Newly Diagnosed Type 1

[lizziewizzie]

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on the 18th December 2015.... what a lovely Christmas present!

My GP asked me to come into the surgery to discuss blood results (bloods taken due to excessive thirst). My HbA1c was 112, so she referred me to hospital and I headed there in a taxi later that day, thinking I was just going to have a couple of tests. I arrived and they checked my BG which is 25.7 and my ketones 3.5. I was rushed to a bed and began monitoring. The following evening I was ready for discharge, but as I was about to leave they decided to check my BG and ketones one last time... 29 and 4.6.... I was in dka so ended up staying a further 2 days for fluids and infusions.

I'm now home and since leaving hospital yesterday my BG has been between 13 - 25 and ketones only up to 0.9. I have an appointment with a diabetic team tomorrow, which I'm looking forward to, just to check on a few things. In general though, I'm feeling okay about my diagnosis and future. As far as I can tell, the main issues are hypos/hypers, eye problems and foot problems. I do need to stop smoking and may as well stop drinking it seems

I am happy to join such a large community and hope to gain and offer support and knowledge. I look forward to talking to you all.

x

 

[freddy2]

what a wonderful xmas gift.
stop smoking is a must, a lot drink in moderation,
but I wouldn't drink till I give up smoking. alcohol will lower my will power. no vapes, I'd get the nicotine patches
http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/d-teens-and-alcohol-no-bull-from-uncle-wil

 

[4ratbags]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hello and welcome,
Best wishes RRB

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Daisy should be along shortly for general advice including diet. Do come back with any questions following your meeting with the diabetic team.

 

[Dashing.]

welcome to the forum ~ people say stop smoking and i need to do that too, keep a eye on them sugars depending where you're from ask them to go on daffyd/dafne course asap and learn to carb count as it gets easier =3

 

[lizziewizzie]

Hi all and thank you for your replies. The diabetic team weren't happy with my high sugars so have started me carb counting straight away. I am in the UK and will be going on the Daphne course soon. I'm just such a graizer and snacker, it's hard to give insulin in advance as I don't know what I'm going to grab throughout the day.

I drank last night but just got so down and ended up crying hysterically with my mum and calling my boss and crying! Oh maaan... I'm not going to drink anymore, I can't do it in moderation so it's not worth the risk. I'll end up giving myself all the insulin I have or something stupid while under the influence. I just upset people when I drink anyway.
Smoking will be harder I think, but I can do it. I just need a wake up call with it, maybe I'll find some real stories about the danger of smoking with diabetes.

Anyway, time to beat this hangover and message all the people I upset or offended last night :/

Much love x

 

[Dashing.]

Hi all and thank you for your replies. The diabetic team weren't happy with my high sugars so have started me carb counting straight away. I am in the UK and will be going on the Daphne course soon. I'm just such a graizer and snacker, it's hard to give insulin in advance as I don't know what I'm going to grab throughout the day.

I drank last night but just got so down and ended up crying hysterically with my mum and calling my boss and crying! Oh maaan... I'm not going to drink anymore, I can't do it in moderation so it's not worth the risk. I'll end up giving myself all the insulin I have or something stupid while under the influence. I just upset people when I drink anyway.
Smoking will be harder I think, but I can do it. I just need a wake up call with it, maybe I'll find some real stories about the danger of smoking with diabetes.

Anyway, time to beat this hangover and message all the people I upset or offended last night :/

Much love x

you'll be fine i know alot of type ones who still smoke, but im just going to try in the new year to give up to save me some doller haha!

 

[Shellbellx]

Hi Lizziewizzie!

I'm new to the forum as wel and in the same situation as yourself. I was diagnosed on 30th Nov this year as T1 and started on insulin. I really struggled emotionally the first few weeks and thought it was the end of the world! As u probably felt, I was dreading Christmas (I have a major sweet tooth!). Happy to say I survived my first Xmas and blood sugars were ok! I've not been brave enough to have a drink yet but I'm definitely feeling more positive about things! I'm due to go back to work in the new year and worried about that, my job is stressful so not sure how my BMs will react to that!

It's nice to see that were not alone and hoping this forum will be helpful, like you hoping to get lots of info and advice.

