New Type One Diabetic

You will be able to inject yourself, apart from anything else it beats, by miles, dying a painful death from dka.

But the needles these days are very small, and the first couple of times it's difficult but one day you will barely notice you are doing it.

I get the impression you're an adult, there are some brave children who do this, if they can do it, you can.

Otherwise you might end up with a nurse coming round to do it for you, and you would be completely at their mercy, with no control over your life whatsover.

You can do it.

I could probably sound a bit more sympathetic here.

MarkET said:

Hi all have just been classed type one diabetic and it feels like been hit by a brick haven't a clue what to expect and have been told I will have to inject upto 5 times a day and to be honest I know I'm not going to be able to inject myself can anyone help

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You will be ok. It's not too bad. The diagnosis made me think more about the importance of health. And I feel healthier overall.

Hi @MarkET
Tell us your story. Try not to over think the injections just now.

MarkET said:

I know I'm not going to be able to inject myself can anyone help

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Hi, MarkET, I think we were all worried about the idea of injections to start with.

That's mainly because prior experiences with injections was usually a doctor or nurse using a big needle in a vein, or a dentist into a gum, and we thought it was going to be like that.

But it's not. Think about the size of needles the docs use in a vein and then compare it to the type we use - see pic below : you can barely see the needle.

You'll likely be using needles like that, around 4 to 5 mm long and a mere quarter of a mm wide.

And it doesn't go into a vein. It's just into fat on the stomach or leg.

I can understand you worrying, I was too when I was dx'd, but honestly, the injections are really not painful.

The tricky thing about T1 is not the injections per se. It's understanding the effects of the insulin; how to balance it with food, with exercise, what to do when you go too high or low.

That stuff takes time to learn, so don't worry about it for the moment, you'll be guided by your docs to start with and pick it up as time goes by.

Anyway, wishing you luck, and here's that pic, tiny isn't it?

MarkET said:

Hi all have just been classed type one diabetic and it feels like been hit by a brick haven't a clue what to expect and have been told I will have to inject upto 5 times a day and to be honest I know I'm not going to be able to inject myself can anyone help

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Hi Mark and welcome, the unknown is the scariest, it's such a lot to take in, in shock and it can make people anxious about how they are going to cope. The forum is full of helpful member's and getting support and a kind word or two, goes a long way
I was diagnosed nearly 3 decades ago and my family is full of nurses and health worker's....but not me. So when I had to inject into my leg in hospital, my hands were sweating and I was scared, but after I did it, in front of a nurse and doctor it wasn't as bad as I thought and if I can do it, anyone can ( the needles are small and very fine) It will get easier in time, it is early days for you and still raw. Ask any question and someone should be along to help.
Take care x

I was terrified of needles and when I was diagnosed just ovet a year ago, I was devastated. I thought I would never be able to do it, but that fear was short lived when I started to inject.

I find the finger pricks more painful than the injections.

You will be fine, life is not easy but I live by the phrase adapt and overcome!you can do anything you put your mind to,the diabetic family have all been there.good luck

@MarkET

Hello MarkET and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

I've been diagnosed / injecting for nearly 30 years and my 5 year old daughter was diagnosed about a month ago and she hardly flinches now when we inject her - it will become 2nd nature in no time...given your age, you will be able to handle it well with maturity compared to when I was diagnoised in my early teens and I was quite anti-compliant

MarkET said:

Thanks for your kind words that helps
I suppose it's harder for me because I work in the NHS and have done for nearly 25 years now but the only address I haven't covered is diabetes.
I work in the theatres now so have for people that I can talk to but it's not the same as people that are diabetes

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Hi MarkET. I’m 51 too and I was diagnosed T1 1 year ago. No medical background, no family history, a total bombshell. In fact I remember crying over the phone to the very nice man who told me to get myself into A&E as I was on the point of DKA. (No idea what that meant of course). I think I was also crying with relief though as I was so ill at that stage (long story) so Diabetes was the good news. It turns out that loads of people live perfectly fulfilled lives and cope with injecting on average 5 times a day but it’s a massive subject, people who have lived with it for years are still learning new stuff. I haven’t a clue really but I recently attended a week long DAFNE course, there was a cancellation and I got a place much sooner than many people. Can’t recommend it enough for helping to explain & cope with DT1. The hardest thing is calculating what insulin to take with meals. Curiously I wasn’t bothered about injecting and I remember for about 3 months feeling huge waves of relief when I did. I have found it quite depressing over this past year. Turns out that’s a known feature of T1 too and there’s a dedicated counselling service. And of course this community is great for support & info. I read a lot here so thankyou everyone.
If you work in a hospital go down to the Diabetes centre where they will be working with the most up to date methods. Perhaps you can register there rather than with GP? Though all prescriptions etc go through the GP. Diabetes centre Nurses more informed & helpful than GPs & consultants perhaps. Gosh what am I saying?
Time to stop waffling on but must wish you luck. Hope your first year goes as well as mine. You will have many difficult things to experience & learn so support from family, friends and colleagues will really help. Best of British !!

Hello lovely, and welcome to the forum, you’ve come to the right place. It’s a cruel and horrible shock, this diagnosis - I was 24, so was just getting the hang of enjoying an unfettered life. That was 20 years ago now. There’s not a great deal to add to what the others have said, but you will get the hang of it, I promise. A big part of the battle is psychological, I think.

Ask us all the questions you need to, we’ll help you all we can. What insulins and injecting schedule do they have you on so far?

Hi. As others have said it's not a problem. My needles are 4mm long and very fine. I inject my daily insulin (Basal) in the thigh and my mealtime one (Bolus) in the stomach. These are not absolutely fixed and you will need to move them around a little to avoid the same spot too often. The injections are normally painless and over time those injection areas become less sensitive anyway. Yes you will expect to inject 4 or 5 times day. Once or twice for the daily Basal and a Bolus each time you have a meal. Some split the Basal into two injections and some like me just do it once a day. It's fairly arbitrary and the split is to cater for the Basal not lasting a full 24 hours. The injections themselves are really not a problem but remembering to do them is! Meter testing has to be done when needed and particularly before and during driving (inform the DVLA and your car insurer). Do come back to the T1 forum for more help if needed.

MarkET said:

Oopps sorry meant thanks

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For the first time of learning to inject yourself; your diabetic nurse will show you how to use the needles .
Don't forget to pick up the booklet from your D N.
so that you can look up the answer when you're unsure of something.
I had been there 2 years ago.
Dowjai001