New too Type 1 Diabetes

[Teravoc]

Hi All

I just got diagnosed with Type 1 after feeling generally unwell within myself for several months. This wasnt picked up by the doctors, it was my proactiveness that eventually led me to seek medical advice. My dad actually has type 1, so I went around and tested my blood sugar using his machine. It came back with the reading 32.6 Which my understanding is very high, to the point my dad was happy I was not in a coma. Eeps. So I rang the GP, who told me no appointments until a week later (I mentioned the reading on the machine) No sooner did i put the phone down I got a call to see the doctor immediately. This being the start of the roller coster ride, it seems ill be riding the rest of my life.

Im 30 a male, and live with my GF and a lodger my mum died with Aplastic anemea about 3 years ago. I also have Asthma and use Ventolin inhalers. I was only diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on Friday officially.

That started rather well, talking about blood results. My Keytones (not sure how you spell it) but that was +++ I was at 28 on the finger blood test. Then things started getting nasty after that, she asked if i wanted to inject myself or for her to do it for me. She braught out a stylish thing that looked like a pen, too me it seemed like the needle was 10 inches long, reality is its like a centimeter long. What a total chicken I am, I opted for her to give me the dose and broke into a cold sweat, I was very scared (I still am scared). We tested on an apple at first, that was quite funny as my girlfriends first attempt consisted of her "Stabbing" the apple. I nearly cryed right there lol. Few more trys and I got how easy it was.

I still cant inject myself, I just dont have the courage yet. So I let my girlfriend do it twice a day rather then me.
Ive taken some time off work, I have at least 3 days sick to see if i am ready for a more normal life to resume. (Score!)
I am trying to milk for as much sympothy as possible at the moment, because lets face it, Its pritty massive to one day be told your on Injections the rest of your life. Its not like she isnt going to not benefit me from having Type 1 either.

This is why it benefits my GF.

BEFORE I could:
* Eat Junk Food
* Do No Exercise
* Dieting - FULL COKE Please

AFTER:
*Eat Veg/Fruit
*Exercise (HOUSEWORK + Walks where suggested)
*Drink Diet drinks.

Shes been begging me to do these things for years and it fell to deaf ears. Now this stupid illness comes along and takes my option away and she gets everything she wanted out of me, So darn right im going to milk this for at least 2 weeks!

My biggest fear is a Hypo at this time, OMG i read these forums and hypos sound like a total nightmare. I tell you now I really dont want one, but then again I dont want to go blind or loose a foot either. SCARRRRRRRRREEEEEEEED!!

I get to see the Dietition next week! I have already changed things though, I have Cereal for breakfast and a banana now I never did that before. Not ever. I am living on diet drinks now and water, Even baught some melon from the shops to snack on, and have 3 meals a day rather than the one big one I had previously.

Oh yeah, and what a totally rubish and random symptom of diabetes:

THRUSH.
Well ive been treating it with the good old cannistan, but omg Diabetes affected my Penis and stopped me having sex. I recognised thrush though well early before i passed it too my GF. I actually have been treating it before i diagnosed myself with diabetes. Talk about a curve ball symptom. I asked the doctor, she suggested condoms, Can I say thats incorrect information because i read on the cream that condoms can cause the cream to not work. So thats a fail to the doctor and a fail to my sex life. Im just pleased thrush lasts less time then diabetes because having thrush for life would suck.

SQUISHY EYES.
So when your coming down from high sugar to low sugar it changes the pressure in the eyes and leads to blurry vision. This information is also not on leaflets and sucks also. It just makes you feel that much wierder.

ADVANTAGES:
Finally I supose, people will be wondering about how i feel about having type 1 diabetes.
Advantages:
Well Its an absolute must for partner relations: It affectivly gives you a healthier lifestyle which obviously affects your partner. You tend to appreciate your partner more (Especially if it means you dont have to inject yourself) You can get sympathy in the early days at least too also you qualify for a few sick days to get adjusted. Oh, Its also nice knowing whats wrong with you, at the end of the day no matter whats diagnosed its nice to give it a name.

