Hi Everyone

[Semone]

Hello there,

Im new to the site

Ive been diagnosed as having type 1 Diabetes for which I was hospitalized two weeks ago... I am out now and feeling a lot better.
I have to inject insulin five times a day which takes a bit of getting used to.

It was my Mum who recognised that things were not as they should be, my symptoms were getting quite bad, I was always gasping for water, or juicy fruit, what ever I could get my hands on, as my tounge felt as dry as a bone. I would collapse, I couldnt see through blurred vison and I was vomiting badly exorsist style. I couldnt even hold my water which was utterly mortifying... the worse it got, the more I withdrew into myself until one morning I broke down to my Mum and told her I thought I was dying... I was convinced that I wouldnt wake up one morning.... Thats when the doctor took samples and I was immediately admitted into hospital.

I must say, I have had a good read of the threads before commenting on here, and this site is fantastic... I still have a lot to learn about my diet, what is good and what to avoid (apart from the obvious)... The thing I really miss most is jelly beans... I love them and now I cant have them... But to be honest, anything beats feeling that ill again... even if I never eat another jelly bean ever again...

I am still wading through all the paperwork the diabetic team has supplied me with... If I could recommend a product, I would say buy the pack (in the shop on this site) which enables you to keep all your insuline/needles/diary/glucose meter/everything else to do with it, in one handy zip up pouch - it even comes with a refreezable pouch to keep your insulin fresh... Best money Ive spent

Anyway, thats me - I just wanted to introduce myself x

 

[Fraddycat]

Hi Semone, welcome to the forum! You are with friends! Sorry to hear you have been poorly but hopefully things are looking up for you now you have been diagnosed. Take it one day at a time. Jane

 

[daisy1]

Hi Semone and welcome to the forum

I'm glad you are feeling a lot better. Here you have plenty of friends who will help you with any problem you may have.

This is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be able to give you an answer.


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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

 

[Semone]

Hi Daisy,

Thank you ever so much for your post - Im very new to all this, so any information helps.

I have signed your epetition and will put a copy of the link on my facebook page.

Thanks again - Semone x

 

[Giverny]

Hi Semone and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you've had a really rough ride. I bet you were terrified when all those awful things started happening to you