Hope u had a lovely Christmas despite the struggle, look forward to chatting x

 

[daisy1]

@lizziewizzie

Hello and welcome to the forum Here, as mentioned above, is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. You seem to be managing well already. Ask questions if you need to and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[lizziewizzie]

Hi Lizziewizzie!

I'm new to the forum as wel and in the same situation as yourself. I was diagnosed on 30th Nov this year as T1 and started on insulin. I really struggled emotionally the first few weeks and thought it was the end of the world! As u probably felt, I was dreading Christmas (I have a major sweet tooth!). Happy to say I survived my first Xmas and blood sugars were ok! I've not been brave enough to have a drink yet but I'm definitely feeling more positive about things! I'm due to go back to work in the new year and worried about that, my job is stressful so not sure how my BMs will react to that!

It's nice to see that were not alone and hoping this forum will be helpful, like you hoping to get lots of info and advice.

Hope u had a lovely Christmas despite the struggle, look forward to chatting x

Hi lovely,

Thank you for the message. Just out of interest, how long did you have to take off work then? Just over a month? I am due to go back on the 2nd Jan, so would have had 2 weeks off, but if I still feel like this, there's no way I can go back. Like you, my job is stressful and I am VERY active at work. Right now, I can't even walk to the shop due to low energy and blurred vision etc.

Thanks again xxxx

 

[Natalie1993]

Hi, welcome to the forum too, hope your doing okay, stay strong, it gets manageable eventually .

 

[Shellbellx]

Hi lovely,

Thank you for the message. Just out of interest, how long did you have to take off work then? Just over a month? I am due to go back on the 2nd Jan, so would have had 2 weeks off, but if I still feel like this, there's no way I can go back. Like you, my job is stressful and I am VERY active at work. Right now, I can't even walk to the shop due to low energy and blurred vision etc.

Thanks again xxxx

I took 6 weeks (was in hospital for one of them) I probably wouldn't have taken as long but as it was the Xmas and new year period my work is unpredictable with breaks etc.... I'm hospital based. To be fair I needed that time emotionally bcos I was all over the place. I feel a lot better now and now have to try and face the routine of managing my diabetes at work. I was also getting ready bad headaches which I think was just stress, no way could I have managed a shift the way I felt. My GP was really good, and agreed that I wasn't ready for work, although my sugars were a lot better it's the emotional side of things as wel. I do think the longer I leave it the worse I feel about going back! I'm dreading it now! Take ur time, and do what's right for u... Not what other people say or think (that's my problem!!) 2 weeks isn't a long time to take on board what you have, especially at this time of year how are you managing?

Xxx

 

[lizziewizzie]

I took 6 weeks (was in hospital for one of them) I probably wouldn't have taken as long but as it was the Xmas and new year period my work is unpredictable with breaks etc.... I'm hospital based. To be fair I needed that time emotionally bcos I was all over the place. I feel a lot better now and now have to try and face the routine of managing my diabetes at work. I was also getting ready bad headaches which I think was just stress, no way could I have managed a shift the way I felt. My GP was really good, and agreed that I wasn't ready for work, although my sugars were a lot better it's the emotional side of things as wel. I do think the longer I leave it the worse I feel about going back! I'm dreading it now! Take ur time, and do what's right for u... Not what other people say or think (that's my problem!!) 2 weeks isn't a long time to take on board what you have, especially at this time of year how are you managing?

Xxx

Hi Shellbellx,

I saw the team today and they are concerned about my constant headache and my complete lack of energy. They said sometimes it can take 4-6 weeks to feel normal again, but as I'm so tired, they're a bit worried. My BG is running at 13-22mmol/l, so they've increased my lantus from 12 to 14units, so hopefully that will help.

I'm also hospital based and sometimes do a 13 hour shift without a break and have to push patients in beds back and forth to theatre throughout the day, so I can't go back until I'm ready. I spent the first 4 days in hospital and have been at home since. At the moment I have to sleep after walking to the shops, so I'm not ready. I just wish the headaches would go and the energy would come back.

Thank you for your kindness, it's great to know there is support here. xxx

 

[Shellbellx]

Hi Shellbellx,

I saw the team today and they are concerned about my constant headache and my complete lack of energy. They said sometimes it can take 4-6 weeks to feel normal again, but as I'm so tired, they're a bit worried. My BG is running at 13-22mmol/l, so they've increased my lantus from 12 to 14units, so hopefully that will help.

