New to the forum but not diabetes!

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knappster

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Type 2
Hi all,

Thank you for letting me join. My name is Rich and I am a T2 diabetic. My GP described me as a square peg in a round hole when I was diagnosed six years ago as I had turned 40, was very fit and otherwise healthy and my T2 was picked up during a routine health check. No family history of it that I knew and I didn’t fit the usual stereotype of someone with the condition according to my doctor.

I’ve been visiting here as a guest for a few years but looking to get stuck in now and see if I can give something back.
 
Hi and welcome. Good that you feel that you want to "delurk" and say hello and take a more active role in the forum.

Just out of curiosity, did your GP ever consider that you might not actually be a square peg in a round hole but just that he was perhaps trying to put you in the wrong hole ie possibly a very slow onset Type 1 (LADA) rather than Type 2?

Will be interested to hear how you manage your diabetes? Do you manage on diet and exercise or are you using medication?
Do you home test your BG or just rely on HbA1c results to monitor your progress.
How has it gone over the last 8 years? Hopefully well and you are here to share your success story? If so,.... please feel free to elaborate.... we like success stories? Equally happy to offer support and guidance though if you need that.
 
Hello knappster, welcome to the forum.

It's not uncommon for people to develop diabetes even though they appear to be leading a healthier lifestyle as there are many reasons why someone may develop it in the first place.

Would be interesting to hear how you're getting on and what has helped you the most given that you already lead a healthy lifestyle as others' in that position often struggle with making adjustments.

Hopefully you'll find the site useful and we look forward to supporting you on you journey.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome!

The square peg comment was more aimed at my diagnosis due to my age and very active lifestyle. I had little in the way of symptoms other than tending to drink more water in the evenings and the associated toilet trip during the night. I monitor my blood sugar levels using the Hba1c through my GP and daily testing. My initial result when diagnosed was high at 102, but putting me on gliclazide brought it down to more acceptable levels. However, since then, it has been rising although with some drops due to new medications. The GP did consider it might be T1 though, and is looking at alternative treatment.

I do have a healthy lifestyle, lots of exercise and a good diet but in conjunction with medication to try and keep my levels in check. I’ll let you know how I get on with any changes on treatment.
 
Hey, I’m a square peg too! I’m also 46, was really slim and very fit (I’m lazy now though ) turns out I have a few type 1 antibodies floating about but my diagnosis is still not straightforward. If you visit this forum often you will have undoubtedly seen my whittle before so I will leave it there …. But welcome, Always pleased to meet somebody else who’s just my type, even if we don’t know what that is :confused:
 
Yes, I appreciated your meaning of not fitting the typical profile of a Type 2 diabetic, which is why your doctor should have been considering you might be Type 1 from the start.
There are tests which can help to identify if you are Type 1 (GAD antibody test and C-peptide) but they should ideally be organized and the results interpreted by a consultant at a specialist clinic, so if your doctor suspects you might be a slow onset Type 1, then he should be referring you to the hospital diabetes clinic for those tests and appropriate treatment.

A GP should not be treating a Type 1 in the first instance because they do not have the specialist knowledge to do so. In your position I would be pushing your GP to refer you to a specialist, especially if your diabetes is not responding to Type 2 medication and your levels are rising, despite your best efforts to be healthy.

Unfortunately there are many people who spend years with a misdiagnosis of Type 2 when they are Type 1 and it really can make a huge difference both emotionally but also in the treatment and support/technology you have access to. So it really is worthwhile pushing for a referral to a specialist to get it all checked out properly.
 
