Hello

[AnnekeParticipant]

Hi Anneke here just saying hello and hope to join in and learn more about diabetes. I am type 2

 

[MichelleParticipant]

Hi Anneke! How are you? This is a great forum and a great community I’m sure Helen or some of the team will be along soon to say hello!

Have you been on the facebook page yet too?

 

https://www.facebook.com/diabetes.counselling

 

[AnnekeParticipant]

Hi Michelle I am doing great. Thanks for the hello. I have been on the facebook page. That is where I was on last night saw the chat going on and decided to register. I feel any support we can give each other is good. It is also important to learn as much as possible about diabetes.

[redadareMember]

Hi Anneke. Great to have you onboard It would be REALLY interesting to get a little bit of history so we know where you’re at. I had Type 2 for 7 years until I was discovered with a level of 27.1! Diabetes is silent but deadly. It’s slow acting but insideous. The more control you can exercise, the slower the progress. I really dont mean to scare you but I’ve had two injections into the eye due to diabetes. The point is diabetes needs to be taken seriously. Please don’t put off finding out as much as you can. It’s NOT hard.

All the very best

red

[AnnekeParticipant]

Hi Red. I was diagnosed nearly 4 years ago. I have a big family history of type 2 diabetes. My mum had type 2,my eldest brother had type 2 and my other brother also has type 2. I knew the symptoms of diabetes and when I became very thirsty I knew that it was time to do a test .My Hba1c came back as 10.3. My endo. wasn’t sure if I was type 1 or 2 as I wasn’t overweight. I was put on insulin to start with. Afterwards it was decided that I was type 2 and weaned off the insulin and put onto Metformin. I felt quite sick on the Metformin and lost more weight which I didn’t need. I didn’t realise that I was feeling sick because of the Metformin that was something I read was a side effect in another diabetes site. However things have settled down and now I have no problems with the Metformin. I walk for nearly an hour each day and that has helped me get my numbers down. My last Hba1c was 6.5 so that’s not too bad. I am very aware of all the things that diabetes can do. I make sure I see all the specialists that I need to such as podiatrists and eye doctors. The only problem I have had so far is cataracts on both eyes for which I have had surgery which was very successful. I believe that knowledge is very empowering and try to learn as much as I can about diabetes.

[redadareMember]

Gollies. That was quick HbA1c of 6.5? That’s fantastic! I’m so relieved that you’re aware of the position you’re in. Having the experience other family members with diabetes is an added bonus. I first ‘got’ diabetes back in 1998. At that stage it would be rare for me to see a doc once a year so I just put up with this dry mouth until 2005 when I was accidentally discovered. Cataracts. My Opthamologist said last time that I’ve got the beginnings of them in each eye so hopefully it will be some time before something must be done about it. Tell me, was it a dramatic event?
My mother had Gestational Diabetes and unfortunately I passed it on to my daughter.

It sounds like you are on top of things already and have done all the right things. May all your readings be low ones

red

[AnnekeParticipant]

Hi Red. About the cataracts it is nowhere as bad having the operation done as you would think. I was actually at the stage that most things were just a blur to me. I couldn’t read road signs or even recognise people if they weren’t close enough.That caused some hassles as you can imagine. As we had no private health insurance I had to wait for 10 months to get the first eye done and then a further 17 months to get the other done. After the first one was done it was amazing how clear I could see with that eye a whole new world. I could even see the dust laying on my furniture [that was not so good lol]. The actual operation was not as bad as I thought. I had no idea what would happen and the thought of being awake while it was being done so scary. All it was was a lot of drops in my eye and then the surgery none of which I could really see. I was freaking out with the idea that I would see the scalpel. The other eye was covered and the eye being operated on only had lights and some pressure on it nothing bad or scary at all. After the operation only the first night did the eye feel gritty but had no problem sleeping. Still lots of eye drops I had to use for a couple of weeks but it was a great success and it is amazing how much better you do see. cheers Anneke

[redadareMember]

Thanks very much for that – most comforting. It sounds just like the injection into the eye. Beforehand the mind runs riot. I supposed it’s just the old case of the unknown looming – expecting the worse. I queried my Eye chap immediately prior to the jab. He reassuringly said that he hasn’t had anyone yet go screaming running down the corridor. Thanks Doc! It turned out to be almost a non event. A HUGE sigh of relief.

 

All the very best

 

cheers

red

[Imagine_DavidParticipant]

Hi Anneke,

Welcome to the forums.

Looking forwards to your future posts. Off to an active start here so far

Cheers,

David

 

[Helen-EdwardsMember]

Hi Anneke

welcome and thanks for sharing your story. You are so right that knowledge is power. When I started work in diabetes and then ended up studying diabetes education at uni I could not believe how much information is out there that I had never been given in all the years I lived with type 1 diabetes! Now we have the internet and such access to both medical and personal information from each other, it makes it so much more possible for us to learn as much as we can

look forward to chatting more

Helen

[AnnekeParticipant]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome

[Author]

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