From two to one

This is a quick first story about my "road" from being diagnosed with Diabetes 2 in 2011 to

being re-diagnosed with Diabetes 1 in 2020.  There is so much to explain and I can not do this in just one blog.  You will have questions about some terms and abbreviations I am using.  I will explain this in future blogs.  This is just the beginning. 

In September 2011 I got diagnosed with Diabetes 2.  Was this a surprise?  Maybe at the time, but in hindsight,  not really.  I was overweight and as you might know,  this is something that might cause Diabetes 2.  Of course being overweight is not the only cause as it is genetic as well, but being over 100 kilograms really does not help of course.   As I was also quite active,  the Diabetes did not reveal it self until I was in a period that I was not so active.  This was the New Zealand winter of 2011.  It was too cold to go for walks. In April 2011 I walked the Hollyford track.  In the months before I walked this 3 days  track, I trained a lot to get the stamina to be able to finish this track.   In the months afterwards, I did not exercise a lot and "there it was" 

I started to read a lot about Diabetes 2 and I read that it was possible to reverse it.  I was determined to reverse the diabetes.  I was sure that by losing the weight  and eating the right things,  I would be Diabetes free again.  In the beginning it looked like this.  The three monthly  HbA1c tests were good and the average readings came down to almost normal.  Normal results have to be below 40.  I started on 98 and came down in two years to 48.  I thought I was on the right track.  Unfortunately my body responded differently and slowly the readings went up again.  Up to 85 even.  I was really frustrated and upset about this. 

                                               Walking the Hollyford Track in 2011 

                                                     just before I was diagnosed 

                                               Walking the Milford Track in 2014

                                    I lost 40 kg's and still hoping to be diabetes free

                                                              
This meant that every time I had to increase the medication I took, up to the maximum possible and finally I had to inject insulin.  It was very hard to accept that I did not win the battle with the diabetes and never would be able to win this. Yes,  I did win the struggle with my weight but it was very difficult to be positive about this.  I really did not understand why the diabetes did not go away.  

I started with the long term (background ) insulin in 2015.  Soon enough I also had to inject myself with short acting insulin.  A side affect of  injection insulin is weight gain and although I tried to avoid this, I saw the numbers on the scales creeping up again.  Another, even worse side affect, is getting " hypos" (Blood Sugar Levels too low ).  To correct a "hypo" means that I had to take extra food.  So actually I got in a catch 22 situation.  As you can understand, this was very frustrating and unfortunately for me, being frustrated means extra food again.  

I also started to doubt my self.  I had done so well.  Everyone kept telling me this.  I lost so much weight,  I was very active,  I kept food diaries, I knew exactly the number of carbs I was eating, so I injected the correct units of insulin.  But the Diabetes became more and more progressive.  I needed more and more insulin but still I was not able to bring the HbA1c back to acceptable levels.   Of course I visited my medical team on a regular basis.   They kept telling me, don't worry,  you have done so well and I should not worry to much, as the numbers were still not too bad, but I was worried and in times very stressed about it.   

                                            Walking the Routeburn track in 2016

                                       Trying to manage my weight and Diabetes

Finally in 2019 I met with a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist of the Wellington Hospital and he initiated a special blood test, as he suspected that maybe I was a Diabetes 1 patient.  He was right.  I was re-diagnosed with Diabetes 1 in February 2020.  This was actually a relief for me.  It explained the doubts I had,  it confirmed that I had done well and it feels like a new start.  

It is now July 2020, 5 months after being diagnosed with Diabetes 1.  A week ago I got an insulin pump.  A new learning process, but I can use everything I learned and experienced when I was Diabetes 2 patient.  A new chance to win the "battle" with Diabetes although  I know now that I will never be Diabetes free again, but together with my "new best friend" (the pump) I will take care that being  Diabetic will not have any influences on having a good life.   "Diabeatic" will proof and share this with you. 

                                                   My new "best friend"