I have been referred to a specialist a year ago. Unfortunately, there is a considerable delay in seeing them. I have had the GAD antibody test but the results aren’t back yet. This is what my GP thinks will lead me to maybe being T1 and taking insulin. But I still agree I am something of a square peg in a round hole!
 
knappster said:
I have been referred to a specialist a year ago. Unfortunately, there is a considerable delay in seeing them. I have had the GAD antibody test but the results aren’t back yet. This is what my GP thinks will lead me to maybe being T1 and taking insulin. But I still agree I am something of a square peg in a round hole!
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Yes, unfortunately the clinics are overwhelmed since Covid, partly because the existing diabetics who got Covid and were hospitalized needed significantly more support and the staff from the clinics cover that role. Then of course staff got sick with Covid causing shortages and then the Covid virus itself seems to have triggered more cases of diabetes, so they are struggling to manage their workload and it takes time to train new staff as it is a degree level course to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN). A year is a very long time to wait for a first appointment though.
What sort of BG levels are you seeing and what was your most recent HbA1c result? You might need to ask your GP to chase it up.

@EmmaL76 I will never be convinced that you are anything other than LADA/Type 1. If you ate a normal diet I am pretty sure your body would hit crisis point quite quickly and you would need to use insulin. I understand why you don't want to do that and that you seem to have a reaction to the insulin, but I think your minimal carb diet is masking your Type 1 and enabling your body to limp along for the time being. You got a strongly positive GAD result didn't you. To me, together with your clinical presentation makes it reasonably clear cut and I really don't understand why the consultants are saying anything else. Unless they don't realise the sort of dietary restrictions you place on yourself to maintain things. Your poor pancreas is still limping along producing a minimal amount of insulin to enable you to survive, but I don't think you are thriving in this situation, just limping along.
I understand why and sending you (((HUGS))) because it must be incredibly difficult.
 
knappster said:
I have been referred to a specialist a year ago. Unfortunately, there is a considerable delay in seeing them. I have had the GAD antibody test but the results aren’t back yet. This is what my GP thinks will lead me to maybe being T1 and taking insulin. But I still agree I am something of a square peg in a round
Click to expand...
rebrascora said:
Yes, unfortunately the clinics are overwhelmed since Covid, partly because the existing diabetics who got Covid and were hospitalized needed significantly more support and the staff from the clinics cover that role. Then of course staff got sick with Covid causing shortages and then the Covid virus itself seems to have triggered more cases of diabetes, so they are struggling to manage their workload and it takes time to train new staff as it is a degree level course to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN). A year is a very long time to wait for a first appointment though.
What sort of BG levels are you seeing and what was your most recent HbA1c result? You might need to ask your GP to chase it up.

@EmmaL76 I will never be convinced that you are anything other than LADA/Type 1. If you ate a normal diet I am pretty sure your body would hit crisis point quite quickly and you would need to use insulin. I understand why you don't want to do that and that you seem to have a reaction to the insulin, but I think your minimal carb diet is masking your Type 1 and enabling your body to limp along for the time being. You got a strongly positive GAD result didn't you. To me, together with your clinical presentation makes it reasonably clear cut and I really don't understand why the consultants are saying anything else. Unless they don't realise the sort of dietary restrictions you place on yourself to maintain things. Your poor pancreas is still limping along producing a minimal amount of insulin to enable you to survive, but I don't think you are thriving in this situation, just limping along.
I understand why and sending you (((HUGS))) because it must be incredibly difficult.
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Hi @rebrascora thanks so much for your input/advice. My antigad was labelled borderline at 55. Some say it’s should be under 5 some say 11. It was retested again 18 months later and it was 40 something. My cpepride showed adequate production which is the reasoning behind my new consultants thought process around switching me back to a type 2, I’m currently down as a LADA.
@knappster i agree that a year is too long to wait. This doesn’t sound normal to me. I know it’s not doable for everyone but at various times I’ve seen a private endo at a cost of around £150 for the initial consultation. After that he ran all my tests through the nhs and did not charge me for follow ups and phone conversations. Obviously I’m not sure how common practise this is but just thought it worth a mention.
 
Alternatively, could you request an alternative referal to another specialist service, assuming there is more than one in your area. They may have a shorter waiting list...though you don't want to miss your place in the queue - it may be possible to be in 2 different queues? Your GP should be able to adcise. After all, Glicaside will only work for so long before your poor beta give up the ghost.
The more i hear of others diagnosis stories the more i realise how lucky i was.
I think it helps if you are slim, but t1 isn't weight related it must be hard for larger t1s out there to get a proper diagnosis.
 
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