I'm also hospital based and sometimes do a 13 hour shift without a break and have to push patients in beds back and forth to theatre throughout the day, so I can't go back until I'm ready. I spent the first 4 days in hospital and have been at home since. At the moment I have to sleep after walking to the shops, so I'm not ready. I just wish the headaches would go and the energy would come back.

Thank you for your kindness, it's great to know there is support here. xxx

No wonder u are feeling so tired and headaches, ur BG is still high, ul be feeling the effects of that and the stress of everything. Hopefully ur lantus will help.

I was the same, the headaches were awful! I was waking up with one first thing in the morning! Awful and makes u feel so miserable! Mine have definitely eased a lot, get one now and again.

I thought I was getting on better but must have jinxed myself after speaking to you bloods all over the place again.

There def is, message me anytime. We are both in the exact same boat! Xxxx

 

[Dannyb87]

Snap, diagnosed Xmas Eve, let out Boxing Day lol. I thought I'd just been really run down for 2/3 months, I had DKA and type 1 diabetes :/ they delayed me leaving as I got a reading of 29.6, but my readings have been better out of hospital than in-when I checked the food they were giving me was awful! Still pretty clueless but I've been checking out a lot of recipes on here, and stuck to a lot of salads and veggies-well all salads and veggies so far!
How are you coping now, any better?

 

[lizziewizzie]

Snap, diagnosed Xmas Eve, let out Boxing Day lol. I thought I'd just been really run down for 2/3 months, I had DKA and type 1 diabetes :/ they delayed me leaving as I got a reading of 29.6, but my readings have been better out of hospital than in-when I checked the food they were giving me was awful! Still pretty clueless but I've been checking out a lot of recipes on here, and stuck to a lot of salads and veggies-well all salads and veggies so far!
How are you coping now, any better?

Hi Danny, yeah I've been thinking about just mainly eating no carbs, but I was told I had to have a carb based food with every meal. Prior to be diagnosed I rarely ate carbs though, so it's a bit weird. I need to get on the recipe section and talk to people a bit more about good foods to eat. Although my dietician told me to just eat whatever I would normally eat (although add in some carbs) and just give insulin according to what I'm eating. I feel like it's too much to think about, but in reality I guess it's pretty straight forward :/ x

 

[Dannyb87]

I had an Indian tonight, I knew the guy and trusted them, explained and I just had an awesome takeout with few carbs in it! I took an hour over it and loved it! Lmao, I don't want to go back into hospital, being a single dad, so I have been restricting myself, particularly after the DKA. I hope to have some beers tomorrow - it being New Years and all! If you aren't misbehaving too bad then maybe your dosage isn't enough-I was upped earlier after talking to a diabetic nurse on the phone lol, my morning readings were too high and I think my novorapid was keeping me just above good range despite me avoiding carbs as much as humanly possible!

 

[Oslo]

Welcome Lizziewizzie, Being diagnosed is a bit of a buzz kill !! Still your among friends and a smart move to join the forum, only joined myself yesterday and had some good advice so far. Stopping smoking über important and can be done, been stopped six years now and best thing Ive done, take all the offers of help and support from the NHS and do use the money you save to reward yourself on a regular basis !!

 

[Shellbellx]

Hi Danny, yeah I've been thinking about just mainly eating no carbs, but I was told I had to have a carb based food with every meal. Prior to be diagnosed I rarely ate carbs though, so it's a bit weird. I need to get on the recipe section and talk to people a bit more about good foods to eat. Although my dietician told me to just eat whatever I would normally eat (although add in some carbs) and just give insulin according to what I'm eating. I feel like it's too much to think about, but in reality I guess it's pretty straight forward :/ x

I'm also a bit confused by this @lizziewizzie.... I thought that a no carb diet would essentially be better, less carbs/less insulin. But when I seen the dietician she said the same to me! That I should be having some carb at each meal ..... She did explain that u should have so many grams of carb per day and it's better for ur body/blood sugar that it evens out at each meal rather than one big massive carb meal. Although I don't really understand this.... I feel at lunch I'm living off bread! I was in the habit of skipping meals before I was diagnosed so the routine is a struggle (especially when it feels like you are constantly eating bread).

And I get what ur saying! It is a lot to think about! Especially when uv never had to think about what u eat before! It's a pain!! I'm sure we will get there Lizziewizzie

Xxx