back pre-diabetic again so back to testing and trying to sort out what went wrong.

posters are correct about cutting carbs but also if you are on meds you would have to watch hypos. Good luck with all this.

If you like cooking I can suggest some books I have bought which are helpful.
 
Welcome Mark from a fellow T2.
A HbA1c (blood taken from the arm) of 48 and above gets you a diagnosis of diabetes. 42-47 is called prediabetes. 30(?)-41 is normal.
Self testing: do before eating and 1 to 2 hours after. Keep a record of readings along with a food diary. After a couple of weeks hopefully you'll start to we a pattern. You'll be able to see what affects you and how much. You'll also see the effect any changes have.
As diabetics it is carbohydrates that we have to manage.
 
Ralph-YK said:
I believe the advice is to try and keep to 5 and above
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just to re-firm the above
DLVA requirement for drivers taking insulin is to test before driving (max 2 hrs) do not dive if less than 5 & stop & retest every 2 hrs.
If not actually mandated for anyone else it should certainly be taken as a strong recommendation if Hypos are a possibility.
when I have had days out without the car I have been ads low as 4.4 but not often
 
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