Recently been diagnosed and now confirmed late onset type 1

Jgibbo13

Member
Messages
7
Afternoon all, Jamie here. I went ro the doctors about a month ago due to symptoms if diabetes. Excessive thirst in particular. Blood sugar was 26.5!!! Was put on metformin and changed. My diet to cut carbs, got it down to 15 to 20 but then doctor got back in touch and confirmed type 1. Am on 70/30 insulin. Three days in, now between 6 and 13 generally, although woke up this morning in and back to 16. Guess i need to get used to it, and nurses going to ring every few days to get dose right. Any tips greatly appreciated. Am staying away from sugar, and white bread/pasta/rice. Thank you
 

EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,209
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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Any tips greatly appreciated.

I''m sorry this has happened to you, though the good news is that a T1 on insulin has a lot more freedom on food choices than a T2 whose only choice is to reduce carbs or go on an ever increasing cocktail of meds. If you want to go low carb you can, but you really don't have to.

A few tips....

1) Getting the hang of T1 is a long haul, be patient

2) Hypos. Never go anywhere without some sort of hypo treatment with you (glucose tablets, jelly babies, whatever works for you....) It's up to you whether you tell the people around you that you have T1, but I always found it really useful that friends, family and work colleagues always knew about hypos, so that if I became confused they knew what to do (give me something sweet).

3) Rotate those injection sites.

4) Insulin regime. They've currently got you on a fixed dose regime where you have to eat the same amounts at the same time of day to match your insulin. That's quite common for new T1s but quite restrictive. Long or medium term, when you've got used to injecting and carb counting, and know how much insulin you need, you may want to try a basal/bolus regime where you alter the amount of insulin to take account of when and how much you're eating. (There are also insulin pumps if you want to go higher tech).

5) Continuous glucose monitors. Basically you stick a sensor in your skin and you can use a reader or your phone to get a blood sugar reading without additional finger pricking. They are expensive, and depending where you live you may or may not be able to get funding for them (criteria in the UK is quite strict) but they do work very well for a lot of people (less well for some) and can be a big improvement over blood tests. The one handed out in the UK is the freestyle libre, but you're probably better off investigating this after you've got used to your blood testing meter.

6) These forums. Awesome for mental support, and information on just about any aspect of the illness. Plus, they are international, so there's usually someone around to post, though it's generally pretty quiet during the UK night.

Good luck, and welcome to the forums.
 

JMoli

Well-Known Member
Messages
250
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Jamie, sorry to hear that you have your diabetes diagnosis. I’m late onset type 1 and in my late 40s, diagnosed in January. I found this forum so helpful, I’ve asked lots of questions and scrolled through the boards (T1 and LADA) for tips and advice. Personally having a cgm has been a life changer for me, I have a Libre and have attached a Bubble so I can get my readings sent to my phone every 5 minutes. I’m still learning every day, it can take its toll emotionally but knowing others (here) are in the same situation has been so reassuring.
 
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Jgibbo13

Member
Messages
7
Thanks both, really appreciate your comments. Yes I think the two different types will be better for me, and I am really early days learning the effects of the insulin, food, and when I have a drink. For instance yesterday, having a bbq and a few glasses of wine. Blood sugar was between 5 and 9 all day. Woke up this morning g and back up to 14. I think this was due to me taking second dose to early . I am sure these forums will be of massive help. Thanks again.