Struggling to cope

[shabso80]

Hi I'm 35 and was diagnosed with type 1 just 4 days ago. Started on insulin today, I was fine injecting at lunch and dinner however I bled after injecting levemir and found it slightly painful. Any reason why? Also I'm struggling to cope knowing I'll be on insulin for the rest of my life now. Any advice please as its getting me really down.

 

[Jonnyjibbsuk]

Hi I'm 35 and was diagnosed with type 1 just 4 days ago. Started on insulin today, I was fine injecting at lunch and dinner however I bled after injecting levemir and found it slightly painful. Any reason why? Also I'm struggling to cope knowing I'll be on insulin for the rest of my life now. Any advice please as its getting me really down.

Well as I was told four weeks ago myself ...know the feeling .......
I too have bleed once or twice ...I get just small bit of blood once or twice ...but is about how u inject I found .....

Oh and the knowing u do this for rest of time is mental ...totaly ....but ......once u get control of ur carbs and counting and knowing how body works with food........u will be flying ...and stay on here ..they know there stuff here...am still learning ..and will be for some time
But...what don't kill u make u stronger ..that's for sure
Keep chin up .....if that don't work...kick ur boss in ass...would make me feel better

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. I occasionally hit a blood veseel when injecting which produces a very small drop of blood and is slightly painful. Most times I miss any blood vessels and you start to work out where best to inject. I inject my Bolus in the stomach which is usually painless and the Basal into the thigh which is the same. I've now been injecting for 2 years and don't find it a problem; just a nuisance. You do get used to it and it becomes almost normal. I assume if you are not overweight you are using short 4mm needles or similar?

 

[shabso80]

Hi thank you for replying. I injected in same way as previous 2 injections but will take note.

There is certainly a lot of learning to do, I'm feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information I've been given.

 

[Jonathan CB]

Hi i've been Diabetic for 4 years and i know exactly how you are feeling i remember being sat on the hospital bed having all this information thrown at me it's certainly a overwhelming thing to go through but yeah excepting it can be a hard thing to get around. After a couple of weeks of doing it i got into a good routine and just got over the fact that you know you're on a strict diet and stuff, Anyway to the main topic the bleeding part this only should happen on occasion it usually means you've hit a vessel and it might sound alarming but don't worry it might mean your insulin might be absurbed a little faster than usual so be aware of that but nothing dangerous and after about a day a bruise will probably appear. If this keeps on happening your needle size might be too large it depends how much fat you have in your injection spots also maybe putting your needle at a 45 degree angle might help so the needle doesn't go too far down where the blood vessels are.

 

[shabso80]

Hi and welcome. I occasionally hit a blood veseel when injecting which produces a very small drop of blood and is slightly painful. Most times I miss any blood vessels and you start to work out where best to inject. I inject my Bolus in the stomach which is usually painless and the Basal into the thigh which is the same. I've now been injecting for 2 years and don't find it a problem; just a nuisance. You do get used to it and it becomes almost normal. I assume if you are not overweight you are using short 4mm needles or similar?

Hi Daibell, yes I'm using 4mm needles & I injected into thigh, had a drop of blood when I pulled out the insulin. I haven't tried injecting in the stomach yet, is it more painful in that area? I'm getting myself really worked up when injecting too which isn't helping...

 

[urbanracer]

Hi Shabso, welcome to the forums.

We were all new to diabetes, finger pricking, injecting and hypos at some point and most of us have felt the same way you do at some point. Of course it's a bit rubbish, but you will get used to it. At 35 you are still young and if you manage your condition well, it shouldn't prevent you from doing anything you want to do with your life.

 

[shabso80]

Hi i've been Diabetic for 4 years and i know exactly how you are feeling i remember being sat on the hospital bed having all this information thrown at me it's certainly a overwhelming thing to go through but yeah excepting it can be a hard thing to get around. After a couple of weeks of doing it i got into a good routine and just got over the fact that you know you're on a strict diet and stuff, Anyway to the main topic the bleeding part this only should happen on occasion it usually means you've hit a vessel and it might sound alarming but don't worry it might mean your insulin might be absurbed a little faster than usual so be aware of that but nothing dangerous and after about a day a bruise will probably appear. If this keeps on happening your needle size might be too large it depends how much fat you have in your injection spots also maybe putting your needle at a 45 degree angle might help so the needle doesn't go too far down where the blood vessels are.

