Saying hello (and off-loading a bit too!)

[Angeela]

Hi
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year at age 45. My blood sugar level was in the low 70s. I was also diagnosed with low pancreatic enzyme levels and was given Creon enzymes tablets to help with digesting food.
I was put on Glicazide for my diabetes and attended the X-Pert training course.
I improved my diet a bit and started exercising (after abdominal surgery in the summer allowed). My blood sugar level was down in the low 50s at the end of last year.

However, I’ve been kind of ignoring my diabetes lately and it was only when I went for an normal sight test last week, and the optician said he couldn’t test my eyes properly as my prescription/sight was fluctuating a lot, he saw water retention(?) on my eyes, that I realise I need to manage my diabetes better and look after my health. The optician advised me test my blood daily again and he wants to retest my eyes in a month.
I’ve also recently found my hands and feet are warm and tingly most the time.
I’m booked in with my GP next week, for a review.
Just feeling quite overwhelmed and depressed about the whole diabetes thing. Hoping to find some support and inspiration from this forum

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Angeela 🙂 I agree - testing your blood sugar will give you helpful information about your control. I’d actually test more than once a day for a short period so that you can catch any excess rises after your meals.

 

[mashedupmatt]

Hi @Angeela and welcome to the forum - more regular structured testing would definitely help in getting the numbers down to see how your body reacts to the food you are eating - it can be overwhelming at times but you're not alone and please ask for any specific advice however trivial it seems - we're all here to help and support each other

 

[Angeela]

Welcome @Angeela 🙂 I agree - testing your blood sugar will give you helpful information about your control. I’d actually test more than once a day for a short period so that you can catch any excess rises after your meals.

Thank you

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your sight and it looks like your diabetes may not be well managed at the moment. We all know how difficult it is to stay focused with diet and lifestyle changes year after year. The important thing is to make a plan to get back on track.

You mention that you need creon and that you had abdominal surgery. Do you feel comfortable telling us what that surgery was? The reason I ask is that if it was something to do with your pancreas or gall bladder then you might not Type 2 but actually Type 3c and the treatment for Type 3c might be different to what you need for Type 2. Many GPs and diabetes nurses at GP practice have never heard of Type 3c Diabetes and therefore would not recognise it if they were presented with it. Categorising your diabetes as Type 2 is pretty much based on guesswork and there are many of us here who were initially misdiagnosed. An HbA1c blood test result of 48 or more gets you a diabetes diagnosis but after that the Type is allocated according to the cause.
Type 1 is an autoimmune attack on the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. The immune system mistakenly kills them off and you need insulin.
Type 2 is metabolic and is often as a result of fatty deposits building up in the pancreas and liver and preventing them from functioning effectively to balance BG levels and/or insulin resistance building up and your body not responding to the insulin it produces.
Type 3c is caused by damage, disease or surgery to the pancreas resulting in it not being able to produce enough insulin, so similar to Type 1 at the most extreme but can appear to respond like Type 2 in the early stages. Many people with Type 3c also need Creon because the damage affects their digestive enzyme production as well as their insulin production. Pancreatitis is quite a common cause and that can be triggered by gall bladder issues like gall stones, hence me wondering if your recent surgery may have been linked to something like that.

Anyway, good luck getting back on track with your diabetes management but if you think you might be Type 3c, do ask for more info here and we will tag some of our Type 3c members who will share their experiences.

How are you managing with the Creon. By all accounts it is a question of trial and error in finding the right dose for each meal and indeed our Type 3c community might be helpful in guiding you in it's use..... and also how to get it if your supply runs dry as there is a world wide shortage I believe, or how to manage with less if you are running short.

