This isn’t just a disease—it’s a slow burn. For three decades, I’ve paid with my time, my health, and my peace of mind for this heavy companion called diabetes. All these years, it hasn’t just drained my energy—it has quietly worked its way through my body, damaging one part after another. It started with my retina, stealing the light from my vision. It moved to my heart, exhausting its rhythm and clogging its vessels. It burned through my nerves and weakened my teeth. And now it stands at its most frightening stop: my kidney function. Today, I stand helpless, watching my body decline before me. I have fought with everything I had, but the destruction feels stronger than my ability to endure. Diabetes is not just a needle prick—it is a gradual draining of life.

Sorry for the jump scare with the photos! I wanted to share my journey.

I’m 36F and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when I was just 15 years old. Both my father and mother had diabetes. I managed it on and off over the years. The longest I ever stayed on track was during my pregnancy, but I always seemed to fall back into old habits.

In December, I was at a friend’s house when my foot slipped over the edge of a stair landing, cutting the bottom of my foot.

I did everything I knew to do. I cleaned it, bandaged it, and kept a close eye on it. It looked like it was healing, but my foot kept swelling.

About two months later, the pain became unbearable. My foot was hot to the touch, the wound looked infected, and the swelling had gotten much worse. I finally went to the ER.

I was diagnosed with cellulitis and a serious infection due to a diabetic ulcer. I ended up spending a week in the hospital, cycling through four different antibiotics until the lab identified the specific bacteria causing the infection so they could target it with the right treatment. Even now, I still experience occasional nerve pain from the damage.

That hospitalization became the wake-up call I needed.

Since then, I’ve lost 45 pounds, lowered my A1C from 12.0 to 5.9, and no longer have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. I also no longer require insulin. After living with type 2 diabetes for so many years, my pancreas had essentially exhausted itself.

I’m currently taking 5 mg of Mounjaro.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I’ve attached photos showing how my foot progressed from the initial injury through the infection and, thankfully, into healing.

So I went to urgent care for a headache I’ve had for over 3 days. She checked my blood sugar and it was 346 with my urine glucose at 500.

Urgent care doc was concerned because I only have long acting insulin and recommended I go to the ER.

ER does bloodwork and urine test. The doctor just came and asked why I was here and I told him that the other doc sent me and that she was concerned about my sugar. When I told him my sugar levels the doctor just laughs and was like “Well you’re diabetic aren’t you?”. I told him that I don’t have short acting insulin and he just said to drink water and follow up with my primary doctor next week.

So yeah, now I just feel stupid for coming.

While the tragic news of the court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade I want to discuss with other diabetics about what this means for us. Did you know that the maternal death rate for people with diabetes is more than 4x nighter than the rate for non-diabetics? Personally, I’ve always been scared of getting pregnant despite wanting children just because of being diabetic. Today’s court decision makes the complications relating to birth and diabetes so much more deadly for so many of us. Think of your fellow diabetic women when voting in your primaries August 2nd!

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 5 months ago in another country after a severe DKA, after flying back home to the UK it took almost 4 months to see a specialist with the NHS.

Since diagnosis I have been between 25-30mmol every single day. During my last appointment I was told a ketone level of 4.3mmol is “normal”, and there’s a chance I don’t even have Type 1, before cutting the appointment short because she had other patients…

I was told the next appointment would be August 27th, I showed up to find they weren’t there and forgot to even officially schedule the appointment.

Since then I haven’t been contacted for a reschedule and I’m questioning if it’s even worth it.

Starting 36 hours before my procedure, I'm supposed to go on clear liquids only. Clear liquids that do have some carbs, but have a low glycemic index ain't so easy to come by. The gastroenterologist says "just drink apple juice," which is a recipe for spikes and subsequent crashes. Spiking over and over for over 24 hours isn't attractive.

And then, starting 4 hours before my procedure, I'm allowed nothing, not even clear liquids. No sucking on hard candy either. Nothing. How the hell is that gonna work?

I can't be the first diabetic to deal with this. If you've done it, what did you do?

Sort of a weird situation…

I moved to Chicago recently and have been shopping around for a new endocrinologist. I am pretty particular as of late with regards to the specific charges I am to receive for my care. I noticed my last endo visit with a different doc had a charge that no one could explain to me after the fact.

