Type 2 diabetes - how did you find out you had it?

Hi all,
So I requested a blood test.
I’m ok ( for now! ) not pre diabetic but my reading was 38 so not brilliant.
I’ll be very careful going forward.

The NHS caused MrPs type 2 diabetes.
He only went to the doctor to see if there was anything they could do for the blood pressure tablet cough.
They played around so much with different tablets that he ended up with type 2.
But at least the cough has gone.
There’s always a plus somewhere 🥴

I was shocked when I was told that a blood test had diagnosed pre diabetes. Like Mrsdof I live in Kent and have just finished my pre diabetes course, which was interesting.
We are all shapes and sizes but the person who stands out is a really very underweight man who wants to put on weight, but can’t.
I have had two blood tests since starting the course one after a couple of months and one this week and both showed I am no longer pre diabetic. Luckily I was at the better end of it so easier to manage. The numbers you need to know about are between 41 and 47 for pre diabetes. 48 is positive for diabetes type 2.
Under 40 in the clear. Just.

JamesandJon33

I went to the doctor for a yearly medication review. My usual doctor was not there so I saw a very young locus. She asked if I had ever been tested for diabetes. I was I think just 70. Anyway I was borderline, and ten years later , with a low carb diet still am.
I do remember though when I had my daughter , 50 years previously, she weighed 9lb 2 oz at birth, a nurse asked me if I was diabetic. Nothing more was done or said about it then.

You’ve reminded me too that after having a 9lb8oz baby I had to have tests for possible future development of diabetes. The test required me to spend endless hours in a freezing cold corridor with a new-born baby drinking something medicinal at intervals, and I’m afraid I eventually decided to abandon the test and go home. I was given a stern telling-off of the “on your own head be it” kind, but the possibility seemed too far in the future for me to worry about. So far, so good🤞🏼

I have genetic T2D. I have/had no symptoms when diagnosed. Neither do I have any now a few years later. I follow a low carb diet which put my levels back to normal for a couple of years but my HBA1C started to slowly creep up so now I’m on low level of meds, combined with diet and exercise. I was given an annual test after having had a child as I had gestational diabetes. I was absolutely fine until I had an operation resulting in me losing a fair bit of weight (I wasn’t overweight to begin with!) and my levels started to rise after that.

Warmglovesandsocks

Well Granatlast007 I was the same as you, absolutely horrified at the white bread, white rice stodgy pre-colonoscopy diet that I asked to have a CT Colonography (computed tomography colonography). There is some, what I call, rubbish food to eat before it, but much less, and I found the whole experience less intrusive. I DO hope this helps.

Many thanks warmglovesandsocks I had read about CT colonography but assumed it wasn't available for an ordinary bod. It's difficult enough these days to get a GP appointment let alone ask for something special. Really helpful of you.
Thanks to others for replying.

I know that my tendency to diabetes is genetic and I live in fear of it progressing, I've read the posts of those who have been successful at managing the condition with interest, there's such a lot of going out for coffee and cakes these days which gets in the way of avoiding carbs!

Had chronic itchy legs and had thought it was a previous autoimmune condition rearing its head again, but no it was T2 diabetes
I wasn’t particularly overweight but there it was/still is

Well Granatlast007 I was the same as you, absolutely horrified at the white bread, white rice stodgy pre-colonoscopy diet that I asked to have a CT Colonography (computed tomography colonography). There is some, what I call, rubbish food to eat before it, but much less, and I found the whole experience less intrusive. I DO hope this helps.

My husband and I were told a year ago that we were both pre-diabetic and were given the opportunity to attend a Diabetes Prevention course. We could choose to attend in person or an online one. We chose to attend in person and this was approx monthly over a 9 month period. It was extremely interesting and helpful. We are both 77 yrs old and managed to reduce our glucose results enough that we are no longer pre-diabetic. It is always worth checking if these are available in other areas of the country. We are in Kent.

I had a test as part of a general health review a few, maybe five years ago. I was borderline and have been each year but last year I was told I was officially in remission. The nurse wasn’t sure whether I would still be called for an eye check, but I will still get an annual review. I am not very strict with my diet though generally eat healthily and have never been on any diabetes medication.

Granatlast007

Thank you twaddle , I had a look through the colonoscopy threads via search but people are always worried about the prep solution you have to drink not the diet sheet. Someone said there's a low carbon thread? I shall try and find.

I know somebody with stomach cancer, who is also T2 diabetic, She was told to eat the same kind of food as you were. The solution for her has been to take insulin, which you could on a temporary basis, which means that it's not critical to keep her carbs low. You could contact your specialist team and ask to be referred to a nutritionist/dietician.

I guess he is in remission . But has been ok now for 12 years.

Floradora,
I appreciate your post. I do know how type 2 is different for everyone and I apologise if my post was seen as misleading. All I can say is my DH had type 2 for many years, he was slim ( still is )
and I recognise he was very lucky and in the minority . No longer attends the diabetic clinic - he was very fortunate!
Having said that we are aware the condition could make a comeback.

