How do you know if you have type 2 diabetes?

[garlictwist]

I'll admit it, my diet isn't great. I have a very sweet tooth and eat a lot of junk food.

Fortunately for me my love of cake is matched by my love of sport and I do a lot of exercise. Probably because of this I have a normal bmi (about 19).

However, I do worry that with all the sugar I am doing untold damage. I've started to have weird sensations in my toes - now I know this could be anything but I have started to worry it's nerve damage and I am type 2 diabetic.

How is type 2 diabetes normally detected?

I know the answer is to eat less sugar but don't bash me as I know this.

Initially by doing a urine test for glucose levels. You can buy tests for all sorts of things online but Boots and Lloyds Pharmacies do them. If your sugar is high they will tell you and advise you to consult your GP who will receive a copy of the result from them. You take it from there, have blood tests etc.

However sugar can be high if you've been eating or drinking sugary things so it is not definitive. Best to fast before testing and drink water.

Excessive thirst is a sign of diabetes.

Someone dips their finger in your piss and if it tastes sweet then you’re diabetic

Seriously though, I think it’s a wee test / blood test

You need to have a blood test.

Lloyds pharmacy offer something - can’t exactly remember what.

For me it was excessive thirst. I couldn't drink enough water day or night.

Plus (TMI) one bout of itching/thrush after another.

It's unlikely to be causing the issues in your feet without having made itself known in other ways first.

I low carb to keep mine under control as I didn't want to take medication for it. Your exercise will definitely help a lot.

Your sugar intake will not, but you know that! For me it's all carbs, not just obvious sugar, carbs turn into sugar as soon as they hit your system.

If I eat them, say over Christmas (or Easter) I start waking up in the night needing a wee, then I feel thirsty in the day - my body tells me to stop messing around and swap the hot cross buns back to broccoli 🥦 as much as I LIVE carbs, I don't love the way they make me feel!

I have NO faith in the diabetes nurses. It's like they're on backhanders to get people on medication and all the ones I've met (bar 1) pushes the very out dated diet of continuous carbs to keep your levels stable. Yes it will but HIGH.

You need to get tested though (initially a finger prick) you need to book with your GP Dibetic nurse or a local chemist.

Speak to your GP and explain your concerns. They will arrange testing.

You need to get a blood test. I had absolutely no symptoms but a strong family history of it so had regular tests.

@garlictwist

I'll admit it, my diet isn't great. I have a very sweet tooth and eat a lot of junk food.

Fortunately for me my love of cake is matched by my love of sport and I do a lot of exercise. Probably because of this I have a normal bmi (about 19).

However, I do worry that with all the sugar I am doing untold damage. I've started to have weird sensations in my toes - now I know this could be anything but I have started to worry it's nerve damage and I am type 2 diabetic.

How is type 2 diabetes normally detected?

I know the answer is to eat less sugar but don't bash me as I know this.

What do you mean by weird sensations in your toes?

The weird sensations on your toes could be from the exercise. I get something like it the morning after I’ve been on a big run, like a tingling or pins and needles.

You would more than likely notice before it gets to the stage where you're having problems with your feet. I get gestational diabetes when im pregnant and can feel my blood sugars going haywire, I get very nauseous when I'm either hungry or have eaten too much sugar.

I used to be checked at the doctors and was 'fine'. I knew I wasn't, dreadful thirst and constant peeing. When I visited a friend in Denmark, she had a test for her diabetic dog and got me to pee on a stick - it was off the charts! The doctors now admit I have it!!!

How old are you (in decades)? If you are lean and relatively young then it's less likely to be type 11 diabetes.

A blood test is carried out to test glucose levels. The most accurate way is a glucose tolerence test. This is a fasting glucose measurement followed by a glucose drink and a measurement 2 hours after the drink. The idea is that it measures both fasting glucose and glucose clearance.
One of the biggest signs in drinking lots of water, increase frequency in urination. Your body would excrete sugar into the urine so it can smell sweet. Also your breath would be sweet smelling or smell of acetone ( this is due to increased ketones in the body).

Nerve damage is often seen later in diabetes rather then one of the earliest signs. It's worth a chat with your doctor if your concerned. Also you can buy glucose testing kits in most pharmacies so you could check yourself if you wanted.

Oh the other thing I forgot to ask is do any of your immediate family have type II diabetes? If so this can be another risk factor.

If you do a lot of sport and your diet is crap, it may be a vitamin deficiency

Ask your GP for an H1bc blood test. It's a measure of your average blood sugar level over the previous three months. Diabetes is diagnosed if the level is above 48.
There are lots of diabetes forums where you can get advice on diet.

Try this website
www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/

To be honest it's unlikely you have diabetes if you are fairly young and slim. I wouldn't even bother with a blood test, just go straight to improving my diet.