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @Angeela and welcome to the Forum. I think we all have times when we find it difficult to manage but please do ask away with any questions or if you want to have a rant. I think it can be really helpful to speak to other members who understand what it's like to manage the condition everyday

 

[Ieva DUK]

Hi and welcome to the forum @Angeela ! I’m really glad you’ve joined us and thank you for sharing your story so honestly.
It sounds like you’ve been through a lot over the past year, and it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed - diabetes can be tough to manage at times, especially when life gets busy or health issues pile up. It’s good to hear you’ve got a GP appointment booked, and I hope they’ll be able to support you fully, especially with the tingling and eye symptoms.
It’s also encouraging that you’ve already made some great steps in the past - getting your levels down into the 50s, attending the X-PERT course, and returning to exercise post-surgery all show you’ve got the tools and resilience to make progress again, even if things feel a bit off track right now.
You’re definitely not alone - many folk here go through similar ups and downs, and this is a kind, supportive place to ask questions, share frustrations, or just talk things through when it feels too much. No pressure at all, but if it helps, feel free to share how things go with your GP or what sort of changes you’re thinking about - there’s always someone happy to listen and offer their support! The first step is recognising that something needs to change and taking the right steps to do so.
Sending you a warm welcome again - take things one step at a time, and be kind to yourself.

 

[Angeela]

Hi @Angeela and welcome to the forum - more regular structured testing would definitely help in getting the numbers down to see how your body reacts to the food you are eating - it can be overwhelming at times but you're not alone and please ask for any specific advice however trivial it seems - we're all here to help and support each other

Thank you

Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your sight and it looks like your diabetes may not be well managed at the moment. We all know how difficult it is to stay focused with diet and lifestyle changes year after year. The important thing is to make a plan to get back on track.

You mention that you need creon and that you had abdominal surgery. Do you feel comfortable telling us what that surgery was? The reason I ask is that if it was something to do with your pancreas or gall bladder then you might not Type 2 but actually Type 3c and the treatment for Type 3c might be different to what you need for Type 2. Many GPs and diabetes nurses at GP practice have never heard of Type 3c Diabetes and therefore would not recognise it if they were presented with it. Categorising your diabetes as Type 2 is pretty much based on guesswork and there are many of us here who were initially misdiagnosed. An HbA1c blood test result of 48 or more gets you a diabetes diagnosis but after that the Type is allocated according to the cause.
Type 1 is an autoimmune attack on the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. The immune system mistakenly kills them off and you need insulin.
Type 2 is metabolic and is often as a result of fatty deposits building up in the pancreas and liver and preventing them from functioning effectively to balance BG levels and/or insulin resistance building up and your body not responding to the insulin it produces.
Type 3c is caused by damage, disease or surgery to the pancreas resulting in it not being able to produce enough insulin, so similar to Type 1 at the most extreme but can appear to respond like Type 2 in the early stages. Many people with Type 3c also need Creon because the damage affects their digestive enzyme production as well as their insulin production. Pancreatitis is quite a common cause and that can be triggered by gall bladder issues like gall stones, hence me wondering if your recent surgery may have been linked to something like that.

Anyway, good luck getting back on track with your diabetes management but if you think you might be Type 3c, do ask for more info here and we will tag some of our Type 3c members who will share their experiences.

How are you managing with the Creon. By all accounts it is a question of trial and error in finding the right dose for each meal and indeed our Type 3c community might be helpful in guiding you in it's use..... and also how to get it if your supply runs dry as there is a world wide shortage I believe, or how to manage with less if you are running short.

Hi
Thank you for your reply and all the information about the different types of Diabetes.
Back in 2019, I was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be cholangitis. Previous to that, I’d had bouts of gallbladder attacks. They found a gallstone and recommended I have the gallbladder removed. I didn’t want to go through with that though. Gallbladder issues have affected various family members. It was in the last couple of years that I was told I have PEI and so was given Creon. However, I stopped Creon as I found it wasn’t really improving my other gut issues/symptoms. I have started Creon again recently in an attempt to make some change for the better but as you mentioned there is now a shortage of PERT products. The pharmacy can only dispense one pot of 100 tablets at a time and I have to go back to my GP to get another prescription for the next 100 tablets once I am running low…as I take two with meals and one with snacks, they don’t last long!
I have mentioned the link between my pancreas not functioning properly and my diabetes diagnosis to my GP but he didn’t think they were that closely related…that’s the
Impression I got anyway.
I’m going to mention it again at my review with the nurse this month and raise it with the GP at the follow up appointment after that.
It’s so confusing, and I just want to know what I’ve got so I can treat it!
The surgery I had last summer was a total open hysterectomy due to a large fibroid….it was pressing on other organs and I’d hoped that maybe my health would have improved after it was all removed. Maybe one day I’ll have things more under control lol
Thanks for your kind words and wishes also. It has taken some of the tension away. I’ll probably post more once I’ve seen the doctor.