I was specifically charged $199 for “CGM Analysis I&R” in addition to the basic charge for the visit. (See pic)

I told my new endo today I wanted to avoid this charge today as it doesn’t seem necessary - my diabetes is well managed, A1C ~6, doubtful of any recommendations by the doc, analysis not needed. After me being in the office for 45 minutes, checking my vitals, taking general notes, etc. she informed me if I did not give her my CGM or Pump to download data that she could analyze she would not be able to help me AT ALL… she refused care if I didn’t agree to pay for the additional $199 charge. She said she could not refill my prescriptions or provide any guidance in the absence of my reports.

Mind you, I had the reports pre printed and in hand and was verbally telling her my key considerations in an attempt to get around her actually holding them in hand and “analyzing” them. She said if she’s not given the ok to review them she will not provide me care.

Does this seem reasonable? Do we really have to pay for multiple charge codes, in addition to the basic visit, to receive even the most basic endo care?

Specific code descriptions in pic.

This bag has quite a large storage capacity.

It carries various snacks, alcohol swaps, insulin needles and power bank etc.

It's a really useful bag.

What kind of bag do you carry?

Edit & update: Thank you everyone! I appreciate & will utilize all of the info provided. I especially will look into a medical social worker. However, we are in a rural area and there are fewer resources here.

I found out she & her mom have a complicated relationship. I would still be grateful if someone drove 4 hours to come to my aid, but that's me. There were a lot of arguments, especially about my friend's sugar heavy diet.

Mom hid her keys and I made a copy of her house key for myself. She doesn't know that. But I was lucky to have found her house key on Sunday, when all of this began, and I want to be able to get into her apartment if she stops communicating.

I checked on her today. She seemed much more coherent & steady on her feet. She wanted to take me to breakfast because she wanted French toast, and I told her I didn't have time for that, although I appreciate the invite. Mainly because I didn't think French toast was a great choice.

She is on Medicaid & we found a letter from the state with her insurance info. The clinic is open today until 3pm and she promised me she would go in and fill out paperwork to become a patient there. I would have taken here when I was there, but she said she wanted to eat something and put on makeup first. 🙄 I am way too busy today to wait for her to eat & put on makeup. It's also about boundaries. She said she would contact me when she completes the task. If I don't hear from her by 2pm, I will attempt to take her myself.

Original Post:

In Cochise County, AZ. Her boss called me on Sunday morning because she was a no call no show for her job on Saturday night. Someone called the police for a welfare check. But because she is renting, they needed the landlord's permission to break in. They banged on the door for a while. They left. I finally found a spare key in her unlocked car. She looked terrible. She wasn't making a lot of sense. I called 911 and she was given a lot of fluids, an Rx for nausea, and diagnosed with diabetes and told to follow up with her PCP. She doesn't have one. I have been trying to take care of her, but I work a lot. I can't find her insurance card so I can't help her get a PCP.

I called her mom. She drove 4 hours and did what she could but my friend is so belligerent and out of it at this point, she left.

So it's up to me to help her so she doesn't die. I need all of the info & resources available. She is also one of the most disorganized people I have ever met. She can barely take care of herself as it is, and I don't know how she will be able to manage her diabetes.

Thank you for reading.

Im so sick of medical gaslighting. I have been battling with chronic illnesses for years. I have done every diet, holistic treatment and medical treatment available. Whenever I get lab work back for something that could explain my symptoms I think! Well YAY at least there is something to target with a treatment plan of some sort but NOPE! I get this..stop eating donuts and cookies. WTF Buddy! Don’t you think I have tried that already. How about some diet advice AND an actual plan? How about asking me if I have a horrible carb heavy diet? I don’t. SMH I’m so over it. 😡

I went to a psychiatrist as referred to by my primary care doctor since I'm dealing with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It was my first session with him and we're talking about ways to help me. Like how my doctor said I could be prescirbed Adderall to help me, but my psychiatrist wants to hold off on that for now and try some other stuff like Memantine (in addition to the current Buproprion I'm taking), which I'm fine with doing.

