Diagnosed Yesterday [emoji30]

Best thing you can do is keep a very detailed food diary. Do you bg test on rising, do it before you eat and then two hours after you’ve eaten. Keep a detailed food diary and a record of these readings and your doctor/dsn can work out the best doses.

Don’t worry about the numbers so much. You’ll go high after you’ve eaten but the aim is get those numbers back to where they were before your meal around two hours later.

Hi @Claire-marie108, and welcome to a very exclusive club.

I would agree with all those who urge you to keep a diary of your blood sugars before eating, what you eat, and your blood sugars two hours after eating. You’re already seeking control by looking at your blood sugars and your reaction to them which is fantastic.

I’m going to make a suggestion that might prove to be just too much right now so if it makes you want to run for the hills, snow or not, then ignore it! There’ll be plenty of time for it later.

Suggestion

When you record what you eat it’d be very helpful for the DSN if you tried to work out the carbohydrate content of your food. This is not always easy straight away so listing everything and the carb amount for the things you can work out will be a start. There are websites and apps that help too, I use one called Carbs and Cals though I ignore the Cals!

This may also take some time to begin with and it helps at this stage if you have food where the carbohydrates are listed on the packing. You’ll need scales that measure in grams so that you can use the information on the package. This is usually given in the amount of carbohydrate per 100g so a calculator might make it easier. Weigh the food, for instance bread, rice, potatoes, pulses, pasta, etc. and use the total carbohydrate in 100g to find how much there is in what you’re eating. Some things are very high in carb so it’s probably a good idea to avoid them at the moment.

If you make a note of the grams of carbohydrate eaten and blood sugars before and two hours after eating then Your DSN will find it much easier to calculate the amount of bolus (short acting) and basal (long acting) insulin that you should take at this stage. She should give you lots of information about the thing to do if you find that your blood sugars rise or fall too much too. Ask her to explain how you should respond to hyperglycaemia (high blood sugars) and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugars). For the latter many of us have a handy stock of glucotabs and jelly babies that we have on or near us.

End of suggestion, phew ️

It’s all a bit of a shock to begin with but with any luck you’ll begin to feel physically much better soon. And the suggestions I’ve made about the carb should soon become something that’s less and less taxing as you get used to it.

We’re all different in the way we react to having diabetes, but we all share the desire to understand how we can control it. The more you know about the way you can control your own, the more it’s likely to just become one of those things you carry with you and not a burden you drag behind you.

Don’t hesitate to ask for medical advice, especially at this stage. And if you’re unsure, ask them to explain why they suggest one thing or another. Ask what they’d do if they were in your place.

Some of us have enjoyed the company of Type One Diabetes for many years, some of us are new to it so there’s a wealth of experience here on the forum, and for us no aspect of it all is too silly, too upsetting, too surprising, too funny or too puzzling to discuss here.

Again, welcome!

Hi, @clare-marie108 , if you've got a kindle to hand, there's a good book called Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner which would be worth getting a hold of.

It explains about the basic biology, and ways to deal with it.

Assuming your provisional T1 dx is confirmed, you might prove to be surprised by how much flexibility there is once you learn some basic rules about balancing carbs and insulin.

T1 isn't about avoiding carbs altogether - it's more about managing the rate at which they are absorbed into the bloodstream, and matching that with the time pattern of insulin.

For example, I'd be very hesitant about eating honeyed popcorn on an empty stomach if I go to the movies (salted is fine), but if I fancy a bit of dark chocolate and vanilla cheesecake as a dessert to finish off a three course meal, I'll happily do that because I know I'll already have active insulin on board starting to peak from the earlier courses, maybe supplement it with an additional shot, and the more complex carbs from, say, a spicy lentil soup starter, and fats and proteins from the main course, and, indeed, the fat in the cheesecake itself will slow down absorption of the simpler sugars.

It takes practice, trial and error (there's room for mistakes), and a fair bit of time, but you'll slowly and surely pick up a sort of "intuition" about which foods work best for you, and eventually be able to walk into any restuarant on the planet, check the menu, and figure out the timing and dosage for pretty much anything on it.

