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Newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, started on insulin - how long to feel better? (e.g. energy levels, doing more, going back to work etc.)

C

cbooth5

Active Member
Messages
31
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi guys, newly diagnosed T1DM at 29 years. Its my first post on here as I cannot find the information anywhere on online and understand it may be a bit subjective and differ from person to person.

A bit of background, had COVID three times maybe had very mild symptoms of tiredness on and off for about a year or more. Thought nothing of it until the third time I had severe COVID (trigger) in Dec 2022 when it got so bad went to the GP, HbA1c - 43 (pre-diabetic). This then rose and symptoms got way worse, many tests until a diagnosis a few weeks ago.

Just started on insulin and it's day 7, doing well on the whole with adjusting. The diabetic nurse said at first straight away you will feel better. Then second time asking she said it will take a long while to get better given what the body has gone through starvation and working struggling through for a few weeks extra.

But how long did it take you to feel back to normal with energy levels and concentration? It's affecting my daily life, weekend plans, relationship, driving, work, everything. I'm really hoping that by week two or three I'll see a difference. Thanks in advance and hope this helps other newly diagnosed T1DM.
 
I don’t think there is a standard length of time.
I sounds as if you have been through the mill and your body has more to recover from than others. Diagnosis of Type 1 can vary from hospitalisation with severe DKA to discovery at a blood test. The phy recovery time varies.
The other thing to consider if the time it takes to mentally adapt to having diabetes, being aware of blood sugars all the time, considering the risks of getting it wrong, the occasional (or not ocassional) hypo, having to calculate insulin doses every time you eat, a fear you are “missing out” from something in your old life, …
All of this can be mentally draining and can also make us feel exhausted.

Sorry, I cannot answer your question.
My ad advice is to take it easy but don’t be afraid to have some fun.
 
cbooth5 said:
But how long did it take you to feel back to normal with energy levels and concentration? It's affecting my daily life, weekend plans, relationship, driving, work, everything. I'm really hoping that by week two or three I'll see a difference. Thanks in advance and hope this helps other newly diagnosed T1DM.
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When I was diagnosed with Type 1, I was in DKA, my blood sugar was 36 and my Hba1c was 101. I was in intensive care for three days and then a normal ward for another week and a half as they slowly brought my levels down.

Once I was home, I decided to take a month off before going back to work. That was more than enough time, but I wanted a bit of a buffer so I didn't feel rushed.

My partner and I went for easy walks daily to help get my strength back up and we tried to eat carb-consistent meals until I was taught carb counting. We took it easy and tried to make life as low-stress as possible.

Everyone's recovery from DKA and adjustment to life with Type 1 diabetes will be different and depends partly on how early they're diagnosed.

Be easy on yourself. It's a steep learning curve and diabetes sucks, but it does get easier.
 
I took a month off work. To get my energy levels up, to allow my eyes to adjust and allow myself time to get the routine in place. I did this mainly as I worked in a primary school, couldn’t drive because of my eyesight. And it would be difficult to manage young children and my own needs. However 2 months down the line I was on a plane to Malaga with 3 staff and 30 children for 4 days. Iv3 never looked back. If you need time to adjust take it.
 
Thanks all, really useful to have other views of type 1 diabetics. I made a mistake it's day 10 of insulin, had two weeks off so far but they diagnosed it quite early on. I'm thinking of three half days/week from next week but if it doesn't feel right I may just take longer time off completely.
 
becca59 said:
to allow my eyes to adjust
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I forgot about this part.

I also had weird eyesight once I got home. It was really bad in hospital - text messages to my partner were a mess.

Once I got home, things were still a little off. It was manageable for day-to-day stuff, but working at a computer would have been a strain.
 
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