So I've got ta diabeetus

[IrishMartian]

Posted this here because I’ve decided, despite being a chronic over share type, that I’m not going to discuss my recent diagnosis with anyone I know outside of immediate family. But I wanted to get it off my chest and this seemed like a good forum to do so and it might benefit others here as well.

 

A caveat before I start, this is the Australian medical service where everything’s nice and cheap and/or free so no ‘Big Pharma Conspiracy’ cries please.

 

So the reason I moved from a lurker around Nerdfitness to a more active member and did my first 6 week challenge (which went pretty well if I say so myself) is that over Christmas last year I had a little health scare. I was urinating about fifteen times a day, waking up through the night and felt incredibly thirsty all the time. My sister in law who’s a nurse immediately said yeah, that sounds a lot like diabetes. So I went into panic mode, dropped sugar from my diet and started doing sit ups and burpees like crazy every morning. I didn’t go to a doctor, or even get a blood glucose test, because I was days away from a big tropical holiday… and to be honest I didn’t want to. I really did not want to know.

In hindsight this was and is a very stupid attitude to have.

 

After my holiday I felt much better and put it down to a bladder infection or something else. Then started my transformation from Nerd to Warrior Nerd!

 

Then I recently had a busy period at work. Five weeks of 12 to 14 hour days, six days a week. For morale reasons during these busy periods we often get free cakes and pastries. And did I partake? Yes I did.

 

After my busy period I got a call about a new exciting job in a new location. I hadn’t really been paying attention but the cycle of increased urination, poor sleeping and increased thirst had returned and I was feeling pretty terrible. I put my misery done to just finishing a big job and needing to de-stress.

 

The new job required me to go for a medical. No problem. I was reading eye charts and squatting for the nurse while relating my new found love of the barbell squat and how I’d lost 15 kilos since the start of the year (then the scales revealed I’d put 3 of those back on, oops). My pee test showed everything was good, except I had really high glucose in the urine. So I got my finger pricked and a blood sugar test, I should have been between 4 and 6, I was 14.

 

So off to the doctors that same day who said, “I’m almost 100% sure you have type 2 diabetesâ€. And then took about a pint of blood to make sure. I was pretty devastated, I’m overweight, but I’m not ‘people at Disneyland’ overweight. And sure I’ve got a sweet tooth, but that’s an amusing character affectation, not something that’s going to compromise my health for the rest of my life right? And for Thor’s sake, I’m only thirty freaking five. Diabetes is for old people and the occasional obese toddler on the news.

 

But, my doctor says, all it takes is a genetic predisposition and a bad diet. Not even terrible, just bad. You can’t eat shit until you’re mid 30’s and then have an overnight healthy turn around like I tried to; the damage was done all ready, take heed 20 somethings.

 

So my tests comeback and I’m positive for type 2 Diabetes, although everything else looks great, which is a good thing because I’m now a risk factor for every other health bogeyman out there from heart disease to erectile dysfunction. In fact I’ve probably had diabetes for years and not realised it.

 

Fuck.

 

So I went to the chemist and got my diabetes pills (and some Viagra just in case) and started taking them. First three days were horrible, headaches, nausea, my throat felt like it was closing up; I was all ready in full on self pity depression mode and now I was like a beached jellyfish. My body had rebelled against me. I was no longer invulnerable. I felt terrible. Then I woke up and just felt… awesome. I felt alert and energetic in a way I’ve not felt in a long time. I’m not falling asleep at my desk or struggling to focus in the afternoon, or falling asleep watching TV in the evening. I feel normal, after not realising how awful I must have been feeling all the time for a long time.

 

Now having diabetes sucks. I’m going to have to be cautious with my weight and diet for the rest of my life and pay close attention to my body as long as I have the thing (roll on sexy clone super body mind swapping technology). And I’m at risk off way more diseases and disorders than I ever thought I’d have to worry about. But getting diagnosed and starting treatment has all ready been a huge relief on so many levels. So many issues I’d put down to stress or age I’ve accepted was my body telling me it was failing. I need to diet and exercise to get as fit and healthy as I can, the best way to combat this disease. But lucky for me and thanks to Nerd Fitness motivation, I was doing this anyway.

 

TL:DR – If you feel like shit all the time and have ANY early stage signs of diabetes you should go and get a test done right now. All it takes is a drop of blood and two minutes. In the long run you will feel a lot better for it.

[Zee_]

Now that you know what it is & you have your health on track you'll be able to focus more on yourself and keep going with the rest of us at NF

 

Welcome!!

[SevenofSeven]

The genetic predisposition sucks, I have two grandparents as well as both parents who all bordered or had/have full blown type 2 diabetes. I ended up with gestational diabetes for the last three chilluns, and that is the reason why I am trying to lose another 10 kg and get healthy, no doubt down the line medications will be needed.

Well done for acknowledging and getting help. Denial is not a river in Egypt.

Good luck with your future health goals.

*makes appointment with Dr*

[Silo]

Good for you for TCB re: your health. Sure, you could have gone earlier but what is important is that you are taking strides now.

 

My mom, uncle, grandmas on both side, and something like 5 out of 8 of one grandma's siblings have/had Type 2 diabetes. I had the 3 hour glucose test when I was 14 and wasn't diagnosed but have had elevated blood sugar levels at various times since then, though still not high enough to be diagnosed. I do have PCOS and insulin resistance (and at one point was on Metformin though I'm not now) and thus try to follow various recommendations for prediabetic people. Trying to avoid being diagnosed is definitely one of my motivations for getting healthier.

 

The good thing is that now that you have the diagnosis, you've had something to kick your butt into gear (or rather keep kicking it into gear since you'd already started in that direction) and a changed diet and exercise and sleep habits can make a huge difference. You are young and you know what you need to do and there is the possibility that if you keep at it, you may be able to get off the meds at some point and if not, at the least, you can avoid having to go stronger with them (shots!)

[IrishMartian]

Thanks for the kind words all (started a new full on job, the one I had a medical for, and not had a chance to get on the boards in a while).

 

After my initial terror it's been surprisingly manageable, and cutting my sugar intake to almost nothing has done marvellous things to my health and my weight loss has taken off. That white sweetness is truly evil stuff.

[Spark]

Right there with you, IM. I had almost the same experience, and ever since getting on the right drugs and changing my diet I've felt better than I have in years.

 

Get tested folks! If you suspect there might be a problem, that is.