Recently confirmed with type 2

[Glen More]

Hi to all 🙂

I say recently confirmed as I suspect I may have had diabetes for a lot longer. Several years ago I visited my GP with work related stress and he sent me for some blood tests. I was then told I was borderline (pre-diabetes?). The work related stress (and involved a lot of international travel) led to my regular running regime falling away to nil whilst eating at the same level and putting on weight. Very soon after I took early retirement and re-started exercise and healthier eating. All seemed well as I felt a lot better in myself.

Then in the 3 months prior to lockdown I had a very bad case of flu followed by a cold and then another bout of flu. Out of 12 weeks I only felt well for 1 of them! I was about ready to start exercising again (jogging) when we were told that we could only be outside for 1hr. To get fitter again my jogging re-start would only be 10 to 15 mins before slowly rising. This did not fit with the lockdown policy so I started brisk walking - It was only marginally slower than my jogging!! Really enjoyed the walking for an hour or more most days of the week.

Then in October I started taking Vitamin D supplements and within 2 weeks I had an unquenchable thirst. The only change in my lifestyle was these supplements which I thought was the cause (I now know this was sheer coincidence). As this did not die down as I expected after stopping the supplements I began to think this was the symptoms of diabetes so made an appointment for a telephone consultation with my GP (no face to face visits at this time). Unfortunately it was a locum I spoke to who, after some blood tests, told me I definitely did not have diabetes. This was January of this year. By this time my thirst had significantly reduced and I thought no more about it though I did have short and less severe occurrences during the summer. Kept up my 3 to 4 days a week of brisk >1hr walks and I was continuing to lose weight (I never used to weight myself but had lost about 5" from my waist).

At the start of September I had a cold (and the usual comfort eating to feed a cold 🙂). My unquenchable thirst then returned and I felt very tired, lacking energy and basically very rundown. Enough that I went to my GP at the beginning of October. This time I actually saw my own GP who took one look at my blood results from January and then apologised most profusely as I should have been told in January that I had diabetes. As I suspected the diagnosis I had bought a blood glucose testing kit a few days before seeing my GP and my first result was to high for the meter to read - in excess of 33mmols/L!!! Since seeing my GP and action started my fasting and before meals levels are between 7 and 8 mmols/L and the trend is still in the right direction.

So that is my diabetes story so far and how I find my self on here.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Glen More and welcome to the forum.
Apart from food there are lots of other things which can (in the short/medium term) raise Blood Glucose. However a reading of 33mmol is very concerning and so high that either food or a lack of insulin production must be implicated.

The main non-food things which raise BG are:
1. Infection or injury
2. Stress.
3. Lack of sleep
4. Medication including statins and steroids
5. Vigorous exercise (but not for longer than a day).
6. Lack of moderate exercise

The foods which raise Blood Glucose are all carbohydrates (except indigestible fibre or fiber as the Americans call it). This includes all common sugars and starches, so includes fruit, grains/flour, potato. Even carrot, parsnip, beans, peas and other legumes can raise BG (but we all react slightly differently to them).

 

[Glen More]

Thanks. I suspect that the recent cold was a trigger followed by my comfort eating which involved a lot of carbs and sugary food. Its this that probably sent my blood glucose sky high.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks. I suspect that the recent cold was a trigger followed by my comfort eating which involved a lot of carbs and sugary food. Its this that probably sent my blood glucose sky high.

I assume your doctor has done an HbA1C blood test which is the test used for diagnosis and is a measure of your average blood glucose over the previous 3 months. A level of 48mmol/mol will give you the diagnosis.
This is different from the spot test you do with a finger prick on your home monitor.
Knowing what that is will indicate how much you need to be doing in terms of dietary changes to get your levels down.
I suspect your problem with carbohydrates is more fundamental than some recent overindulgence on carbs and sugary foods.
Keeping a food diary of what you are eating and drinking might help you identify the areas you need to be cutting down on.

 

[Glen More]

The blood test has been done and I am waiting to see my GP for the results. I have already started changes in my diet as well as logging my meals 🙂. In fact I started as soon as I got that first blood glucose result and it was down to the low teens within 7 days. I will be attending a diabetes clinic tomorrow so looking forward to more useful advice.

 

[rebrascora]

Reading through your story I think it is possible you might be a slow onset Type 1 diabetic (sometimes referred to as LADA- Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults and it may well stem from the viruses you suffered at the start of 2019. Viruses can trigger the immune system to attack the body and quite a few people seem to develop Type 1 after having a virus. Type 1 diabetes is where the immune system targets the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas and starts killing them off. The fact that you have developed these symptoms quite suddenly on and off and lost weight (most Type 2s find they put weight on), although I appreciate you were walking regularly, suggests that your body has been approaching breaking point a few times and perhaps dietary changes each time have allowed the remaining beta cells to cope again and keep you from complete breakdown. If I am right, it will only be a question of time before the final beta cells cannot cope with their work load and your levels start to rise again.