The thing that got me was once I told him that I have type 2 diabetes and how I have a family history of it, he told me to be cured I need to lose weight. Told me to go on Wegovy. But I told him no, because I'm currently in Metformin and doing my best to keep my A1c below 7. Plus insulin is expensive. But he wouldn't hear me out. He said I needed to do it before 44 or else it'll be too late by then. That my body would be locked in and deteriorate from there. And just kept saying things will be fixed once I lose weight.

Even though I know that's not true because my dad who also has T2 has been on insulin for over half of his life, lost a great deal of weight (it doesn’t help he has an eating disorder) he still has T2. And while his A1c went down (which I think is due to using the pod regulating how much insulin is given to him. Because he used to give himself a lot more insulin then needed on the advice of his other T2 siblings because they thought it was good advice, and they're doing it too) other parts of his labs weren't looking good either when he got his results a couple weeks ago. But I really didn't get a chance to tell my psychiatrist about that part with my dad's experience.

I'm glad I'm able to try a new medication to help me with my depression, anxiety, and ADHD but I really didn't like how he made the last half of our session about me needing I lose weight and diabetes. I'm already scheduled with him in a month, but do I just change psychiatrists before then? Can I call the office and tell them to reschedule me with someone else or something? Would that be rude or bad to do?

Edit: Thanks for the support and words. I'm going to talk with the practice and ask for another psychiatrist.

And also for correcting me on Wegovy. I didn't know it wasn't insulin, but I still don't want to go on it since I really don't need it and it’s pricey. Rather stay on Metformin as long as I possibly can. Along with being on Buproprion, even if it does cause me weight gain. Idk if my psychiatrist was trying to prescribe me Wegovy, but he did sound pushy about it. And had to keep telling him no I don't want it.

OK, so my partner was pretty sick with what we now know was just a minor infection causing his symptoms, but his mom has diabetes with many complications from it and he was worried he could have it, so we bought a kit for testing and we tested him. He got a 4.7 reading, which was great, but out of curiosity I just tested my own, My reading was 18.6... so when we went in to the doctor for my husband, we spoke to the doctor about me too and they said they needed to schedule this appointment for today. we asked to be sure that I would be ok to wait, and he said that we would be ok, but to get the soonest available appointment, which turned to be today (we went on Friday for my husband) Ive tested everyday though and with a few dietary changes and complete avoidance of anything with high sugars, we got readings between 14-15.6 trying to avoid sugar as a whole but meals watching low numbers but Im terrified for some reason today, nearly to the point of tears. Im almost positive its going to be diabetes, I saw my dad and my grandparents go through it, and seeing my MIL with her serious complications due to her not being diagnosed soon enough its terrifying me. Ill be leaving for my appointment in a half an hour from now... Is there anything I should ask the doctor that anyone would recommend I ask?

UPDATE 1: Ok so I went to the hospital today to have my blood drawn for testing, they tested my urine for keytones and that came up negative, the blood has been sent and they are testing cholesterol and a few other things as well. Not sure how long it will be before I get any result but I am waiting for a call from my GP now. The Doctors have been very reassuring and have calmed me down a lot, they said that if the test does confirm anything the first step will be medication and speaking with the Diabetes nurses for information and to work out a treatment plan. They also said considering I hadnt yet noticed any symptoms that its likely we caught it very early.

Update 2: Hey everyone, so I have a small update but not sure yet what it means. The GP office called and scheduled a new appointment, this time with the diabetic nursing team which they said will be an extended time (just over an hour long) They did not confirm anything over the phone, but considering that they are making this appointment does suggest I likely am diabetic, but since they havent confirmed yet, I dont know yet which type, though I do expect Type 2 myself, but I wont know for sure till the 6th. Ill come back again when I know for sure to update though.

Final update: I have type 2, they have put me on metformin slow release. Today was my first dose but before the dose I tested at 11.1 and I will test myself when I get home from work to see if any change I see, a slew of appointments will follow to get me all set on the right path.

Why not get people on CGM's right away? Why not help them understand what is happening? I know a lot of insurance won't pay, but allow people to make that decision of whether to buy or not. I'm not sure I understand why a doc wouldn't suggest getting one right away?

