Honeymoon phase

[Freefall_Ash]

Hiya Everyone!

I was diagnosed May 2015 after a blood sugar level reading of 33 sent me on my way to A+E, a1c was 12%. Brought it down to 9% after 1 month, now at 7.6% which I'm happy with. I'm definitely in honeymoon still - I was taking around 25-30 units of rapid insulin a day at diagnosis but now rarely exceed 10. I feel as though my body is doing a good job of controlling itself, and I usually only go off track if I do something out of the ordinary, like miss a meal. I still Basal and Bolus every day, although I have thought about trying to reduce carb intake and regulate without bolus insulin and think I could achieve it on some days if I tried.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Interesting debate. Especially interested to see how TorqPenderloin can manage his T1 with diet and exercise alone. Are you saying you manage the 'spike' side of it but take basal to manage the overall level/background? I can't imagine what your exercise regime is like but it would account for a 12% body fat reading!

To be clear, I take insulin every single day. For the sake of this conversation, I am insulin-dependent. I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea about my comments and what I was speaking to is probably best left for very high-level conversations.

To be honest, most people would probably consider my routine torture and would be begging for more insulin after trying it for a week.

Side note: I was one of the top high school power lifters in the country(USA) back in 2006, I'm also a former college athlete, and I've been studying fitness/nutrition for most of my adult life. So these aren't all things I've learned in the past 5 months. It's taken me 10+ years to accumulate my knowledge (and I'm still learning something new every single day).

 

[ktbubble]

Thanks everyone

 

[Erin85]

Hi @ktbubble , I was diagnosed t1 in Dec'15 with a bg of 48mmol/l. Not sure what my HbA1c was on admittance to hospital, but after 5days it was 86 on my release. I have been honeymooning ever since. My DSN and diabetes team quickly realised that I am very sensitive to insulin and a bit of a weirdo in some circumstances, in that my body hasn't always reacted in the same way you would expect a t1 to react. For example, for months after diagnosis, I had to skip my breakfast insulin if I was exercising in the morning, and take extra glucose before and after my run. For a while, I stopped my insulin injections for breakfast and a few months ago, I had to temporarily stop all injections, but my basal (v small units, sometimes 2units per night), and still found myself hypo-ing. I am currently pregnant (very early stages) and my DSN thinks that this will bring me out of my honeymoon. I know that in later stages, hormones produced by the baby's placenta decrease insulin sensitivity and increase insulin resistance, but who knows whether it will be an end to my honeymoon or not.

For a long time, I wanted it to be over, so that I could get back into carb counting, know exactly what to inject, know how my body would respond and have good control over my diabetes. But then I accepted the fact that no-one has control of when honeymoon phase will end, and I go with the flow. For the record, I still try to keep tight control and my last 3 HbA1c's have been 51, 45 and 43, so it is possible to still look after yourself without knowing what to expect!

I would advise that you go with the flow of your body, only react after you see a continuing pattern (I usually wait for 3-4 days of the same result before adjusting anything), and if you're unsure, or haven't been advised how to adjust your ratios/regime, speak to your DSN who can advise you on this, and on whether it is your Basal/Bolus that needs changing. All the best x x

 

[ktbubble]

Sorry @Erin85 only just seen your post!! Thanks for your reply and big congratulations on your pregnancy. Hope all is going well