Newly diagnosed Type 1

snapper84

Member
Messages
16
Hi All,

I am glad to have found this forum and I have found some of the information very helpful. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 1 however it is all very new to me and it just seems to be shed loads of information which I am struggling to process it all. I started with symptoms about 3 weeks ago night urnination, thirst, tiredness and the doctor sent me for some blood tests last Wednesday. I had them and received a phone call on Thursday saying I had high blood sugar and to make an appointment ASAP which I then did on Friday only to be told i have Ketones in my urine and I had to be admitted to hospital.

Anyway after spending 12 hours in hospital I came out with a lantus long lasting insluin injection i have to take and told to report back today for another appointment. The DSN told me that I have type 1 and gave me a NovoRapid to take before meals.

I am 27 years old male and have no family history of Type 1 Diabetes which makes it all the more confusing. I get the impression that they are saying I am type 1 because of my age, I am not overweight and fairly healthy, but i wouldn't know how to differentiate between the two so i am hoping someone could help me understand what makes them certain it is type 1?

There are also other questions I have like i don't want it to control my life and be afraid of it, or change my life drastically. I know initially i will have to make changes and learn to manage it but i am hoping that once i have undergone the initial process of this my life can be as close to normal as it was previously. I used to go away for 5 days with a group of mates for a poker/drinking holiday however guess this will have to change or now be done in moderation?

Sorry if i seem ignorant i am just trying to grasp and get some advice, and also express myself because i guess i find this hard to do to people. I am back for another appointment on Thursday but it is all very scary and i just really need to know what to expect within the next few weeks and months.

Thanks for listening
 

daisy1

Legend
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26,457
Type of diabetes
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Tablets (oral)
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Hi Snapper and welcome to the forum :) Diagnosis is a shock and I know that I didn't believe it at first. But you gradually come to accept it and things get easier. You did a great thing finding this forum which will help you to gradually learn all you need to know about looking after yourself. Ask as many questions as you like here as there is always someone who will have an answer for you.

To help you to learn the basics, here is some information written for new members which should be of some help to you.

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 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.
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
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23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Hi Snapper and welcome! :)

Like you I had no family history of diabetes so being diagnosed with type 1 was a bolt out of the blue!

I have had diabetes for 30 years now and lead a normal life as much as anyone else so there are no reasons why you shouldn't, yes we have to be careful and remember to inject our insulin and test our blood glucose but these things do become second nature once who have had it for a while, it's all very daunting at first but believe me it will get easier! :D

Your 4th paragraph gives me hope you will adapt to diabetes well.....''everything in moderation'' is a term we often use on here and is a good approach when it comes to food and drink, I don't personally have a sweet tooth so rarely eat cakes or any other sweet things but everything else I eat in moderation.....so don't give up on those poker holidays just yet! :wink:

Best wishes and hope all goes well.
 

snapper84

Member
Messages
16
Thank you for all your help and words of advice.

A quick question is now I have started regulating my blood sugar with Novorapid before meals and the Background Lantus i have noticed i have started to become quite tired. My levels today have been between 5.5 and 10, is this normal due to the regulating of your BSG wheras previously it has been quite high 15+?

Thank
Steven
 

snapper84

Member
Messages
16
Oh sorry one more thing, I have also noticed that my vision is slightly off since starting the insulin, previously I could focus perfect short and close, but now I have difficulty focusing on things close to me.

THanks
 

noblehead

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snapper84 said:
Thank you for all your help and words of advice.

A quick question is now I have started regulating my blood sugar with Novorapid before meals and the Background Lantus i have noticed i have started to become quite tired. My levels today have been between 5.5 and 10, is this normal due to the regulating of your BSG wheras previously it has been quite high 15+?

Thank
Steven


Steve, for someone newly diagnosed those levels are excellent! :)

The 10 is slightly high but hopefully once you adapt to the insulin and work out which foods spike your bg then you should be able to reduce this figure.

The tiredness is quite normal and probably due to the upheaval you have experienced over the last weeks, I was burnt-out when I came home from hospital and took me weeks to get over the shock of having diabetes......not to mention the sleepless nights!