DISADVANTAGES:
NEEDLES! They suck and im scared of them..
HYPO's They suck and im scared of them..
Chocolate Deserts! They absolutly Rock! and Im scared of them...
Doing stuff alone.. Facing all the inner deamons sucks too, but if you get a big enough bat!
Diabetes Statistics.. SUCKS and Im scared of them..
Invisable damage to body.. It Sucks but remember its invisable and easy to ignore! Sounds like bad advice until you realise the invisable damage stops damaging you when you get the other stuff right!
FEET: I have to check my feet but doesnt really tell me what it is im checking for, Im currently counting them every day. So far its been a stable 2 every day.

If you read this far you get a diet sugar free cookie!

At the end of the day, getting told you have a chronic life long desease generally sucks, but what you going to do. Cry, feel sorry for yourself, worry to death, ignore it? Nah scroo that, Live ya life the best you can, and try not to be a pain in the ass to the person next to you. There are so many worse things out there. Im not saying this is the best but the worlds full of dodgyness. I have plenty of pain in my life, I just dont live in the pain.

Any Advice for me would be great, and if you theres diabetics out there who have NEVER had a hypo, I would love to know you.

Finally Id like to say the fingerstest is more painful (LOL) then the injection! Meaning no pain. For Injection points, I recomend the stomache, I would definately not recomend: Testicle, Nipple nore the Eye.

 

[tango]

hi
i was diagnosed type 1 14 months ago and the nearest that i've been to a hypo is feeling hungry, sweaty and a little bit shaky. i love it when this happens as i use it as an excuse to pig out on chocolate without feeling guilty. and just for info this only happens to me on average about once or twice every couple of months and then only after i've been grafting.

 

[Nellie]

Well the good news is that the squishy eyes and the thrush will go away once your BS is controlled.
I live in France and every person that came out to see me from the UK was instructed to bring Canestan before I was diagnosed, I haven't had to use it since.
More good news, the injections won't seem so bad very quickly. I rationalised it that if the children I had taught in the past had been able to inject with those great big syringes then I could use a tiny pen needle! besides they wouldn't let me out of hospital until I showed them I could manage.

Hypos effect people differently, personally I didn't find the experience that different to those that I had when I went without eating before diagnosis but they can come on unexpectedly, particularly when you haven't really figured out how to control things and what sends you low. My first one happened the day after coming out of hospital, when I visited a garden centre and the heat in one of the glasshouses made my BS descend rapidly. You may also feel the symptoms at a higher level than when you've had diabetes for a while.
Just make sure that you use fast acting sugar and don't overtreat which will send your BS in the other direction. (15gm glucose wait 15 minutes, retest if BS still not raised retreat If its a while before the next meal then eat some slower acting carbs (fruit, 2 small biscuits, small sandwich, glass of milk). You'll eventually find that different types of hypo need different treatments, its very individual.
Even more good news, I don't know much about the mixtard regime but if you eventually change your insulin regime to one where you inject for the amount of carbohydrates you eat,(basal/bolus) you will be able to eat the odd chocolate puddding! I had a chocolate nut sundae the other day, with no problems controling the after meal BS. I wouldn't do it everyday but no-one, diabetic or not should!

 

[totsy]

hya terovac,
welcome to the forum and diabetes,
as said b4 your eyes and thrush will get back to normal,keep reading this forum as it will learn u so much and remember that what works for one person may not for another,
its trial and error with food,i too hated needles on diagnosis but soon got used to it,as for hypos i would say its inevitable u will get one ,my first was about 8mnth after diagnosis,some are bad but thats cos my awareness isnt right good now but as long as u deal with it straight away u will be fine,always keep gluco tabs or lucozade with you,and yes lifes a beetch but we just have to look after ourselves and enjoy life
as 4 the feet ,your checking for cuts/blisters etc as we are more prone to infection and if you have neuropathy (which u can get with uncontrolled bloods)u may not know youve cut yourself,
take care and keep asking questions,there are some great folk on ere

 

[fergus]

Hi Teravoc,

Welcome to our world! I thought your post was teriffic by the way. You might be diabetic from now on in, but at least you have tested positive for that essential survival tool - a sense of humour.
You'll get the hang of the injection lark quickly enough - it won't be painful at all once you learn to do it yourself whereas anyone who does it for you will never learn how to avoid the hurty ones.
Hypo's aren't something to worry about either. Look for the positives. A hypo equals a free chocolate biscuit!
Let us know what your dietician tells you to eat. Experience has taught us to be extremely sceptical of anyone who suggests you base your meals around starchy carbohydrates. Starch is great if you want to use lots of insulin, have rollercoaster blood sugars and regular hypo's. Not so great if you prefer normal blood sugars.