 

[Angeela]

Hi @Angeela and welcome to the Forum. I think we all have times when we find it difficult to manage but please do ask away with any questions or if you want to have a rant. I think it can be really helpful to speak to other members who understand what it's like to manage the condition everyday

Thank you. It certainly has been helpful so far. Glad we have this space to share and get advice

 

[Angeela]

Hi and welcome to the forum @Angeela ! I’m really glad you’ve joined us and thank you for sharing your story so honestly.
It sounds like you’ve been through a lot over the past year, and it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed - diabetes can be tough to manage at times, especially when life gets busy or health issues pile up. It’s good to hear you’ve got a GP appointment booked, and I hope they’ll be able to support you fully, especially with the tingling and eye symptoms.
It’s also encouraging that you’ve already made some great steps in the past - getting your levels down into the 50s, attending the X-PERT course, and returning to exercise post-surgery all show you’ve got the tools and resilience to make progress again, even if things feel a bit off track right now.
You’re definitely not alone - many folk here go through similar ups and downs, and this is a kind, supportive place to ask questions, share frustrations, or just talk things through when it feels too much. No pressure at all, but if it helps, feel free to share how things go with your GP or what sort of changes you’re thinking about - there’s always someone happy to listen and offer their support! The first step is recognising that something needs to change and taking the right steps to do so.
Sending you a warm welcome again - take things one step at a time, and be kind to yourself.

Hi and thank you for your message and kind words and wishes. I will probably post more after my medical appointments.
I feel happy that I have found this forum and able to share and get support from those in similar situations. I’ve received a number of kind hearted replies already. I think it will help me get back on track with it all, in time.

 

[Wendal]

Thank you

Hi
Thank you for your reply and all the information about the different types of Diabetes.
Back in 2019, I was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be cholangitis. Previous to that, I’d had bouts of gallbladder attacks. They found a gallstone and recommended I have the gallbladder removed. I didn’t want to go through with that though. Gallbladder issues have affected various family members. It was in the last couple of years that I was told I have PEI and so was given Creon. However, I stopped Creon as I found it wasn’t really improving my other gut issues/symptoms. I have started Creon again recently in an attempt to make some change for the better but as you mentioned there is now a shortage of PERT products. The pharmacy can only dispense one pot of 100 tablets at a time and I have to go back to my GP to get another prescription for the next 100 tablets once I am running low…as I take two with meals and one with snacks, they don’t last long!
I have mentioned the link between my pancreas not functioning properly and my diabetes diagnosis to my GP but he didn’t think they were that closely related…that’s the
Impression I got anyway.
I’m going to mention it again at my review with the nurse this month and raise it with the GP at the follow up appointment after that.
It’s so confusing, and I just want to know what I’ve got so I can treat it!
The surgery I had last summer was a total open hysterectomy due to a large fibroid….it was pressing on other organs and I’d hoped that maybe my health would have improved after it was all removed. Maybe one day I’ll have things more under control lol
Thanks for your kind words and wishes also. It has taken some of the tension away. I’ll probably post more once I’ve seen the doctor.

Hi Angeela,
None of us here are in a position to give medical advice but at your next consultation I would raise the issue of whether your current Type 2 diagnosis may not be correct.
As Barbara has said the treatment is different so it is important to get the correct diagnosis and there are a couple of things in your history which may be indicative of Type 3c.
Your PEI is often a sign of damage to your exocrine cells and gallstone issues can lead to this damage. It is consistent that a few years after developing exocrine damage then you can get resultant damage to the endocrine cells and that leads to the diabetes diagnosis.
As I said we can’t give advice but worthwhile imo to ask the question.
BW for the future