For those with diabetes, how did you know/find out?

It is something which concerns me as I do a lot of shift work (irregular sleeping) and diet isn't the best often snacking and/or eating irregular and it isn't something easily adjusted in reality - my dad's side of the family have a history of developing prediabetes condition in later life.
 
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It was the summer I finished Uni. I started needing to drink much more. The killer was waking up in the night urgently needing to pee but also wanting a drink as my throat was dry. Couldn't understand how I could be both thirsty and needing to go at the same time. I also helped my Mum clean some rubbish out of a corner of the house outside and broke into the heaviest sweat. I also started losing weight, something I needed to do anyway, so I was delighted. My Mum thought I was losing too much weight, too quickly and too easily. I eventually got sore hands from washing and drying them all the time and it was for this I went to the GP. I had a blood test on the Friday and was told to ring back in a week for the results. So imagine my surprise when on the Monday I got a phone call from the GP asking me to go into the surgery the next day as the tests indicated T1 Diabetes. I went in, saw the diabetes nurse who did a urine test and this confirmed the blood test. Got told to get myself to the local hospital to be given my insulin and other prescriptions.

In the pharmacy the lady on the front desk asked me how I felt about the diagnosis. I said I was glad to have an answer for why I was so thirsty and also needing to pee all the time.
 
Happened all of a sudden when I was 50. I lost over 50lb in a month, couldn't stop drinking, had to pee every 20 mins and the final straw was I effectively went blind, I needed 2 pairs of glasses and a magnifying glass to use the PC and needed to wear strong reading glasses to see anything at all at any distance (just vague shapes). I got in to see the doctor and did a fasting glucose test and got put on tablets, which made an enormous difference. Sadly the tablets became less and less effective so was put on more tablets and the same happened there. Eventually I had to take the big step of injecting Victoza which helped for a while but eventually I ended up having to inject Insulin as I just wasn't producing enough. I've been injecting Insulin and Victoza for well over 10 years now and am still playing around with the dosage but am mostly under control (I still like a curry and rice). The doctor told me I was always likely to have developed diabetes as my mother, father and both grandmothers were diabetic and recently my sister has become diabetic around the same age I did.
 
T2, Entirely self inflicted and deserved on my part (see all the other comments above about weight, too much snacking and too much sugar), I was sent home from work after my medical because my blood pressure was through the roof and told to not come back until a Doctor signs off on me being safe to return, went to the doctors the next day and amongst the barrage of various bloods they took, one of them was that I was also type 2 diabetic.

Both are now under control via medication but I still feel it if I have a day where I go overboard.
 
str said:
It sounds like you have a lifestyle that somewhat helps to manage your condition.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago with HBA1C at 58 and it had dropped to 47 at my checkup a year later. I managed it with diet and exercise regardless that I was mostly clueless about it all.

I had it checked middle of last year and it was back up at 58.

I recently had a period of about 5 months where I had stopped managing my condition. It was enlightening but also damaging. I added about 10kg in weight and my condition drastically worsened.

It became evident that most of the glucose receptors in my body had become incapable of functioning properly with regards to insulin and my kidneys were heavily overworked disposing of some of the excess blood glucose.

I'm now in my 5th week doing what I can to "solve" it again.

I don't have a choice anymore, my blood glucose sky rockets and it remains high for long periods, unless I exercise almost immediately after consuming fast acting carbs.

Exercise results in having working glucose receptors for a period of time.

Exercise and healthy eating is cumulatively reversing my condition.

When I was diagnosed my blood glucose homeostasis was 5 mmol/l and after a couple of years I had blindly managed to get my body to reduce it to 4 mmol/l.

Currently my blood glucose rarely drops below 7 mmol/l so I have a long way to go to having a healthy metabolic system again.

I consider myself fortunate that I still have the opportunity to win and I will not falter again.
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Similar story to my father in law, he'd been type 2 diabetic for a number of years - mostly due to lifestyle factors he was quite a big guy. Then just a few years ago in his mid 60s he decided to join these exercise classes and now hits the gym 3-4 times a week, does a lot of walking (140k+ steps a week) and I believe he's now under the thresholds for being classified as diabetic. I know he no longer needs any medication for it. But can't afford to return to previous lifestyle.
 
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I've just been told that I'm now t2 after being prediabetic for a number of years. Strange, that at 63yrs and always having a problem with sugar (from childhood I would say looking back on it). Doctors were informed at various times in my life that I had a problem but the blood tests were always negative, not once was I given a glucose test. With me if I have too much sugar I get tired quickly (it took a while to actually figure it out along with a few other intolerances). Now on Metformin twice a day and the nurse wants me to take another tablet to get rid of the carbohydrates in my system.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
so I'm FAF.
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a1ec36c7bcfd42bd4ca88a115cfcad4f.jpg
 
I've just had a blood test including HbA1C, wasn't sure what it was for but seeing the above, they're testing me for diabetes.

Tool about 6 vials for other things, like Gout.

Nice...
 
This is really interesting to me. I thought the measure of diabetes was having elevated blood sugar levels. As measured with a pin ***** test you are (roughly speaking) under 6mmol/L before meals and under 8 an hour and a half after you are normal.

