First of all. Thank you in advance for everything on this website. I would have been absolutely lost without the information.
Here is my story. I’m a 42 year old man around 170 pounds. Just completed my last fitness test at 94.3%. About two months ago, I started to get the normal diabetic symptoms. Getting up to pee three times and extreme thirst. I even ate the snow off the hood of my car on a ride home one night. This was the start…a couple months ago.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. I finally had enough and bought a meter. Took a while to figure it out. My first read was 352. Went to the hospital as my primary care wouldn’t see me. They gave me some metformin and sent me home. I scheduled an appointment with an endo. During the endo meeting he told me I was 90% type 1 and only a 10% chance of being a type 2.
Results came back with no anti-bodies. So I guess type 2? Everything else was normal. Except for the A1C at 10.0?
Here are my concerns. I’ve been having the following: Massive Stomach pains, excessive sweating at night, outdoors…I sweat from the head like crazy. High/Mid back pain and the last weekend I was constipated. My stool is little lighter than normal. And I seem to belch more than often. I wake up at 2:30am every night.
They have me on gulipize. One before breakfast and dinner. We stopped the metformin as I thought that was the cause of the stomach pain.
I know that one here is a doctor, but does this seem normal? My father died of lung cancer at 45. I’m contemplating going to prompt care and paying for a CT scan out of pocket.
I’m just worried that the diabetes was caused by cancer. Scared for my family. What would you do?
There are several antibodies, and sometimes the doctor only tests for the most common ones. So I would not rule out T1 unless you know details on what was tested.
What are your BGs? Are they coming down with the medications you are on? Are you testing before and after meals? This is best info to review with endo to know if treatment is effective.
Some of your symptoms may be related to the meds you are on. Have you reviewed the side effects, or talked with doctor about them ?
I am classic type 1 since childhood, but there are many here that take awhile before it can be determined type and best treatment.
Thanks for the reply. I think they tested for 3 anti-bodies. I made them give me the paperwork yesterday and I’ll double check to be sure.
My BG levels have come down. Morning is always high. Here was yesterday.
546am / 173
12:24: 118
4:39 / 92
9:42 / 138
I’ve only been testing before eating. I’ll try to test 2 hours after a meal? What would that show?
I called about the side effects, however, I’m not very confident with my endo nor GP doctor.
Below is a study that measured the glucose levels of non-diabetics over a period of time.
People with diabetes often have a hard time controlling their post-meal blood sugar. You can see that the average blood sugar after a meal in non-diabetics is between 115-120 mg/dl, but the upper limit (2 SD from mean) is closer to 155-160 mg/dl.
If you’re consistently seeing numbers after meals that are higher than this level, then it’d probably be good to ask the doctor about adjusting your medication. This would also give your doctor more information on whether the diagnosis of Type 2 was appropriate. Did he test your c-peptide levels? If you’re concerned that you should have been diagnosed Type 1, then that would probably be a good test.
I’m not familiar with gulipize, but I’ve heard that the extended release version of Metformin is much easier on your digestive system.
Bajahammer–
Wow, the first monthes after a diagnosis are challenging! So much unknown, (potentially scary) new meds, new doctors. So much to learn. And with the new meds, your body is a moving target.
Consider taking a “Living with Diabetes” class & get Gretchen Becker’s book “The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes.”
After meal BG helps to identify if there are certain foods (mostly carbs), that spike it very high (200+), but is then lower by the time you do the next test. Going over 200 after meal might suggest that bolus insulin with meals might help.
You have a high fasting number, so that would be the first thing to ask your doctor about.
Thanks for the note. I’ll try and pickup that book. I’ve got a lot to learn and figure out for sure. I’m working on testing after meals and I really don’t like those numbers.
What I can’t understand is. I’ve never been low only high. I’ve read something about insulin resistance, but I would think this would take some time. Symptoms started only two months ago.
It can take weeks for oral meds to make a difference. And then, not everyone’s body reacts the same.
On Metformin alone I never had lows. I did experience lows when I took a drug in the Sulfonylurea group.
Be patient & be observant.
