How did you find out you had Type 2?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cynthia D on September 4, 2009 at 8:04pm

I was very thirsty and urinated a lot but the major symptom was vision so blurry I couldn't read street signs. I checked myself into the ER saying I was concerned that an aneurism on my brain was blurring my vision. They did a CAT scan and found nothing but never checked blood sugar.

Happened to have a doctor appointment two days later and described blurry vision. They checked BG and sure enough it was over 400. Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted this. I have no family history, am athletic, not overweight and eat healthy. However, I had Hepatitis C for 27 years and believe it caused autoimmune diabetes. I treated and cleared the Hep C which seemed a lot more serious than diabetes but now I'm finding otherwise. As Gilda Radner said, it's always something!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kelly on September 5, 2009 at 2:45pm

Hi Cynthia,

Can you explain the "blurry vision" symptom to me? How fast would you say your vision went from being good to where you couldn't read the street signs? Did the blurriness go away once your blood sugar was under control? Do you wear glasses?

I'm just curious because my eyesight has gone downhill a lot and I wonder if it's related to the diabetes.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anne on September 8, 2009 at 10:31am

Blurry vision is often a symptom of high blood sugar. As the blood sugar rises, a person becomes more nearsighted. When the blood sugar gets back to a lower level, the eyes revert to the less nearsighted state. This change is caused by the lens of the eye swelling when the blood sugar is elevated. If your blood sugar is out of control, it is best to wait before you get a new prescription for glasses.

Other vision problems from diabetes are more serious. Diabetes increases the chance of developing cataracts and glaucoma. High blood sugars lead to blood vessel damage in the retina call diabetic retinopathy. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/eye-complications.jsp

The area of the retina that is used for central vision can become edematous. This retinal edema is not only related to high blood sugars, but is more common in those taking Actos and Avandia. http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Certain-Diabetes-Drugs-...

Your greatest weapon against developing ocular complications is to have truly excellent blood sugar control. You may want to read Dr. Bernstein's book Diabetes Solution.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dori S on September 7, 2009 at 8:43am

Well as a nurse I should have known better but when you are working and raising children things get hectic and lines get blurred. It was towards the end of summer and so the excess thirst was just attributed to the hot weather and the excess urination to drinking more due to the hot weather. We were having a mini health fair at work and a couple of us went down to it and there I had my BG checked - 258. Went in to see my Dr the next day.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by shellyj on September 11, 2009 at 11:17pm

I was told I was with diabetes type 2 after been in the er after having a very bad reaction to some pills for an infection in my thort so he did a blood test in er and it was 16.4 so it was high and I that was in feb 2007

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Gerriann Tobkin on September 12, 2009 at 9:00pm

Went to a walk-in clinic for a skin infection (it was the weekend) and found out my blood pressure was high. Made an appointment with my regular dr for the high BP and had a full physical. That is how my d was caught. I take adderall for ADD that causes dry mouth and high blood pressure so I attributed the excessive thirst to the adderall. my A1C was over 11 at dx so my dr suspected I had been diabetic for some time.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lois La Rose on September 13, 2009 at 3:20pm

I was DX'd in my 30's when I was going to have minor surgery on my hand. My BG was in the 300's. I told the doc it was unfair because nobody told me to fast (it was right after lunch). She then had me fast and the test turned out about the same. (Denial right there!) Put on oral meds which didn't work well with my irritable bowel. Eventually put on insulin and then in April 2008 went on pump. Much better control.

Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Glucoholic on September 15, 2009 at 1:51pm

For me, a bunch of symptoms kind of hit at once:

1) Blurred vision even with glasses on.
2) Going to the restroom every 30 minutes.
3) Constant thirst.
4) Lost 30 pounds in one month.
5) Visiting my parents one day, someone mentioned how irritable I was.

My father has diabetes, and I knew enough about it to be suspicious that I did too. I asked to use his meter and my BG was over 400. The doctor confirmed it two days later.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steve Bukosky on September 20, 2009 at 4:29pm

My son is type 1. I was away for work for two weeks in Texas where the water tasted horrible. I drank soda instead and after a while my vision was foggy. When I got home, I asked my son for a blood test strip and I was 400+. That was the beginning.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alisha Steele on September 22, 2009 at 5:28pm

It was Sept of 2007...My Dad cooked pasta for me (which I rarely ate) and I felt really sick afterwards...I felt weak and I couldn't move my arms. Then I got sleepy and my vision was blurry too, as if I was in a "fog" My Dad (being a Type 2 himself), got his glucometer and checked my blood. It was 170. I called my Doctor... and the next morning I had a fasting blood sugar which was 126 and then I had an A1c and it was 6.9...I was officially a diabetic.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Laura Antulov on October 16, 2009 at 3:42pm

Hi kelly! I was diagnosed after a regular check-up in which I revealed to my doc that I was truly & unusually fatigued ... and I had gained a LOT of weight. BG was 292 fasting. What about you?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Olivia on October 17, 2009 at 6:17am

I didn't have the known symptoms (but I always felt thirsty). I exercised regularly and I had diet to reduce my weight but I got 'fatter and fatter'. Finally, when I had + 10 kilograms just in a week I went to the doctor. The level of HbA1C was 7,3%. Now I'm OK, I've got a special diabetic diet (I eat 6 times a day) - and my weight is normal. Now my HbA1C is 5.5%
Oh, and maybe it't important: the members of my family are NOT diabetic - just me.

▶ Reply to This

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last