Although, I'd tend to avoid baklava - that stuff is a nightmare!

Good luck!

Hi Claire, I think I know exactly what you are going through. When I was diagnosed I ended up in hospital for the first 24 hours whilst an insulin drip brought my glucose levels right down. I left hospital with a novarapid/lantus regime and was told to 'eat what I normally eat' so that they could gauge how MY body was responding to carbs and the insulin.

I did some research and of course found that my 'normal' eating contained too many carbs (not so much the obvious sugary rubbish like sweets etc, although I did eat some) but my 'normal' foods of wholemeal toast/pasta and a few too many ready made processed foods.

I am slim, very active, run a lot, don't smoke or drink so they couldn't really bang on too much about 'lifestyle' although they tried to. Anyway, I immediately cut out ALL processed food, and ALL the rubbish, obviously sugary stuff which are high carbs naturally and not healthy for anyone.

I continued with my toast/porridge for breakfast and my other normal foods, and the rest of the time, measured out very small portions of pasta now and again. I did this for the first few months and then after around 3 months (when I was more knowlegable and confident) I did away with the foods I KNEW raised my levels, ie, the porridge etc. Now I know you don't have to and type 1s can balance it with insulin but that is a personal choice. I don't think you should go cold turkey as it were right now because you do not know how your actions will affect the regime you are currently on and you don't want to risk having a hypo/hyper. Take it slowly.

My point being, please do not rush to immediately go 'low carb', it takes time for your glucose levels to settle/for your insulin doses to become correct and for YOU to come to terms with what's going on. Your low fat cheese sandwich will higher your levels, not the cheese but the bread. Please research foods because I (who thought I was a know it all about healthy foods) was almost ignorant on foods that massively raise levels. Hope this helps.

KK123 said:

I am slim, very active, run a lot, don't smoke or drink so they couldn't really bang on too much about 'lifestyle' although they tried to.

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Me too, then they put you on drugs that make you feel like absolute **** if you run more than three paces.

NoKindOfSusie said:

Me too, then they put you on drugs that make you feel like absolute **** if you run more than three paces.

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What a little ray of sunshine you are! @clare-marie108 needs support, not frightening to death.

Bluetit1802 said:

What a little ray of sunshine you are! @clare-marie108 needs support, not frightening to death.

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Personally I think that support should involve the truth, or it will be worse in the long run.

NoKindOfSusie said:

Me too, then they put you on drugs that make you feel like absolute **** if you run more than three paces.

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There is something wrong with the drugs you are on if they had that affect.
I don't know what you are taking but there are many people who take insulin and run or cycle (there is a professional type 1 cycling team) or play rugby (there are professional rugby players with type 1) or football (ditto), etc.

NoKindOfSusie said:

Me too, then they put you on drugs that make you feel like absolute **** if you run more than three paces.

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Hi Susie, I can only say that I run even more these days, 5 miles a day minimum and have no problem whatsoever. Of course it was initially trial and error with working out how my body would respond and making the necessary adjustments, but respond it did. I do appreciate we are all different though. Do you mean insulin when you refer to drugs, because THEY are keeping you alive so I would actually thank the Drs for that.

Oh dear, this is becoming a more complicated food choice discussion than I think @Claire-marie108 needs at this point. We each choose what suits us.

Like I said earlier, we’re all different. We each make our own way. As I see it, the important thing is to find what suits us personally and as long as we stay happy and healthy then go with it.

Let us know what happens on Monday Claire-Marie.

clare-marie108 said:

Thanks Sibyl, I’ve always known my body and what’s right! I suffered with endometriosis for so many years until I had a hysterectomy 4 years ago.... but that’s for another forum

How long have you been diabetic?
I keep having mixed emotions... 1 minute I’m positive thinking and know that there are millions of people with this and lead a reasonably normal life’s and the next I’m in tears and scared when reading about hypos and hypers! X