Thanks for your reply Jonathan. There is a lot of information to get your head round. I'm really missing all the foods I used to love to eat like chocolate and biscuits, really don't know how I'm going to get used to it. I cried when I was told 4 days ago and think I'm in denial most of the time!

 

[shabso80]

Well as I was told four weeks ago myself ...know the feeling .......
I too have bleed once or twice ...I get just small bit of blood once or twice ...but is about how u inject I found .....

Oh and the knowing u do this for rest of time is mental ...totaly ....but ......once u get control of ur carbs and counting and knowing how body works with food........u will be flying ...and stay on here ..they know there stuff here...am still learning ..and will be for some time
But...what don't kill u make u stronger ..that's for sure
Keep chin up .....if that don't work...kick ur boss in ass...would make me feel better

Thank you for the words of encouragement

 

[JRW]

Hi I'm 35 and was diagnosed with type 1 just 4 days ago. Started on insulin today, I was fine injecting at lunch and dinner however I bled after injecting levemir and found it slightly painful. Any reason why? Also I'm struggling to cope knowing I'll be on insulin for the rest of my life now. Any advice please as its getting me really down.

Ho Shabso, no need to despair. It's a hell of a lot to get your head around, but you will learn a hell of a lot, in a short space of time. The injecting just becomes the norm, and shouldn't be at all painful. As for food, and favourite foods, as a T1 you just need to know your carbs and cals, so I recommend the book of that title.
Since I was diagnosed early 2013 I've learnt a hell of a lot, and have a relatively normal life, and diet, and am upping the exercise massively, happy to answer any questions you have, PM if you want.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hi, the first time I injected was in hospital and I was told i had to do it in front of a doctor and nurse. My hands were shaking and I was sweating like mad, I did it then I noticed some blood trickling down my leg. I think many of us type 1's felt exactly the same, you are anxious, bewildered, a little scared and in shock too. But honestly, in time, it will get a little easier, and it shouldn't stop you from doing anything. It is just a small part of who you are and with careful management, you will be fine.
Take care and remember you aren't alone. I was diagnosed 26 years ago and I even went on to have my daughter, (who is now a teenager) at 42 1/2 yrs

We are here for each other, not just for the good days but also the 'off' days too.

Take good care, and all the best RRB x

 

[shabso80]

Hi, the first time I injected was in hospital and I was told i had to do it in front of a doctor and nurse. My hands were shaking and I was sweating like mad, I did it then I noticed some blood trickling down my leg. I think many of us type 1's felt exactly the same, you are anxious, bewildered, a little scared and in shock too. But honestly, in time, it will get a little easier, and it shouldn't stop you from doing anything. It is just a small part of who you are and with careful management, you will be fine.
Take care and remember you aren't alone. I was diagnosed 26 years ago and I even went on to have my daughter, (who is now a teenager) at 42 1/2 yrs

We are here for each other, not just for the good days but also the 'off' days too.

Take good care, and all the best RRB x

Thank you so much for the encouragement. It's nice to know there's people here who understand exactly how I'm feeling.

 

[shabso80]

Ho Shabso, no need to despair. It's a hell of a lot to get your head around, but you will learn a hell of a lot, in a short space of time. The injecting just becomes the norm, and shouldn't be at all painful. As for food, and favourite foods, as a T1 you just need to know your carbs and cals, so I recommend the book of that title.
Since I was diagnosed early 2013 I've learnt a hell of a lot, and have a relatively normal life, and diet, and am upping the exercise massively, happy to answer any questions you have, PM if you want.

Hi, thanks for replying. When you say you have a normal diet does that include the occasional treats as well? Will I eventually be able to eat biscuits and the odd chocolate bar?

 

[JRW]

Hi, thanks for replying. When you say you have a normal diet does that include the occasional treats as well? Will I eventually be able to eat biscuits and the odd chocolate bar?

Definitely you should include treats, my medical advice has been to make sure I match the insulin to the carbs intake, myself it's 1 unit of Novarapid per 15g of carbs. However also important to generally have a healthy diet and exercise, so treats are treats and not the norm day to day. Personally pasta and cheese are my favourites and weaknesses diet wise, they still get a good shout

 

[donnellysdogs]

I was put on a strict no treat t1 regime 30 years ago. The only treat I was told I could really have was 2 rich tea biscuits or a digestive.
I cried myself to sleep everynight for 6 weeks.
Then I learnt how to cheat if I wanted to.

