- Messages
- 23
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
30th of November 2016 — I have never been good with dates but this is a date that will forever be etched in my mind. The day my whole life was rocked by the words “you have Type 1 diabetes”.
From about early October I had minor symptoms of not feeling refreshed, fatigue, blurred vision and a massive lack of concentration. It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks did the symptoms increase to such severity that I was struggling to just go about my daily life.
In the last two weeks, I lost 7.2kg. I was downing pint after pint of water yet feeling a constant thirst (not just feeling thirsty — but gasping thirst). I was struggling to focus my eyes on what was right in front of me. My brain just didn’t seem to be functioning how it used to. I felt like ****.
I went to the walk-in at my Drs at 07:00 to beat the big line that always forms before 08:00 when the doors open. I went to the walk-in mainly because I couldn’t wait the 3 weeks for an appointment the receptionist gave me on the phone a week earlier (even after explaining that I suspected I had diabetes - so it couldn't have been that serious otherwise they'd have rushed me in.... right?). At this poin, I had come to the conclusion that it was likely going to be Type 2 diabetes due to my high sugar intake (even though I am a fairly slim guy), my lack of exercise and general lack of self care. I suspected I would be in store for a change in diet and some exercise and in a year I will have reversed it (clearly I hadn’t read too much about diabetes at this point — still an element of denial).
Reasons I was in denial and took so long to see a Dr:
08:30 I had a finger prick for blood sugar (24mmol/L after 14 hours of un-intentional fasting from the night before), blood tests, urine tested for ketones ( was at ++++) and asked a bunch of questions about my medical history. No auto immune history on my mums side, didn't know my biological fathers die.
09:00 I was being told by my GP that I have diabetes and that she suspected Type 1 based on my results and answers to her questions. She wanted me to go to the hospital to get sorted straight away. I wasn’t even allowed to pop into work round the corner and charge my battery on my phone! It was only on 7%, come on Dr… priorities!
Between 10:00 and 17:45 I was in the Acute Diagnostic Wing at St James Hospital.
This day was a blur (probably due to high blood sugar, fear and exhaustion) but there are a few points I remember quite clearly during this my time at the hospital:
Diabetes Type 1 is a condition of definitives.
I wasn’t used to definitives that related to me. I always had choices, always in control and always made the decisions in my life. This felt like this had been taken away from me.
My life now:
I have a pack that I carry with me 24/7, it consists of:
9 Months Later
I am a pro at injecting now (but blood tests still have the needle anxiety)
I monitor VERY carefully my sugars with a Freestyle Libre sensor (it's fantastic - finger pricks are so archaic)
I have mostly good/ok days and the occasional bad days
I have accepted and feel like I got this
This was the first 24hrs. Was this different to your experience when you found out?
From about early October I had minor symptoms of not feeling refreshed, fatigue, blurred vision and a massive lack of concentration. It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks did the symptoms increase to such severity that I was struggling to just go about my daily life.
In the last two weeks, I lost 7.2kg. I was downing pint after pint of water yet feeling a constant thirst (not just feeling thirsty — but gasping thirst). I was struggling to focus my eyes on what was right in front of me. My brain just didn’t seem to be functioning how it used to. I felt like ****.
I went to the walk-in at my Drs at 07:00 to beat the big line that always forms before 08:00 when the doors open. I went to the walk-in mainly because I couldn’t wait the 3 weeks for an appointment the receptionist gave me on the phone a week earlier (even after explaining that I suspected I had diabetes - so it couldn't have been that serious otherwise they'd have rushed me in.... right?). At this poin, I had come to the conclusion that it was likely going to be Type 2 diabetes due to my high sugar intake (even though I am a fairly slim guy), my lack of exercise and general lack of self care. I suspected I would be in store for a change in diet and some exercise and in a year I will have reversed it (clearly I hadn’t read too much about diabetes at this point — still an element of denial).
