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Newly diagnosed but not sure which type

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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Phili

New Member
I have just got out of a 5 day stay in hospital for a planned investigation of a 72 hour fast which was the most terrifying experience of my life and then a glucose tolerance test at the end of the stay. The 72 hour fast I got down to 1.9 and colapsed but on the lab test came back as 4.9 (crazy difference) . 2 hours after the glucose test I was 15.9.

The dr then demanded a urine test and ketones test which I think was 1.0. He then ran from clinic to meet with me and gave me the terrifying news I was diabetic and needed a blood test before I left to determine what type I was as I fit both categories. I'm now trying to carry on anxiously at work and in general feeling like I could do anything wrong whilst I wait for an answer, treatment and education. Any help?
 
Hi Phili

No direct help, sorry - but shedloads of both sympathy and empathy. You are comparatively young - I was 22 when diagnosed - BUT you haven't got classic Type 1 symptoms - and there again, neither do you have classic T2 ones either - so it is down to tests and doctors to fathom it out - and settle on what's likely to be the best treatment for you.

A the mo I'd just say try and stay away from having a carb fest (overeating of any carbohydrates especially sugar itself and too much of all things made with flour of any kind, spuds rice and pasta (I already said that, didn't I - flour LOL) but don't avoid em completely just now. All protein (Fish, meat, eggs, cheese) is fine so are all veg other than the spuds I mentioned and parsnips (mega high carb) and fats - so milk cream and yoghurt - and that cheese - are fine too. All the topping off any pizza - just no base. The filling of any pie - with perhaps just the top, but forget the sides and bottom! Fruit in moderation is OK too - but perhaps avoid 'tropical' varieties which includes oranges and mango, pineapple etc and esp bananas.

Tea & coffee are fine - have sweeteners if you currently take sugar (or go cold turkey and stop it completely - becomes normal within 48 hours) so are DIET soft drinks - but not ordinary varieties. Alcohol in moderation whatever it is - but I do like a gin & slimline tonic myself. Many varieties of beers and lagers have far too many carbs for comfort - but quite a number are ok so if you want to know what others do - ASK! Main thing is that word moderation though - your liver does a lot of good stuff for you behind the scenes - however if you keep it too busy processing alcohol - it has to prioritise that - it's utterly useless at multi-tasking - hence it can't help you out if you need it to.

Once you know more what's really going on - we'll obviously be able to suggest all sorts of things to try or not to try.

What on earth was happening prior to the admission? That's one helluva long time to have to fast. (I mean I didn't eat or drink for a week after an op - but I was hooked up to two drips and an insulin sliding scale, so I never suffered for it)

What's the Plan for you right now? What are you sposed to be doing whilst you wait for results - and how long do they expect you to wait 'in limbo' ?
 
Thanks for the info. Im a fussy eater don't like veg and only eat fruit in a smoothie haha. But I eat healthy as in healthy as I can and I'm an energetic little thing always working out and my job is very demanding.
I went to the drs after feeling as though I was having 'hypos' took my sugar levels for a few weeks and foods Id eaten and showed them. They did some tests and referd me to the endocrinology department. So he asked for the 72 hour fast. In the fast my blood sugar went down but then tried to stabilise it's self before dropping again and each time it dropped it dropped further until I reached 1.9

He said I shall know and have all the help and info in the next 4 weeks.
 
Phili said:
I have just got out of a 5 day stay in hospital for a planned investigation of a 72 hour fast which was the most terrifying experience of my life and then a glucose tolerance test at the end of the stay. The 72 hour fast I got down to 1.9 and colapsed but on the lab test came back as 4.9 (crazy difference) . 2 hours after the glucose test I was 15.9.

The dr then demanded a urine test and ketones test which I think was 1.0. He then ran from clinic to meet with me and gave me the terrifying news I was diabetic and needed a blood test before I left to determine what type I was as I fit both categories. I'm now trying to carry on anxiously at work and in general feeling like I could do anything wrong whilst I wait for an answer, treatment and education. Any help?
Click to expand...
Hi Phili
Warm welcome to the forum.
Sincerely hope you get swift results .
 
So im on week 4 so this is the week i should get answers.
Iv just got back from 3 days in manchester. Whilst waiting for brekfast on thursday i started getting hot and clammy, i saw like 4 of everyone i got restless and was all over my seat i was in. My girlfriend apprently sprinted to a near by shop for lucozade. Then i fell on to my friend and said my mouth was tingling. These are the symptoms i got whilst in hospital and when they tested it there was 1.9 on the glucose monitor.
I didn't have any strips with me to test this time but the food came and they fed me a few mouth fuls and i came round. So as im unaware if im type 1 or 2 and on no medication can i have lows?

I thought it was all about High sugar levels. As you can see iv had enough waiting now im getting pretty confused and upset with it all.
 
Phili said:
So im on week 4 so this is the week i should get answers.
Iv just got back from 3 days in manchester. Whilst waiting for brekfast on thursday i started getting hot and clammy, i saw like 4 of everyone i got restless and was all over my seat i was in. My girlfriend apprently sprinted to a near by shop for lucozade. Then i fell on to my friend and said my mouth was tingling. These are the symptoms i got whilst in hospital and when they tested it there was 1.9 on the glucose monitor.
I didn't have any strips with me to test this time but the food came and they fed me a few mouth fuls and i came round. So as im unaware if im type 1 or 2 and on no medication can i have lows?