That's 30 years ago now and times have changed. You can allow treats so long as you bolus for them. You need to be confident in giving yourself the right amount of insulin and see how your body reacts to them. Ie a mcflurry will react differently to a mars bar or a piece of cake etc. once you get used to how your body reacts to certain foods and you know your carbs and how they react you'll be ok.

Best advice though is to keep treats to being treats and not allowing them to be every day.

 

[pinewood]

Hi, thanks for replying. When you say you have a normal diet does that include the occasional treats as well? Will I eventually be able to eat biscuits and the odd chocolate bar?

In my opinion .... Absolutely! I was diagnosed in December and I am eating the same as I did before - I have chocolate, biscuits, desserts - it's no problem if you can correctly calculate your carb ratio and bolus accordingly for the food type (and it certainly helps if you exercise regularly as well). Some people prefer low carb diets because it's easier for them to manage their insulin doses but it's really a personal thing and you can do whatever works for you. When I was first diagnosed I remeber thinking I'd never be able to have high carb food again - it's not been the case at all and I've maintained a great HbA1C and have got my post meal spikes down by injecting my rapid insulin sometimes up to 45 mins before eating. It's all about getting used to how you react to different foods: for example, if I have a sugary drink I know it'll spike my blood sugar very quickly so I try to bolus half an hour before. Conversely, a burger (even with the roll) will spike slowly because of the fat, so I'd usually have to bolus a small amount right before and then follow up a few hours later with another dose.

I'm on holiday right now and yesterday completely over indulged on pizza and other higher carb foods (plus lots of ice cream and dessert!) and - although it took a bit of pre-planning and effort to time my insulin appropriately - it worked out fine! As you may be aware, you're probably in "honeymoon" period right now, so your pancreas is still helping out a little bit - realise it may get harder over time but certainly make use of it whilst you can. There is no one rule fits all so you just need to take the time (and lots of trial and effort - there WILL be times in goes wrong and you spike high!) to work out what is best for you. I'd also recommend you look at the Freestyle Libre: it's really helped me keep my eating and exercise habits as "normal" as possible. Good luck!

 

[shabso80]

Thank you for the advice. I think it will be a while before I can start enjoying higher carb foods then, my levels have been around 20mmol on average and I've started on 4 units of insulin for each meal however this will be increasing gradually.

Hope you're having a great holiday!

 

[noblehead]

Hi thank you for replying. I injected in same way as previous 2 injections but will take note.

There is certainly a lot of learning to do, I'm feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information I've been given.

Hi and welcome to the forum Shabso.


The first few weeks and months are by far the worst as there's so much information to take in, but after a while it makes sense and you'll soon adapt into a routine of testing your bg testing and injecting your insulin according to the food that you eat, just keep in touch with your diabetes team and show them your bg diary and they will advise you on adjusting your insulin doses.


The small bleeds at injection sites is caused by the needle hitting a small capillary blood vessel, try and use your stomach and arms for your bolus doses and your legs and bum for your basal.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The good thing about having insulin is that you can eat almost whatever you want BUT too many carbs will cause weight gain etc and need more insulin so common sense is needed. I have 85% Dark Chocolate which is very low in carbs (well, Green & Blacks is) and you do get used to it after sugary milk chocolate.

 

[nigelho]

Hi, thanks for replying. When you say you have a normal diet does that include the occasional treats as well? Will I eventually be able to eat biscuits and the odd chocolate bar?

Hi Shabso, I was diagnosed when I was 60 years old and GP told me that I was type 2 but within 2 weeks I ended up in hospital and put immediately onto insulin...NO problems with that as my youngest daughter was only 9 when she was diagnosed type 1 so I knew what to expect. The family just pulled my leg and daughter said that now I'll know what it's like. My advice is within the next yext 6 months to a year get yourself on the DAFNE course. It's a type 1 management course that teaches you how to carb count/insulin ratios, the whys and hows things happen to us individually. They'll show you that you don't have to stop eating your favourite foods and how to deal with it. Also the info learnt is USUALLY better than what you'll be given by your care team...unless you get a really GOOD CARE TEAM. Keep reading this site and look at the Diabetes co.uk facebook site...not Diabetes uk.