I got my first a1c test back after getting diagnosed today.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I (31M) wanted to thank this community for its amazing support. You all have been so helpful with navigating through this journey.

I was diagnosed in October of 2024. I ate like shit. I didn't even care about what I was eating. If it looked good (man do I miss my Oreos), was sweet, I ate it, and I ate too much of it. My father, grandfather, and great grandfather all had type 2 diabetes. I always thought "surely I won't get it". Boy was I wrong. I weighed 330lbs and was only 6ft tall.

I hardly remember my Grandpa. He died when I was very young. All I remember was him walking up the driveway of my parents house and giving me a 50c coin. He died shortly after from what I was told.

My great grandfather was a coal miner. They didn't really have much to keep warm in the mines except lighting s fire. So, he lit a fire, stuck his feet next to it, and fell asleep. He woke up with his boots and feet COMPLETELY engulfed in flames, but he couldn't feel a thing because of his neuropathy.

My dad is overweight. He's on two types of insulin and ozempic. He does not watch what he eats, does not get off the couch, and quite frankly, uses all of his medicine as a crutch to take care of him. I don't think he will be alive much longer, as he is 73 and has had it for a while.

When my doctor got my a1c tests back, he messaged me saying I was "very diabetic, with an a1c of 10.1". My heart sunk. All I could think about was my twin girls growing up without their dad. I was recently laid off from the carpenter's union, and there wasn't enough work to keep me busy. I fell into a deep depression. But somehow, I had enough fight in me to make some serious changes in my life.

My doctor ordered me a CGM and started me on 2 grams of metformin a day. I started adding more protein, more healthy fats, and trying my hardest to eliminate as many carbs in my diet as possible. I started therapy, and I took a job doing door-to-door sales so I could get my steps in.

I just got my first a1c test back in and.... 5.6!!! Holy shit. I couldn't believe it. Everything I'd been doing was working. I couldn't believe it. Aaaaaah! It still doesn't feel real to me. But I did it.

Once again, I want to thank this community for all of the help and support. You all have been amazing. My focus now is just to keep doing what I'm doing to make sure it stays this low.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Lol