I have it and was diagnosed about fifteen years or eighteen years ago. I’m 48 now.
At diagnosis, my A1c level was 11, and my blood sugar was around 400. All bad.
At first, pills alone did the job fine. Of course, they had to be adjusted for a bit. I got down to about an 8 with blood sugar at about 140.
After about ten years though, the pills were less effective and the numbers went up. My doctor threatened insulin, but I didn’t want to that and got kind of indignant about it. Not good.
Then, five years ago, I went to a hypnotist and lost 60lbs. over three years. When I first started losing the weight, my A1c dropped to a pre-diabetic level of 4 (good) but my blood sugar plummeted to around 60 (bad). They had to take me off most of my meds.
I struggled with the diet after the first three years and number went up a bit (8 and 200), but I got back on it a year ago and I’m at a 6 A1c and around 100 blood sugar now.
While I have some neuropathy in my feet (I have to wear socks to bed and be very careful cutting my nails), I’ve never had any in my eyes and still don’t need glasses, thankfully.
It’s a constant struggle and I find it all frustrating. I never drank alcohol, haven’t had soda since 1994, and with the exception of cookies (‘natch) am not that much of a sweets person. I was more into carbs (bread, pasta, rice) and, of course, was almost 300lbs.
Now, I haven’t had pasta or rice in five years, keep the bread to a minimum (no bagels), and only the occasional cookie.
I’d like to lose some more weight, but seem to have plateaued with this low carb diet.
It does annoy me because I have no history of diabetes in my family, and know people who drink and eat terrible, bigger than me, and no diabetes. Super annoying.