Diagnosed with type 1, 3 weeks ago, loss of vision :(

[koicarp]

Hey everyone,

So I found out 3 weeks ago I've got type 1 and I'm 32. Still doesn't feel real at times, doesn't help that I don't like needles (doctors can never seem to believe this when they look down at my skin and see tattoos!)

Seemed to lose quite a bit of weight, thirsty ALL the time, getting up in the middle of the night for the toilet making me shattered and from about 10pm each night my vision would be blurry. Went to the doctor and they tested my blood sugar and the nurse asked if I was diabetic! At that point I had no idea why she would ask but it turned out my reading was 24. Next was a trip to the hospital and stayed there for a few days and felt better for it but it seemed to surprise the doctors I had type 1.

I only have to inject insulin twice a day with Novomix but they are saying its going to go up to 4 times a day shortly, my levels have been 4-10 most of time which they have been happy with.

Problem is, after my levels have come down nicely my eyesight is bad pretty much all the time now so I haven't been able to work or drive since going into hospital and it feels like thats getting to me the most. I wear glasses normally and I've got myself some reading glasses to try and help but even typing this is difficult so I apologise for any typos. The nurses have said my sight will come back, I'm yet to see the actual specialist yet but my GP suggested I go to the optician, yet the nurses have advised against this for at least 6 weeks

Anyway, if you made it through my story thanks for reading.


Mike.

 

[himtoo]

Hi Koicarp
welcome to the forum

when your blood sugars have been high for a long period of time and then are brought into control quickly your sight can definitely be affected -- but should return to normal within a few weeks.

I am tagging @daisy1 for her great starter pack - it is well worth a read for lots of things important to looking after yourself.

anyway have a read and ask any questions and some of the lovely people on the forum will be along to help

 

[Mrsass]

Hiya Mike!

What Paul said above about your sight is what I would have also said so try not to panic, I wouldn't go to opticians just yet as a sight test would be different now to in a few weeks time.

If you are scared of injecting is there maybe someone that could do it for you?
The 4 injections a day will give you better control as much as you probably just wanna keep it at 2.

If it's only been 3 weeks and you are mostly getting readings of 4-10 I think it sounds like you are doing really well!

Abbie

Ps - I didn't spot any typo's

 

[wiserkurtious]

Im also newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 29,but ya getting used to the idea of needles been my best friend for the rest of the time.

The getting up during the night needing a pee was terrible,been googling my condition for the past week as i've alot to learn but I'm getting there,thought i'd join to speak to people with the same condition which in future will be a massive help for me

 

[Flowerpot]

Hi Mike,

High blood sugar for an extended time causes the lenses in the eye to swell due to water being drawn into them and this causes the shape and focus to change. It is temporary and once your blood sugar levels start to stabilise the lenses will revert to the normal shape and the blurriness will disappear.

I agree with your nurse, wait for 6-8 weeks and then see if things have got back towards normal. Hopefully by then your sight should be a lot clearer. Good luck with it all

 

[silverbirch]

Hi @koicarp, I can sympathise with you regarding your eyesight. I too had the same problem and had to give up driving. The nurses are right to say wait. I did go to the opticians, (Specsavers), who were very good and advised me not to buy glasses at that time because my sight would change. I started on insulin and gradually my eyesight returned to what it was before glucose messed it up. It has taken me 8 weeks. It is very frustrating, and unfortunately it is just a waiting game. But hey it's all good, your eyesight does get better. Once you are back to wearing your usual glasses and you think your sight is back to "normal", it may be time to have an up-to-date eye test. Proof to the DVLA that your sight is good enough for driving, is how I see it, (pardon the pun). lol

 

[himtoo]

Im also newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 29,but ya getting used to the idea of needles been my best friend for the rest of the time.

The getting up during the night needing a pee was terrible,been googling my condition for the past week as i've alot to learn but I'm getting there,thought i'd join to speak to people with the same condition which in future will be a massive help for me

Hi wiserkurtious
welcome to the forum to you as well.
if you hang around this topic for a while longer the @daisy1 mega starter pack will be posted soon for you to have a read of and then any questions - just ask.

