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Newbie - Type 1 diagnosed

ArtemisBow

Well-Known Member
Messages
312
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes about 8 months ago, but this is the first time I have posted in a forum, so hello all.

I was pretty upset when I was first diagnosed, and as I am generally a very practical and organised person my attitude so far has been "knowledge is power" - measuring levels before and after every meal, writing down exactly what I've eaten, how much insulin I've taken, measuring and weighing everything. 8 months down the line though, I still don't have control - I get massive swings from one day to the next despite eating exactly the same thing, I go through random periods where I need to double or triple the ratio of insulin as I was the week before, and then having a string of hypos when things go back the other way. This has actually upset me more than when I was first diagnosed, because with all this information, shouldn't I be able to get it right by now?

I know that lots of things can play a factor such as exercise, stress, menstrual cycle etc, but as I get no strong consistency in results it feels like it's more luck than anything to get the dose right. My consultant has talked about the "honeymoon period" so it could be that I am going through that, but it's depressing to always be playing catch up - all I can do is react after things have gone too high or too low.

Did others experience similar changes in levels/dosing ratios in the months after you were diagnosed? Any tips on how to manage it?
 
Welcome to the forum.

Your consultant may be right and this might explain matters, hopefully over the coming weeks and months things will settle down, when they do ask your team if they can give you a bolus advisor such as the Accu-Chek Aviva Expert, it's a great little meter and advises on insulin doses going by the information you put in.

Also try and get your name down for the next available DAFNE course that is running in your area, in the mean-time get a copy of the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner, it discusses all the problems that type 1's face and has some excellent tips and advice.
 
Thankyou @noblehead, I'm on the waiting list for a DAFNE course already but will try the book you have mentioned in the meantime.
 
Hello, and welcome
Yup, it sounds like the honeymoon phase to me, more or less what I experienced The good news is, it does settle down eventually, and all the hard work you are putting in now, record keeping, testing etc, will pay off because you have gained a load of experience in your diabetes management which always will differ from someone elses in some way. It's the nature of the beast Even now, years after the honeymoon phase has ended, I still get many a "***???" moments, when the readings just do not make sense at all, and periods when I'm trundling along in smug mode when a stage of weirdness upsets that particular apple cart and drives me nuts

I spoke to my DSN this morning, venting my frustration over an insulin change over (I confess, I can be a tad OCD about the whole thing, and patience is not one of my virtues ) She said :

" You could eat the exact same thing, have the exact same day with the exact same doses in a row of days and have different readings. That's the way of diabetes. Cut yourself a little slack " (and was probably thinking "how do I get RID of this woman and stop her obsessing ??")

It is frustrating. It is intensely annoying. But you are not unique or alone in experiencing it You'll fine lot's of support on here

Signy
 
Thankyou so much @Heathenlass - it's good to know things do settle down, even if it takes a while, and that I'm not the only one getting it wrong!
 
You are welcome

It's so frustrating to keep chasing your tail, and I was happier once the honeymoon stage ended, and the realisation dawned that even if you do everything that you should, no one, but no one has perfect control all of the time. Expect the unexpected

You said you are waiting for a place on DAFNE, but in the mean time there is a free, online course that may help by the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals : http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/welcome.asp .

Another freebie I found useful was an app for my phone which logs BG readings and insulin doses and more besides. I found the paper log books a right pain in the a*se because it never had enough spaces for information, became a tattered mess and was frequently left behind I found the app organised records much better, and I was actually able to see some trending that I wasn't aware of . App here

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Diabetes-iPhone-Tracker-app/

I hope that they help, if you haven't come across them already

Signy
 
Welcome to the forum.
I can sympathise with what you are going through and it is just about what you said, Knowledge is Power!!
Just try and keep a track of things as best you can, if you are going through the Honeymoon Period your pancreas will be producing its own insulin but will be unpredictable.
This forum is a great place to pick up some tips and advice from others who go through the same things as you do.
Things will get easier when the Honeymoon Period is over.
I would recommend the book mentioned above by noblehead
 
Hi I am newly diagnosed about 2 months now I am pretty sure I am on my honeymoon period and I am on 1 unit of nova rapid and 15 units of lantus but I have cut out nearly all carbs I don't eat bread pasta cereal ect I now get my carbs from veg and fruit but the nurses haven't have me my carb insulin ratio yet !
Should I eat more carbs again so the nurse will be able to tell me my ratio correctly ???


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi @Mh321 - if you are able to keep such good control without starchy carbs then great job! I wish I was as in control as you are

From what I've researched you can have a diet free from starchy carbohydrates such as bread, pasta etc and be perfectly healthy. It looks like a lot of the people on this forum have adopted a no or low starchy carb diet and that works for them. So if you are in control you don't have to have starchy carbs if you don't want to.

However, if you do want to introduce some back into your diet, then my advice would be to start small - try having a small amount of brown rice or wholemeal bread with a meal but keep everything else the same as you have been having before. Measure it carefully so you know how much carb is in it. If your nurse has given you guidance on a starting ratio to try then use that, and measure your BG levels before you eat and 2 hours after. Then adjust your ratio based on what happens. Although your nurse can help you with ratios, in my experience the best person to make adjustments to your dosing is yourself.

If you are going through your honeymoon period, then don't be surprised if the ratio changes. Good luck!
 

Hello and welcome
Your blood range is very good

As I see it, you don't need to introduce any more carbs into your diet and possibly upset the apple cart, as it sounds like the ratio of carbs to insulin is about right for you at this time . Maybe leave things just as they are until you see the nurse? Otherwise it may be that you are advised to up the carbs you are eating, which will also mean that the amount of insulin you need to inject to cover them will also increase. If you are on a fixed dose of 1 unit of Novo for all meals, eating more carbs may mean your blood glucose can go higher .
Another member has given a link to a workbook you may find useful, and explains things better than I can I'll find the link and post it up

Signy
 
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