Hi Wiserkurtious, I hope you're settling into things and that you are not getting overwhelmed by the changes to your routine! I just thought I would clarify a couple of things regarding diabetes types, in case you have not been given the full picture.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, and is what I have. Basically, it means that your body has decided that the cells producing insulin are a virus. Therefore, the immune system targets and destroys them. Why this happens is not understood. Without insulin producing cells, type 1 diabetics always require insulin injections. As you mentioned, there is something called the honeymoon period, which a lot of newly diagnosed diabetics experience. At the time of diagnosis, most type 1s still have some insulin producing cells. Therefore, less insulin will need to be injected until the immune system is done destroying the cells.
Type 2 is by and large a different animal. This is often to do with insulin resistance. Basically the body is still producing insulin, but is not using it correctly. Unfortunately, insulin producing cells are fairly fragile. The body reacts to higher blood sugars by producing more insulin. This overworks the cells, which start to burn out. This means that there are less cells, doing an increasingly overworked job. Over years, the problem is exacerbated. Often, the aim of treatment for type 2 diabetics is to reduce insulin resistance. This can be through a mixture of treatments, including medication, diet and lifestyle changes.
A very important point is that you should never believe what the media tell you in this case: type 2 diabetics are not just fat people who caused it themselves. In fact, this is never the case. Obese type 2 diabetics (and not all type 2 diabetics are obese) probably had malfunctioning pancreases before they ever gained the weight. Fluctuating blood sugars are an extremely effective way at making you hungry. And I mean ravenous. Imagine a time before you were diagnosed where you had not eaten for a long time. Maybe you had been out all day and had skipped a couple of meals. Your body tells you 'I need to be fed, now!' With blood sugars swinging all over the place, this is a message that the body will transmit almost constantly. Therefore, untreated type 2 diabetes can sometimes cause obesity, not the other way round.
The important point is that regardless of what type you are, diabetes can be effectively treated and managed. The more you know, the better equipped you are to deal with your condition
. Regarding testing 8 times a day, I test at least that many times and I have been a type 1 diabetic for almost 25 years. In my opinion you are being sensible in this regard. Any UK healthcare professional that tells you otherwise is doing so because George Osbourne is breathing down their neck and telling them to cut costs.
Best of luck in your journey, and keep letting us know how you are getting on
.
P.S. if you want some brilliant information, go to youtube and search for doctor Troy Stapleton. He is an australian doctor who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2012. He gives very accessible talks about the way he manages his condition effectively, and avoids hypos despite participation in strenuous sporting activities.