Honey mood stage.

[Scarlett91]

Good evening
I hope you are all having a great week.

How long did your "honeymoon stage" go on for?

I was diagnosed with type 1 back in early September this year and going through it, so sugar levels are dropping quite low which I was told to expect, however I really try to keep it above 5 and feel really flattened when I go below 4

I've been reducing my insulin doses as advised by my nurse but still have low ones and was told this can go on for 18 months :/

I know it's still early days.. am I being too hard on myself?

 

[db89]

Good evening @Scarlett91

For me, 13 months since diagnosis and I'm definitely honeymooning strongly still. My consultant said it could potentially last years when I first entered it if I can keep within my target range as much as possible but there's no way of telling for each individual.

Anyone on insulin will get a hypo or lower reading from time to time just as the same is true the opposite. We aren't machines with no variables unfortunately. So long as you are spotting your lows and any patterns in readings as well as adjusting your doses as advised that's the best thing.

 

[LewisK123]

The first year as a type 1 my diabetes was fine and controllable and I had excellent control. But exactly a year later the nurses and consultants agreed and said that im going through the money moon stage, it's been almost 12 months of having up and down control, and I have no idea when it will end.

If you're on the basal bolus regime I'd suggest lowering your background so then you can correct with your rapid.

I wouldn't say your being too hard on yourself, it's a lot to take on all at once and having all this honey moon stuff to complicate things doesn't help in the slightest.

 

[himtoo]

sorry -- it has been a long time since my honeymoon period but If i remember correctly it lasted for around a year.

i think most of us are too hard on ourselves -- we want to do the best we can -- then beat ourselves up when it doesn't go perfectly.

there is a saying about work / life balance -- well a good translation would be illness / life balance-- we always have to look after the illness - but live as well
.

 

[Scarlett91]

Good evening @Scarlett91

For me, 13 months since diagnosis and I'm definitely honeymooning strongly still. My consultant said it could potentially last years when I first entered it if I can keep within my target range as much as possible but there's no way of telling for each individual.

Anyone on insulin will get a hypo or lower reading from time to time just as the same is true the opposite. We aren't machines with no variables unfortunately. So long as you are spotting your lows and any patterns in readings as well as adjusting your doses as advised that's the best thing.

Oh god! I think I'd go made if it goes on for ages!

 

[Scarlett91]

The first year as a type 1 my diabetes was fine and controllable and I had excellent control. But exactly a year later the nurses and consultants agreed and said that im going through the money moon stage, it's been almost 12 months of having up and down control, and I have no idea when it will end.

If you're on the basal bolus regime I'd suggest lowering your background so then you can correct with your rapid.

I wouldn't say your being too hard on yourself, it's a lot to take on all at once and having all this honey moon stuff to complicate things doesn't help in the slightest.

Thank you for replying!
I think i need to find the correct amount that works for me.
I'm due to see the consultant in January which will be 4ish months after diagnosis. I've not heard of this honeymoon period. How have you coped?

 

[Scarlett91]

sorry -- it has been a long time since my honeymoon period but If i remember correctly it lasted for around a year.

i think most of us are too hard on ourselves -- we want to do the best we can -- then beat ourselves up when it doesn't go perfectly.

there is a saying about work / life balance -- well a good translation would be illness / life balance-- we always have to look after the illness - but live as well
.

It's only been 3 months-ish. But I seem to have it in my mind that I need to control it. Which isn't wrong I guess but beat myself up which I'm having a hypo.. sometimes I having them I don't even feel shaky etc which is frustrating as I think I'm doing well. X

 

[himtoo]

you are right to try to control it @Scarlett91
just don't let it control you --- cut yourself the slack when it doesn't go to plan
we all need a plan B -- -- LOL

 

[db89]

I can't remember exactly how it was explained to me but it was something along the lines of some recent research (last few years) suggested that the longer spent in range with good control the better for the honeymoon period as the injected insulin provides respite to the stressed pancreas. When blood glucose rises into hyperglycemia that puts the remaining beta cells at more risk because of the autoimmune attack and the toxicity of high glucose levels.

I totally get the maddening part, I agreed with my DSN after a few months to change my target range to 5-8 specifically because I was getting frustrated messing about before being able to drive (use the car every day quite a bit). It was annoying me to have to eat a sweet or a biscuit and then sit and wait because I was within the margin of error underneath 5.0 - a lot of the time I was able to put it down to honeymoon period causing me to drop a bit further than I expected.

