Diagnosis

I was in the hospital for an eye examination today. The optician had seen a pale patch on my retina and wanted a second opinion. The doctor had a good look and said it was nothing to be worried about - no more than a birthmark. While I was there I asked for a blood glucose test because I've been having symptoms of diabetes, including the blurred vision that had lead me to the eye clinic in the first place. Sure enough the urine sample showed high levels of glucose and, more worryingly, ketones. I was immediately referred to the emergency care centre. I spent the rest of the afternoon in there. My glucose levels were around 17.5mmol/L (normal is 5-7mmol/L) but the blood tests showed no ketones. Apparently the urine tests can be inaccurate. Because of the high glucose level they kept me hanging around while they consulted the medical registrar. They wanted to do a blood gas test to see if I had ketoacidosis, but when they failed four times to get an arterial sample they decided to discharge me. I hadn't shown any symptoms despite the high glucose levels. I had a prescription for some tablets that are supposed to help low levels of insulin to process glucose, and instructions to attend a diabetes clinic on Monday afternoon.

As I was leaving the hospital I was called back in because a specialist diabetes support nurse had turned up with a blood glucose testing kit for me. She showed me how to test my blood sugar levels and advised me that if it went above 25mmol/L for more than a few hours over the weekend then I was to go back to hospital. She thinks I have type 1 diabetes, based on the symptoms I described, but she arranged another blood test on Monday morning to confirm this. She wanted to give me insulin, but felt that I may need more support before starting, so she said the tablets would be OK over the weekend. I should be starting insulin on Monday or Tuesday.

This evening I've taken one of the tablets and retested my blood sugar a couple of hours after eating. My glucose levels are up to 23mmol/L now. This is a little worrying.

Generally I'm feeling upbeat about this - at least I got a diagnosis, a way of monitoring my condition and the beginnings of a treatment plan.