Newly Diagnosed and Hungry

[kirstiemarie91]

hi everyone, my husband was diagnosed on Sunday with type 1 diabetes. He's never had a hypo or hyper and everything is extremely new to us quite scary.

his blood sugar tonight is 16, it is our fault as we had fajitas for tea (we did ask the nurse and she said it would be okay so we're not too worried) the only problem is, mike is now really hungry.

what should we do?
thanks, Kirstie

 

[Gaz-M]

eat meat eggs fish salad stuff I,m afraid

 

[kirstiemarie91]

brilliant thanks its 12.2 now

 

[CraigDT]

Next time he could have it without the tortillas. It still has almost all the tasty and will have fewer carbs.

Is he on fixed amounts of insulin? If so the trick at the start is to try and have the same number of carbs each day so it matches the insulin he is taking. Once you learn more you vary the insulin to match the carbs you want to eat.

Perhaps the tortillas added up to more carbs than he normally has for a meal so it sent his blood glucose a bit higher.

As for hungry, I eat babybels, cold meat or sugar free jelly with cream when snacking. Greek yogurt full fat is pretty low carb and so are most berries. The advantage of fat and protein rich food is that it makes you feel fuller.

Good luck! It is a scary thing when first diagnosed but you and your fella will adapt.

 

[bellabella]

I was absolutely starving when I was first diagnosed for a couple of weeks- I was assured by my nurse that it would settle down and sure enough it did after a couple of weeks.
Give him time to settle into the changes that come with a new diagnosis and to come to terms with it, don't let him beat himself up about the hunger just enjoy the carbs that his body is metabolising now that he's getting insulin
Once he's more used to it, I would strongly recommend a low carb approach for better glycemic control and more satiety after eating

Best wishes to you both

 

[kirstiemarie91]

I really cannot thank you enough for both of your replies. Its a scary time at the minute, I literally do not sleep, terrified mike will have a hypo and need help. I'm glad you're saying it gets easier. He's coping so well. These comments literally get me through the day. Thanks a million.

 

[bellabella]

I really cannot thank you enough for both of your replies. Its a scary time at the minute, I literally do not sleep, terrified mike will have a hypo and need help. I'm glad you're saying it gets easier. He's coping so well. These comments literally get me through the day. Thanks a million.

My mother was the same when I was diagnosed last year- terrified of the hypos.
As long as you have some lucozade by the bed and glucagon in the fridge, no need to worry. Having a hypo is always unpleasant the first time but in a way it's good to have one just so that your husband know what it feels like for the next time it happens.
Ask plenty of questions on here, this forum was a life saver for me at the start and still is!
It'll definitely get easier

 

[kirstiemarie91]

My mother was the same when I was diagnosed last year- terrified of the hypos.
As long as you have some lucozade by the bed and glucagon in the fridge, no need to worry. Having a hypo is always unpleasant the first time but in a way it's good to have one just so that your husband know what it feels like for the next time it happens.
Ask plenty of questions on here, this forum was a life saver for me at the start and still is!
It'll definitely get easier

Thank you so much, feeling a little better now I need to just get on with life I think. Mike is doing so well, he's not worrying, he's adapting. I just want to sleep, that's all I want haha. Thanks again

 

[moonchip]

Hello Kirstie

I'm a Type 2 but I'm sure it'll work equally for a T1 (if not, I'll stand corrected) but whenever I'm 'really hungry' I have 2 large glasses of water

Certainly stops me from feeling hungry and I know it does me good (flushes the system)

 

[dingbat]

For a newly diagnosed type 1 the first step is "Don't panic " !! I can only speak from experience but the normal response is check this , don't eat that, no chips etc etc.
one step at a time !!!! Test and test and test until you know the bad boys , carbs, alchohol, crisps, and over time you will come to recognise what's bad and what's not so bad, then you adjust insulin to suit. It's a learning curve which is tough to begin with but it does fall in place after a while.
And if your hungry for goodness sake have something to eat !!! Ryvita, cheese , fruit, meat, or kebab and chips if you fancy !!! But then in time you'll know to have a bit more fast acting insulin, horses for courses but don't panic and good luck and test.

