[Julie]

I will start by apologizing, because I am sure you get tons of messages from people freaking out everyday, asking if they have diabetes.

I have had a lot of symptoms for a long time ( a few years at least) but always brushed them off as related to something else. Recently, for the past few months, I have been tired. So tired that no matter how much sleep I get- it feels like it takes all of my strength just to even keep my eyes open.

Anyways, my point of my post- I have a doctors appointment monday morning. What can I expect to happen? If he wants me tested to see if I have diabetes, what test will he most likely order? Will it just be blood drawn, or will I need to do a test where I fast and then come in and have a drink and have blood drawn?

I don't have insurance, so I'm trying to minimize having a ton of tests done, and a ton of dr. visits for now.

Thank you

 

[Julie]

Also, I realize no one here can diagnose me etc... but just for opinion's sake, I am going to list symptoms I have. Not sure if these would classify as Type I or Type II

• Cousin with Type I Diabetes
• Runs in my moms side of the family as well- nobody has Type I that I know of on her side, however several have Type II
• Extreme fatigue. For the past 6 months it's been really bad- I have everything I can do to even keep my eyes open
• I often feel dizzy- like I could just pass out at any second- my vision gets blurry when i'm feeling this way
• My heart races often- don't have to be doing anything and it just starts racing (not even sure if this is a symptom of diabetes- i've always thought it was from anxiety/panic attacks)
• Frequent Urination - didn't think much of it- until I was reading about symptoms and realized that I urinate all the time
• I never liked chocolate or cared for candy growing up- in the past year, I crave sweets- I could eat a candy bar 2 times a day- at first this caused me to think i was hypoglycemic and after talking to family and doing research they suggested i probably was diabetic if anything and not hypogyclemic - can you have both?
• My feet and hands/arms are often very tingly
• I get chronic yeast infections under my breasts (was always told by dr's just to make sure and shower often and keep areas dry- i shower every day and always am putting powder etc there- and i still get them at least once a week)
• Chronic boils- especially across my stomach where my pants buckle- in my groin/thigh area and under my arms- they take forever to heal)
• Extreme thirst- I can never seem to drink enough water or tea- even after drinking 3 large glasses of water- i still feel soo thirsty

• I often am REALLY hungry- usually late at night- While I haven't lost a lot of weight- somehow no matter how much I eat or don't eat- i've managed to keep my weight within 10lbs for over a year now (I am overweight- so always just figured the hunger pangs i've had for the past year were just because - well because i was realizing i ate more than i always thought- however, i really am eating a ton more than i ever did- and even after eating i still feel like i'm starving- )
• For the past 3 months I've gotten a headache every single afternoon. They aren't migraines- (thank goodness, because growing up i had those often and they are horrible) but they are headaches none-the-less
• Just a general feeling of BLAH- I'm always tired and can't keep up with housework anymore or my children- I often feel like I haven't done "anything"- yet I feel completely exhausted
• I've had what looks like Acanthosis nigricans on my neck since I was a teenager- my mom would always tell me to wash my neck better- and i would scrub it with painful brushes and it never went away. I once saw a dr about it who said it was a fungus and gave me a cream- it's not as bad now as it used to be- but still there none-the-less
• 
  

 

[Shanny]

Hello Julie. If I were you & it's at all possible, I would go to your appointment fasting, so if they want to draw blood, you're prepared & don't have to reschedule.

You get a fasting blood glucose, and you should have an HBA1c (commonly called just A1c). Would be good if they would also test for GAD antibodies and run a c-peptide to determine what your actual insulin output is - these are more conclusive diagnostics for type I. It's possible that they would want a lipids panel, in which case you would HAVE to be fasting.

If they don't give you a glucometer, see about getting one for yourself, because it's a vital instrument in controlling our blood sugar levels. We can hardly be expected to control it if we don't even know what it is from one meal to the next, and the only way to know that is to be testing at home.

And please feel free to ask anything you have concerns about . . . maybe we DO get a lot of the same questions, but they're valid questions & that's what we're here for. We make ourselves available to answer because we know what a jungle it is out there in the early days of sorting out diabetes.

I thank you for joining us & I hope you'll visit often to keep us updated on how things are going for you.

p.s. Be sure to request copies of your test results to keep on file! Very important to have your own copies!

 

[Julie]

Hello Julie. If I were you & it's at all possible, I would go to your appointment fasting, so if they want to draw blood, you're prepared & don't have to reschedule.

You get a fasting blood glucose, and you should have an HBA1c (commonly called just A1c). Would be good if they would also test for GAD antibodies and run a c-peptide to determine what your actual insulin output is - these are more conclusive diagnostics for type I. It's possible that they would want a lipids panel, in which case you would HAVE to be fasting.

If they don't give you a glucometer, see about getting one for yourself, because it's a vital instrument in controlling our blood sugar levels. We can hardly be expected to control it if we don't even know what it is from one meal to the next, and the only way to know that is to be testing at home.

And please feel free to ask anything you have concerns about . . . maybe we DO get a lot of the same questions, but they're valid questions & that's what we're here for. We make ourselves available to answer because we know what a jungle it is out there in the early days of sorting out diabetes.

I thank you for joining us & I hope you'll visit often to keep us updated on how things are going for you.

p.s. Be sure to request copies of your test results to keep on file! Very important to have your own copies!

Thanks for the advice. I went to the dr fasting for 12 hours- and they were able to take the blood work. I go back in 2 weeks to get my results and go from there. After reviewing my symptoms etc.. the dr. is pretty sure I have Type II Diabetes. He did say though that he is confident that within 6 months I should feel like a new person =) So that was encouraging. I'm sure I will be on here a lot more now. :smile:

 

[jwags]

Hi Julie, I'm glad you had the tests done. I would imagine that they will have the results in a few days and call you. 2 weeks seems like a long time to wait to start treatment if you need it. In the mean time you may want to pick up a Relion meter at walmart and some strips. Test when you wake up and 2 hours after meals. This will give you a baseline where you can start to manage your diet. Non D's will be lower than 120 even after meals, usually under 100. As diabetics we strive for 120-140 after meals to prevent damage. My insurance doesn't pay for my strips so I buy them on Amazon to get the best deal. Also a lot of Meter companies offer free meters on their websites, just google them.

 

[Eeyore]

Hi Julie,
Your symptoms sound soooo much like mine. Hang in there and get your test results. As soon as my doctor told me that my A1c was over 8, I started searching for help and answers. The Blood Sugar 101 site is great, as is the Gretchen Becker book "Type 2 Diabetes - Your First Year." I felt about 1000% better within one month after cutting out a lot of the carbs and starting to exercise 30 minutes per day. Really - I don't think it will take anywhere near 6 months to feel the difference.