New here and absolutely terrified

[Maple Leaf]

Hi all, I am brand new here, completely overwhelmed tonight and absolutely terrified.
I had a blood test in September as I was completely exhausted. That showed that I had high blood sugar (Hba1c?) as well as really low levels of iron. I was also told that I had practically no iron stores left either. I was just told to eat better, lose some weight and was given iron tablets - that was it. Over Christmas I have been thirsty, lots of headaches and really thought I had a UTI, so booked myself into the Dr's last Monday. No UTI, bu I was given another Hba1C and iron test. Today I had a phone call from someone at the surgery saying that the GP wanted to see me asap tomorrow as not only am I still anemic, my blood sugar is really high and the Dr needed to see me urgently. She also mentioned a really low carb diet (she said she couldnt give me any more details as she wasnt medically trained). I am 48, no one else in the family is diabetic, probably about 3 stone overweight if Im completely honest, live on my own and have a stressful job (my hair started falling out in September) where I am on my feet all day. I know I have gallstones (created by going on the Cambridge Diet a few years ago) and I was warned in September that I was just in the prediabetic zone but that iron deficiences can affect an Hba1c test. I have a very strong feeling (due to how I have been feeling over Christmas and what/how I was told today) that tomorrows appointment is going to be serious.

To say I am terrified is an understatement, I am a real worrier and anxious person by nature and had some serious health problems when I was younger needing warfarin for a couple of years with all the monitoring that entailed. That has given me a needle phobia and a real mistrust of the medical profession 'getting things right' as I nearly died at the time. I am worried that I will be told I am type 2 tomorrow and given little information as to what to do. My diet has always been porridge in the morning or I get shakes by midday, a sandwich with some fruit or a yoghurt at lunchtime and a cheap microwaved ready meal for tea as by the time I get home its all I'm fit to cook. I am on a really small food budget, so I have no idea how I can transform what I eat to low carb without spending a fortune or falling apart with the shakes and not being able to do my job. Even if I get told tomorrow that I havent tipped over into type 2, I need to change things. I havent even got a clue what I would eat for breakfast as I just need to grab and go Basically tonight I am sitting here on my own panicking myself - sorry

 

[SueEK]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Firstly don’t panic, the GP will give you the information you need tomorrow and if it turns out you have type 2 then there are lots of things you can do to help yourself and we are all here to help. There is a wealth of experienced people on here who between us having virtually every medical condition, different bg levels etc etc so there will always be someone who can help you or if not point you in the right direction. From the examples you gave if your food I’m afraid you are having a very high carb diet, a bit like mine was, which does us no favours at all.
Really we will need to know what your GP says tomorrow and try to make note of what your HbA1c result is to be able to give good information to you.
To hopefully put your mind at rest a bit I was diagnosed a year ago with an HbA1c of 90, nobody in my family has it and I am slim and always have been. However like you I was suffering from extreme tiredness day after day. Thanks to the people on this site I now have good bg levels and can stay awake for a whole day, believe me that in itself has improved my life drastically.
Please ask any questions you want but a good thing would be to let us know what happens tomorrow, have a look around the site and then we will do all we can to help but I know that the not knowing is always the worst as we all worry so . Take care and good luck tomorrow. Sue

 

[Drummer]

I'm rather suspicious that getting the shakes is due to you eating so many carbs - that trains your pancreas to put out loads of insulin when you eat, and that over reaction results in wobblies which a calmer pancreas would not be setting up.
Low carb isn't vastly expensive, sausages, eggs, chicken thighs, mince, tins of tuna are all fairly reasonable - and if you have a freezer and look for offers you can reduce the costs further - dividing up large packs before freezing prevents waste or boredom setting in.
We are told that eating carbs is a healthy option, but if it is low fat as well that causes gall stones, as there is no need for the gall bladder to empty to emulsify the fat in the gut - so the stones begin to form.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @Maple Leaf ,welcome to the forum. Please try not to panic, Diabetes is doable. I was diagnosed with T2 back in 1994. Once you have all the info you need you will start to take control of your diabetes.

As your blood glucose (BG) levels start to come back down you will notice, you have more energy , won’t feel as tired and won’t be up several times a night peeing ,the thirst will go too .
Not all of us have all those symptoms, I had none so

Our diet needn’t be expensive . The only thing you need to reduce is carbohydrates.
Unless we have other conditions we are fine with protein and fats, though some medics/ nurses still say fats are bad, but their is growing evidence that this is not the case.

I hope you have a good Gp appointment tomorrow and that they know their stuff.

For your appointment tomorrow I suggest you take a list of your questions with you.
Paper and pen to make any notes.
You’ll likely have to make an appointment to see the practices diabetes nurse .
It wold be good if someone could go with you for moral support and as a second pair of ears as they might hear what you miss.

If your anything like me after the appointment you’ll think of tons of things you’d wished you had asked, well we can help there 🙂.

Your iron deficiency does need to be investigated and treated , Anaemia is probably making you tired and lethargic too.

If it does turn out that you have definitely joined our club, please come and pick our brains, we have a wealth of info lots of very knowledgeable people.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

 

[Toucan]

Hello Maple Leaf
Welcome form me as well, and I do hope you get some good help from the doctor.
As you can see from the replies that you already have, there are plenty of us here that would like to help and support you. Please let us know how it goes.
There is plenty of information available on what to eat, and it needn't be expensive or time consuming to prepare.

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi @Maple Leaf, welcome to the forum.

Nothing to add to the excellent advice already given, except to say do come back and let us know how you got on. We are pleased to help with any questions you might have, and to offer support and encouragement. All the best to you 🙂

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I can’t add anything about the diabetes but I can on the anaemia. Don’t underestimate how bad you can feel from low iron. I was at the point where I needed a blood transfusion and iron infusion. A lot of what you say about how you feel sounds like anaemia to me. Your hair falling out is a classic of anaemia for example. Even with a bag of blood and an iron infusion it was a few weeks before I felt normal again. I was then on iron tablets for a couple of months and now feel so much better.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Maple Leaf

Please try not to worry. A looming diagnosis like this can feel like the end of everything, but conversely for many folks here it actually provided answers as to why they had felt rough for so long, and became a catalyst for healthier living - alongside getting regular health checks.

It might be a blessing in (heavy!) disguise!

It is certainly worth following up that your HbA1c checks have accompanied anaemia though - as this can have a big impact.

 

[CathyB]

Hi and welcome. As the others have said, try not to worry, if you are diabetic then it is manageable and everything you need to know to do it is on these pages. Your current diet / lifestyle sound like where i was before diagnosis, long and erratic working hours also mean i am quite a lazy cook so quick and easy works best for me 🙄 I tend to cook one pot wonders that will last a couple of days. It’s honestly not so bad once you work out what foods work best for you as we are all different. Let us know how you get on with the second test and you will get loads of support and ideas for meals.....you can do this!!

 

[DebbieC]

Hi and welcome, am parent to autistic son diagnosed in September, I was also really worried as am also an anxious person but every one on here is marvellous... James diet was like yours but we have gone low carb, fresh not ready meals... and he has lost 4 st and diabetes in remission... once you look at posts on here there’s lots of ideas and blood sugar recipes really nice (dr M)...it will be ok , we are all in this together x

 

[DebbieC]

Ps I also get shaky after eating sugary carbs and used to think it was low blood sugar... tested self on sons kit, my BG was higher than his... now that I try and eat healthy and cut out sweets and stodgy food, no shakes or bloated tummy and feel so much better too x