Hi everyone
I was diagnosed about three weeks ago after my doc lost my bloodwork from over three months ago but I think I have been sick for a long time now that I put it all together. Shes treating it as T2 but not convinced that it is T2 yet. My A1c was 10.4, fasting 268, urine the day of diagnosis 1000+++. Symptoms were couldn’t lose weight (about 20 pounds to lose) fatigue, thirt, major leg cramps, a constant fog, blurry vision and random episodes of extreme vomiting followed by exhaustion.
I am on 1500 mg glucometz and eating less than 50 grams of carbs a day. My bgs are all over the place. Some of my symptoms that got better initially now are back like the muscle cramps, extreme foggy head, irritablity and fatigue. I feel like hell. I literally wish I could just run away but it would just follow me.
So my am bgs are between 175-190. It takes until 1-2 pm for them to normalize and then they drop to 120-135 sometimes or like yesterday fly up to 235 for no know reason then plumet again. I am then really exhausted when they come down and emotional and cranky. Really testy and a pain to live with frankly.
It’s literally effecting every area of my life from work to my marriage to my child. Will this get better? Will I ever feel normal or good again and not so awful? I’m suppose to exercise but my muscles today got exhausted and cramped from literally cleaning my car seats from sticky kid goo. I was running at first but now, in the last few days, no way.
What is happening? Is this normal? I literally feel crazy. I am suppose to go on a ten day work trip next week and I am thinking of cancelling I feel so messed up right now and scared. They may find me wandering down some dirt road in the middle of nowhere lol!
This sounds so familiar to me, You have given classic examples of the effects of high BG. Once you get you BG under control you will feel better. When my BG was high I was one cranky dude.
It's overwhelming sometimes, huh? The BG #s you're having can be exhausting, both physically & emotionally. That being said, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress since your diagnosis!
You might consider asking for insulin, especially if your doctor thinks LADA/1.5 is a possibility. It's not as scary as people make it out to be, and if you're 1.5 it's inevitable anyhow. It's not as if you can go much more low-carb than you're doing already....
Has the doc run any blood panels to see if some of your symptoms might be due to anemia, potassium, lack of other nutrients, etc? I had most of your symptoms right before being diagnosed with severe anemia.
As to whether it gets better - my answer is mostly. You'll get your numbers under control. You'll get used to your "new normal", as folks here call it. And most days will seem SO much better than what you're feeling now. Sure, there will be harder times - diabetes is never easy. But you'll get used to it and this forum is a great place to ask questions or just vent on the more difficult days. Good luck!
Well, I can live with mostly better. Yes it is overwhelming, so muc to process. I just read a link from here about beta cells. Mine must be dying off by the thousands. And I’m not ok with my doc saying 2 hrs post meal below 170 and fasting below 120. After reading the info here and a few other places, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’m seeing her next week and I’m going to bring up all this research. I’m really dreading insulin. I don’t know why it feels like a failure to me? Anyone else felt that way? I know if I’m T 1.5 I’m going there no matter but it really REALLY scares me. Of course losing my sight scares me worse… I’m so glad I found this forum
Well all other blood work was ok but my triglycerides were high bc of my I diagnosed diabetes. She’s says if I’m not 90% better at our next appt she will run more blood work. Thank you for the feedback. 50 grams if carbs feels like I cannot really eat less!! I think I may grow to hate eggs;)
If you're not already seeing an endocrinologist, I highly suggest seeing one if your insurance will allow it. Endos are better at figuring out what type of diabetes you have, and are generally more aggressive in treatment, too. I've found with a lot of my friends that have Type 2 or with some other Type that doesn't present in a "typical" way, a lot of general or family practice doctors just don't know how to treat them well enough. If you are a Type 2, I find that a lot of GPs or family practice doctors aren't aggressive enough with diagnosis or treatment, either. Granted, some non-specialists are great, and hopefully you are seeing a doctor that is, but if you feel like they are taking too long, or not giving you enough answers/education, or if you want to be more aggressive in your treatment than they are willing to be, I would not hesitate to find a good endocrinologist instead. Good luck, and hang in there! When your blood sugars are in better control for longer, you WILL feel better!