 

[kirstiemarie91]

For a newly diagnosed type 1 the first step is "Don't panic " !! I can only speak from experience but the normal response is check this , don't eat that, no chips etc etc.
one step at a time !!!! Test and test and test until you know the bad boys , carbs, alchohol, crisps, and over time you will come to recognise what's bad and what's not so bad, then you adjust insulin to suit. It's a learning curve which is tough to begin with but it does fall in place after a while.
And if your hungry for goodness sake have something to eat !!! Ryvita, cheese , fruit, meat, or kebab and chips if you fancy !!! But then in time you'll know to have a bit more fast acting insulin, horses for courses but don't panic and good luck and test.

Thank you so much, really made me smile! I'm sure we'll get there! Thanks for the kind words, means so much, you're a star

 

[leedoak]

Pork scratching!!! There my go to for hunger! Lol I got told I was type 1 3 weeks ago I feel his pain! But you learn to adapted quickly.

 

[kirstiemarie91]

Pork scratching!!! There my go to for hunger! Lol I got told I was type 1 3 weeks ago I feel his pain! But you learn to adapted quickly.

Wow three weeks! Gosh, well done for adapting well, must be a lot to take in, it bloody is for us! I'll let him know about the pork scratching!

 

[leedoak]

It's life changing! I'm in the army, so I might be getting medically discharged. Fingers crossed it does not come to that but we shall see, it is what it is. All we\you can do is take each day as it comes. Don't fight it accept it and make it work. I'm lucky I have a wife and two brilliant little boys there my driving force.

 

[dingbat]

Of course it's life changing but it's just another puddle in life's rain soaked path. Hey ho on we go. Its not brilliant but It's not the end of the world and people have an awful lot worse to deal with. It's all about acceptance and change and not becoming a martyr to the cause.
I'll get my coat.

 

[lisacp]

I remember being really hungry after diagnosis. I think it was partly because I had been unwell for a while and lost weight and I was getting back to normal and partly because you are constantly thinking about what you should be eating and what you shouldn't like when I try to diet. I always seem to eat more ☺ It should calm down over the next couple of weeks.
Fahitas always make my blood sugars high so it might be a good idea to avoid them until you have both learnt about carb counting. If you are worried about hypos during the night set your alarm for 3 am and check, it's a bit of a pain but at least you can relax and will hopefully sleep better.
My husband prefers to be disturbed for a couple of minutes while I test rather than waking up to find me in hypo mode where he has to restle me to the floor in order to get me to drink something sugary. It will become easier and not as scary as you get used to it all.

 

[Diamattic]

I have been here lol Well, first hand wise.. my gf was in your shoes and to be honest she worries about me and my sugars much more then I do!

If you ever run into this situation again - He can eat anything without carbs in it, and he can have as much as he wants! No carb food includes any type of meat, eggs, fish, cheese, and most veggies (but watch out potatoes have carbs!)

So if your having fajitas maybe have the first 1 with the tortilla, and then just have all the meat, cheese and veggies without the tortillas, until hes all full up lol

If he gets hungry 3 hours later, he is free to go make himself a nice large steak, or perhaps an entire rack of ribs, or all the salmon he can eat lol (i mean if he likes meat that much)

The problems really only arise when you eat carbs - Potatoes, fries, tortillas, breads, and sugary things, like sweet sauces.

Once he gets the hang of carb counting and injecting he will be able to eat anything he wants again. Until then it would likely be best to try and avoid carbs and aim for low carb meals (think 30-45 grams of carbs per meal)

 

[kirstiemarie91]

I have been here lol Well, first hand wise.. my gf was in your shoes and to be honest she worries about me and my sugars much more then I do!

If you ever run into this situation again - He can eat anything without carbs in it, and he can have as much as he wants! No carb food includes any type of meat, eggs, fish, cheese, and most veggies (but watch out potatoes have carbs!)

So if your having fajitas maybe have the first 1 with the tortilla, and then just have all the meat, cheese and veggies without the tortillas, until hes all full up lol

If he gets hungry 3 hours later, he is free to go make himself a nice large steak, or perhaps an entire rack of ribs, or all the salmon he can eat lol (i mean if he likes meat that much)

The problems really only arise when you eat carbs - Potatoes, fries, tortillas, breads, and sugary things, like sweet sauces.

Once he gets the hang of carb counting and injecting he will be able to eat anything he wants again. Until then it would likely be best to try and avoid carbs and aim for low carb meals (think 30-45 grams of carbs per meal)

Can't thank you enough, this post has really made me smile he's doing really well at the minute, constantly eating! Thank you so so much