Reasons I was in denial and took so long to see a Dr:
- I had always been quite healthy (rarely got ill) and these things never happened to me
- I have an 18 month old son at home and wanted him to only see his strong flawless father (oxymoron I know — stay strong by not seeking medical help!)
- The worry that I could have something that would pass to my child (ignorance really was bliss)
- Fear. My knowledge of diabetes was limited and based on the media stories about increased obesity related diabetes, I didn’t want to accept my legs would drop off, I would get overly fat or just die early!
- Up until this point I had spent my life with an anxiety of needles. No way was I going to accept or even consider I might have a condition that requires multiple needles a day. Nope. Not happening! *shudder*
08:30 I had a finger prick for blood sugar (24mmol/L after 14 hours of un-intentional fasting from the night before), blood tests, urine tested for ketones ( was at ++++) and asked a bunch of questions about my medical history. No auto immune history on my mums side, didn't know my biological fathers die.
09:00 I was being told by my GP that I have diabetes and that she suspected Type 1 based on my results and answers to her questions. She wanted me to go to the hospital to get sorted straight away. I wasn’t even allowed to pop into work round the corner and charge my battery on my phone! It was only on 7%, come on Dr… priorities!
Between 10:00 and 17:45 I was in the Acute Diagnostic Wing at St James Hospital.
This day was a blur (probably due to high blood sugar, fear and exhaustion) but there are a few points I remember quite clearly during this my time at the hospital:
- Being REALLY hungry but terrified to eat a yogurt at 11:00 because I didn’t know what was going to happen if I did. I was still undergoing tests and multiple times waiting long periods in the waiting room for test results to come back. A nice nurse said I was allowed to have something to snack on, I was feeling pretty weak. No yogurt ever tasted as good as that one!
- Sitting in the waiting room nearly in tears a couple of times through the day. I had been told I had Type 1 and what they were testing for ketoacidosis to find out whether I needed to go to a ward with IV drip, or be sent home with insulin. But nobody had yet spent the time to explain what this diagnosis meant for me, for my family, my work, my way of life or anything. The thing that was upsetting me the most was when I thought about my son and the life he would see me lead. A father who couldn’t walk due to massive sores over feet and legs. A father who would die early and not be there for him to buy his first home, get married or have his own children. Looking back it was silly, but these were things I thought would happen as I didn’t know any better.
- SO MANY NEEDLES! I had 3 vials of blood taken while at Drs. I had 8 vials taken while at hospital. My god did I hate needles!
- Meeting my diabetes nurse Claire towards the end of the day who sat down and went through everything with me. She was fantastic. By the end of our long sit down I understood the difference between Type 1 and Type 2. I understood what had happened to my pancreas. I understood what I had to do each day to manage this diagnosis. I understood what it meant to be a ‘good diabetic’ compared to a ‘bad diabetic’. I understood that this was not a death sentence, but a life sentence. Because I still had a life and a way to continue as I always had done (within reason). I actually left that discussion feeling alright about what had happened to me and that I would be ok.
Diabetes Type 1 is a condition of definitives.
- I will inject myself FOREVER
- I can NEVER get drunk
- I will ALWAYS have to monitor my levels closely
I wasn’t used to definitives that related to me. I always had choices, always in control and always made the decisions in my life. This felt like this had been taken away from me.
My life now:
I have a pack that I carry with me 24/7, it consists of:
- 1 pen of NovoRapid insulin
- 1 pen of Abasaglar insulin
- 8 needle heads
- 1 finger lancer/pricker
- 2 lancet drum heads
- 1 blood sugar meter
- 1 pot of testing strips
- 1 pack of Dextrose
9 Months Later
I am a pro at injecting now (but blood tests still have the needle anxiety)
I monitor VERY carefully my sugars with a Freestyle Libre sensor (it's fantastic - finger pricks are so archaic)
I have mostly good/ok days and the occasional bad days
I have accepted and feel like I got this
This was the first 24hrs. Was this different to your experience when you found out?
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