Just to reaffirm what Super_sally said, insulin is NOT a failure. Look at it this way: all "normal" (non-diabetic) people use insulin regularly, why aren't YOU allowed to use insulin too, just because your body doesn't make it as well as theirs? When you think about it like that, you realize that using insulin is not a failure, but the closest thing you can do to get your body back to its healthiest state of being. So many people put off taking insulin because they see it as failing or as "last resort", and unfortunately that can lead to complications. If pills aren't working well enough, please don't feel like you've failed if you need to use insulin.
Thx everyone. Y’all are right, everyone is using insulin everyday why can’t I!? I never saw it that way. I really appreciate the support. A marathon is a great way to look at it, I’m a type A person so I want the problem identified and fixed yesterday;).
I am going to see if my doc will be as aggressive as I want. If not, an endo is in my future. Will keep you all posted as this journey unfolds. Thanks so much. This is turning everything inside out and stretching my norm. Eye doc tomorrow for the vision issues to rue anything tht needs immediate treatment. Doc next week. We shall see but owing I can get better or to my new normal is enough for me today. Thanks so much everyone.
Erin, what a wonderful way to change my perception. Thank you so much. It never even occurred to me that others use insulin and I’m just supporting my body. Thank you for your support.
-A
I want to second or third what Sally and Erin have said. Insulin is not a failure. When I started insulin I felt like I had finally started winning. Some type 2s feel they have lost the battle if they need insulin but they have not. I look at it as bringing in the big guns to win the war. My definition of losing is to not escalate the fight when there are better weapons to be used.
It is to early to know if insulin is in your future but if it is I want you to know that it is a good thing.
Hi Nosweettea: You have gotten some great advice here. Have you taken a look at the LADA forum and discussions here on TuD? That might be helpful. And here is a link to my blog with my top ten tips for the newly diagnosed. I hope you find it useful. I would really recommend a book like "Think Like a Pancreas," and frankly I think it would be a good idea for you to be seen by an endo, and get all the appropriate testing to see if you might have LADA.
It does take TIME to get to better blood sugar control. We all need a dose of patience, but it is so worth it.
everybody has already said that insulin is not a failure. i was diagnosed t1 almost two years ago and i was still feeling ok except for all the peeing and drinking. i THOUGHT i felt ok, but wow did i feel better after being on insulin for a couple of weeks. if you need it, you need it. i love it and i hate it, that stupid insulin!
Hi NoSweettea, I hope you get the answers that you are looking for from your doctor. Your symptoms are just like mine were. I was running 400-600+ with my sugars. they had been that way for years. I was always tired, confused and sometimes just felt out right crummy. I finally told my Primary dr that I wanted to go on the Insulin Pump, he referred me to am Endo and in 2 months I got my sugars down, with the help of Insulin. My Last A1C in april was 11.4 two months later it is 6.2. I took my 30 day average from 334 to 134 in 2 months, I have learned to Carb Count which is very important if you are going to go on Insulin. I just wanted to let you know that this place is a wonderful place to vent, get advice and give advice. Welcome to the Community.
I would be concerned with any physician that lost blood work for even 24 hours. It may seem unimportant or incidental but it is symptomatic of a problem that needs to be addressed.
Get another doctor asap. and read and learn as much as you can about diabetes. No one would feel good with your sugars. Any doctor who loses tests is irresponsible. You are eating fairly low carb but maybe a little basis insulin or metformin may be better for you. That is why you need to ask questions and find the right doctor.
Your situation sounds exactly like mine at time of diagnosis, and all of us can relate to what you're going through. For some reason there is a stigma, even among many doctors that "insulin=failure."
It turns out that I was misdiagnosed initially as a T2 and I did a ton of research right away. Much of the latest research recommends using insulin right away in order to bring BG under control quickly - even if you're a T2. Then, if you're a T2, even dialing it back or weaning off it completely if you can manage it moving forward with oral meds and lifestyle changes alone.
Hence, I demanded it from my Endo who reluctantly prescribed it and felt it was "premature." I suspect he also believes in this stigma. Well I'll tell you, I snapped my levels into control immediately. I love insulin!! It's painless, powerful, natural and effective. It turned out later that I was actually T1 and my beta cell function dropped dramatically. But because I started insulin early, I had already perfected a regimen keeping my BG stable - and avoided the BG roller coaster ride and anxiety had I followed my endo's advice of what would have been a failed oral therapy.
Trust me, you will get through this, and you will feel dramatically better once you get your BG under control. Nothing will do this faster and more effectively than insulin.