In this thread it seems people can have normal blood sugar levels but be diabetic and given medication based on HbA1c and/or(?) glucose tolerance test.

Some years ago I went to the doctor complaining of constant thirst/rapidly peeing out whatever I drank. I can't remember what blood tests I was given but definitely not a glucose tolerance test. Based on the results the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me and "maybe I was just a thirsty type of person".

Since then, every once in a while, I take my blood sugar levels before and after eating. I had assumed this would pick up any abnormality if one developed.
 
Fourstar said:
In this thread it seems people can have normal blood sugar levels but be diabetic and given medication based on HbA1c and/or(?) glucose tolerance test.
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HbA1c is done over at least 3 months so you can't kid the Clinicians like you can a normal p rick test (come on Mods :))
With the normal p rick test you can know the part of the day when you are likely to be within range and just give them those results or just make them up.
They could take the machine off you and actually look at dates and times you took the test - "Why are you taking them at 5am in the morning?" :) .

With HbA1c it's a level that your body is at and you can't fake that so for instance I had my test on Monday but if I decided to starve myself a week earlier it still wouldn't change the result (significantly).
 
Fourstar said:
This is really interesting to me. I thought the measure of diabetes was having elevated blood sugar levels. As measured with a pin ***** test you are (roughly speaking) under 6mmol/L before meals and under 8 an hour and a half after you are normal.

In this thread it seems people can have normal blood sugar levels but be diabetic and given medication based on HbA1c and/or(?) glucose tolerance test.

Some years ago I went to the doctor complaining of constant thirst/rapidly peeing out whatever I drank. I can't remember what blood tests I was given but definitely not a glucose tolerance test. Based on the results the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me and "maybe I was just a thirsty type of person".

Since then, every once in a while, I take my blood sugar levels before and after eating. I had assumed this would pick up any abnormality if one developed.
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Yeah, the under 6 mmol/l etc is expected for metabolically healthy people or for those who have been diagnosed as pre/diabetic and have tuned medication or lifestyle choices.

One can temporarily have diabetes symptoms for a short period of time due to illness.

A glucose tolerance test is used to similarly measure the body's glucose response over a period of time.

HbA1c represents average blood glucose over a two to three month period. It can be normal, prediabetes or diabetes.

One can test using a blood glucose monitor when fasted first thing in the morning to monitor blood glucose homeostasis.

The insulin:glucagon ratio produced by the pancreas determines it.

The normal range is 4 to 6 mmol/l and the more I tune my lifestyle to regulate blood glucose levels, the lower it can go.

Cortisol peaks in the morning and can result in liver glycogen stores being converted back into glucose resulting in elevated morning blood glucose.

Exercise first thing in the morning is a great way to dispose of excess blood glucose but anyone on diabetic medication or having T1 should be mindful of big changes to their lifestyle to ensure their medication can be safely adjusted over time.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
So basically were you feeling lethargic etc and went to the GP and they confirmed or was there another way you found out?
Obviously don't turn this into a medical thread, I just want to know how your journey please.
I reckon my journey was completely different than anyone else.

Thanks
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Ooo, this sounds like it'll be a good story.

SexyGreyFox said:
Not for me, mine was weird but I haven't got time to explain yet - I'm working :)
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The tension is almost unbearable...

SexyGreyFox said:
I've never asked him what he saw.
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Well. This is the most disappointing thing that's ever happened.
 
bazzabear said:
Ooo, this sounds like it'll be a good story.
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It's further up replying to Feek.
So basically never had symptoms, still really haven't got symptoms but I'm that bad I've got to have injections.
It doesn't make sense.

bazzabear said:
Well. This is the most disappointing thing that's ever happened.
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I PMd him yesterday but bare in mind his 4 daughters had to keep an eye on him two weeks ago while his wife went on holiday so I asked him something about being house trained and he didn't reply to that until 10 days later.

dmdiabetes.jpg
 
One thing to note is that you can also be diagnosed as "pre diabetic" or borderline diabetic.

The advice is :
If you’re worried about prediabetes you could call your GP surgery and ask for a blood test

My dad has been diagnosed with this and sadly he has made no changes to his diet or lifestyle.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
It's further up replying to Feek.
So basically never had symptoms, still really haven't got symptoms but I'm that bad I've got to have injections.
It doesn't make sense.
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Seems like you aren't giving yourself enough credit or the doctors for managing your medication where your symptoms are non-existent.

I have had a few diabetes symptoms and my HbA1c result hasn't been more than 58. Probably if I had been tested at my worst condition over the last six months it would have been higher but who knows.

I had gout three times in the first couple of years. It wasn't fun. I found a way to manage the flare ups, but as a result the doctor kept saying it can't be gout, until I stopped managing it to show them it at it's worst.

Ice cold water feet baths can be such a relief when suffering gout!

My diet kind of prevents excess uric acid production now but occasionally I can feel the gout is about to flare up again.

I can go days without realising I injured myself. Nerve damage results in cuts appearing with scabs that I didn't notice for a few days. Cuts also take much longer to heal.

When I am being dumb allowing my blood glucose to remain way above 8 mmol/l I get bulging eye blood vessels. Fortunately no significant damage from my stupidity.
 
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