Newly diagnosed on Monday :(

[artyfarty30]

Hi All,

After 3 weeks of excessive weeing, drinking and losing nearly a stone in weight I've been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, especially as there were traces of ketones in my urine.

Anyway, I'm on insulin and trying to work out the best insulin levels with my DN. Before insulin my BG levels were 27+ and with insulin my readings are between 5.6 -17.6!! (is this normal, i'm scared?!) To add to my worries I have slighly blurred vision and dull ache in my lower left leg

On Tuesday night, I woke up around 3am. I could hear blood pumping in my ear, cold sweats and disorientated. I got up and checked my BG level - 6.3 and had a snack and a little sip of lucozade. I felt better and went back to bed. what I want to know is, is that a hyper/hypo I was having??

I'm currently on sick leave from work but looking forward and dreading going back to work next week. I don't want to have a hypo at work as I work with children and I'm on my feet all day.

I am also concerned about the food I eat, I'm very confused with all food info I have read on the internet. My DN told me not to worry about it, easier said than done. As a result, I'm keeping a food diary for the Dietician in 2 weeks time.

Will things get better? I've hardly stepped out of the house or driven my car which is very unlike me as I love travelling, hiking and exercising. I refuse to let my diabetes get the better of me but I feel so confused and overwhelmed

Thank you for taking the time out to read my concerns.

 

[Grazer]

Hi Arty, and welcome to the forum. Can't help you too much as I'm a type 2, but I'm sure some T1s will be along soon. What I can say is that things improve greatly when you get your blood sugars under control, so don't despair! There's loads to learn, but loads of people on here who can help you
Good luck!

 

[artyfarty30]

Just tested my BG before evening meal and insulin, BG level: 18.3, how can I have a range of 5.3 -18.3 in one day??!!

Oh, I'm 30 and female.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Arty and welcome to the forum Although I'm not a T1, I think what you've been feeling is what's called a false hypo - caused by your levels having dropped rapidly. Just try and put up with it and it will go when your body gets used to the new lower levels. Don't try and treat it as a hypo. A real hypo is below 4 when you need to take action. Your levels should stabilise soon and this basic information may help - this was written for new members and you will, I am sure, find it very useful. Ask as many questions as you need to as there is usually someone who can help you.

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.

 

[SandraR]

Hello Artyfarty30

My heart goes out to you. I can identify with what you have written - comparing it to my own thoughts and feelings when my son was diagnosed with T1 four years ago.

Firstly (and most importantly) yes - it does get better. The more you learn about your condition, the better able you will be to adapt to it and there is no reason why you shouldn't lead a 'normal' life. You may feel you are mourning the loss of your health and this is perfectly understandable. However, in your own time - and no-one can tell you how long this will be, you can get back on track.

In our case, I would say it took 1-2 years for my son and I to get comfortable with our lives again.

What insulin regime are you on? The options are usually 1) Twice Daily Mixed insulin 2)Multiple Daily Insulins or 3)Insulin Pump. I'm assuming that at this stage you will be on 1) or 2). The different regimes vary in simplicity, but basically the fewer injections you have, the less flexibility you have over your diet & activity. There is much evidence to support a more intensive regime for better long term health (hence we have chosen a pump).

Your DN will help you to tweak your insulin doses and indeed, you will forever be tweaking them as that really is the key to good blood glucose control. You will probably find that you need a lower dose when you return to work, as you sound as though you have a very active job. You may also need to lower doses, or increase carb intake to do your usual exercise too. It sounds daunting at the moment, but you will get there!

Hypos are never completely avoidable. They can happen anytime, anywhere. However, you can get pretty adept at avoiding them most of the time. Its all a question of understanding what is going to affect your body and balancing out the energy levels accordingly. The secret is in planning ahead for everything! Type 1's can climb mountains, win Olympic Gold medals - whatever. But they do have to manage blood sugars constantly to achieve this.

You'll be overwhelmed by information at the moment. I can recall the confusion we had. I realise now that a lot of what I read related to Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is a very different condition and I now know that when the newspapers say 'diabetes' they usually mean Type 2! As a Type 1, you can probably afford to ignore diabetic products - such as diabetic sweets, chocolate etc and you won't be banned from eating any foods at all, nor follow a 'diabetic' diet You just need a normal healthy varied diet and manage it very carefully with your insulin. Your dietician will help you to understand the various carbohydrates and how best to fit carbs to insulin or insulin to carbs (depending on which regime you are on). For now, it might make your life easier if your regular meals are about the same carbohydrate value/size each day. If you have a big dinner one day and a little one the next it stands to reason that you will find that your insulin can't match up.

It does sound as though you had a hypo,or at least a false one. This is likely to be because your blood sugars have run abnormally high for some time - raising your body's natural sense of what is normal. Therefore, now your levels are dropping,your body is detecting this as being unusually low, giving you hypo symptoms. My son had this a lot in the early days - but only gets symptoms with true hypos now. We always treat hypo symptoms (with lucozade) even if the meter gives an okay reading as it could be that levels are dropping quickly and a hypo is imminent. You will learn what is best for you. The fact that your levels have been high for a while would also explain the blurred vision. The eyes do respond to glucose levels and this will settle down when you are more in control. If you take an eye test, it is probably not a good time to have any glasses/lenses prescribed - better to wait until things are settled.

It is a good idea to get your family, friends and work colleagues involved. If they can understand how to help you and support you (and not infuriate you with comments about what you are eating!) it will make for a safer and easier life. If possible, ensure that there is someone who knows how to treat a hypo and knows where your kit is. If you work with children, I would assume there is a good level of First Aid in your workplace and that your colleagues won't be troubled by the prospect of giving you glucose or perhaps even being trained in the Glugagon injection (for emergencies).

I had big fears when my son was diagnosed. However, in four years he has not yet been re-admitted to hospital and has never fallen unconscious. In public, there has always been a solution to every dilemma and I am pleased to say his life is very much 'normal'.

Take care and be sure to let the forum know how you get along.

 

[James123a]

Yes, there is conflicting advice and information out there on what you should and should not eat. But a fact is that all carbs are chains of sugar molecules varying in length. The longer ones which are classed as more complex carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice...ect and wholegrain being the better options). Cakes, table sugar, sweets ect are much shorter chains and are therefore processed faster into the body which means your blood stream.

Now, at this early stage for me, I do not want to cut carbs out, but given the above clearly some control of intake is required because the body still breaks those long chains into shorter ones and thus an impact to the blood/sugar level. And I understand that these longer more complex chains are absorbed more slowly and thus cause less spikes in blood sugar...but rather a slower release over a longer time period.

So...I think it's going to be about upping the safer foods....which is great anyway as they are healthy and thus good for you...e.g. fruit/veg/fish.....but you can still put carbs on your plate...it's just finding the level that keeps your bs within safe levels.

I do have a friend who's mother has type one and she is an extreme dieter...she eats no fruit and no carbs....but to me she does not look well...basically thin film of skin on her bones...she keeps active, but where is her energy coming from !