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A new diagnoisee

S

sykwastaken

Newbie
I've been officially diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 30 days ago, I'm quite young around 15 years old and, I found it hard to believe. The last two years i've lost major amounts of weight through dieting and exercise. I haven't felt or seen any symptoms and I was eating like a animal. Doctors say I had it 4 months ago? I'm extremely confused as to of how I got diabetes? Considering all of that, my hab1ac was 13% and i've decreased it to 9.5% and that was 2 weeks ago. I'm continuously decreasing my insulin dosages I've actually had the problem of often having too low of a blood sugar most of the time. I've only seen my blood sugar spike about once and it was borderline 220 mg/dL. I wake up with a normal fasting blood sugar. and after meals I'm around 107 and or 130 by the highest this last week. Could I have been misdiagnosed and or have MODY? or is this massive improvement in less than a month normal?
 
Hi @sykwastaken & welcome to the forum

I’m not T1 but a mature T2 so not very knowledgeable at all on T1 diabetes. The forum is a bit quiet at the moment because of the festive season but stick around and ask any questions you have, we can’t give medical advice on the forum but we do have many very experienced members with T1, some who will have been diagnosed around your age who will be happy to share their vast experience and advice with you and to try and answer any questions you have
 
Welcome @sykwastaken
I'm another T2 so can't help you much, but just popped up to say you will find this to be a supportive, informative and non-judgmental , safe place to learn more about T1.
While we wait for others more knowledgeable than me to respond, have a read around, but do make sure the posts are about T1. The 2 conditions are very different, in cause, treatment and even food and I don't want you getting muddled
 
Hi #skywastaken

You have had a lot to take in since your diagnosis. It takes time to come to terms with. Your decreasing insulin dosages could be due to you still producing some of your own insulin. This is known as the honeymoon period and can go on for some time.

As to how you developed Type 1 Diabetes. It is an autoimmune disease like coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. In addition It maybe that other members of your family also have it. Read around this forum to gain more information to help you understand things better.

Be kind to yourself as you come to terms with things. Use all the support you feel comfortable with. This forum is an excellent place to get support

Any questions please ask.
 
Doesn't the honeymoon phase begin after a month or so? are you telling me that eventually i'll have to completely depend on insulin eventually?
 
sykwastaken said:
Doesn't the honeymoon phase begin after a month or so? are you telling me that eventually i'll have to completely depend on insulin eventually?
Click to expand...
There are no hard and fast rules on how long the honeymoon lasts.

But yes, if you have T1, you'll be fully dependent on insulin eventually.
T1 is an autoimmune disease where your immune system kills off the cells that produce insulin.
There is no known cause, it's simply bad luck.
 
Hi @sykwastaken and welcome to the forums. I was diagnosed aged 8 more than 10 years before glucometers were invented so can't confirm by experience whether what you are experiencing is normal but can say that according to my understanding it's pretty normal for a new T1 to continue producing some insulin for some time.
Here's an article about it for children (Less than 12, so I realise you are a bit older than that, but the article says it is less common in children).

'The honeymoon phase' in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus: frequency, duration, and influential factors - PubMed

Young age and severe disease at presentation are associated with decreased residual beta-cells function that is reflected by a lower incidence of partial remission. These observations are important to consider in the research regarding therapies that will have the potential goal to induce...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


The causes of T1 diabetes are still a mystery, though heredity plays a small factor, it seems to be an autoimmune disease which gets triggered somehow. Theories as to possible triggers include a virus or an accident and to be honest I think it's likely that you'll ever know why you got it. (My mother was T1 who was diagnosed very late, with no T1 family members, so I got diagnosed very early because she noticed as soon as I got unusually thirsty.)

If your T1 diagnosis is accurate, and there's no reason to suppose otherwise, I would expect you to become completely dependent on insulin. But the progress made in controlling T1 over the last 50 years since I was diagnosed has been miraculous and prospects for new young T1s are improving all the time. I think a career as an astronaut is out but there are very few other things that it need stop you from doing.

Do you have frequent check ins with your team/hospital?
 
Welcome to the forum @sykwastaken! I too am type 1, although diagnosed after a number of adult years. Type 1 is for life, but the important thing to remember is that you can learn how to manage your blood sugar and live well into your '90s (like Dr. Richard Bernstein, a type 1 himself) without the complications that come with consistently high blood sugar. Unlike so many medical woes, this is one we can do something about. It becomes second nature and to be honest I find dishes cleanup and even brushing my teeth, way more bothersome than measuring blood sugar and jabbing insulin. Certain aspects become habit, like, make sure you always have enough of something sweet with you when you go out, just in case you start to feel your sugar going low, you can remedy that asap. I always have apples with me in my coat pockets and beside my bed when I sleep. This forum helps me deal with my own situation hugely, by way of emotional support and by way of the valuable information of others' personal experience. Once again - welcome.
 
sykwastaken said:
Doesn't the honeymoon phase begin after a month or so? are you telling me that eventually i'll have to completely depend on insulin eventually?
Click to expand...
Hi sykwastaken

Just thought I would check in with you and see how things are with you today. It is not easy to come to terms with all that having Type 1 Diabetes entails. Please ask as many questions as you wish. There are many forum members including myself who will be more than happy to provide support and guidance that you may wish
 
I'm doing better, but it was a real punch in the face. I guess eventually I'll have to think positively and, thank you for offering to answer my questions. If I have any I'll definitely ask.
 
Hi sykwastaken

Thanks for your reply. I think a real punch in the face is a good way to describe how this all feels.

Small steps are definitely needed on this journey. Take one day at a time
 
Note that viruses can also cause beta cell destruction so auto-immunity is not the only cause
 
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