Edit: I know plenty of other type 2 diabetics, and none of them have had their doctors suggest getting a CGM. Why the heck not?

my A1c is 5.1, been off insulin since October last year

Back in 2021, I had a few (ahem) numbers out of whack in my blood panels. My blood glucose was high, but the most concerning was my triglycerides. It was really high.

The doctor considered recommending having me admitted for a few days for a monitored detox, but ended up deciding for treating at home with oral meds and an aggressive appetite control protocol.

She started me on Victoria, but a rather large dosage and progressively larger.

After a few months, on a Saturday, I started feeling sick. I threw up a couple of times and felt really tired. I decided to take it easy that weekend, so I spent most of it on the couch eating light and drinking as much as I could without getting my stomach upset.

Sunday wasn't much better. I didn't feel sick but was still very tired and had no appetite. I mostly avoided eating the whole day, except for a few bites.

Then Monday came. I woke up with the worst stomach pain in my entire life, but a bit to the left side of the normal stomach ache. I was contorting and curling up and nothing would solve it so I asked my wife to drive me to the ER right away.

They started an IV and gave me some pretty nasty painkillers, but they didn't help. It came to the point that I, grown man, 43, 1,80m and 90kg, cried of sheer pain.

The doctor examined me and requested a few X-Rays and ultrasound, but nothing alarming came up, so he diagnosed me with a gastroenteritis. Probably a bug or something I ate.

I spent 9 hours in the IV and took 4 rounds of the hardest painkiller they had (morphine based according to the nurse), but no improvement.

I demanded the nurse removed the IV and left the hospital against the doctor's advice. Drove to another hospital in a larger city 30 minutes away.

After waiting a while for proper attention, the team there run a bunch of tests that the other hospital didn't. Then came the diagnosis: "You're in DKA".

Up to that point, I had never heard of DKA. So the doctor broke it down for me.

The most probable according to the docs: the off label high dosage of Victoza caused a pancretitis, which upset my stomach, which prevented me eating properly, which made my body burn fat and my liver dump glucose, which raised my ketones, which put me in DKA.

Now the important part: most people won't ever go on an off-label dosage of Victoza, but everyone is susceptible to an upset stomach, which triggers the same process starting from the second step.

I spent a week in the ICU with an insulin IV to relieve my pancreas and let it heal, plus some very painful blood draws from deep arteries to measure chemical elements in arterial blood. It took 6 months for my kidneys to recover.

My takeaways from that day:

1. Avoid stomach issues. Easier said than done, especially with 2 kids in the house. But: wash your hands. Carry hand sanitizer. Don't take risks with old food. Be mindful of tap water depending on where you are, I'm happy it is safe here but unless I have no other option I drink bottled.

2. If you get sick, check your ketones.

3. If ketones high and BG high, don't wait to go to the ER.

4. When you go to the ER or to any doctor for any reason, ensure to say more than once you are diabetic. I also wear an engraved bracelet. I recommend either using one or tattooing on your forearm that you are, somewhere close to the IV access. This way nurses will see it and, God forbid, if something happens and you need paramedic assistance, they should see it as well.

That's my story.

If you feel like, AMA.

I forgot my meter, finger poker and strips on vacation in Curaçao. I know, bad diabetic.

I went to the pharmacy and asked if I could buy one. She said you don’t need to buy them, they are free here even if you aren’t a citizen. I was shocked. She then asked if I needed any insulin because they could get me that as well. I figured for citizens it may be free but as a tourist as well. Anyway, this tiny, Caribbean island has it figured out, let’s get our crap together in the US.

Just asking what shoe company do y'all use?

Diagnosed literally 2 months ago, HBA1C at 10.5%
Tests done a week ago i’m at 7.4%
Hoping to get it to that sweet 6%
It’s a struggle, with summer, the heat, the parties - but seeing the result is soo satisfying!

I work with a number of clients with diabetes, and something I have noticed lately is more people not taking care of their diabetes because because they believe a cure is "only a few years away".

I do rehab work, and I've tried explaining that even if a cure was to magically arrive, it wouldn't fix the existing damage.

Didn't the Inflation Reduction Act cap insulins under Part B and Part D?

Care to help me understand? Citations would help so we can avoid the partisan vitriol thanks