Hi there everyone

[stephenms1874]

Hi there everyone. My name is Stephen. I am 47 years old and I was recently told by my doctor that I had type 1 diabetes.

Throughout my life I have tried to live a healthy life.....and discovering I had this was a true and complete shock.....and it has really knocked me back so much.

Having to change your entre lifestyle is the hardest thing to do because you have to aware of absolutely everything.....and of course eating the things you used to like is now so much more difficult because of your blood sugar.....but I do fully believe that diabetes cannot beat me or the get the better of me...I have to be strong and I have to live.... and that`s what I will do.

 

[MrsA2]

Hi Stephen and welcome. I'm a t 2 so don't know much about t1. Am sure others will be along soon...unless they are all out partying, being Saturday

 

[EllieM]

Hi @stephenms1874 and welcome to the forums from another T1.

Sounds like with an attitude like that you'll hopefully soon be on top of things.

But the old mantra "diabetes is a marathon not a sprint" comes to mind, so be patient with yourself as you learn the ins and outs not only of T1 but more of your body's reaction to T1. (I'm still learning new stuff after nearly 52 years of the condition.)

My single most important recommendation is to always have hypo treatment with you : struggling to get hold of glucose (or equivalent) while your low blood sugar is compromising your mental processes is no fun.

Just a comment that a lot of the members of the forum are T2 so bear that in mind when reading the T2 threads: their goals and expectations can be different to those of the T1s. As a T1, you won't be ever be able to achieve medication free normal blood sugars, insulin is your new best friend. (Though having said that, I've been promised a cure in ten years for the last 50 years, and T1 treatment has drastically improved in that time. ).

Once again welcome.

 

[In Response]

Welcome @stephenms1874
I am concerned my your statement about having to change your entire lifestyle. This is unnecessary. You need to manage diabetes. You should not be allowing diabetes to control your life.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 in my 30s. Like you, I lived a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet of lots of fresh fruit and veg and did a lot of exercise.
I have not changed my lifestyle. I continue to eat the same diet, exercise, social life, travel (until the pandemic temporarily halted that) with a stressful (but fun) career. After more than 15 years, I have no complications and am fitter than most of my friends and colleagues of a similar age.

Do not confuse the advice for type 2 with that for everyone with diabetes. Type 1 is a very different condition.

Please please please reconsider why you need to change your entire lifestyle. If Type 1 diabetes is your only health condition, you do not have to change apart from testing and injecting.

 

[Jaylee]

Hi there everyone. My name is Stephen. I am 47 years old and I was recently told by my doctor that I had type 1 diabetes.

Throughout my life I have tried to live a healthy life.....and discovering I had this was a true and complete shock.....and it has really knocked me back so much.

Having to change your entre lifestyle is the hardest thing to do because you have to aware of absolutely everything.....and of course eating the things you used to like is now so much more difficult because of your blood sugar.....but I do fully believe that diabetes cannot beat me or the get the better of me...I have to be strong and I have to live.... and that`s what I will do.

Hi,

Welcome to the forum..

What is your "lifestyle?"

Mine is pretty rock & roll. (Rebellious nature from getting T1 as a kid.)
However, I have had to be mindful of certain aspects so as to not to spin out & become a mistaken casualty of good old fashioned "hedonism."

It won't beat you doing what you wish to do.. At the end of the day. Take the advice that's bespoke to suit you.
Others, beat a seperate "path..."

 

[Juicyj]

Hello and welcome @stephenms1874

Yes it is quite a shock ! How are you coping with insulin and injections ?

I personally have made some adjustments to my lifestyle, I now exercise more than I have ever done in my life and now run 2 marathons, however I am not cut out for distance and will only do half's now and also join my local parkrun every Sat morning too, I also ski every year and ride a road bike. I have found exercise incredibly helpful in regards to managing my blood glucose levels but am lucky to have a pump and continuous glucose monitor which would be difficult otherwise. Having type 1 hasn't stopped me doing anything, if I want cake or a glass of wine i'll have it, but I do keep a careful eye on my levels if I do, best wishes J

 

[Juicyj]

Throughout my life I have tried to live a healthy life.....and discovering I had this was a true and complete shock.....and it has really knocked me back so much.

Sadly it doesn't matter how healthy you have been, as type 1 is auto immune it can affect anyone, it was once considered to be a juvenile condition as a high rate of children get it, however it can affect anyone, any age.

 

[Bubbleblower]

diabetes cannot beat me or the get the better of me.

That’s the spirit.

The incidence of T1D has trippled in just a few decades so clearly there is a large epigenetic component in the disease which makes making lifestyle changes a very good idea.

 

[Dave Russell]

Having to change your entre lifestyle is the hardest thing

It's really confusing and overwhelming. I was diagnosed T2 about 6 weeks ago. I've made immediate changes to my diet, roughly halved my carb intake and lost a good 10lb in weight. However, it has made me feel ill, and now possibly have what is known as 'keto flu.' - as I found out thanks to this forum.

So the moral of the story is, by all means make changes, but don't expect immediate results or in my case feel even worse. It's a marathon not a sprint, but things will get better. And you don't have to give up everything.

 

[MrsA2]

The keto flu is usually short lived, it's just the body ridding itself of all the nasties it got itself addicted to. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum because a dangerous toy has been taken away. Soon forgotten