u/Valuable_Ad3041

This is kind of a mix of venting and advice seeking. My thoughts are all over the place, so I'm struggling to even formulate a clear question. I think the underlying feeling is "Why can't you just be happy for me? A genuine smile would be enough, not a smirk."

I'm 32 and have been on T for almost 8 years. I was no contact with my father for 5 of those years, around 2019 - 2024. We also live in separate countries, so he more or less missed my whole medical transition. Before that, he's only been in my life sporadically since I was 16 and has confessed he sometimes forgets he has children.

We have always had a difficult relationship, my coming out is by far not the worst issue that's come up. He's egotistical, argumentative, overbearing and hyper-critical. He also lacks empathy or at the very least the ability to understand/tolerate other people's perspectives. He's very much a "dish it out but can't take it" kind of person. He feels that if other people can't take his (hurtful) jokes, that's their problem and immediately gets defensive/attacks when (even gently) told he's hurting someone.

I learned a long time ago that I can't trust him with my vulnerabilities, as he either makes fun of them or will use them to try and control my life. I don't expect affection or supportive behaviour from him which keeps me safe from pain/disappointment and feel genuinely happy when it is offered.

Right now, I'm visiting and learning about sides of him I don't know and never will, as they come from relationships who aren't his kids; so the power dynamic is very different. Through this, I'm learning he actually does care about me, even though I can count the times he's shown it on less than one hand. It also makes it easier to see that his dismissal of my transition isn't just his regular behaviour. He doesn't ever talk about his feelings unless very drunk, so I have no idea where he stands on this. He uses my correct name and pronouns, but seems to struggle acknowledging that I'm not/don't look like a little girl anymore. "Little girl" instead of "woman" as I don't think he sees me as adult either, but that's a different story.

There are two overlapping issues I struggle to identify how to deal with. One is old, his general dismissal/disrespect of me as a person. The other is new-ish, his struggle to see me as male. I think the first reinforces the second, so I don't know if that's something I can try to address separately. Anyone dealing/have dealt with similar?

Additional: I'm diagnosed with autism which he knows. I also suspect he MAY be on the spectrum too.

At the moment, I'm very much interested and hopeful in building our relationship to something healthier. I'm aware that going no contact again may be necessary, but I'm a little older and more self-assured now, and feel more capable of protecting myself than I used to.

Edit: Apologies if this breaks a rule, I will delete if that's the case. At this point, I genuinely don't know if an accurate diagnosis even exists.

Hello, I'm a little hesitant to post here as my official diagnosis is NOT rare but my symptoms and response to medication goes against the expected response to type 2 diabetes. My presentation is abnormal enough that my GP referred me to an endocrinologist where I was tested for MODY. I was tested for 14 (or 17, can't remember the exact number) genes which all came back negative. Notably, the report didn't include any variants of unidentified significance (VUS) which at this point I suspect may be what my case is.

I have a strong family history of diabetes on my mother's side. Everyone who was diagnosed was labelled type 2, at a low or normal weight. I'm the only person who was diagnosed when overweight. My mother is the only person I've been able to get direct information from and our presentation mostly matches up.

Reactive hypoglycemia has been the first symptom and is still the strongest and most persistent one. Having pure carb causes a rapid spike and drop, so that I start getting hypos 2-4 hours after eating. I also can't eat much in 1 sitting without spiking, but if I space out the same amount of food over time, my glucose levels stay level or only rise a little. This happens regardless of if I'm taking medication or not.

My timeline:

- diagnosed with T2D at 24/25, put on metformin, overweight

- lost 12-15 kg over the next 6 years, metformin dosage continuously increased until it stopped working

- put on ozempic + metformin, lost another ~10 kg over the course of 1 year (reached healthy weight range, GP starts expressing concerns about not needing me to lose more), hba1c levels improved dramatically from around 8 to 5.7

- gradually started noticing increased exhaustion, losing ability to focus/concentrate for longer stretches of time (normal 6-8 hr study days became 3-4 hrs if lucky)

- tried a CGM for the first time and noticing multiple hypos a day (to follow up with finger pricks next time I can get a CGM), very fast drops in blood sugar (post-meal spikes dropping to pre-meal levels within 1 hr)

The first thing I did was talk to my GP and reduce my medication as the simplest explanation I could find was that my dosage was just too high. Then I started looking more into what metformin and ozempic actually do.

Metformin is usually given to treat insulin resistance (IR) by making cells more sensitive to insulin. IR is also linked to excess fat, aka being overweight. If I'm understanding it right, that means losing even just a bit of weight is supposed to help reduce IR by increasing insulin sensitivity, therefore needing less metformin. Since I lost more weight before ozempic than on it, but still was given more metformin, I *think* that points away from IR being my biggest issue.

The biggest change in my hba1c was definitely on ozempic. Since the main difference between it and metformin is that ozempic increases insulin production, I *think* that points at an issue in insulin production.

Paired with my reactive hypoglycemia + food portion reaction, I *think* that points at delayed or impaired insulin release. I'm about to start getting more testing done, but it will take a few weeks. In the mean time, I'd love to know if anyone has had similar experiences, diagnosed or not. It would help me feel less alone and not like I'm crazy.

I'm not looking for advice as I've got some information to look into, but am currently just feeling pretty pissed off, hurt and hopeless.

I went to see my first endocrinologist in March this year for genetic testing for MODY, upon advice of my main overseeing doctor (GP). My GP put me on ozempic + metformin about 1 year ago and while my hba1c improved dramatically, I also started feeling exhausted few months into treatment. I didn't notice bc it happened gradually + had a lot of other stressors going on. I still tested glucose myself occasionally but it never looked off, other than noticing post-meal levels sinking back to pre-meal levels very fast (within 30 - 60 mins).

Fast-forwarding to the endo, I was given a CGM for the first time which showed hypoglycemic episodes 2-3 per day, often at night and independent of what I eat. I panicked and checked with my GP who allowed me to drop the metformin entirely. I'm still trying to find the best way to avoid hypos, as my GP thankfully prioritises that. Meanwhile, the gene testing turned up nothing and my endo said to keep my medication as is, based on my hba1c (5.7). Doesn't matter that he saw the hypos first hand or that I feel terrible. It's genuinely affecting my concentration enough that I can't work/study as much as I need to or used to be able to do. I'm tired of feeling tired and getting nowhere.

That endo is private, so he cost $500 just to consult and the test cost $800. I'm meant to see him again in September but at this point, I don't know what for. I saw him specifically bc of his special interest in abnormal diabetes and I still have no answers. If I have to see an endo, I'm switching to public which has longer wait times but is free.