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New T2, and uncertain how or why.

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smudge

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
About a year ago I was told I had prediabetes (48) so I have been careful. (I think). I'm male aged 69, watch my weight, BP under control with medication, vegetarian (with occasional lapses - I'm not going to force it on others) drink within the guidelines, go for a brisk walk every morning and do the fasting diet two days a week (it works for me). Now I'm told I have a reading of 76 (it was 78 and I asked for a second test because of the sudden change) and have been prescribed Metformin. What I cannot quite cope with is the fact that it seems very sudden, and I have had no symptoms at all: no thirst, no frequent need for urination, no tiredness (apart from that which is the result of poor sleep) and my BMI is 24.3. So what could have have happened? What is lurking within my lifestyle that could have caused it? Suggestions welcome.
 
Welcome.
Unfortunately Type2 Diabetes is not caused by the things the media would have you believe, they are just a factor. The researchers keep find differnt genes implicated.
 
Hi Smudge and welcome to the forum.
 
Hi Smudge, Welcome. I was alerted their was a problem through having a dipstick test for a UTI , I had no symptoms of diabetes .
On my official dx they believed I had been diabetic for at least 10 years.
I wish the media would stop concentrating on weight etc causing T2. There is some evidence of a genetic link. I believe and the guys here will correct me if I'm wrong that the majority of us T2s are not obese.
 
Please don't worry about being vegetarian , dietary wise many of us on here are downright rebels. Don't worry we won't force it either but we will mention our various diets.
We tend to avoid that eatwell plate or whatever it's called now, like the plague.
 
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Actually Lin, when I wrote "not forcing it on others" I meant that I don't expect anybody else to fall in with it just for me, so if anybody feeds me bacon I eat it. (any veggie knows its the one thing we miss, if we're truthful.)
 
smudge said:
Actually Lin, when I wrote "not forcing it on others" I meant that I don't expect anybody else to fall in with it just for me, so if anybody feeds me bacon I eat it. (any veggie knows its the one thing we miss, if we're truthful.)
Click to expand...
🙂 Don't worry I understood .
 
Hi smudge and welcome. 🙂
Unfortunately genetics seem to play a part in type 2 and whilst controlling diet and exercising where possible will help sometimes medication is needed too.
 
Genetics play a HUGE part - after all there are and always have been - various degrees of fat and obese people without diabetes. However - bad choices in diet and lifestyle just increase your chances of getting it. Part of that 'Risk Factor' thingy

If you have made bad choices, well I suppose you would feel as if you were to blame - but in your case where as far as you know you haven't - just don't. There isn't any point in doing that anyway (you'd still have T2 cos once you have it .....), especially when it isn't even true!
 
Diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) has clearly a genetic cause, so bad choices in diet and lifestyle aren't the cause but could ease the onsetting of the condition.
For me some bad choices were caused by the fact that nobody, especially mu GP, never warned me of possible diabetes or prediabetes warning signs, actually gave me statins that could actually have caused the diabetes onset. Other "people" likes to blame diabetics for their lifestyle: I think the term is rude jerks. These lowlifes must be avoided if possible for their unsupportive position.
Next to this, what is done is done. The only thing to do is to gather most informations on the condition and follow an healthy lifestyle and eating habits, even if this especially the eating habits in not understood by other people, and don't rely only on GP and nurses for advices...
 
Welcome to the group, as others have said, there is a strong genetic component, added to which we have been advised to eat more carbs for so many years.... Now something like 1 in 9 of the population is D
 
Don't beat yourself up that you have done something wrong. Maybe with better dietary advice you would not have been diagnosed but as you are probably now aware of, even when diagnosed as diabetic the dietary advice isn't helpful!!

I think we all feel we've done something wrong when we are diagnosed with a health condition and reading newspaper reports like "fat/lazy people cooking in aluminium saucepans, washing in cacogenic shower gel, travelling cattle class in trains/planes and living next to a main road are 1000% more likely to get cancer/diabetes/Alzheimer/zika virus!" The fact the research might have sampled 12 people is irrelevant.

A couple of years ago when waiting for results of a biopsy I tried not to think "why me" but rather, "why not me" or "rather me than my daughter". This kept me sane and helped me deal with my diagnosis. I am trying to use this same attitude with my diabetes. Aside from the Diabetic nurse giving me the scare stories etc. I'm getting on with it and only generally have mini meltdowns in Supermarkets as I find it exhausting reading labels and thinking what I can eat/cook etc. My daughter wants me to go Vegan but I think it might be a bit too challenging for me at the moment. I'm not a meat lover at all and I hate fish so I eat a lot of tofu/veggie mince etc. and have done for the last 30 years.

So I read articles about red meat causing cancer - I hadn't eaten red meat since I was a toddler. Low dose aspirin apparently helps prevent cancer so I had been taken one for 5 years prior to getting cancer. I don't drink to excess, I don't smoke. However cancer of various types is quite prominent in my family. No history of diabetes in my family.

On a positive not metformin is being trialled for preventing cancer reoccurrence plus they think sugar plays a part in feeding tumours!
 
I still can't believe I have D, but can understand why I have it. I'm a food addict and go on major food binges. On the other hand why does my brother-in-law have it? He's always been so sensible, 3 square meals, no overeating and yet he got it. His Dad had it though so there you go.... He even asked me why he got it and not me! Now I have got it but purely self-inflicted in my case I think. I did read in a magazine years ago that diuretics cause D as well.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum from someone who has a genetic form of diabetes. No symptoms before diagnosis even though my HbA1c was 127, purposely lost 7 stone in weight before diagnosis.
 
smudge said:
Actually Lin, when I wrote "not forcing it on others" I meant that I don't expect anybody else to fall in with it just for me, so if anybody feeds me bacon I eat it. (any veggie knows its the one thing we miss, if we're truthful.)
Click to expand...
Nope, awful, chewy stuff!
 
As long as it's crispy I don't care what bacon it is.
IMG_0219.PNG
 
There are several veggie alternatives to bacon - Cheatin' Rashers, Quorn Meat Free Bacon Rashers amongst others.
 
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