I thought it was all about High sugar levels. As you can see iv had enough waiting now im getting pretty confused and upset with it all.
Click to expand...
Hi Phili, sorry to hear this, I hope you get some answers soon.

Having low blood sugar levels, particularly at the level you are getting and on no medication is not a sign of Type 1 diabetes, nor Type 2 - both these major types of diabetes are concerned with lack of insulin (Type 1) and insulin resistance (Type 2) - both would produce high levels, not lows. There is a condition called 'reactive hypoglycaemia' - has this been mentioned at all? It would appear your pancreas is producing too much insulin, and thus driving your levels too low - normally the body's systems will shut off the flow of insulin before blood sugar levels fall to low, but in your case this isn't happening quickly enough.
 
When i saw the consultant i said about reactive hypoglycemia and they didnt mention anything. In the 72 hour fasting my blood sugars rised and then just dropped and then rised and then dropped lower each time this is where the concern is he said im producing insulin but not properly. So thats what there investigating.
 
I hope you get some answers soon, @Phili - do you know what blood tests they did?

For a few months before I was diagnosed with diabetes I developed what was obviously reactive hypoglycaemia - I wasn't testing my sugars like you've been, but my partner is hypoglycaemic so I recognised the symptoms and knew how to treat it. I had no idea it might be anything to do with diabetes at the time - after all, as Northerner says, diabetes is about high blood sugar, not low blood sugar, so it really didn't occur to me (even though my partner's been told that his reactive hypoglycaemia puts him more at risk of diabetes).

Then I developed - really suddenly - the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and was rushed to hospital, diagnosed with type 1, and told that my blood test for GAD antibodies (one of the tests they do to determine type of diabetes) was off the scale - the normal range is under 5 and my result was greater than 2000 - too high to measure.

With hindsight, I think now that what was happening was that my immune system was attacking my pancreas for a few months before my diagnosis, and my pancreas was putting up a fight! When my pancreas got the upper hand, because it was making a big effort to overcome the attack it produced more insulin than I needed and I got hypos - but this only meant it exhausted itself more quickly and I ended up with type 1 diabetes. I don't know if this is right, but it's my best guess!

As far as what to do while waiting for your results is concerned, Jenny's advice is good - I'd just add, avoid things like honey, dried fruit, fruit juice, and those smoothies, because they'll send your blood sugar up really fast. And when you do get hypo, don't overtreat it!
 
Hi Phil and a warm welcome to the forum from me - I truly hope things are sorted for you - and very soon at that. @trophywench & @Northerner have given you very sound advice, take care
WL

Dx Type 2 April 2016
Metformin withdrawn
Diet control and exercise only
 
I meant to say that I seem to be completely unable to fast without my blood sugars going haywire - I've tried 3 times and the first 2 (just missing lunch) my blood sugar plummeted and I had 3 hypos in the night; the 3rd time (just missing breakfast) my blood sugar rocketed up to the teens and had trouble getting it down again. My being on insulin should not have caused this, so there is some other reason for it, but I'm afraid I don't know what it is - just wanted to say you're not alone having problems with fasting.
 
TheClockworkDodo said:
I meant to say that I seem to be completely unable to fast without my blood sugars going haywire - I've tried 3 times and the first 2 (just missing lunch) my blood sugar plummeted and I had 3 hypos in the night; the 3rd time (just missing breakfast) my blood sugar rocketed up to the teens and had trouble getting it down again. My being on insulin should not have caused this, so there is some other reason for it, but I'm afraid I don't know what it is - just wanted to say you're not alone having problems with fasting.
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Your body will release stored glucose from the liver which will increase your bm temporarily. Mine does it but the insulin I am on is slow acting and kicks in when needed so I have to monitor closely and make sure I do not over inject.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/body/liver-and-blood-glucose-levels.html
 
Phili said:
I have just got out of a 5 day stay in hospital for a planned investigation of a 72 hour fast which was the most terrifying experience of my life and then a glucose tolerance test at the end of the stay. The 72 hour fast I got down to 1.9 and colapsed but on the lab test came back as 4.9 (crazy difference) . 2 hours after the glucose test I was 15.9.

The dr then demanded a urine test and ketones test which I think was 1.0. He then ran from clinic to meet with me and gave me the terrifying news I was diabetic and needed a blood test before I left to determine what type I was as I fit both categories. I'm now trying to carry on anxiously at work and in general feeling like I could do anything wrong whilst I wait for an answer, treatment and education. Any help?
Click to expand...

There's an important Clinical Trial going on right now, for newly diagnosed people ! - see

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...osed-in-the-last-12-months.66852/#post-716913
 
Papa Lazarou said:
Your body will release stored glucose from the liver which will increase your bm temporarily. Mine does it but the insulin I am on is slow acting and kicks in when needed so I have to monitor closely and make sure I do not over inject.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know - DP sends my BGL rocketing up every morning if I'm not careful, but it normally comes straight back down again - it doesn't account for the day I skipped breakfast and my BGL stayed high for about 24 hours. And over-injecting basal doesn't account for my having 3 hypos in the night on each of the days when I skipped lunch but not on any other nights. The delayed reactions to fasting are almost certainly due to my having another illness interacting with my diabetes (obviously you weren't to know that, so thanks for trying to help!) but I don't know why fasting has such a big effect on me, all the same.

Welcome to the forum, btw 🙂
 
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