You may want to rethink cereal as a go-to breakfast. Aim for more protein & slow-acting carbs. (My go-to breakfast is a vegetable frittata & a small serving of beans. It keeps me going all morning, but does not cause a spike.)
Some PWD have good successful with oatmeal, but I found it made me spike.
Another great book for you to read is “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution”. It’s awesome. I’m reading it for the second time. I read it some four years ago and found I needed a refresher
He has a monthly pod cast free to anyone to ask questions. He does ask you to read the book first, before he answers your question, especially if he has already taken the time to answer it in the book. His story, in and of itself, is awesome … a Type 1 juvenile (age 12) who became an engineer and at age 45 went back to school to become an endocrinologist. He’s 84 I think and still has a thriving practice in upper New York.
Read the entire book; he is engaging and very easy to follow. He explains everything. My husband is Type 2 and on Metformin and basal insulin. He had some medical issues this past year and his post-meal numbers were creeping up, so I thought it’s time for him to move to bolus (meal-time) insulin. First though we are trying a very low carb, moderate protein, and high fat diet, to see if this helps. The very low carb has helped greatly! We’ve dropped his basal by 33u two times a day and his post-meal numbers are in a good range now. We’re hoping he might be able to actually cut the balance of his basal out, as he adapts to a new way of eating. Time will tell. Even so, he’s come way down and that is surely helping with his insulin resistance.
One suggestion is to reduce the carbs (cereal), or having the protein drink first, which would then help slow down digestion of carbs. Also taking a walk or exercise can help limit the BG rise after meal.
Are you in the US? It seems reasonable to do some cancer screening if that reduces concern, but someone else will know more than me about how that works.
Hi Bajahammer: I would go with what the doctor said, there is a high likelihood that you have Type 1 diabetes. A small percentage of people with T1 autoimmune diabetes are not positive for known autoantibodies. If I were in your shoes, I would not bother with Type 2 meds, but would ask for insulin (and typically only small amounts of insulin are needed in the newly diagnosed).
Some of my body agrees with you and some doesn’t. My mother said my grandfather had to take shots at first and then switched to pills? From all my reading. That doesn’t seem right.
At one point in this mess, I was at the point of driving to Walmart and buying the insulin to test with. I’m always high in the morning. I give that to the dawn effect, but something just doen’t fit with type 1 or 2. I just wish I knew if my body is insulin resistant… or if I’m not able to produce any or little. I just wish my endo would have ordered the test for measuring how much I am producing.
Does the vision get better? My eyes are in and out. Is this the new life? I’m also confused on if I was type 1, would I go low? I actually never even thought I would have to watch the other end.
When I was diagnosed with T1D, it was blurry vision that caused me to go to the doctor. It’s my understanding that sustained hyperglycemia or high BGs can cause blurry vision. Have your blood sugar tests all been high?
My foggy vision went away within a few days of starting insulin.
What you’re looking for is the C-peptide blood test. When insulin is made by the body, it is comprised of three protein chains, A, B, and C. One of the last steps the body takes right before insulin is produced is the cutting off of the C-peptide chain. That means that there’s a one for one correspondence between the naturally produced, aka endogenous, insulin and the amount of c-peptides in the blood. Are you sure this blood test has not already been done?
Thanks for the response. My endo ran three tests, I know one was for GAD65. All with in range. When I get a chance…i’ll Get the paper.
Looking back, I think i’ve been high for a while. I’m writing this at 92. Best i’ve been all day. I’m high in the morning 160-130 and I work to get that down. By lunch today, I had it to 120, but then I can tell by the afternoon that I’m back normal. The world is clear and I feel right again.
Here is my delima. I’ve always been skinny, heck i’m 25 years out of high school and can wear the same pants. I’m afraid by not eating the carbs that I usually do, that i’m Going to lose too much weight.
I think I really need to know what type i am. My endo must like the wait it out and see. Have I always been sorta insulin resistant and now I’m just much more? I believe i’m not a two, I don’t understand how everyone says…just exercise more and burn the glucose…if I can’t get energy to my cells…Am I doing more harm than good? Or when I’m in range…does it work making energy?
I know I can’t go back, but am I just in the honeymoon phase of type 1 or type 2. How does a type 2 become less insulin resistant.
