Hi, i'm 49, female and fat - no surprise then that i was diagnosed 7 weeks ago with type 2 and since then i've felt very cross at myself (for allowing this to happen) and worried that something dire is going to happen in time.

At diagnosis i had high BP of 165/95 and a fasting blood glucose level of 7.7 then 8.something. On seeing the nurse for the first time and having eaten breakfast an hour and a half previously the glucose level was 10.1

Well, since then i have lost so far a stone in weight and my BP 10 days ago was 130/85 and my glucose was 5.5 after 2 hours since eating. I exercise 4/5 times a week by walking fast for about 40 minutes. Still dieting!

But i am not feeling as well as i did 2 weeks ago. I feel crampy in my legs and hands some days and wake to go to the toilet 2/3 times nightly this past few days. Yesterday i was tired and achey all over so i dint walk much. I'm not thirsty and i havent drunk more in the evenings that before so i dont understand why i need a wee in the night - i dont need to go much during the day so it doesnt make sense.

I'm not on medicine yet and may not need to if i continue to lose weight and normalise my glucose levels. I think 4-6 is normal? I am just confused about all this. Why do i feel achey and crampy? Why am i going to the toilet in the night? Where is all this urine coming from, lol! And am i going to die early because i have type 2? I read lots about leading a normal healthy lifestyle but i also read about diabetics dying, getting renal failure, blindness, amputation...it's all scary to me.

I'd appreciate any advice, please.

Thank you.

Hi, coffeefetcher,

I'm 56 and was diagnosed last November as T2 with high blood pressure. Also overweight.

First, congrats on your weight loss. Your glucose levels seem to be doing better and I'm sure the weight loss is helping. I'm convinced it's the most important thing I can do besides watching what I eat.

Don't be angry at yourself for allowing this to happen. You didn't allow it to happen. I thought for me it was all the chocolate I ate. But I've found that most people with T2 are predisposed and would have gotten it anyway. If my body was "normal" and processing insulin like it should have been, even the chocolate wouldn't have given me diabetes.

I'm not sure why you're achy and crampy. I was achy and tired all the time until my levels came down and evened off. How often do you test your bg levels, or do you? Also, any chance you are overdoing the exercising?

I'll pass on something my pharmacist told my husband. I come from a long line of T1s with diabetes-related problems. He was told that the problems you talked about take many years to develop and at my age (and you're not that far behind) it's extremely unlikely I'll have complications in my lifetime if I take care of my diabetes now. It was somewhat comforting to hear.

Keep up the good work! If you can control this beast on diet and exercise alone, you've got me beat. :-)

Been there! I was diagnosed two years ago. Good for you for dieting and exercising. I experienced your symptoms. Urinating a lot is common, but you may be losing potassium, causing your aches. Take a vitamin supplement for that. I needed more protien when I got tired and lethargic. Eat plenty of eggs and white meats. Good luck!

Thank you for the helpful and supportive replies; i'm feeling quite fed up and anxious about all this and so i spoke this morning with the nurse.

Last night i had cramps again in my legs and foot and this morning i have crampy aches in both legs and hands. The nurse checked my blood tests from mid-July and my potassium level was 4 point something which is normal and apparently wouldnt have dropped in so few weeks.

She told me that stress raises BP but also raises glucose levels and i have been stressed this past week. She suggested i pop down to the surgery for a urine test. But meanwhile, i told a work colleague here who also has Type 2 and he tested my blood with his monitor. It was 0930 and i'd had nothing to eat or drink since 11pm the previous day so it was a fasting glucose test and my level was a bitterly disappointing 6.7. I suppose if it is 6.7 now, it would have been masses higher last night and hence the many trips to the toilet and the aches and cramps.

I had lost another pound though, when i weighed myself this morning.

I'm feeling depressed about all this. I'm being really strict with my food intake. I drink water or diet coke or diet ginger beer - no carbs, no sugar in any of those. I dont snack, i have no fruit, sweets, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, crisps..i eat home cooked meat (usually chicken), pasta, (brown), rice (brown), potatoes and low fat tortillas - all in moderation. No butter or even low-fat spread except maybe once a week, a morsel of cholesterol-reducing low fat spread. I eat tons of fresh red and yellow peppers, cucumbers and no milk at all cos i dont like it. I have dry low-sugar cereal for breakfast. It's salt-free cereal.

I really miss my fruit. I have a severe food allergy which means i can only ever have bananas, grapes and mangos anyway and i havent had any of those for 7 weeks because they're packed with sugar and i mourn for them. I'm equally allergic to tomatoes and anything that's been near a nut or which contains soya. So this additional regime of nothing high in carbs or containing any fructose or sugar is making me unhappy.

I'm sorry, i am moaning. The last bg test of 5.5 made me think perhaps i was normal again and now i am 6.7 after no food at all, is galling even though it's lower than the previous fasting bg tests. It's not that much lower, is it?

I'll stop going on, now! LOL i am so glad i found this site!

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