Karolina was diagnosed with diabetes by chance: ‘I took care of everyone but myself’

The diagnosis came like a bolt from the blue for Karolina seven and a half years ago. Her diabetes was accidentally discovered during a blood test when she went to the gynecologist for something completely different. “I was on the scooter when I got a call from my doctor. When I listened to my voicemail, I was told that I had type 2 diabetes and that medication was available for me. That was a blow, I hadn’t seen it at all.”

This is often the case with type 2 diabetes, says Diena Halbertsma, director of the Diabetes Fund. “The brutal thing about this disease is that the symptoms are subtle, so you hardly notice you’re walking around with it. Symptoms include: extreme tiredness, blurred vision, extreme thirst, frequent urination, wounds that heal poorly. , diseases that often come back.”

“So people can walk around with type 2 diabetes for a long time without knowing it. In addition, people walk around with elevated blood sugar levels, prediabetes, for an average of ten years before they reach the level of diabetes type 2. And even without complaints, you already have a chance of disease permanently damage the sugar.”

Overweight and stress

Karolina didn’t notice anything at all, but she belonged to the risk group. She had a hereditary condition – her grandmother and uncle also had type 2 diabetes – and during her pregnancy she was already diagnosed with a precursor to gestational diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your chance of developing type 2 diabetes within five to ten years is 50 percent. In addition, Karolina was overweight and a lot of weight: two other factors that increase the risk of the disease.

Type 2 diabetes is ten times more common than type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to no longer produce insulin. 1.1 million Dutch people have type 2. Their body does not respond well to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar, or produces too little of it. Type 2 diabetes was called ‘the disease of old age’ because it mostly occurred in older people. But today it happens at a younger age, the Diabetes Fund sees.

Also in children and young people

Halbertsma: “The average age at which people get it is still 60 years old, but unfortunately it is not limited to the elderly. There are about 1,400 teenagers who have it, 4,900 in their twenties and 18,000 in their their thirties.we also hear from pediatric that they encounter elevated blood sugar levels in children and young people. That’s really terrible.”

Many people underestimate the disease, says Halbertsma. “People think it’s not too bad and you can live with it, but half of people with type 2 diabetes develop serious heart and kidney problems, vascular or eye diseases. It damages your blood vessels and they are everywhere. Many people don’t realize that you have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes, for example limb amputations.”

Unhealthy lifestyle

Karolina, a trained nurse, immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation. However, she decided not to take medication, but instead to change her entire lifestyle. “I knew you could achieve a lot with this. So I went to a dietician and gradually changed my whole life. I started exercising more, eating healthier and also address the causes of my unhealthy lifestyle.”

“I had a lot going on in my life and food gave me comfort. For a long time I took care of everyone but myself. I started working on these patterns. I think that is necessary for such a lifestyle change. otherwise you will quickly return to your old behavior.”

Crying with joy

The result was very good for Karolina: she lost a total of 30 kilos and was told last week that her blood values ​​are better than ever. “They are just as good as those of a healthy person. So I managed to turn it around in seven and a half years. You have no idea how happy I was when I heard that. I ‘ cried my husband with happiness and relief.

So you see, there is often more to medicine than medicine. It’s not easy, I have to pay attention to what I eat for the rest of my life. It is still a daily struggle for me. But I know why I’m doing it. I don’t want to have a heart attack and certainly not a brain hemorrhage or breakdown. I keep that image in my mind. I want to live a long time, so I will do everything for that.”

Take the risk test

The sooner you get involved, the better, the Diabetes Fund also wants to make it clear with an awareness campaign. Director Diena Halbertsma: “1.4 million Dutch people live with prediabetes, an initial stage in which blood sugar levels are already elevated. These people are 9 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. But the good news is if you improve your lifestyle. with time, you can prevent type 2 diabetes and if you already have it, you can reduce the risk of serious complications by living a healthier lifestyle. It is therefore important to know in time that you are at risk to prevent serious health damage. That’s why we warn: check your diabetes risk. “

Unhealthy eating and drinking, little exercise, excess weight, smoking, poor sleep, obesity, heredity, race and age all play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. What is your risk for type 2 diabetes? You can confirm that with the Diabetes Risk Test on diabetesfonds.nl. Of more than 278,000 people who took the Diabetes Risk Test in the last five months, 1 in 3 turned out to be at high risk. Are you in the danger zone? The doctor can then use a blood test to determine if you already have type 2 diabetes.