All the best,

fergus

 

[Teravoc]

Thanks for the awesome responses.

You guys have already made me feel more at ease about the hypos. I wonder if i have had hypos in the past and not known it. Since ive proberbly had Diabetes a while.

Yeah I think ill be ok with the needles since i was given a hurty one today (Wasnt too hurty though) and I watched it go in. Actually I took the air out the needle, it went in, Then I realised the plunger wasnt set to my dose so it had to come out again, then i set it, then it went in again. So it looks like im getting stabbed 3 times today.

No cereal is a good tip, so what options do i have for breakfast?

 

[timo2]

Welcome to the forum Teravoc,

To be a good type 1, you'll only ever need five things.

Knowledge
resilience
self-belief
sense of humor
insulin

Number five was a close run thing between insulin and internet porn.

All the best,
timo.

 

[DiabeticGeek]

No cereal is a good tip, so what options do i have for breakfast?

It may not sound like traditional "health food", but bacon and eggs take some beating (very low carb). In fact any form of eggs are pretty good. If you like pancakes, it is possible to make a very palatable low carb pancake by replacing the flour in the batter with ground up GG Bran Crispbread (you can get them from most health food stores). If you want to buy specific low (or at least reduced) carb breakfast products, then the Low Carb Megastore carry a fair range.

 

[Teravoc]

Haha, I need an illness that demands you check for internet porn twice a day.

Im about to go shopping for LOW fat stuff, Im going to ignore carbs for now. Im going to make sure I have eggs in the morning with bacon rather then cereal. Im having mashed potatoe this evening, and im going to get some whole grain bread for a sandwich at lunch time. Low fat ingredients for the next few days to see what happens.

Ill proberbly get it wrong but im going to read the lable. Fizzy Diet pop with no Aspart. is also somthing im looking for.

Wish me luck!

 

[sofaraway]

No cereal is a good tip, so what options do i have for breakfast?

It may not sound like traditional "health food", but bacon and eggs take some beating (very low carb). In fact any form of eggs are pretty good.

if you are going to have bacon and eggs make sure you have some toast or some kind of carbs with it, on mixed insulin you can't go very low carb.

gte some glucose tablets for hypo's. although they do suck sometimes, generally they are an annoying inconveinience. I often have a hypo, treat and get on with things and the people around me don't know a thing

 

[lionrampant]

Don't worry about the injections mate, you get used to it because you have to. Hypos - ah the great misunderstood hypo. It just gives you an excuse to swallow more sugar in one go than you usually have in an entire day.

I have to check my feet but doesnt really tell me what it is im checking for, Im currently counting them every day. So far its been a stable 2 every day.

I like this lad. :lol:

Well ive been treating it with the good old cannistan

There are natural alternatives you can find on-line, if you have any problems with the pharmacological solution. I say this based on research I did for a business idea, not from personal experience.

but omg Diabetes affected my Penis and stopped me having sex

Wha... bu.... eh?

*Exercise (HOUSEWORK + Walks where suggested)

Join a gym. Less housework, and more fit women jogging on treadmills around you. 8)

If you read this far you get a diet sugar free cookie!

Fail, sir! Epic fail I might even say. Unless it uses natural sweeteners...

Finally Id like to say the fingerstest is more painful (LOL) then the injection! Meaning no pain. For Injection points, I recomend the stomache, I would definately not recomend: Testicle, Nipple nore the Eye.

Stomach can work, but thighs are often more practical.

Once you get settled you can look at buying a better BG monitor with a better finger pricking device.

Good luck and all that.

 

[Teravoc]

Well went shopping again today and think i did rather well.. but what do you pro's think, here are a selection of 10 items from what I got today did i do good or bad ????

1. Diabetic, Icecream? I got this to go with Diet Lemonade for a barbeque thats planned for next week. (that will be another post lol) No Sugar Lemonade Floats?

