Possible type 1 diabetes or thyroid issues - advice please

Went to see my doctor this morning and presented some symptoms that I though matched overactive thyroid fairly well, but he thinks also match potential type 1 diabetes.

Getting bloods taken tomorrow, may turn out to be either one of those, soemthing entirely different or nothing at all. Symptoms are
  • rapid unexplained weight loss - from 67kg down to 61-62 in the space of about 6 weeks after a bout of flu
  • excessive thirst and urination (3-4l fluids per day)
  • larger appetite
  • fatigue
  • night sweats, and generally high sweat rate
  • insomnia
  • cramps and twithcing muscles, particularly legs
  • feeling hot all the time
  • painful eyes
  • continuous feeling like I've massively overdosed on caffiene
So, if it is either one of these, can anyone give any experience of them themselves, or any general advice on dealing with either one?

One final question, if I have got type 1 diabetes, how the f@ck did I manage to run a 23 mile offroad hill race with 1200m (3600ft) of climb yesterday in under 4hrs 30?

Thanks as always,

Dave
 
I should point out that I'm not a doctor and know more about type 2 diabetes than type 1. The tests will show if it is diabetes or thyroid, and hopefully whichever it is then knowing that and being able to treat it will be the good news part of a scary story.
The body has different mechanisms for using energy from carbohydrates and from fats. If it was diabetes, one reason for the weight loss would be that it is insulin that controls the storage of energy as fat, and another is that your body would be fueling itself on its existing fat stores. Distance runners have to switch from carbohydrate/ glycogen fuel to stored fat fuel during long races anyway, so your body would already be good at that.
 
Thanks, it's definitely better to have a diagnosis than be sat pondering the possibilities.

Either way it's not the end of the world, and there are plenty of example like Sir Steve Redgrave who have shown that you can still be a top class athlete and diabetic.
 
Also not a doctor, but I am currently being tested for Lymes disease. I happened to find the tick, so I knew what panel to ask the doc for. I was talking to a friend who is a doctor and he said that if he gets a patient with a lot of symptoms, he sends them for a Lymes test. Just something to keep in mind if your tests are negative.
 
I asked Dr. Mark, who is our MD, to respond to your question, but he texted that he just ran the Comrades Ultra in South Africa and is without the internet. Sorry about that.
 
Thanks TJ, hope he had a good race

Ram, Lyme disease is from a deer tick right? I'll have to check out whether we have that one over here, as there are deer around in the area I live in. Hope it all goes well for you.
 
Yes, normally deer ticks. I had one in a really bad spot a few weeks ago.
 
I had a quick check on symptoms for Lyme, but I don't think that's it.

Bloods should be back on Friday so I'll see what happens then.
 
Definite diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Spent last night in hospital on an insulin drip to get my blood sugars under control, coem home with an armful of syringes, needles, test kits etc.

Now to get my head araound it and work out how to fit diabetes into my life.
 
So sorry Dave, there are lots of people in your situation that live very active lifestyle and I am sure you'll manage just fine. As bad as it sounds at the moment think of the possitives. Do you developed Type1 as an adult or you had it before at a younger age and were not aware of it?
 
don't fit it into your life. kick it out. you can do it because many others have. sorry to hear that you have to deal with it in the mean time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Barefoot TJ
Type one diagnosis now?
How old are you?
 
Thanks guys, the support is appreciated.

This is entirely new for me, I'm 39 and just diagnosed with no family history. It may have been incipient for longer, bt I think the triger was a bout of flu in mid-Feb, after which I started losing weight, about 5-6kg in 6-8 weeks. Lots of other classic cymptoms as well. I was drinking around 3-4l water a day and urinating appropriately, waking up at night soaked in sweat, cramps in my legs plu other stuff.

I did a bit of research myself and thought it could be thyroid problems as some of the symptoms are the same, but the tests were pretty clear with my blood and urine sugar levels and blood ketones.

Still pretty tired after an overnight stay at the hospital and all the running aorund with that. First steps are to get the blood sugar under control and the right insulin doses, then to start working out the effect of exercise on blood sugar and insulin needs.

Plenty of resources out there and a good team at the hospital. I am very clear in my mind, this thing will fit into my life not the other way round
 
  • Like
Reactions: Barefoot Dama
WOW! I've heard of young kids suddenly becoming type I after a bout with a virus, how common is this in adults?
 
Longboard,

it's another one of those diseases for which the triggers are not well understood. There is a degree of genetic component to it, but my family is clear of type 1. Typically as you say it's quite an early diagnosis, but it's not uncommon to be diagnosed around my age, into the late 30's etc, but then age of first diagnosis drops off after that I think. I'm only speculating as to my cause of course.
 
Do I understand this correctly? Type II is adult-onset and Type I is what you normally get as a child? Type II is usually from being over weight? My sister-in-law developed Type I diabetes in her 30s. She manages it well, changed her diet completely, but she is very, very thin.
 
Once you start running again, will you give up running barefoot because of the possibility of loss of sensation and circulation in the limbs due to having diabetes, something we advise people to take into consideration?
 
TJ, great questions,

I'm not a barefoot runner these days having the morton's toe thing and some pretty harsh chip and seal around me. These days I'm all minimalist, even on last weekends's 23 miler, that race shows my fat burning system is working alright!

As for the types of diabetes, I'm still learning but type 2 tends to be associated with obesity and poor diet and can normally be controlled with diet and weight loss. It used to be very much associated with later life, but these days unfortunately is rapidly increasing in prevalence in kids on both side of the pond as childhood obesity continues to get worse.

Type 1 is where the pancreas stops producing insulin becasue the islet cells effectively die off. It's other name is juvenile diabetes becasue it is commonly diagnosed in childhood, but it can also occur typically into the late 30's so your sister in law is in the ballpark. One of the symptoms is rapid unexplained weight loss and it is associated more with those with a slim or athletic build. I went from 67kg to 61kg, that's a loss of about 13lb, leaving me down at 134lb or so at 5ft 8.

In my case I'm probabaly still in what they call the honeymoon period where the pancreas has not given up completely; no idea how long that will last, but one of the diabetes dieticians who specialises in athletes tells me that one of her people has been there for about 4 years.

At the moment I'm advised not to do any strenuous exercise until my blood sugar is closer to the right range, so tonight was a 4km/2.5mile walk and I've cancelled my entry into the club open time trial at the weekend.

I have the advantage of being fit to start with and having a pretty good diet and then I need to start trying to work out how exercise affects my blood sugar and hence insulin requirements as exercise increases insulin sensitivity in the muscles therefore blood sugars can drop pretty quickly. At the moment I'm just getting used to carrying around my monitor, plus my emergency jelly babies and complex carbs incase of a hypo event.

Still lots of learning to go.
 
Well, I hope you can control this thing and live well.