Type 2 Newbie

[KerryC]

Hi everyone,

So sorry for the long post!

I've finally built up the courage to post after joining the forum last month. So I just wanted to come on and share my experience after being inspired by so many other posts on here.

I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in May following an ABG, FLAG and Hba1c. These tests were carried out when I unfortunately had to be admitted to hospital after contracting Covid at work and becoming very unwell needing CPAP and high flow oxygen. The only symptom of diabetes I could relate to was tiredness but I work long shifts so that's pretty much part of the job description lol.

The diagnosis did come as a shock at the time as I would have said prior to contacting Covid that I was a fairly healthy 28 year old who doesn't normally get sick. I am overweight but I probably have been most of my adult life so I suppose it's finally caught up with me! The last few months have been tough, but my husband has been a fantastic support through everything.

Since being discharged I have completely changed my diet which hasn't been easy. I also go walking most days when I have the energy, but Covid has taken a lot out of me and the fatigue is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I initially was on Lantus once daily because of the Covid. However I recently had my Hba1c rechecked and it had gone from 103 on diagnosis to 43 and I am now off insulin and on Metformin 500mg once daily. So I am really pleased with my progress and I've also had some weight loss which is keeping me motivated.

It's hard not to worry about getting sick again but I'm trying to stay positive about everything. It's been a tough few months but I'm getting there slowly but surely. Recently I have been thinking that if I hadn't of got Covid, I wouldn't have found out that I was diabetic and who knows where that would have left me in the future. So I suppose every cloud has a silver lining.

Lastly I just want to say thank you to everyone on here. Before diagnosis I thought I had a fair knowledge of diabetes but it's a whole other ball game having diabetes yourself. I've already learned so much, so thank you, and I'm always open to any advice anyone has for me 🙂

 

[Deleted member 27171]

You’ve certainly had a rough ride - glad to read you are getting better though and hopefully the fatigue continues to ease. Well done on your weight loss too, that’s not easy at the best of times.

 

[Vonny]

Hi Kerry and welcome to this lovely forum, from another type 2 🙂

You're clearly a positive person if you think covid has a silver lining! I know what you mean though, and I was lucky mine was diagnosed during tests for something else entirely. You really have been through the mill and hopefully are now out the other side. You've done really well getting your hba1c down to 43, that's impressive.

I assume you are cutting down on carb intake as well as the obvious sugar, cakes, biscuits etc?

Any questions, please fire away as there are some really knowledgeable people here (I don't include myself in that, I'm still learning!) so someone will have answers to any questions. No such thing as a silly question here 🙂

 

[KerryC]

You’ve certainly had a rough ride - glad to read you are getting better though and hopefully the fatigue continues to ease. Well done on your weight loss too, that’s not easy at the best of times.

Thanks Lucy, yea it hasn't been easy but thankfully I'm getting better, it's just taking a lot longer than I expected. I'll get there eventually 🙂

 

[KerryC]

Hi Kerry and welcome to this lovely forum, from another type 2 🙂

You're clearly a positive person if you think covid has a silver lining! I know what you mean though, and I was lucky mine was diagnosed during tests for something else entirely. You really have been through the mill and hopefully are now out the other side. You've done really well getting your hba1c down to 43, that's impressive.

I assume you are cutting down on carb intake as well as the obvious sugar, cakes, biscuits etc?

Any questions, please fire away as there are some really knowledgeable people here (I don't include myself in that, I'm still learning!) so someone will have answers to any questions. No such thing as a silly question here 🙂

Thank you for your reply 🙂

Yea Covid definitely isn't a positive thing, it's been tough and I'm glad to be getting better, it's just taking longer than I expected to recover. I wouldn't wish it on anyone but I've recently been reflecting on things and if there's a positive in there somewhere it's finding out about my diabetes before it's too late 🙂

I was so happy and so was my diabetic nurse when I found out that my Hba1c had dropped so much. It meant I could finally go onto Metformin and no longer had to take insulin. I didn't mind so much taking the insulin because it was short term but taking a tablet certainly fits into life easier and means less checking of my BM.

When I was on insulin, my dietician had advised that I shouldn't eat any less than 130g of carbs per day but now I'm on Metformin I have been decreasing it a little further and my BMs have been pretty stable.

How have you been finding managing your diagnosis and diet? Have you been reducing your carb intake as well?

 

[Vonny]

How have you been finding managing your diagnosis and diet? Have you been reducing your carb intake as well?

