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Diagnosis

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes, how diagnosis works, and a ton of feelings.

Symptoms

From the NHS website:

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

  • peeing more than usual, particularly at night
  • feeling thirsty all the time
  • feeling very tired
  • losing weight without trying to
  • itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
  • cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
  • blurred vision

However, some of these symptoms can also indicate other conditions. So it's really important to get tested.

Diagnosis

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed using the catchily-named HbA1C test. This is a single blood test that tells you your average blood glucose for the past three months. In the UK, the HbA1C is measured in mmol/mol. A result of 42-48 indicates pre-diabetes, while 49+ indicated diabetes.

After diagnosis

You should have a chance to talk with your GP or DN (diabetic nurse). They should give you information about treatments, and refer you to various specialists, including:

  • A podiatrist: you will have regular appointments to check your feet. Problems with numbness and injury (which can lead to infection and amputation) are one of the complications of type 2 diabetes.
  • Retinal screening: like the podiatrist, this is another regular check-up. Type 2 diabetes can cause problems with your eyes, which may not show symptoms until they become serious. Regular screening helps catch them early.
  • A nutritionist, to get more information about managing type 2 with diet.

You should also be offered vaccinations for pneumonia and flu.

Fears around healthcare

In theory, health services exist to look after us. However, for a lot of people, encounters with the system can be a source of fear and anxiety. This can range from phobias (such as a fear of needles, or hospitals), to anxiety created by previous bad exeriences. In particular, some demographics may have worse encounters with healthcare professionals (for instance, due to race or gender). Or you may have another condition that makes attending appointments or dealing with information difficult (for example, an autistic person might find the environment of a doctor's surgery overwhelming).

Nonetheless, type 2 diabetes is too dangerous to leave untreated. Ideally, your GP should support you as much as possible, and make adjustments. It may help to go equipped with information and a list of questions, make notes during appointments, or get a friend to go with you.

Your local council may provide a patient advocate, albeit in limited circumstances.

Citizens' advice have a list of resources if you need to make a complaint.

Unfortunately, the NHS is distinclty unwelcoming to people who aren't UK citizens. Some official government guidance can be found here, if you want to read more about the rules.

On a personal note . . .

Somewhere in the whirl of feelings around my diagnosis, I found time to be surprised at how well I was being treated. My previous experience with the NHS was largely around mental health. People had ranged from sympathetic and trying their best (but not really getting anywhere), to downright harmful. Despite engaging and trying to manage what I refer to as my brain-weebles, I've only ever been partially successful. It is a poorly understood and poorly supported area of health.

But get diabetes and suddenly I'm dealing with a nurse who is kind, patient, and an expert in the area. Who didn't judge me, despite my weight and complete aversion to exercise. A whole health service seemed to swing into action, with a battery of tests, free prescriptions, and referrals to specialists. Some of those referrals took a while, but I'm inclined to blame the pandemic - this all happened at the height of the second wave of COVID in 2020/2021. When I phoned the nurse after a couple of months to see if I could decrease my medication, I had done my prep - I was used to having to really argue my case! Instead I got sympathy, reassurance, and encouragement not to suffer in silence.

The reason I've gone into detail with this is to suggest that the NHS is better at handling some things than others. So if you've had previous bad experiences, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Oh boo, type 2

Getting diagnosed sucks. I had a test that came back with 68 mmol/mol, and was told to come for another test to confirm the diagnosis. Between the two tests, I felt horrible: frightened, embarassed, and above all, angry.

  • The fear is natural: being diagnosed with a lifelong condition is never good news. And type 2 has some scary complications.
  • The embarassment was due to my feeling I'd done this to myself. I was very overweight (due to years of comfort eating). Type 2 isn't always caused by obesity, but it is a common factor, and I was pretty certain that's what caused it for me. And I'd been aware I was pre-diabetic, but had done nothing about it. I felt stupid.
  • And the anger . . . it felt unfair. I had comfort-eaten my way through years of depression. I had kept my head above water, kept pushing forward, coped as best as I could. And now my reward was this condition. I had a couple of days of very angry, very bitter, it's-not-fair, rage.

I'm putting this out there because maybe it'll help other people to learn they're not the only ones feeling it. There's no cure for emotions, but they will pass. Give yourself a little time, be kind to yourself, forgive yourself.

If you're struggling:

  • The Samaritans are a phonecall away in a crisis.
  • Diabetes UK has a helpline specifically for diabetics.