Hi all

[RosieDred]

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about a week and a half ago. It all came very much as a surprise. I am 24, 5 ft 3 and weigh 7 stone (I've lost a lot of weight the past few months). I went for blood tests on the Friday morning and then got a call from my GP at work that evening telling me I had to leave straight away and go to the hospital. I was on a sliding scale until the Monday when I met with the diabetic nurse who showed me how to do my own insulin and then discharged a few hours later. I was told by the consultant that I am very insulin sensitive and that's why my sugars went up and down so drastically while I was there.

I spent the first week feeling very dream like; as if I was just taking medication to get better. However, this week I feel very much awake and concerned about the future. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do or eat or feel or anything. I feel completely lost and a little bit upset by the fact that this is forever. And although doing lots of research helps it also makes me feel worse because you can't avoid learning about the complications.

My sugars average for the past week have been 13. I started back work yesterday as a carer and they were lower, my lowest being 8.3. However, I felt shaky this morning so I took my sugars and it said 7.3. Obviously not low but I felt quite weak and phoned my mother to pick me up and spent the afternoon down there. Today was the first time I felt brave enough to be alone until that. I don't know if I will ever feel normal again, I feel so wimpy not being able to alone but I get so anxious.

Sorry for the long post, I'm just feeling all out of sorts at the moment and nobody really gets it. I don't even think I get it to be honest.

 

[Lazybones]

Dear RoseDread,
Firstly welcome to the Diabetes forum. I'm sorry to hear of your concern. fears and worries as to what being a newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetic will mean to you and the changes that this will now necessitate. It comes as a shock to be told that you have diabetes but you have found the right place from which to start as there are many of us who have already been there and are comfirmed as being diabetic for a number of years.

There is much to take in and learn, and if I am honest with you, I personally didn't get much if any help from the medical professionals when I was first diagnosed. I was told that I was diabetic, handed a diet sheet which was virtually useless and left to get on with it all by myself.

Over the years I found out for myself that the professional advice that I was given wasn't right, but fortunately I had decided to do my own thing diet wise by watching what I ate and measuring the result on a meter two hours after eating. Being a Type 1 needs thought to what you are eating (carbohydrates in particular - also sugars which are also carbohydrates) and balancing what you eat with your daily activities.

It's hard at first, but you will get there and in time with the knowledge and confidence that you aquire in a short time you will be able to take diabetes in your stride.

Please don't be afraid or feel put off when asking any question, there are many of us who have diabetes and are only to willing to help anyone new with any question that they are not sure as to the answer.

With my best wishes - Lazybones

 

[daisy1]

Hi Rosie and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions you like 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 70,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.