 

[wiserkurtious]

Hi wiserkurtious
welcome to the forum to you as well.
if you hang around this topic for a while longer the @daisy1 mega starter pack will be posted soon for you to have a read of and then any questions - just ask.

ok ty bud,and look forward to speaking lots in the future

 

[becky.ford93]

Hi there. Can relate to all of your symptoms, my eyesight went back to normal after a couple weeks. I know its horrible but it should get better.

 

[daisy1]

@koicarp

Hello koicarp and wiserkurtious 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 like and someone will be able to help. @wiserkurtious I suggest you start your own thread if you need advice.

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 over 150,000 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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[koicarp]

Thanks everyone for your replies, it's great to get reassurance, so thank you.

I've been told to have a snack if I drop below 6 before bedtime. What sort of thing do you guys use for a snack? Do certain snacks keep your sugar levels up for longer? I find myself going for a slice of bread which seems to do the trick but I don't want to be eating bread all the time.

 

[PatsyB]

Hello and Welcome to the forum

 

[himtoo]

Thanks everyone for your replies, it's great to get reassurance, so thank you.

I've been told to have a snack if I drop below 6 before bedtime. What sort of thing do you guys use for a snack? Do certain snacks keep your sugar levels up for longer? I find myself going for a slice of bread which seems to do the trick but I don't want to be eating bread all the time.

lots of time to get to grips with this one -- try testing different things to see how you do
for many years i ate 1/2 a sandwich -- so the piece of bread is the long acting carb-- the filling ( meat or cheese ) and some butter and mayo to slow the release of the carb a bit more

sometimes 1 digestive works for me --- or 1 or 2 ryvita crispbread , jacobs cream crackers are ok too

 

[rusty101]

Hello Mike,

I too was diagnosed with type 1, about 2-3 weeks ago. I have the exact same symptoms, my eyesight is really blurry. I was advised to buy some cheap off the shelf glasses, which I have done. They cost £1.25 and were the bargain of the year as I can now see again. Weirdly they are for reading (+1.5./2.0) but focus close up and far away. Reading through google and this forum it seems to be the norm that your eyesight goes bad initially but comes back. The DB nurses had differing advice though, one saying should come back in 3 weeks and another saying 3 months, so waiting to see.

Anyhow, good luck with it all.

 

[wiserkurtious]

so i ve been out today to pick my medication up and went and dropped my blood glucose monitor down the public toilet!!!!!! i am sooooo clumsy its unreal

 

[himtoo]

If you get in touch with your Diabetic nurse she should be able to get you another one.

 

[starbuck91]

hi mike and i seen you post and i know how you feel i hate needles and inject myself with novomix 30 twice a day

 

[koicarp]

Strangely since I posted this it does feel like my eyesight is getting better, albeit not perfect but at least it's a start.

I love all things tech and I've found a really cool app to track my blood glucose and it's nice to see how my levels have improved! It's called diabetes kit, I've tried a couple and this one feels the most user friendly.

 

[wiserkurtious]

If you get in touch with your Diabetic nurse she should be able to get you another one.

there closed bud,so i ll have to ring tomorrow. i ve another monitor and have like ten strips for it so i ll be good for tonight,thnx for info.

 

[koicarp]

Pleased to say my eyesight my has gone back to normal . Such a relief! Back to work tomorrow.

Saw the specialist for the first time about a week ago and he wants me to slowly reduce my 2 a day dose of Novomix 30 to try and get down to 8 units in the morning before breakfast and 4 before my evening meal. Currently I'm at 13 units in the morning and 8 units in the evening.

I'm still doing lots of reading to try and become an "expert" in this but there's something else niggling me, how can the doctors be sure I'm type 1 and not type 2? From what I've read the symptoms are very similar, if not identical to what I experienced?