Hello all!

[nmr1991]

I don't know why I haven't made an introduction sooner since I have had an easy time managing my insulin intake etc.

At the end of May starting my half term break from college, I started feeling sick when drinking so much sugary drinks, large packs of jelly sweets and felt that I could put up with it for a nights sleep, it woke me up really early in the morning, only I was feeling sick more than actually being sick, I felt weak, my right leg was getting numb and the right of my whole body was starting to feel shaky and numb a few minutes later. I had a lay down to see if it would get better, and was asked if I should either go to the doctor or head straight to hospital, I decided to go hospital as I could feel it getting worse.

I assumed that it was something to do with the amount of things I ate and drank (irn bru, coke etc) the night before and once I was rushed into A&E, the doctors discovered I have Type 1 Diabetes, I overheard them saying I had a blood sugar of 36, and so they immediately done all the IV and drips so they could bring it back down with insulin that I could not produce.

Was stuck in the same hospital bed for the whole half term week and learnt how to inject insulin myself using the Pen method, btw I was appointed the NovoRapid 6 units per course a day and Lantus at 10-12 for the 24 hour long term insulin which is ideally taken before bed or whenever.

Since then, I have been able to manage with the insulin and coping quite well, surprising my diabetic nurse with staggering figures of 7 to 9, I have had a few high BGLs, highest since hospital was 18 which was a few days ago and to as low as 2.

As I am getting used to it, sometimes I don't need to inject insulin as food containing as much as 15g carbohydrates can be handled by my background insulin (Lantus or spare insulin produced by pancreas) where if I was to eat Mcdonalds of which carbohydrates would count at about 160g I would need to give myself 7 - 8 units since I ought to count 1 unit per 20g carbs.

I hope I have made my introduction as clear as possible and that anyone has picked up any useful tips in regards to amounts of units that need to be taken in accordance with the amount of carbs.

Plus, would it be prudent to test myself for ketones, as I have had times where I found it difficult to sleep but of course the weather is kind of hot and summer is still here so it might be just that.

 

[daisy1]

Hi nmr and welcome to the forum I'm glad to hear that you are already beginning to get your diabetes under control. Some type 1s will be along to answer your questions soon and to give you any help you need.

Here is some general information written for new members that you might find useful. Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone here who will answer you.

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.