[davidjp]

My name is David and I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for about two years now. I'm really glad to have found this informative forum (during a Google search of "white coat syndrome" actually). It was a bit of a shocker when I was first diagnosed, being in my early 30's and only a little overweight at the time. Also, perhaps because I was still in that "early" stage, I really didn't feel any of the usual symptoms of diabetes that my doctor was telling me. (even now that my level is under control with medication, I don't really feel any different from before). But still I guess it's a good thing because this has motivated me to take better care of myself in terms of dieting and exercising.

 

[Shalynne]

Welcome, David! :welcome:

Glad you found us ... sorry you had to!

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. So put your feet up and search for info, ask questions, and share your experience with diabetes. You'll find lots of info and support here.

 

[Spunky]

Hi, David. I was also lucky to catch my diabetes at an early stage, and lucky to find this forum. There is a whole lot of good info. here and friendly, helpful people. Glad your search brought you here. Welcome.

 

[Shanny]

Nice intro, David!

I was diagnosed about 2½ years ago without much premonition either. It was caught on an annual checkup, which previous years the glucose had been fine. I guess old age & obesity just finally caught up with me. So I've been on metformin ever since - the old tried & true diabetes drug - which combined with a low-carb/high-fat way-of-eating, keeps my blood sugar within bounds, if not quite as low as I'd like.

Everything I know about managing it, I learned from the people on this forum, so you're in good hands!

Take care & visit often!

 

[Aribella]

Hi David & welcome! :welcome: Glad everything is under control for you.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

welcome to the machine David

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

Hi David and :welcome:

 

[davidjp]

Thank you for all your support! Hopefully besides a "taker" in the forum I will soon be able to be a giver of suggestions and supports as well!

I'm already learning something new from reading some of the posts - a high fat diet for diabetics to make up for the reduced carb intake. That's a completely new concept to me. Neither my doctor nor the diabetic course offered by my provider mentioned anything about that.

 

[tony0611]

Welcome david. Great to have you on board !

 

[sallyb]

Welcome David !

 

[jwags]

I think a lot of us had no noticeable symptoms. I was very healthy, ate vegetarian and exercised a ton at the gym. I went to get my eyes checked because I thought I needed stronger reading glasses. Well, that was the beginning of my diagnosis. When they dilated my eyes they saw diabetic damage beginning. The Optahmologist was shocked because I was quite thin at the time. But without any symptoms my HbA1c was almost 11. That is why they say there are probably 80 million pre diabetics walking around not knowing that they have D. It is really a silent killer.

 

[sallyb]

I think a lot of us had no noticeable symptoms. I was very healthy, ate vegetarian and exercised a ton at the gym. I went to get my eyes checked because I thought I needed stronger reading glasses. Well, that was the beginning of my diagnosis. When they dilated my eyes they saw diabetic damage beginning. The Optahmologist was shocked because I was quite thin at the time. But without any symptoms my HbA1c was almost 11. That is why they say there are probably 80 million pre diabetics walking around not knowing that they have D. It is really a silent killer.

It's really concerning how it just creeps up, and if you don't actively seek testing - you can be in major problems. I never thought I'd be a borderline diabetic, having always been very slim, too slim at times at 100lbs and a very active person (running, fast 10k running sessions) and then the BS increase after a period of inactivity :-/ (only 3 months with no weight gain)?!?

 

[davidjp]

I think this really shows the importance of having annual checkups even at an early age. I found out about my diabetes more or less by accident - one day after lunch I felt this sharp pain right below by abdomen. While at the ER they checked my blood sugar and it was a little high. The abdominal pain turned out to be nothing to worry about, but before they let me go the doctor suggested that I followed up on the high BG reading with an A1c test, and that was when I found out. Prior to this I've never been to a physical in my life.

I do have some idea about how I may have developed diabetes. During my grad school and postdoc years, I used to drink a LOT of sodas - I'm talking about two cans a day at the minimum for about 9 years. Of course I wasn't watching my carb intake at the time either, and I was fairly inactive. So now I try to think of this as a blessing in disguise, because it is forcing me to live a more healthy life at an early age .

 

[jwags]

My kids are all grown now but I never remember them ever doing a fasting glucose check on any physical. If they just added that to most doctors visits we would pick up a lot of diabetes much earlier. I have to admit I was not good at going to annual checkups. But if more people were tested they could make the diet changes earlier preventing a lot of damage.