Hi Kerry, yes I'm on a very low carb diet together with metformin. I don't regularly eat potatoes, bread, rice or pasta but I really don't miss them now. It's amazing what you get used to! My hba1c is now 37 but I still have a way to go with the diet, although just under a stone now to healthy BMI.

I can't imagine trying to diet while recovering from covid, it must have been awful. Are you still monitoring your blood glucose? You might be able to tolerate some carbs. That's one thing I've learned from these lovely people is that everyone is different in the way their body reacts to certain foods. I've discovered my body is mostly carb-intolerant, but I can manage a slice of wholemeal bread without it spiking. A slice of white? Shoots up to nearly 12!

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Sounds like you are on top of it.
Excellent work considering how difficult it must have been.

It sounds like you have sorted your diet, those results are excellent.
My daughter had covid, it can take a while to recover from it, so keep doing what you are doing, the fatigue does get better!

 

[HenryBennett]

I wouldn't wish it on anyone but I've recently been reflecting on things and if there's a positive in there somewhere it's finding out about my diabetes before it's too late

Hi Kerry and welcome. Congratulations on the great strides you’ve taken. There are lots of knowledgeable and helpful people in this forum and I’ve learnt a great deal. The professionals have been banging the low fat drum for so long that they’ve become deaf to anything else. But it’s clear that a low carb diet with regular exercise can and does work for many people.

It’s interesting that your HbA1c was so high when you had all those tests whilst in hospital with the dreaded COVID-19. It’s my understanding that the virus attacks one’s organs and I’ve wondered for some time if diabetes is brought on by the coronavirus, especially as you had no symptoms beforehand. I had regular blood tests with no sign of DT2. I was in Luxembourg in the run up to Christmas last year and came back with what I thought was flu. I’ve no proof but believe it was an early version of the coronavirus and now known to have been in Europe from around November. I just wonder if that triggered the high HbA1c, especially as it’s come down quite quickly. As I said, I’ve no proof, of course, but that’s my theory.

Notwithstanding all that, a food diary to determine the foods and quantities that give you a healthy and stable BG can only be a good thing. I certainly feel as fit as a butcher’s dog on the low carb high fat (LCHF) diet.

Keep learning, posting and sharing.

 

[HenryBennett]

BTW, head over to the general thread “group 7 day waking average”. It’s very sociable and a good daily meet. I was put off for a long time seeing thousands of pages but just go to the last post and you’ll pick it up.

 

[KerryC]

Hi Kerry, yes I'm on a very low carb diet together with metformin. I don't regularly eat potatoes, bread, rice or pasta but I really don't miss them now. It's amazing what you get used to! My hba1c is now 37 but I still have a way to go with the diet, although just under a stone now to healthy BMI.

I can't imagine trying to diet while recovering from covid, it must have been awful. Are you still monitoring your blood glucose? You might be able to tolerate some carbs. That's one thing I've learned from these lovely people is that everyone is different in the way their body reacts to certain foods. I've discovered my body is mostly carb-intolerant, but I can manage a slice of wholemeal bread without it spiking. A slice of white? Shoots up to nearly 12!

How many carbs do you aim for in a day? That's great, really well done and you haven't too far to go, I'm sure it won't take you long to get to your ideal BMI. I've a long way to mine but I'm making good progress.

At the beginning it was probably easier because I didn't have much of an appetite, but it was harder when I regained my appetite. I used to check it once or twice every day but my diabetic nurse advised I could check it twice weekly now. So I check it at least twice a week or more if I feel like it.

I stay away from white carbs now and try to eat only wholemeal and I'm happy with that but I do still eat rice, pasta, bread and potatoes but just in much smaller quantities than before. I think my husband minds more because I just make us the same for dinner lol.

 

[KerryC]

Sounds like you are on top of it.
Excellent work considering how difficult it must have been.

It sounds like you have sorted your diet, those results are excellent.
My daughter had covid, it can take a while to recover from it, so keep doing what you are doing, the fatigue does get better!

Thank you 🙂 It's good to hear others experience and I hope your daughter is recovering well?

 

[Drummer]

Husbands might one day be glad of being on low carb - maybe not today or tomorrow - but lets just say that when some husbands are wondering how that happened - other's are nudging their wives and looking hopeful.

 

[Vonny]

How many carbs do you aim for in a day

Hi kerry, I'm v low carb at less than 50g. That just suits me, it doesn't suit everyone x

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Thank you 🙂 It's good to hear others experience and I hope your daughter is recovering well?

She is thanks.
It took several months before she stopped being short of breath, and able to think about exercising though, and she had a very high level of fitness before.

