Hi i am a newly diagnosed T1 and would like to know if anyone can recomend any good books for type 1 diabetes?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Knowledge
- Thread starter G@Z
- Start Date
Welcome to the forum G@Z I'm hoping some of our knowledgable type 1's will come and answer your questions for you!
Hi G@Z
I'm diabetic type 1 for 18 years since the age of 7, books depend on what you want info wise. To be honest the best advice comes from experience any questions I'm more than happy to answer!
Kim
I'm diabetic type 1 for 18 years since the age of 7, books depend on what you want info wise. To be honest the best advice comes from experience any questions I'm more than happy to answer!
Kim
thanks for the reply, i want to learn how to inject the right amount of insulin for the food im eating as i am having hypos every day at the moment and although my diabetic nurse is helpful she is also very busy so i thought if there is a book out there to help teach me the basics maybe that would be a good place to start.
I would recommend a book entitled 'Diabetes Solution' by Dr Richard K. Bernstein.
It has a wealth of valuable information, advice on medication, diet and lifestyle. Since Bernstein himself has had type 1 for ~50 years, he knows what he's talking about.
All th best,
fergus
It has a wealth of valuable information, advice on medication, diet and lifestyle. Since Bernstein himself has had type 1 for ~50 years, he knows what he's talking about.
All th best,
fergus
I would recommend a book called the Glucose Revolution: Glycemic Index Solution for optimum health (ISBN-10: 0733615007) available on amazon for less than £10. Although it does not tell you how much insulin to take, it helps you figure out how many carbohydrates there are in many different food and it even has a chapter on diabetes.
The first thing you need to learn, if you have not already, is how to read food labels. You need to know how many carbohydrates are in each portion of food and how to figure it out from the information presented on the packets.
Secondly, you need to learn how many units of insulin your body needs for every gram of carbohydrate you put in. For example; at present, i am taking 2 units of humalog for every 10g of carbohydrate in my breakfast, 1.5unit of insulin for every 10g carbohydrate in my lunch and 1 unit of insulin for every 10g in my dinner, but only if I go to the gym.
Sound complicated? It's really not, and it is something that you adjust to! plus this changes from day to day depending on loads of different life style factors.
Can your diabetic nurse refer you to the dietician at the hospital? If not, you could ask her for some carbohydrate counting information?
If this all falls though I could send you the carbohydrate counting information from my clinic, for you to have a look at.
I have been diabetic for just over a year, I still have a lot to learn, it's really hard at the beginning to know what information you need and where to get it.
Hope that helps!
The first thing you need to learn, if you have not already, is how to read food labels. You need to know how many carbohydrates are in each portion of food and how to figure it out from the information presented on the packets.
Secondly, you need to learn how many units of insulin your body needs for every gram of carbohydrate you put in. For example; at present, i am taking 2 units of humalog for every 10g of carbohydrate in my breakfast, 1.5unit of insulin for every 10g carbohydrate in my lunch and 1 unit of insulin for every 10g in my dinner, but only if I go to the gym.
Sound complicated? It's really not, and it is something that you adjust to! plus this changes from day to day depending on loads of different life style factors.
Can your diabetic nurse refer you to the dietician at the hospital? If not, you could ask her for some carbohydrate counting information?
If this all falls though I could send you the carbohydrate counting information from my clinic, for you to have a look at.
I have been diabetic for just over a year, I still have a lot to learn, it's really hard at the beginning to know what information you need and where to get it.
Hope that helps!
Hi G@Z,
Absolute novice at this game myself - T1 diagnosed 27/12.
Had the same experience as you are seeing so every empathy. I saw the D nurses and got conflicting stories - started low base and increased gradually - then saw the Enemy of Food (dietician) who started me on carb counting (buy the collins guide for reference - cheap and less confusing) then started Apidra after meals - big problems. I found that at certain times I was having to 'top-up' on carbs just to stop the 3 handles on BG levels. My experience has taught me to trust myself - I found the 3.6 worrying and the 2.8 print just blew my mind!! I now work on the assumption that if I test and get an 8.4 I feel happier than getting a 4.3.
Carb counting is great, BUT even on 1 unit fast per 2 Carb's, a pizza is 13 Carbs so 7 units, that is too much if you are finding you regularly hit 3's on BG's.
Beware the 'honeymoon' was not mentioned to me early enough.
At the moment I only touch the fast acting if my BG reading is 6+ and I am indulging - chinese is off the scale!!
Bottom line my advice is you have to take a certain amount of control - but discussing with the D nurse can give you the freedom to alter the approach regarding the fast stuff so long as the base is at a good level.
Hope this helps - forgive the waffle.
Absolute novice at this game myself - T1 diagnosed 27/12.
Had the same experience as you are seeing so every empathy. I saw the D nurses and got conflicting stories - started low base and increased gradually - then saw the Enemy of Food (dietician) who started me on carb counting (buy the collins guide for reference - cheap and less confusing) then started Apidra after meals - big problems. I found that at certain times I was having to 'top-up' on carbs just to stop the 3 handles on BG levels. My experience has taught me to trust myself - I found the 3.6 worrying and the 2.8 print just blew my mind!! I now work on the assumption that if I test and get an 8.4 I feel happier than getting a 4.3.
Carb counting is great, BUT even on 1 unit fast per 2 Carb's, a pizza is 13 Carbs so 7 units, that is too much if you are finding you regularly hit 3's on BG's.
Beware the 'honeymoon' was not mentioned to me early enough.
At the moment I only touch the fast acting if my BG reading is 6+ and I am indulging - chinese is off the scale!!
Bottom line my advice is you have to take a certain amount of control - but discussing with the D nurse can give you the freedom to alter the approach regarding the fast stuff so long as the base is at a good level.
Hope this helps - forgive the waffle.
Thanks for the replies guys and gals, i am seeing my D Nurse tomorrow and will be asking her about the Dafne course, although i don't think it operates in Birmingham.
I have ordered a couple of books, "how to think like a pancreas" sounds appropriate
and Dr Bernsteins Diabetes solution for some quality bed time reading! :roll:
I've managed to stop smoking after 16 yrs! pat on the back for me, but i am struggleing with the hypo's at the moment, maybe as i'm trying to keep my levels at the lower end of the scale after reading about the link between high bg lvl's and complications.
Thanks for the help, speak to you soon.
Gaz
I have ordered a couple of books, "how to think like a pancreas" sounds appropriate
and Dr Bernsteins Diabetes solution for some quality bed time reading! :roll: I've managed to stop smoking after 16 yrs! pat on the back for me, but i am struggleing with the hypo's at the moment, maybe as i'm trying to keep my levels at the lower end of the scale after reading about the link between high bg lvl's and complications.
Thanks for the help, speak to you soon.
Gaz
Just to put your mind at rest complications will occur after prolonged periods of high blood sugars and Hba1c readings, obviously better to be safe than sorry but for a few days when you can test your blood sugar levels 2 hours after eating and see how the pattern looks. As long as your getting huge spikes after 2 hours or massive lows (not eating enough or too much insulin) then you should see how your body is settling into a rhythm. Hope that makes sense!
I'd also recommend john walsh 'using insulin', i am haf way through reading it and it explains how to make sure you're taking the right amount of insulin and how to work out your insulin to carb ratio etc.
if you're having hypp's that means you are tkaing too much insulin, can you identify any pattern to when these occur? this will help work out which insulin is the cause
if you're having hypp's that means you are tkaing too much insulin, can you identify any pattern to when these occur? this will help work out which insulin is the cause