In your position I would be asking the doc to refer you to a specialist diabetes clinic and ask for C-peptide and GAD antibody tests. These should hopefully indicate if you are Type 1 and you will then be referred for appropriate treatment which is of course insulin..... probably not what you want to hear but getting the correct diagnosis and treatment is really important and unfortunately many GPs just assume you are Type 2 if you are a mature adult, especially if you are carrying a bit too much weight and/or admit to a poor diet. I was in a similar situation 2.5 years ago but thankfully I had a switched on practice nurse who was able to discuss my case with the consultant in the first few weeks of Type 2 treatment and at week 6 I was started on insulin even though I had just managed to get my levels down into single figures through drastically reducing my carb intake to very strict low levels. I was subsequently tested for GAD and C-peptide and confirmed Type 1.

 

[Glen More]

Thanks. That is useful information and your assessment of my history does seem to be that I can't rule out type 1. My GP surgery has a specialist diabetic GP who I will be seeing soon so I can raise this at the time. Its a funny old world but I used to audit the manufacture of insulin injection pens to assure their quality. 🙂

 

[Felinia]

Hi and welcome
You do sound switched on and have started the right steps with lifestyle changes. Lots of useful information on the Learning Zone here, and this Forum. You need to ask what your previous and current HbA1c is when you speak to your GP or diabetic specialist. That will give you, and us, an indication of where you are on the diabetic spectrum and whether your measures are now reducing your blood glucose, and/or you need medications. Speaking from experience, an infection does play havoc with blood glucose levels. I was ill from Oct last year for 4 months and am only now getting back to my pre-infection levels. Still too high but I'm working on it! I hope you get some definitive answers soon.

 

[Glen More]

Thanks. I did neglect to say that since seeing my GP I am on Metformin and Gliclazide which I am sure has already been of benefit.

 

[ianf0ster]

Thanks. I did neglect to say that since seeing my GP I am on Metformin and Gliclazide which I am sure has already been of benefit.

While Glic can work well, it does have a long list of possible side effects. Metformin is very safe, but it can cause digestive tract problems for some people and it doesn't have a huge effect on blood glucose.

Unless you are not an ordinary Type 2, then food got you into this situation and so changing that food (eating lower carb) is the best way to get you out of it in my opinion.

 

[Glen More]

Thanks. So far the meds are not giving me a problem. I agree that food was part of the problem but I suspect not the only factor.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Glen More

Sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, and some of the confusion involved. Sounds like a rough time for you, especially with that long sequence of illness

Well done on getting your levels back down so effectively.

Hope your specialist GP can offer some confirmation of your diabetes type so that you can get the most effective treatment options for you

 

[Glen More]

Welcome to the forum @Glen More

Sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, and some of the confusion involved. Sounds like a rough time for you, especially with that long sequence of illness

Well done on getting your levels back down so effectively.

Hope your specialist GP can offer some confirmation of your diabetes type so that you can get the most effective treatment options for you

Thanks.

 

[Weekender]

Hi Glen, sorry for arriving at your post late in the day. What was your HbA1c result? What did you and the GP conclude in the end? I agree with @Felinia you sound switched on. If you have Type 2, I suspect lockdown has thrown you off course. and a bit of attention to your diet, managing work demands and a return to exercise should kick the diabetes into touch. Some of us have had success 'resetting' our insulin sensitivity by losing weight following 8 weeks of very low calorie diet Newcastle Diet. The data shows T2 occurs when we are over our individual optimum weight. If you are 20% heavier than you were in your 20's, losing weight can fix things. I hope you log back into the forum and let us know how it went.

 

[Glen More]

Hi Glen, sorry for arriving at your post late in the day. What was your HbA1c result? What did you and the GP conclude in the end? I agree with @Felinia you sound switched on. If you have Type 2, I suspect lockdown has thrown you off course. and a bit of attention to your diet, managing work demands and a return to exercise should kick the diabetes into touch. Some of us have had success 'resetting' our insulin sensitivity by losing weight following 8 weeks of very low calorie diet Newcastle Diet. The data shows T2 occurs when we are over our individual optimum weight. If you are 20% heavier than you were in your 20's, losing weight can fix things. I hope you log back into the forum and let us know how it went.

Thanks for you comments. I took early retirement 6 years ago and at that time was definitely overweight and not exercising due to stress. At that point my diet improved (but still included sugary foods) and my exercise (running) increased though never to the level I wanted as I either developed an injury or caught a cold/flu. I had lost some weight but not a lot.

My recovery from my last bout of flu was just before the lockdown and to maximise my time outside I took to very brisk walking for at least an hour. For the first time since my teens I began to see running as a chore whilst I enjoyed the walking immensely. I started to loose weight as indicated by my belt holes - I did not have any scales at home at this time. Over the hot summer I ended up drinking a lot of fruit juice and probably early autumn had a lot of sugary foods (a year later its difficult to remember specifically). Its then that I developed the raging unquenchable thirst. As visits to the doctor were not allowed at this time it was January this year that I had HbA1c test and was told that I categorically did not have diabetes. I have since learned that my results was 12% (not yet converted to mmols/L in my area). At this time the raging thirst had significantly declined in severity. I put this down to my walking 3 to 4 days a week and a good diet (more veg and smaller portion sizes but still having a lot of fruit juices though). It was only after a cold in September that I sought medical advice again. Up to this point I had lost at least 6" from my waist. Another HbA1c result was 13%.

