Just diagnosed.

RebeccaSmith

Well-Known Member
Messages
70
I'm 16 and am in my first year at college in Basingstoke.
Yesterday I went to the doctors with the following complaints: weeing a lot, drinking a lot, feeling faint, dizzy and shaking.
The doctor did a blood test by pricking my finger and it came up at 14.2, he also did a urine test which came up pretty high, he said I definatley had diabetes, so called the local peadeatritions and said that they would call me tomorrow. A lovely bloke caled Chris called today and said he was coming to my college at 12.30 for an unrelated insidence and would have a chat. He measured my blood sugar levels and it showed normal at 4.0. He was a little confused and told me to come back at eating, after this it was 8.2, still fairly normal, so he suggested I went to the hospital after college futher tests...
I arrived and had a key tone's test which showed 2.0, I also had the finger prick test again, which showed 13 and had a test where it measured the amount of sugar attatched to my blood cells for the last 30 days, offering an average sugar level...this was high and lead to me being diagnosed today with diabetes type 1.
I've just got back from hospital, after being there for about 4 and a half hours. I cannot believe how brave diabetic people are. I can just about cope with doing the prick test on my finger, but when asked to inject myself with insulin, I just couldn't...I felt like a heroiin addict, and the fear of pain was imense. In the end, the lovely diabetic specialist did it for me, and she is visiting me tomorrow to support me with the injections. I don't think I am going to manage. I have work as well, and it's going to be hard to ajust my diet and live around the insulin injections.
I guess i'm a little gutted as i'm 16 and it's suddenly injections for the rest of my life, but there have got to be people out there in worse situations than me. It's just jumping this hurdle and adapting my lifestyle.
Does anyone else have an experience with the first time they injected or am I being utterly silly and childish?

Rebecca, x
 

Jem

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Messages
570
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People that feel just because diabates is a life-threatening "illness" it should be treated with kid gloves and nobody is allowed to have a laugh. My humour got me through abuse, near death experiences, serious and debilitating illnesses and lifelong pain and deformity - why give up the thing that works??
hello love ... can I just say first of all that your posting was anything but childish - coming here and introducing yourself is probably the most self-helpful thing you can do - so step one is complete!

welcome - obviously I'm not glad you have diabetes, but this is really the best place to be ... lots of type ones to help you much more than I can with insulin things - but from the 3 months Ihad using insulin I must tell you that injecting will soon become a second nature and you WILL overcome the fear ... ask advice of how successfully controlled type ones modify their diets and try to take some of that dvice and you'll find you need less insulin than perhaps your care team initially suggested - but please don't change your plan based on anything I say ... I'm just a Jem ;) lol - so you need to take advantage of all the help you can get - we have a forum here called "ask the experts" and I think you will probably get any techy questions resolved there.

Good luck and keep your chin up xxx
 

lilibet

Well-Known Member
Messages
515
HI Rebecca

I was diagnosed just about 2 months ago and was in hospital for a weekend. When I was in hospital I couldnt inject to start off with (well, it is a bit of a shock to your system is it not :?: ). However, you very quickly become used to it and I actually find it more of a pain to take the finger prick

Just make sure to discuss things like needle sizes with your nurse because the sizes I started of on have been changed to smaller, finer needles, which does make a different. It all depends what kind of insulin pen they give you and who makes it (I think). You are much braver than me, and asking all the right questions because I just about fell apart for three days!

Whether you are 16 or 56, newly diagnosed or longer diagnosed, no question is silly.
Have a good look about the board and you will see lots of different things about diabetes - if you feel up to it. Also, dont be frightened by what you read, it wont all apply to you!!!

L
 

KimSuzanne

Well-Known Member
Messages
151
Hi Rebecca welcome to the forum

You sound like your coping incredibly well with this life changing experience and trust me joining the forum here is the best thing you could do. The wealth of experience, advice and support is amazing - the fear of injecting is far worse than the injection itself. Think of something that makes you laugh or smile and you won't even feel it.
 

RebeccaSmith

Well-Known Member
Messages
70
Ah thankyou for all of your responses. I feel really supported :)
I am waiting for the nurse to come now. It's a right pain havig to change my routine and wait for the insulin to take effect for 20 minutes before eating - i've become so used to just munching whenever I feel like.
I'm going out for a meal with my family and boyfriend tonight and I am not sure how that's going to work, because i'm supposed to eat 20-30 minutes after the injection and as the nurse will be toddling over again to my house, by the time we get there and actually receieve our orders it will be more like 45 minutes... I'll assume she will think up a solution...
Hopefully I will be able to do the injection today. If I can't I will kick myself hard up the bum. It feels so undignified at the moment. My finger prick test was just 7.7, which I guess isn't too high, but I was told that I still am producing enough insulin to self correct, but in two weeks time, my pancreas will have taken it's last breaths.
I think I will have a look on that diet section of the forum, because I do like my doughnuts! :)
Thank you thank you thank you :)

Rebecca, x
 

Jimbo1973

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126
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Beetroot, Cucumber, Radish, Prawns - and arrogant people that have no understanding of how ill you can really be without looking ill
Hi Rebecca, Like yourself I was recently diagnosed after complaining of similar symptoms, i'm Type 2 so i'm diet and tablet controlled at the moment. I only joined here yesterday myself and was pointed in this direction by a proper helpful chap I met by chance who knew of this site. Like you, and probably everybody else that is newly diagnosed, i'll have a billlion and one questions to ask and i'm sure that this is the right place to be - amongst people that KNOW how we feel and how best to support us......................

Good luck and please look after yourself - take all the advice that is given and i'm sure it will be something you can learn to live with


Jimbo
 

totsy

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,041
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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liars, animal cruelty
hya rebecca,
welcome.. and keep asking the questions,i hope you can do your own jab today,if not dont worry,let us know how u get on today,we are all here to help you :D amanda
 

Jem

Well-Known Member
Messages
570
Dislikes
People that feel just because diabates is a life-threatening "illness" it should be treated with kid gloves and nobody is allowed to have a laugh. My humour got me through abuse, near death experiences, serious and debilitating illnesses and lifelong pain and deformity - why give up the thing that works??
Just had a few thoughts (it happens occasionally)

firstly, I hope they've given you an injection pen and not a traditional needle ... the pens are WAY easier and seem to be standard issue - you dial up the right amount of the right insulin (according to your plan) and once you've done the first little push it's really not fiddly at all.

secondly, there are sure to be other under 30's in your area (it's actually more common than people realise) who share diabetes and your local brand of diabetes group should be a good place to meet other young (or not so young) people who will understand you.

thirdly, keep on coming back any time ;)

xx
 

hanadr

Expert
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soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
Hi Rebecca.
I'm not far from you, in Reading, and I'm an experienced Granny, so if you want support, SHOUT LOUDLY.
You will cope, essentially, you have no choice. Take it at the speed you can cope with.
You're intelligemt enough to go to college. So you will work it all out after you have dealt with the initial shock.
I go by Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. It's the book that tells all. It's expensive, so if you think it will help you, look out for a secondhand copy from Amazon perhaps, or ask your library.
I'm certain you will come to terms with this. Be like my former students "The little train that could"