My mother also had type 2 diabetes which I told my doctor about. I was monitored annually from my late 50s onwards until in my late 60s it became a self fulfilling prophecy. I manage to keep my glucose level around 53/54 which is considered good management but that’s with medication, a good diet and exercise. I accept that some things can’t always be avoided but wish that, instead of just progressing through the prediabetic phase, I’d been given the opportunity to go on the courses which are now provided. Maybe I could have put it off for longer.

Granatlast007

Can any of you answer a question about pre-colonoscopy diet. I was told I was pre diabetic a couple of years ago and I managed it through the NHS course and the Zoe course and discovered that I need to live with low carbohydrate, more protein and exercise, especially after meals.

I'm just starting the colonoscopy prep and the diet sheet horrifies me, it's white bread, white pasta, scones, cake, jelly , no veg, no fruit, no dairy, fizzy drinks including cordial and squash . I could eat meat, but I don't. I'm at my wits end and think I just won't eat at all because I know that my blood sugar is going to be sky high.

Has anyone a similar experience or any advice?

Phone your colonoscopy clinic for their expert advice. They have alternatives for patients who would struggle with the diet or the liquid prep and are well used to this.

My advice is, whatever they advise, just gird up your loins and follow it to the letter. The emptier and cleaner your colon is, the better the process and result of the scope.

On clean-out day, stay home near the toilet for a quiet day with a box set to watch, and don't make any other plans.

The colonoscopy itself is less bother than the preparation for it, in my experience (5 times).

I had blood tests a few weeks ago and was convinced I was developing it, but no, all good thank goodness.

Thank you twaddle , I had a look through the colonoscopy threads via search but people are always worried about the prep solution you have to drink not the diet sheet. Someone said there's a low carbon thread? I shall try and find.

You might be better starting a new thread.

(It sounds horrendous!)

Thank you all for your replies. Really helpful.
I will ask my GP for a test and take it from there.
Thanks again.

Can any of you answer a question about pre-colonoscopy diet. I was told I was pre diabetic a couple of years ago and I managed it through the NHS course and the Zoe course and discovered that I need to live with low carbohydrate, more protein and exercise, especially after meals.

I'm just starting the colonoscopy prep and the diet sheet horrifies me, it's white bread, white pasta, scones, cake, jelly , no veg, no fruit, no dairy, fizzy drinks including cordial and squash . I could eat meat, but I don't. I'm at my wits end and think I just won't eat at all because I know that my blood sugar is going to be sky high.

Has anyone a similar experience or any advice?

Whether or not T2 diabetes can ever be "cured" or avoided is a matter of contention. Somebody without diabetes can eat whatever they want and their blood glucose level will return to normal within an hour or so because the metabolism is working properly. Somebody with insulin resistance and/or a pancreas nor producing enough insulin can also have normal HbA1c levels, but that shows that their condition is well-managed, not that it doesn't exist. If the person with pre-diabetes or diabetes were to stop exercising and/or start eating loads of carbs, blood glucose levels would increase, whereas a healthy person's levels wouldn't. A more accurate test is a glucose tolerance test.

Having said that, there are some studies which show that if prediabetes is caught in the very early stages, it can be reversible.

See if your doc can get you a HbA1c test. Mine came out prediabetic and what a wake up call that was. I managed to get it to a safe level thankfully, as there is hereditary diabetes in the family. Keeping to a better diet helped me lose weight too as well as reducing my blood sugar

Both parents and both siblings had/have t2d. I’ve managed to avoid it but have been told I’m pre-diabetic. I have been told that you CAN avoid t2d even if it runs in your family, by exercise and diet, both being required in equal measure. One sibling has a reasonable diet but is in a very physical job and actually weighs less than me despite being a good 6 inches taller. They are struggling to keep the diabetes under control with regular changes to their meds. DH also has t2d, rarely sits down, one the other hand I think the only reason I’ve so far avoided it is because we have a very good diet that is low in carbs although I’m not particularly active! I do think that it’s likely that I will develop t2d in the future though.

I suspected that I might have diabetes 2 or be likely to develop it, as my mother did, when she was some years younger than I am now, so I asked my doctor to check, when my annual appointment to check my thyroid came round. I had felt more thirsty than usual and having my glasses altered sligthly had appparently not solved the problem with dizzyness I had been experiencing.

I do not have diabetes of either kind, but if you know that a blood relation did it does no harm to mention it when you are having blood tests taken.

I mentioned to my gp that my feet felt like I was wearing socks so he sent me for a blood test (hba1c) and that confirmed i was a type 2 diabetic.
I take linaglipten daily (can't take metformin) and carry on as normal. I have two replacement knees and find i cannot walk very far and exercise is difficult so I am overweight.
apart from a couple of hypos when i've missed breakfast my diabetes is well within control.