If you think you're dropping too low too often without noticing the signs get in touch with your DSN again and see if they can suggest any changes. I was worried at first of potentially losing hypo awareness for the reason above when I first found out about it but I've managed to retain great warning awareness so far.

 

[LewisK123]

Thank you for replying!
I think i need to find the correct amount that works for me.
I'm due to see the consultant in January which will be 4ish months after diagnosis. I've not heard of this honeymoon period. How have you coped?

No worries!
Oh absolutely, everyone's body is different and so is everyone's insulin requirements - which im sure that's been said to you a lot in the past few months. If you're going to make changes I recommend changing one element at a time so then you can really see and work out what is causing you to hypo, if you change everything at once then it's all just going to create more problems.

Honestly this honey moon thing has been a night mare all year and one hell of a challenge, all the consultants and doctors were scratching their heads trying to work out if I even had type 1, had several tests to see if I was a different strain of diabetes!! But after about 4 blood tests and a steroid injection they confirmed I am type 1. The nurses and that all said that this is one of the strangest honeymoons they've seen. ‍

 

[catapillar]

@Scarlett91 what exactly are you defining as the honeymoon period? What are you defining as its end? Colloquially, the period when a type 1 retains some residual insulin production is known as the honeymoon period. But the honeymoon period has no medical definition. And the fact is, type 1s can continue producing insulin (an unnoticed amount of insulin, that realistically has no impact on their diabetic managememnt) for really quite a long time after diagnosis, I had a cpeptide test as part of assessment for a transplant last year and they said I was still producing a tiny bit of insulin 6 years post diagnosis. I certainly don't consider myself to be honeymooning. I think my honeymoon probably lasted 2-3 years, but that's only really something I would define the first two and a half years as in retrospect. As for how long your honeymoon period might last, you might as well ask how long is a piece of string, it varies for individuals.

 

[Scarlett91]

I can't remember exactly how it was explained to me but it was something along the lines of some recent research (last few years) suggested that the longer spent in range with good control the better for the honeymoon period as the injected insulin provides respite to the stressed pancreas. When blood glucose rises into hyperglycemia that puts the remaining beta cells at more risk because of the autoimmune attack and the toxicity of high glucose levels.

I totally get the maddening part, I agreed with my DSN after a few months to change my target range to 5-8 specifically because I was getting frustrated messing about before being able to drive (use the car every day quite a bit). It was annoying me to have to eat a sweet or a biscuit and then sit and wait because I was within the margin of error underneath 5.0 - a lot of the time I was able to put it down to honeymoon period causing me to drop a bit further than I expected.

If you think you're dropping too low too often without noticing the signs get in touch with your DSN again and see if they can suggest any changes. I was worried at first of potentially losing hypo awareness for the reason above when I first found out about it but I've managed to retain great warning awareness so far.

I saw my DSN on the 9th Nov and she said there's not too much that can be done :/ apart for reducing doses, never stop my slow release and never feed my insulin. Hopefully the consultant can help in January.
It's frustrating as so many people are ignorant about type one and always tell me to reduce sugar intake and lose weight. Grrr.

 

[Scarlett91]

No worries!
Oh absolutely, everyone's body is different and so is everyone's insulin requirements - which im sure that's been said to you a lot in the past few months. If you're going to make changes I recommend changing one element at a time so then you can really see and work out what is causing you to hypo, if you change everything at once then it's all just going to create more problems.

Honestly this honey moon thing has been a night mare all year and one hell of a challenge, all the consultants and doctors were scratching their heads trying to work out if I even had type 1, had several tests to see if I was a different strain of diabetes!! But after about 4 blood tests and a steroid injection they confirmed I am type 1. The nurses and that all said that this is one of the strangest honeymoons they've seen. ‍

Oh yes, I've been told a few things. Most useful and some not so much from those that know naff all about type 1. Incredibly frustrating. I think because I've been pretty positive about the whole thing I'm desperate to control it rather than it control me, which sometimes I feel it does. I haven't quite got used to testing and making sure I'm above 5 to drive and feel angry when I am not! But positivity must stay!

 

[Circuspony]

I'm in a trial at the moment where they are looking at options for extending the honeymoon period. Apparently it's much shorter in children who get diagnosed T1 than adults. With adults your pancreas can take years to stop producing insulin completely - but injecting it helps preserve the remaining beta cells as a poster above says. It might seem a hassle but the consultants in the trial have said the longer your body produces some insulin the better it is for all your organs. Injected insulin does an amazing job, but will never mirror how well our pancreas deals with glucose. So although it's a pain dealing with fluctuating sugar levels, it's better for us long term