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Newbie here

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Christywhisty

New Member
I am a 59 year old woman

In april i was not feeling well at all and went to GP with what i thought was a UTI.
They tested my urine and my BG was 26 with ketones 1.7 and was severely dehydrated . Was sent straight to A&E spent a day in resus (DKA without the A as it was explained to me) and another 5 days in hospital. I did have infection and was on 3 antibiotics and straight onto insulin and 500g prolonged release metformin.

I have cut nearly all added sugar from my diet, swapped to whole grains wherever possible. My current insulin is novomix 30 . 15units breakfast and 11units at dinner. Ive not lost any weight but i am quite muscular anyway and manage to get my heart points, steps in . This morning did i hour water aerobic class followed by 1 km swim, would do more but working 3/4 days a week with a 1 hour commute leaves me too tired for gym or swim after work. I do go for a walk lunch time when im in office.

I test 4 times a day. Last few months averages about 5.6 with highest being one 8.2 , lowest 3s in hot weather and 4s when i exercise or before lunch when im in the office, but usually in 5s and 6s.

When i was in hospital there was confusion over type 1 or 2 and never really been told officially that i am type 2. I had follow up phone calls with the hospital diabetic nurse who has now discharged me and have also seen the diabetic nurse at my surgery. I have got an appointment with a dietician on Friday which to me seems a bit too late! I am not sure if i should be seeing a consultant at all? Hospital discharge form says follow up 6 to 8 weeks but that should have been end of may or june

I have just had my first Hab1c test since diagnosis which is 39 . GP Receptionist told me this is normal score but feel a bit in limbo. Not sure if i will eventually be able to stop taking insulin or not. Don't even know if my insulin dose is high or not or if i should be aiming for it to come down more ( was 18 and 14 when i left hospital)
I am also on 5mg Felodipine for blood pressure

Sorry for the ramble
 
Welcome to the forum @Christywhisty. I am glad that you have found us.

If you are Type 1 you will continue to need insulin and the amount each of us needs will depend on what we need. It will certainly help you to know which type of diabetes you have. Did they do any tests when you were in hospital, such as a Gad Antibody test, and if so do you know what the results were? Type 1 and Type 2 are managed in very different ways so it is useful to have this information.
 
I had a GAD test but was never given a result!. My discharge form mentions type 1 and type 2 and then i had letter from hospital which refers to type 2, so assume type 2 either way currently managed with Insulin and metformin
 
If you are a Type 1 then you will need to keep taking (some ) insulin for life.
But if you are a Type 2, then it is quite possible that (in cooperation with your GP) you will be able to reduce your insulin dose or even come off insulin completely.
But in order to do that you need to make sure that your meals don't raise your Blood Glucose too much. This means testing meals to find out which foods suit you and which you need to reduce or avoid.
To test, take a BG reading just before a meal and then 2hrs later, aiming for a rise of no more than 2mmol. If possible also aim for a maximum BG reading of 8.0 mmol or less.
However any reduction in carbs must be matched with a reduction in insulin because otherwise you BG may go too low ( a hypo).
 
Welcome to the forum @Christywhisty

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and the degree of uncertainty around your classification - but very well done on the positive changes you have made, and on your HbA1c reduction.

Defining the type of diabetes isn’t always very straightforward, and some members have had to wait for a long time (months or years) before getting a definitive answer. It is worth continuing to ask the question though - to ensure you get the most appropriate treatment, and get access to the full range of treatment options. While people can sometimes seem to sit in between ‘types’, unfortunately the nature of healthcare provision is that certain tech or therapies/meds will only be offered if you have a tick in a particular box!

As your levels have reduced towards a target range, it may well be that your surgery will want to review your insulin doses, to ensure things don’t risk drifting too low - but the important thing is to keep meds and menu (plus activity levels etc) in balance.

Keep us posted with how things go for you 🙂
 
thank you

I had my appointment with hospital dietician today. He said they did have my GAD results and I am not making any antibodies so have been diagnosed Type 2 . He said I am not listed for consultant appointment so he is going to contact them to find out what they want to do with me!
 
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