It does seem there have been reported incidences of covid causing high BG readings, it's maybe too early to say if the diabetes is a permanent thing for those, my daughter didn't have this, which is good.

Your recovery seems to be going down the same path as hers, and she is feeling much more like her old self now.

 

[KerryC]

Hi, Kerry - Welcome to the Forum.

Sounds like it's been a tough time for you so well done with everything you've achieved so far. Only a whisker away from dropping your HbA1c below pre-diabetic level. Keep it up.

Less than 130g per day is considered a low carb diet so I guess that's where your dietician was coming from. Many of us are below that, me included, with some much lower. I've found that keeping a food diary is a great way of managing my diet in general and my carb intake in particular.

Martin

Thank you for your encouragement, I really appreciate it 🙂 I'm hoping I will be able to reduce my Hba1c further and maybe eventually becoming Diet controlled or maybe in remission! I agree about the food diary, I log all my diet into Mfp and its a great way to keep an eye on my carb intake, I don't know how I would manage if I didn't log everything

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Thank you for your encouragement, I really appreciate it 🙂 I'm hoping I will be able to reduce my Hba1c further and maybe eventually becoming Diet controlled or maybe in remission! I agree about the food diary, I log all my diet into Mfp and its a great way to keep an eye on my carb intake, I don't know how I would manage if I didn't log everything

It's well worth keeping a food log.
But, it's more important to recover from covid, without making a massive change to your diet at the moment.
It's still unclear what effect covid has on the body, so don't through too much into the mix at the moment.

 

[KerryC]

Hi Kerry and welcome. Congratulations on the great strides you’ve taken. There are lots of knowledgeable and helpful people in this forum and I’ve learnt a great deal. The professionals have been banging the low fat drum for so long that they’ve become deaf to anything else. But it’s clear that a low carb diet with regular exercise can and does work for many people.

It’s interesting that your HbA1c was so high when you had all those tests whilst in hospital with the dreaded COVID-19. It’s my understanding that the virus attacks one’s organs and I’ve wondered for some time if diabetes is brought on by the coronavirus, especially as you had no symptoms beforehand. I had regular blood tests with no sign of DT2. I was in Luxembourg in the run up to Christmas last year and came back with what I thought was flu. I’ve no proof but believe it was an early version of the coronavirus and now known to have been in Europe from around November. I just wonder if that triggered the high HbA1c, especially as it’s come down quite quickly. As I said, I’ve no proof, of course, but that’s my theory.

Notwithstanding all that, a food diary to determine the foods and quantities that give you a healthy and stable BG can only be a good thing. I certainly feel as fit as a butcher’s dog on the low carb high fat (LCHF) diet.

Keep learning, posting and sharing.

Thank you, I've learnt so much on this forum already and I'm looking forward to learning even more 🙂

I had actually read a few reports that said there may be a connection between Covid and type 1 diabetes. So I had wondered about that myself but I suppose it will be years before the after effects of Covid will come to light. I hope that you recovered quickly after being unwell last year. And like you said the changes we have made are for the better of our general health 🙂

 

[KerryC]

Hi kerry, I'm v low carb at less than 50g. That just suits me, it doesn't suit everyone x

That is so good, I'm so impressed, you must be very strict with yourself! 🙂 I've definitely lowered my carb intake but I'm no where near that but I'm still learning! X

 

[KerryC]

She is thanks.
It took several months before she stopped being short of breath, and able to think about exercising though, and she had a very high level of fitness before.

It does seem there have been reported incidences of covid causing high BG readings, it's maybe too early to say if the diabetes is a permanent thing for those, my daughter didn't have this, which is good.

Your recovery seems to be going down the same path as hers, and she is feeling much more like her old self now.

I'm glad to hear she's doing much better, I hope she continues to improve! Like your daughter I still have lasting effects with the fatigue, Headaches and being quite chesty and short of breath at times. I also suffered quite significant hair loss which made me feel quite miserable but its starting to grow back a little now so hopefully that resolves.

Although my exercise really consists of walking and I just take it at my own pace. It's nice to get out in the fresh air too 🙂 I spent 3 weeks confined to my hospital room and my house so you appreciate things that bit more now 🙂

It would be nice to think it's only temporary but I'll keep doing what I'm doing and just see what happens.

 

[KerryC]

Husbands might one day be glad of being on low carb - maybe not today or tomorrow - but lets just say that when some husbands are wondering how that happened - other's are nudging their wives and looking hopeful.

He is very supportive with everything and he tries not to complain 🙂 I'm not sure how he would cope being diabetic and he admits it himself as he loves all things sweet lol