Your vision mentioned in the your other post could just be them getting use to normal blood glucose levels again after being high for some time, any concerns then I suggest you speak with your gp or diabetes team.
 

snapper84

Member
Messages
16
Yeah it spiked last night at around 15.7 before I went to sleep (I say sleep... lying with eyes shut thinking), but currently I don't have anything to bring it back down, but this morning the fasting was 8.9. It also dropped to about 4.4 today after I had my lunch, not sure if I ate too little or too much insulin, (4 units of novorapid) and I had a couple of sandwiches and biscuits.

What levels should I be aiming for in time, and when should I be wary that it is too low. It is the first time I have took my BG and it has been that low 4.4 so I wasn't sure what to do about it.

Thanks
 

artyfarty30

Member
Messages
24
Hi Snapper,

Whilst reading your post I kept nodding my head in agreement. I was diagnosed on Monday 19th Dec and currently my BG levels vary from 4.0 - 10.00. I'm currently on 10 units of Novorapidpen in the morning and 4 in the evening, I plan to reduce my insulin dose further as I keep getting low BG levels during the day and later on the evening. However, like yourself, I don't understand why I'm getting such low readings, too much insulin, not enough, too much exercise, not enough food??!! I've taken BG level readings today after my midday meal and it's 4.8?? Cant wait to see my GP on Thursday :D

Anyway, merry christmas and wishing everyone a happy new year :)
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Hi Snapper

First of.... Diagnosis pre xmas is hard!!

I remember feeling so ill but left till 6th jan!!! More than 25yrs ago...
Well done tackling pre christmas!!!!

Levels of 10 are pretty good so soon after diagnosis.
Just watch levels of 5 and under... Dont know wgether you drive... But want you to keep safe. Minimise tge times under 5....

Please keep us posted how you are doing..
Christmas n new year are tough...
 

snapper84

Member
Messages
16
Update

Christmas/New Year is now over and generally my levels have been okay. I have been having a few more hypo's than normal but I think this is because the balance of the insulin i'm taking combined with my pancreas still producing not being right for what i'm eating. I have been told to use a 20:1 ratio but obviously whilst in the honeymoon period i feel it is just a guessing game.

I do drive and i check everytime before i drive. I have had a few where it has been below the 5.5 figure and had to correct it and wait. It is a bit of a pain with work but i guess once i get full control of it my levels will be much more stable.

I have had a horrible chest infection for the past few weeks also so i guess this also may be contributing to some random levels, past few days they have ranged 2.9 - 16 but generally they have been between the 5-10 levels.

I have also starting taking my novorapid after meals because i was finding it was kicking in before my meals were having chance to digest causing hypo's.

I see the Consulstant for the first time soon i was wondering what i could expect with the initial consultation?

Happy New Year to you All.

Thanks
 

col79

Member
Messages
20
Hi again,

I am in the same kind of situation to you , I was diagnosed on the 30th of December just gone.
My levels in the morning are around 10.5. Now its 12.1.
I have been down to 5.2 a couple of days ago but never got near that level ever since.

I have been told to eat low sugar and low carb food which i am finding is fish and cooked meats. But i am always hungry after meals
I hope i can control it asap as i am back in the office tomorrow.

I hoping it will level out in time! :?

Col
 

Bucco

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi snapper,

I was diagnosed a week ago and have am up to 14u levemir at night and 6u nova rapid with each meal. My BG today was 12.5 when I got up and is 17.1 as I write this......

I have always been very fit and healthy, have been to the docs about 6 times in 10 years and am completely dumbfounded as to how I am an adult type 1 at the age of 44!

It sounds like your BG is coming into range very nicely, you are either very lucky or have immediately gone into the honeymoon (check the FAQ on honeymoon period). Either way, make sure you keep your DSN and diabetic team comp,Evelyn up to date with e wry thing that is happening to you.

I would be interested to hear how you get on.

Bucco
 

Pneu

Well-Known Member
Messages
689
When you are newly diagnosed if type I has been caught early then in all likelihood you still have some working beta cell function... this means that your insulin requirements will be less.. it also means that they can be erratic as your pancreas stop / starts insulin production... this 'phase' of the condition is called the honeymoon period.. in most people this lasts anywhere from a few weeks to perhaps a year until eventually the auto-immune response has killed off your beta cells..