2. Low Carb/Sugar bread? Weight watcher type bread.

3. SugarFree Redbull (Caffine???)

4. Melon Slices?

5. Them tubs of peaches and a tub of pears? (To have as a desert substitute)

6. Green Salad in a packet.

7. Ready cooked Bacon rashers (For sandwiches/Salad for dinner)

8. Babybell Half fat

9. Some Finest Colslaw (I checked the low fat stuff, but it seemed to have more sugar in, this was higher fat lower sugar)

10. Some Flavoured Water that was sugar free and didnt seem to have Aspart. in.

Other stuff included veg, lots of low fat or low sugar stuff. Like Philidelphia Light. SO did i do bad, im yet to see the dietition. Hopefully this week.

 

[TROUBR]

Hi
Loved your message, sorry you have had to join this world but it isn't so bad once you get used to it - honest! I have been doing the same thing as you - looking for the advantages, so far have milking it (as you have already sussed - sounds like your girl friend is a cool), eating granary bread - always used to avoid this as I was worried I would eat the lkot but now I know I can't I am buying the nicest stuff I can find and when eating out and getting slow service mention your need to eat asap and why and bingo! :wink: It has also been a useful excuse to excape from the inlaws early - not feeling great - need to eat now (they are too tight to offer to feed me there)!Disadvantages - having "do you need sugar" thrown into the mix everytime you have an argument - obviously I now I am diabetic I can not have a different opinion without being hypo! :evil:

Re the needles I think the longer you avoid it the more of an issue it will become if you are not careful.(I used to hate needles so much that for my sons jabs they used to have to prepare everything out of sight and let me know so I could shut my eyes! I did my first one when I was still in hospital - in fact they gave me a syringe first time and suggested I did it. After a lot of "I can'ts / you cans" I did it. I find my night time lantus one can sting a bit but my daytime ones are no problem now and I don't hestitate now I just get on with it and you will too.

I was also worried about hypos but so far I have only had about 3 /4 mild ones (hopefully they will stay that way too!) where I just feel a bit shaky and I have a strange anxious feeling almost a bit panicy but these have usually been before my meals anyway. You won't be able to avoid them I am afraid infact as I understand it the better your control the more likely these will happen.

Re the carbs thing - there is a huge debate as you will see about the how many etc. As a newbie I am just waiting until I am sure I know what I am doing first and then I will decide how to move forward ie if to low carb etc. I may only choice to do it to lose some weight and then increase them as I have to admit I am not sure if I want to spend the rest of my life feeling like I am on a diet unless I have to.

best of luck

 

[DiabeticGeek]

No cereal is a good tip, so what options do i have for breakfast?

It may not sound like traditional "health food", but bacon and eggs take some beating (very low carb). In fact any form of eggs are pretty good.

if you are going to have bacon and eggs make sure you have some toast or some kind of carbs with it, on mixed insulin you can't go very low carb.

I'm not on insulin, so I don't have any experience here - but is it not a question of calibrating the dose for whatever carb intake you have? Richard Bernstein recommends not more than 6g carbohydrate for breakfast for all diabetics (he is T1), and unless you cut a very small slice of toast that is likely to have about twice that.

 

[Nellie]

I'm not on insulin, so I don't have any experience here - but is it not a question of calibrating the dose for whatever carb intake you have?

No, its not as simple as that. This is what horrifies me when people who have just been put onto insulin are being told to cut back their carbohydrates.
I don't have any personal experience of pre mixed insulins either but I do know that they contain both the faster insulin to cover the carbohydrate element at mealtimes and a longer term insulin to mop up glucose produced during the day . You cannot cut back one part without the other element also being reduced. This regime is not very flexible and depends upon regular mealtimes to coincide with the insulin action.
Even with a basal bolus regime ( separate long term and rapid meal time insulins)it is not easy nor I think advisable when first diagnosed to start changing things. When I came out of hospital I was told to eat a certain amount of carbohydrates with each meal and a fixed dose of bolus insulin, to be adjusted up or down the following day if I was too high, or low. The carb element was prescribed. Suddenly abandoning my breakfast would have resulted in an horendous hypo. (like the original poster my breakfast was cereal {poridge} and fruit and still is.)
It took time, reading and experimentation to learn how to adjust my dose for what I was eating.
I was lucky and have fairly similar carb/insulin ratios throughout the day and had the advantage that doctors had got my initial basal doseage correct, I was able to teach myself.I know that many people who have had diabetes for a long time have learned through experience to manipulate the various types of insulin. For others it is neither intuitive nor easy. It takes a week in the UK for these skills to be taught (DAFNE).