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Advice please!

MMcKirdy97

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hey guys, just in need of some advice.
I'm 19 and was diagnosed type 1 diabetic 5 months ago, after 4 months of taking 4 injections daily and perfectly stable BG readings, about 1 month ago I was advised to completely come off of my insulin as I was having hypoglycemic episodes once/twice daily for about 11 days out of 14 at the worst point. Following stopping my insulin, my BG readings are better, only experiencing one or two minor hypos per week but I'm hitting 4/5 almost every day despite eating carb rich foods throughout the day - I'm having to eat so many carbs that I'm actually starting to feel so bloated all the time, I'm losing my appetite and I just genuinely feel horrible. I've spoken to my diabetic nurse and she's said that I need to have blood tests to check my thyroid function. I've put on a little bit of weight and I'm really not happy with where I'm at, obviously in terms of weight management the only things I can do is cut carbs and exercise more, both of which will drop my BG which obviously I don't feel comfortable with at the moment. I'm just a bit lost, is there anything I can do to help any of this?
Thanks in advance x
 
Hi @MMcKirdy97

4 and 5 are normal readings. Are you saying you'd drop lower than that though if you didn't eat carbs?

Are you being tested for other endocrine problems as well as the thyroid test?
 
Hey @azure

That's exactly what I'm saying, I'm eating a ridiculous amount of carbs just to stay at that level. I'm not entirely sure what I will be tested for, they didn't really give much information.
 
Before I had diabetes, I believe my BG was around 4/5 (and sometimes, a little lower). This was not due to eating a high or low level of carbs: this was what my body's control put me at by releasing enough insulin to achieve this level.
If you are in the honeymoon period (or the diabetes diagnosis was wrong), my understanding is that your body should be able to maintain a suitable level with its own control.
Have you tried reducing your carb intake? Without the additional injected insulin and relying entirely on your body's natural hormone release, this should maintain your BG at the same level. With the bonus that you stop gaining weight.
 
MMcKirdy97 said:
Hey @azure

That's exactly what I'm saying, I'm eating a ridiculous amount of carbs just to stay at that level. I'm not entirely sure what I will be tested for, they didn't really give much information.
Click to expand...

Ok, well two things occur to me -

As @helensaramay said, have you tried gradually reducing the carbs? That is, are you sure your blood sugar would plummet if you didn't eat those carbs?

Secondly, there are other conditions that can cause hypos so I'd ask exactly what they're checking for.
 
@helensaramay and @azure

I haven't tried reducing them as I was anxious this would cause me to go lower, but I will definitely give it a go, I check my BG's 3/5 times per day anyway so I guess I will soon know if anything untoward is happening. It could very well be my body constantly trying to achieve this level - I never really thought about it that way. Thank you, I will definitely try and see what happens. I didn't realise there could be many other factors, I will talk to my specialist and make sure I know exactly what's going on.
Thank you both, you've been so helpful!
 

It sounds like the honeymoon period. The insulin injections you were taking might have allowed your own islet cells a rest and they can now temporarily control your blood sugar. Blood sugars in the 4s and 5s are normal.

Do keep testing though so you can keep an eye on things.
 
@azure, I'm sure you're right. Despite my BG being 22 (fasting) at diagnoses I caught it pretty early so I guess I limited the damages a little which could be a contributing factor. Guess I'm just overly cautious as a newbie!
Thanks again
 
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