Aged 16 and looking for people to talk to:)

Hey , I've been diabetic for 12 years now ,I'm 14 and I'd love to chat sometime xx

 

Hi, nameless...
I'm a Type 2, so less likely to be of specific help, and 54...so an old fart really, but I just wanted to say hello and welcome you to the site. Ask anything. This site is a really good place to look for advice with lots of very helpful people..and just some very nice people. I have tagged the amazing @daisy1 (who is probably sick of me tagging her), and she will be along to provide you with some of the basic but really important details about diabetes, but if you have been Type 1 since you were about 10 and the smile in your photo is normal for you, you won't need much info as you have obviously manged very well. I did want to ask if your "bored of sugar coating things" was a deliberate of subconscious pun...? Anyway, welcome to the site.

 

@diabetic0312

Hello and welcome to the forum As mentioned above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 210,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

 

Hi im 16 years old and im diabetic since 2005 so feel free to reply

 

How come like every other teen on this forum is a girl

 

Hey, I'm 17, a girl and was diagnosed about two years ago. I'm type 1 and it sucks so I'd like to talk to others who know how this feels so if anyone wants to talk I'm here

 

But I would like to talk

 

No shortage of people to talk to on here. It's a very active community with loads of great advice..

 

Hiya, i am also 16, and have only been diagnosed for 2 months. I am coping, but also struggle at times. I would love to talkx

 

Hey! I'm 17 and have been diagnosed for just just over a month now! If you'd ever like anyone to talk to i'll be more than happy to, I feel as if it's good to talk to people with similar feelings!

 

Hi I am 14, and I was diagnose over 2 months ago, I would love it if anyone could give me any advice?

 

Hello! I've had diabetes since I can remember... But if you guys want any advice on anything, feel free to message me! I've been through a fair share of ups and downs and managed to make it through uni ok

 

I would love to talk with people about diabetes and just general life too

 

Hey, I'm 20 and was diagnosed when I was 12! Feel free to message me about anything, even if it's just to rant at someone about having diabetes I'm really sporty as well so if you have any questions I can try and answer them

 

I was just wondering if diabetes ever gets in the way of your sport? And have you got any top tips? I have recently been diagnosed and I am also quite sporty and want to keep it that way!

 

Hey, I'm 17 and was diagnosed 3 and a half years ago! I'm looking for the same thing as you, so drop me an inbox or something if you want a chat? I don't know anyone at all with type 1 diabetes so I know the feeling! s

 

Hey, I'm 17 and was diagnosed 3 and a half years ago! I'm looking for the same thing as you, so drop me an inbox or something if you want a chat? I don't know anyone at all with type 1 diabetes so I know the feeling! x

 

Hey ! With the sport you just have to work out what works for you, different sports do different things, in the end I managed to do 16 hours swimming a week and I did have lots and lots of weeks at 100% done and my diabetes fine with it ! Make no mistake it's hard work and it's not always gunna be an easy path, but my advice would be let nothing get in the way of you doing what you want to do. If you want to play a sport or do something then find a way to do it, I was told when I was 15 that I would never be able to swim that much and I managed to prove them wrong so it is doable !!!
I've done masses of sport so if you have a question about a particular sport let me know, also runsweet.com has super good advice
Izzy

 

Thank you, just this message has made me feel so much more confident.