Depressed

Bs0lth said:

Hi Dod95,

Welcome to the forum it's the first time I've said that.

I know getting your diagnosis is really hard to deal with at first, I got mine just 5 weeks ago today and it's a roller coaster on your emotions. The people on here will help you so much just ask and somebody will be able to answer your questions... Way better than me because I'm still trying to get mine under control as well.

Don't give up all hope, once you get things under control you will start to feel a lot better, but it's just coming to terms with things and all the information your trying to sift through to make sense of everything at the moment makes things seem so hopeless.

I will let more experienced people help you for niw, but just remember your not alone, everyone on here knows what your going through and will try to help
Xx

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Energize said:

Hi @Dod95 and welcome to the forum.

So, firstly, big {{{Hugs}}}

I can appreciate it's not where you really want to be but it's good that you have found us here as the members here are really supportive, will offer advice etc as there is so much knowledge, experience and empathy here.

You will soon feel better about having diabetes but, yes, it takes a while to get your head around it all. To start with, just take each day as it comes. Accept that you are on unknown terrain but you will very soon find your feet.

I do hope you are beginning to feel you are not alone? Do ask questions as / when they occur to you. Other members will be along soon and will offer their support too

Hang in there, eh?

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SamJohnson said:

I've had Type 1 for about 12 years now, and I do still get a bit upset knowing I have to deal with it. It's more a slight shift in my lifestyle. Something that helps me understand my body more. It'll take a while to see it as optimistically as I do, but it's definitely possible. Continue your life as normal, Justin implement whatever you need to do into your normal routine and in a couple months it'll feel normal.

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Scott-C said:

It might not seem like it just now, but you'll be fine. I became T1 at 21, a bit younger than you. Like you, I thought, that's it, my life's over, insulin injections for the rest of my life, but here I am, thirty years later and doing fine.

I'm not going to pretend it's going to be nice all the time: you'll have some messy hypos and a lot of frustration about why you thought you'd played by the rules but it still went wrong, but at the end of the day, take a deep breath, calm down and say to yourself that this is something you can deal with.

Before 1922, people like you and me died, but then a couple of people called Banting and Best discovered insulin which has saved millions of people. They got a Nobel prize for it. There's some books about them, so google those and see what people do to help us. A woman called Eva Saxl managed to make her own insulin from buffalo pancreases during a war. Google her too: it's an inspiring story.

Because of Banting and Best, and all the science which has been done since then, you'll end up living a long and happy life.

There are thousands of people on this site who have gone on to live great lives. It'll be messy for you in the first few months, but it all boils down to this: after a while, you'll be saying, ok, I need this much insulin for this meal, and I better make sure i carry some sweeties around with me!

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Contralto said:

Thinking of a friend of mine who is on the pump and I didn't even know he is diabetic. The pump helped him a lot he said because it was more seamless. When he was diagnosed, he felt major weird so he drove his uncle's car to the hospital. He drank a coke on the way. When he arrived he was 730, when he spiked in the middle of a couple other tests, he was even higher. He was in his teens. He's a civil rights lawyer today, married with a child and a really gorgeous talented wife. He says that crisis, where he feels he almost died, led to him getting serious and getting successful. If every minute counts, you get out there and take a couple risks more easily.

Things will normalize more when you meet other people with the same struggles

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azure said:

Insulin doesn't cause weight gain @Dod95 It simply allows your body to use the food you eat when you have Type 1

You're replacing the insulin your body can't make any more.

I really recommend the book Think Like A Pancreas - because that's what you have to do.

All you're doing with your insulin injections is providing the insulin your body needs. It's a lifesaver.

As your body and you get used to things, you'll be able to match your insulin doses to your needs more easily. For now, take the advice of your doctor and concentrate on getting back to good health

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daisy1 said:

@Dod95

Hello and welcome to the Forum I am sorry about your diagnosis and am sure you will feel better about it soon. In the meantime, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to help.


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 well over 147,000 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

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