Hello Everyone

[Gary Thom]

Hi everyone

I'm a 29 year old male from Scotland living in Ireland who's just found out this week that I have type I diabetes.

After a few weeks of my fiance telling me to go to the doctors after having lost about 3 stone in the last couple of months I went and following blood tests discovered I had blood sugar levels of 12.3 and was diabetic. The fact I found this out on the way up to my stag at a lodge in the highlands wasn't exact;y ideal and spent a weekend there feeling quite disconnected and depressed and probably spent more time on the phone with my fiance than is appropriate for a stag do. I really had no idea what to do as I hadn't really been told anything other than avoid sugary things and don't drink too much. Which I did though looking back I probably shouldn't have had the 3/4 beers a day I did have.

I was originally told over the phone that I was type 2 but after visiting the hospital on my return to see a diabetic nurse who tested my ketones turns out I'm type 1 and had a ketone reading of 6.2. I've been injecting insulin and testing my glucose and ketones every day now since Tuesday which hasn't been too bad but it's quite a thought I'll be doing this for the rest of my life. We've largely cleared the ketones but my glucose levels this weekend have generally been in the 10-15 range. I want to start counting carbs as soon as possible to try and take some control. The nurse has been great but is telling me to keep injection levels as they are now based on a sliding scale but don't seem enough to me. I suppose I'm worried about the long term damage I'm currently doing. She's talked about getting me on the DAFNE course which I'm keen to do.

I was also planning on doing a half marathon this summer before diagnosis which I'd still like to do but will need to talk to the doctor/nurse about that I suppose. Got an appointment on Tuesday so hopefully that moves things forwards a bit. I imagine the same sort of story as the one above gets posted in this forum all the time but I feel better for typing it out if nothing else.

My fiance has been really great and come to my appointments with me. If it wasn't for her I'd probably still not have seen a doctor and probably wouldn't be diagnosed until I was in hospital. We're getting married back in Scotland next month and hopefully I have things stabilised a bit by then. Going to NZ for 3 weeks for the honeymoon so really it's essential things are under control by then.

Anyway - hello everyone!

 

[robert72]

Hi Gary and welcome

 

[chris9996]

Hi Gary and welcome from another Scot.

It's truly a shock when first diagnosed but things do get better, injecting becomes second nature and best not to look on it as something you have to do for ever more. I'm type 2, so am not much use to you but there are plenty of type 1's here who will be able to advise you better and some of them are marathon runners too.

Good Luck for the wedding and hope the rain is off on your big day.
Chris

 

[FatGenes999]

Hi, Gary, and welcome!

There are some lovely people on these forums, and I'm sure if you stick around, they'll help you along.
I have found that monitoring diabetes is definitely a "One Day At A Time" activity.
The hope is always that one day we will no longer be diabetic by medical standards, and although that can happen, for me, its best to just do the best I can on a daily basis.
Good luck with your wedding plans and your BG monitoring.

 

[Karbstruck]

Welcome Gary,

I can imagine what a shock that must have been. Hardly a good way to spend your stag weekend, but good that your fiancée urged you to see a doctor. At least now you can form a plan of action and, once you get your levels down, you should feel that you are gaining control. Low carb has certainly helped me with Type 2, and many Type 1's say that it is beneficial for them too. I am sure that Type 1's here will only be too willing to share their experiences with you, so don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. I have found that just reading through the forum posts has helped me tremendously.

I wish you and your fiancée all the best for your wedding. Don't forget that you have lots of support here.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Gary and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help.


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 70,000 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-and-whole-grains.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.

 

[Mud Island Dweller]

Make sure your type 1 is on the holiday insurance. Dave on here is a fell runner and lot of other folks type 1 do all sorts so take heart at that.

 

[Gary Thom]

Thanks for the welcome and good advice guys. I have an appointment at the hospital tomorrow so will be asking lots of questions about carb counting, matching my insulin to what I'm eating and low carb diet. Think I should be meeting with dietitian soon so that should definitely be helpful.

My general diet is probably improving already though. No beer for over a week and I actually made myself a carrot and celery salad for a snack tonight which would have been unheard of 2 weeks ago.

 

[Andy12345]

Hi, Welcome

 

[kerrygrant26]

Hi Gary and welcome! I hope you find this forum as helpful as I do, I was diagnosed just a few weeks ago and trust we all remember those awful words streaming from the doctors lips. 26 and type 1 for life and just like you I found it a hard pill to swallow knowing that every day of my life I will be living with diabetes.

All I can say is it does become easier and very soon it is just another addition to your already hectic routine. The Ladies and Gents here are amazing, I don't know how I would have got through some days without them. Got a question, a rant or just want to talk to someone then this is the place to be. I don't see any reason why you wont be able to continue with your marathon plans (best of luck with that and let us know how you get on).

If it helps just remember that your health will now be kept in tip top condition by all the doctors, nurses, consultants, podiatrists etc. At least us diabetics are kept as healthy as possible unlike a non diabetic person

 

[Gary Thom]

Thanks Kerry - I think I'm starting to get to grips with it now. I definitely agree that if anything I may end up healthier. Switched to salads for lunch, lots of fish for dinner and no irn bru/beer etc. I think I'll go for a couple of short lunch time runs and see how my readings react to those and go from there with regards to training.

I've definitely found this place very helpful so far. I think my nurse has been impressed with how well informed I am for the stage I'm at, all from just readings things on here.