Since then I have cut a lot of sugar from my diet and switching to slower release carbs. I have lost even more weight (at a faster rate) and feel a lot better. I am now off glyclazide but still voluntary doing daily blood glucose tests to understand how my body is responding and getting a rough feel in the way I am managing my diabetes. My next HbA1c test will not be until January but I am very positive there should be a significant reduction. If not for my brisk walking and healthier diet (relative of course) I think I would have been in serious trouble medically at the start of the year.

 

[Weekender]

Thanks for you comments. I took early retirement 6 years ago and at that time was definitely overweight and not exercising due to stress. At that point my diet improved (but still included sugary foods) and my exercise (running) increased though never to the level I wanted as I either developed an injury or caught a cold/flu. I had lost some weight but not a lot.

My recovery from my last bout of flu was just before the lockdown and to maximise my time outside I took to very brisk walking for at least an hour. For the first time since my teens I began to see running as a chore whilst I enjoyed the walking immensely. I started to loose weight as indicated by my belt holes - I did not have any scales at home at this time. Over the hot summer I ended up drinking a lot of fruit juice and probably early autumn had a lot of sugary foods (a year later its difficult to remember specifically). Its then that I developed the raging unquenchable thirst. As visits to the doctor were not allowed at this time it was January this year that I had HbA1c test and was told that I categorically did not have diabetes. I have since learned that my results was 12% (not yet converted to mmols/L in my area). At this time the raging thirst had significantly declined in severity. I put this down to my walking 3 to 4 days a week and a good diet (more veg and smaller portion sizes but still having a lot of fruit juices though). It was only after a cold in September that I sought medical advice again. Up to this point I had lost at least 6" from my waist. Another HbA1c result was 13%.

Since then I have cut a lot of sugar from my diet and switching to slower release carbs. I have lost even more weight (at a faster rate) and feel a lot better. I am now off glyclazide but still voluntary doing daily blood glucose tests to understand how my body is responding and getting a rough feel in the way I am managing my diabetes. My next HbA1c test will not be until January but I am very positive there should be a significant reduction. If not for my brisk walking and healthier diet (relative of course) I think I would have been in serious trouble medically at the start of the year.

I'm pleased to read this. It's very easy to let things slide. I think daily testing is a great discipline, it helps keep the focus. A good brisk walk works wonders

 

[Glen More]

Update: I have just had another HbA1c test taken by the diabetic nurse and from being about 119 mmol/mol mid October I am now down to 53 mmol/mol. Still on Metformin 2 * twice daily

Changes I made since diagnosis was to cut out most sugary foods, switch to brown rice and granary bread, reduce the amount of carbs in my meals (not cut them out), cut out snacks, keep my portions smaller.

I still maintain my brisk 50 to 90 min walks 3 to 4 times a week. With cutting out the sugary foods and thereby reducing blood glucose the motivation for doing these is easier.

Still have a beer once or twice a week.

I did suffer from blurred vision for several weeks due to this rapid decline in blood glucose but this has settled back to normal. Feel better than I have for at least a couple of years prior to when I had a couple of bad bouts of flu just before Covid hit the UK.

So feeling good but know that there is still a way to go though my approach is re-enforced with todays result.

 

[rebrascora]

Many congratulations on a fantastic HbA1c reduction!
Thanks for for taking the time to post about it, because I am sure your success will help to motivate others who are at the start of their journey. Good luck with maintaining your excellent improvement.

 

[Felinia]

Brilliant result. You have shown how a sensible approach works so well and you can enjoy a good quality of life

 

[Weekender]

Update: I have just had another HbA1c test taken by the diabetic nurse and from being about 119 mmol/mol mid October I am now down to 53 mmol/mol. Still on Metformin 2 * twice daily

Changes I made since diagnosis was to cut out most sugary foods, switch to brown rice and granary bread, reduce the amount of carbs in my meals (not cut them out), cut out snacks, keep my portions smaller.

I still maintain my brisk 50 to 90 min walks 3 to 4 times a week. With cutting out the sugary foods and thereby reducing blood glucose the motivation for doing these is easier.

Still have a beer once or twice a week.

I did suffer from blurred vision for several weeks due to this rapid decline in blood glucose but this has settled back to normal. Feel better than I have for at least a couple of years prior to when I had a couple of bad bouts of flu just before Covid hit the UK.

So feeling good but know that there is still a way to go though my approach is re-enforced with todays result.

It's really encouraging Glen, I reckon if you keep it up you will get below the magic '49' threshold - although it's just a number. I find it's harder to be active during winter so well done sticking with the walks.