I’ve been a type 2 diabetic since 1996, right after I turned 30. For the first seven years, I was generally controlled by diet and exercise, then later with oral meds.
My father-in-law, z”l, passed away in early 2003. I was very close to him. With taking care of my wife (his daughter) and my children who were 13 and 11 at the time, my own grief and taking over businesses he ran, I didn’t take care of myself. I felt lousy, was losing weight like crazy and, according to my wife, was in a generally foul mood all of the time. I’d drink a 1 liter bottle of seltzer every few hours, was always tired and was going to the bathroom more than normal.
It all came to a head over Pesach that year, when we were out of town observing the Chag with my sister-in-law and her family. I promised my wife I’d go to the doctor when we got back and that visit probably saved my life.
There were mentions of ketones earlier in this thread. Because my body was not using glucose properly, my cells were essentially starving and I became ketoacidotic. That is, my body was breaking down fat and muscle in order to get enough energy to survive. My A1c at that time was 13.8! I went on long acting insulin at that time and have since gone on insulin at mealtimes as well. I am now wearing a continuous glucose monitor so I can see my trends. My last A1c was in the low 7’s, I’m exercising and watching what I eat. The best part is that I feel well.