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I was diagnosed in October 2014. It took my GP surgery 9 months to decide it was Diabetes. In that time I’d lost 18lbs, half my head hair, my gums had receded, I endured mind numbing leg and foot cramps and my skin went paper thin. Having a diagnosis was a relief. Once I was under the care of the hospital team all was well. My finger prick blood glucose number was 28 before eating at diagnosis. Hospitalisation wasn’t necessary. Initially I too was put on fixed doses but as I was going on an Xmas cruise within 2 months they gave me the accu-chek aviva expert, a copy of carbs & cals, set up my initial ratios on my meter and sent me on my way. Never looked back. While I was on fixed doses I found myself eating to the injection. ie eating only enough carbs to suit the amount of insulin so I didn’t go wildly high or low. As soon as I started carb counting I began to experiment. The nurses were thrilled about the cruise because it would allow me to try loads of different foods to see how they affected my blood glucose levels. As regards the emotional side the psychologist took us through a whole range of feeling we might experience. Grief was one. Anger another. I was never angry - frustrated yes - definitely! My main emotions were extreme surprise and vast gratitude that I’d made to 56 before I became T1! Best advice my specialist nurse gave me was to not expect perfection - just do your best. The Bournemouth team are amazing and I’m very lucky.

NoKindOfSusie said:

Personally I think that support should involve the truth, or it will be worse in the long run.

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Your ‘truth’ isn’t everyone’s. Time to change your DSN and consultant, start with a clean slate, and listen, take advice?

Diabetes is a marathon not a sprint. (In @NoKindOfSusie life it's a walk, and not in a park! - there are always exception to the norm, I think her input is valid, sometimes things just don't work as expected, what you need to do is be prepared and find a solution if that happens......'susie' you've been given lots of advice about possible solutions, action them )

Before monday write down all the questions/ideas and queries you have and take the piece of paper to your appointment - along with your food diary.

Sibyl said:

I was diagnosed in October 2014. It took my GP surgery 9 months to decide it was Diabetes. In that time I’d lost 18lbs, half my head hair, my gums had receded, I endured mind numbing leg and foot cramps and my skin went paper thin. Having a diagnosis was a relief. Once I was under the care of the hospital team all was well. My finger prick blood glucose number was 28 before eating at diagnosis. Hospitalisation wasn’t necessary. Initially I too was put on fixed doses but as I was going on an Xmas cruise within 2 months they gave me the accu-chek aviva expert, a copy of carbs & cals, set up my initial ratios on my meter and sent me on my way. Never looked back. While I was on fixed doses I found myself eating to the injection. ie eating only enough carbs to suit the amount of insulin so I didn’t go wildly high or low. As soon as I started carb counting I began to experiment. The nurses were thrilled about the cruise because it would allow me to try loads of different foods to see how they affected my blood glucose levels. As regards the emotional side the psychologist took us through a whole range of feeling we might experience. Grief was one. Anger another. I was never angry - frustrated yes - definitely! My main emotions were extreme surprise and vast gratitude that I’d made to 56 before I became T1! Best advice my specialist nurse gave me was to not expect perfection - just do your best. The Bournemouth team are amazing and I’m very lucky.

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Hi Sybil, you are very lucky. I was also 56!!!! (nearly 57 now). Never got any access to a psychologist, did you have to request that?, just given the insulin and testing contraption and that was it! Luckily (in a way) I knew something of how it worked because my Mum had it.

clare-marie108 said:

Hi,
I feel like my insulin needs adjusting, it starts peaking before lunch and increase until I have my insulin before dinner!
I’m still trying to understand it all

Thanks for replying

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I think you are right, and this is something the nurse will discuss with you on Monday, and why it is important to keep a detailed food diary and your levels alongside the food.

clare-marie108 said:

Thank u for messaging....

I’m scared to eat at the moment

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It's all very daunting and a bit overwhelming at first isn't it? Someone gave some good advice to keep eating normally for now until your next appointment but to also try and keep track of what you've had - please try to do this as much as you can for now. You can't run before you can walk with this so one step at a time. Please try not to be tempted to not eat as this could mess with the pre-mixed insulin you have been taking and cause your blood glucose levels to drop too low which is a more immediate problem than running a bit higher than normal for now.