Newly diagnoed T1

budgie92 · May 4, 2011

Hello, I'm new to this forum so will give you a little background info. Firstly my name is Melissa and I'm 19 years old. I work at my local hopital as a Health Care Assistant on a Nephrology Ward. I was diagnosed with Type one diabetes 27th December 2010, after being admitted to my local Emergency Care Unit following right loin pain and pyrexia, I was discharged after 5 1/2 hours, upon admittion they done a random BS which was 16.4 they asked if I was diabetic which I said no. they then took bloods and send off a glucose one. which came back as 14. They said I was diabetic and gave me Novomix 30, with very little info. On 21st January, I was admitted to a ward overnight as I was still suffering from the symptoms above and had been to ECU 7 times in total, I was diagnosed with Pyelonephritis (kidney infection). I had all the classic symptoms of diabetes but I put that down to work. Working on a kidney ward I have seen the bad side of diabetes. People ending up on Dialysis and having amputations and a few other complications. So when I was diagnosed I knew I HAD to take control. At the end of February, I went to my doctor, after breaking 2 fingers at work, to get a note to do light duties, he was like 'according to our system, you have diabetes, how are you coping?' so I responded 'I'm coping okay, struggling a little, as I have to buy test sticks online which are expensive and have had to rely on the internet for guidance' he booked me an appointment to see a Practice Nurse, who ordered blood tests such as HbA1c, Cholesterol, liver function and thyroid. My HbA1c was 5.2% and my Cholesterol was 2.8. She gave me lots of handouts and advice, I am currently taking Novomix 30 twice a day and she said soon I'd have to take 3 daily injections of short acting insulin and one long acting. One other problem I have is, I don't feel I can talk to my mum about it as she had ALOT on her plate the moment so I don't want to make matters worse, so I text her saying I was type one diabetic and what i was taking and that I had an appointment to discuss my diabetes and said she could come along. I was at a friends house when I did this and she responded "we'll talk about it tomorrow, love you x" and she hasn't mentioned it since and I feel uncomfortable bringing it up. Also a few people at work have been telling me I need to get better control of my diabetes, but surely a Hba1C of 5.2% shows exellent control?! i just really feel down about it all lately.

budgie92 · May 4, 2011

Sorry for the typo, I meant diagnosed. my 'S' button has to be presssed extra hard!

daisy1 · May 5, 2011

Hi Melissa and welcome to the forum I think your HbA1c of 5.2 is good although of course this is only an average and does not show highs and lows of everyday readings. Be careful not to let yourself go too low. The Forum Monitors here have prepared some advice for newly diagnosed diabetics which I think would be useful to you although I think you already know quite a lot about looking after yourself. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like - we all like helping other members.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091

Sue/Ken.

noblehead · May 5, 2011

Hi and welcome to the forum Budgie!

The test strips you are buying are free on prescription for all type 1's, ask your gp to add them to your script.

Nigel

phoenix · May 5, 2011

I am currently taking Novomix 30 twice a day and she said soon I'd have to take 3 daily injections of short acting insulin and one long acting.

Don't worry about this, I think that you will find that most people find they are able to be far more flexible using this type of insulin, you can't adjust mixed insulins to fit variable meals in the same way.
5.2% is very good, however you are probably still experiencing a honeymoon period when you have more insulin of your own.
http://www.joslin.org/info/will_diabetes_go_away.html
If you live with your Mum I think that you'll need to try and talk with her again. At the very least she needs to know about hypoglycemia
There are some leaflets available from the JDRF website which you can send for, that you could perhaps give to your Mum . The only one available online 'what friends need to know' does in fact have the minimum info that I think she should have (though the graphics are definitely aimed at teens!)
http://www.jdrf.org.uk/page.asp?section ... e=Leaflets
they also have a pack aimed at newly diagnosed adults
http://www.jdrf.org.uk/page.asp?section ... the+basics

sd29 · May 10, 2011

Hi Melissa, I'm 29, and (very) newly diagnosed (since April 22nd, on insulin since last week) and the regime I am on is a long acting with 3 short acting, and I find it no hassle. I think it's easier than the horse pill sized tablets they tried at first! A disaster, as the A&E doctor put it. :lol: Everything is flexible.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and a bit lonely, especially trying to explain to family. Some people just don't know what to say, and if you are worried about stressing your Mum, it must be even harder. I'm just coming through a stage of resenting everything, and just wanting someone to talk to me about it. I remember just sitting and looking at the pens and needles the other day and thinking of just bining them. Especially when family seem unable to take on board something for you that is major. Mine don't mention it, I think they don't want to. A friend explained that it's probably just as scary for them as it is for me, but in a different way.

Your levels do sound good from what you said, I am still trying to get those levels, and I envy your cholesterol! But it sounds as if you need to give yourself a break. I would personally recommend that you speak to your diabetes nurse about how you are feeling, or ask to speak to a counsellor, as feeling down and that you can't talk is a bad thing. When you hit a slump, remember that it's temporary, and that there is support, sometimes you need to ask for it though. I found the Diabetes UK careline very helpful, and also all the people on here. Physical and mental health are equally important.

Good luck.

Newly diagnoed T1

budgie92

Newbie

budgie92

Newbie

daisy1

Legend

noblehead

Guru

phoenix

Expert

sd29

Well-Known Member

Newly diagnoed T1

budgie92

Newbie

budgie92

Newbie

daisy1

Legend

noblehead

Guru

phoenix

Expert

sd29

Well-Known Member

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