Joined
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11 Posts
Hi everyone,
Obviously I'm new here and freshly diagnosed with diabetes.
This whole journey started out with me being (what I, and everyone else thought) a hypochondriac. For the past 2-3 years, I started noticing that certain foods would trigger symptoms for me. These symptoms would include skin rashes on my thighs, dizziness, stomach upset, and just a general sense of not feeling well. Up until about two months ago, I assumed it was a food allergy. I tried eliminating dairy. Helped some of the time, but didn't help others. I tried eliminating breads. Helped much of the time, but didn't help other times. I tried eliminating gluten. Again, sometimes it helped, not always though. My last stab in the dark was with sugar. I noticed that of all the foods I had tried eliminating, stopping sugar helped the most. But it still wasn't 100% of the time working to alleviate my symptoms.
By chance, I happened upon a website showing the symptoms of diabetes. To my amazement, the symptoms lined up pretty well with mine. "No way" I thought. But the idea stuck in my head, enough for me to buy a glucose meter from the pharmacy. I read up on fasting glucose readings, the 1- and 2-hour tests, etc. The next morning, on an empty stomach of course, my reading was 135. I took it again, to make sure I was doing it right. I ate my normal breakfast of eggs and toast. 1 and 2 hours after, my readings all showed in the diabetic range. I immediately made an appointment with my general practitioner.
My GP doctor of course ordered the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). My 1, 2, and 3 hour readings were all in the 200+ range, with the 2 hour test scraping 300.
I am now waiting to see a highly respected endocrinologist/diabetes center here in South Florida (there was about a 6 week wait) and that appointment is in early October. I will hopefully find out if I am Type 1, 1.5, or 2, and find out exactly what is going on.
Not being one to sit around and continue to poison myself, I am continuously trying to manipulate my diet, while of course taking several readings throughout the day.
To get a little introspective, I never would have guessed I'd have this condition. I have always been an athlete, in good shape. I lift weights and do cardio at 4-5 times per week. I run 5ks and 10ks. Even before my diagnosis, I ate pretty healthy. I've never even been a big fan of sweets and sugar (okay, ice cream is [was] an occasional weakness!). Ironically, I am like a poster-child for how to avoid getting Type 2 diabetes!
I think the factor that "did me in" with diabetes was good old fashioned DNA. I have since learned that diabetes is rampant on my mom's side (I don't really know that side of the family) and apparently a few now-deceased people on my dad's side had diabetes. So I have it coming from both sides!
While I was bummed about having this condition, I am glad that there are so many resources and communities (like this one!) for people living with this disease.
Thanks for reading!
Some vitals on myself:
Sex: Male
Age: 23
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height/Weight: 6'2" 175 lbs
Obviously I'm new here and freshly diagnosed with diabetes.
This whole journey started out with me being (what I, and everyone else thought) a hypochondriac. For the past 2-3 years, I started noticing that certain foods would trigger symptoms for me. These symptoms would include skin rashes on my thighs, dizziness, stomach upset, and just a general sense of not feeling well. Up until about two months ago, I assumed it was a food allergy. I tried eliminating dairy. Helped some of the time, but didn't help others. I tried eliminating breads. Helped much of the time, but didn't help other times. I tried eliminating gluten. Again, sometimes it helped, not always though. My last stab in the dark was with sugar. I noticed that of all the foods I had tried eliminating, stopping sugar helped the most. But it still wasn't 100% of the time working to alleviate my symptoms.
By chance, I happened upon a website showing the symptoms of diabetes. To my amazement, the symptoms lined up pretty well with mine. "No way" I thought. But the idea stuck in my head, enough for me to buy a glucose meter from the pharmacy. I read up on fasting glucose readings, the 1- and 2-hour tests, etc. The next morning, on an empty stomach of course, my reading was 135. I took it again, to make sure I was doing it right. I ate my normal breakfast of eggs and toast. 1 and 2 hours after, my readings all showed in the diabetic range. I immediately made an appointment with my general practitioner.
My GP doctor of course ordered the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). My 1, 2, and 3 hour readings were all in the 200+ range, with the 2 hour test scraping 300.
I am now waiting to see a highly respected endocrinologist/diabetes center here in South Florida (there was about a 6 week wait) and that appointment is in early October. I will hopefully find out if I am Type 1, 1.5, or 2, and find out exactly what is going on.
Not being one to sit around and continue to poison myself, I am continuously trying to manipulate my diet, while of course taking several readings throughout the day.
To get a little introspective, I never would have guessed I'd have this condition. I have always been an athlete, in good shape. I lift weights and do cardio at 4-5 times per week. I run 5ks and 10ks. Even before my diagnosis, I ate pretty healthy. I've never even been a big fan of sweets and sugar (okay, ice cream is [was] an occasional weakness!). Ironically, I am like a poster-child for how to avoid getting Type 2 diabetes!
I think the factor that "did me in" with diabetes was good old fashioned DNA. I have since learned that diabetes is rampant on my mom's side (I don't really know that side of the family) and apparently a few now-deceased people on my dad's side had diabetes. So I have it coming from both sides!
While I was bummed about having this condition, I am glad that there are so many resources and communities (like this one!) for people living with this disease.
Thanks for reading!
Some vitals on myself:
Sex: Male
Age: 23
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height/Weight: 6'2" 175 lbs
