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Newly diagnosed Type 1

L

Leahb

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Kent, United Kingdom
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horrible people!
Hi everyone :D

My names Leah and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last Thursday. I had spent well over a month feeling ill and gradually getting worse to the point where my son aged 3, life was spent in front of the TV from the moment he got up until his Dad go home from work. I have never ever felt so ill in my life, I literally felt like I was dying. My story is a lot longer as the docs have spent since March trying to find out what was wrong and they took soo much blood from me I' was very surprised they never picked it up before even though I said about the symptoms.

I feel emotionally that one minue Im handling it all well, and the next Im tears... is anyone else like this.

I'm hoping someone can help me with something, since Monday afternoon my right eye keeps going blurry and It can't keep focus. I was just wondering if it's because my bg went from 16.8 and then went down to 7.1? This is the lowest my bg has gone down to. I still have a slight blur now and my bg is 10.7. Will this get better once my bg is more controlled??

I'm off on my holibobs on Saturday so if anyone has any tips that would be great. I've bought myself an insulation bag for my pens.

Thanks
Leah
 
Hi Leah and welcome to the forum :) It is important for your eyes to reduce your levels gradually to avoid possible damage so take it easy, lowering your levels slowly but surely. It looks like the blurriness in your eye is temporary since, as you say, it is already better.

Here is some information which we give to new members which should help you. It is always very difficult at the beginning but you will soon begin to feel better about things. Ask as many questions as you need to as there is always someone here to 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 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you Daisy. I've been finding hard to take everything in so its good to have something written down.Think that is partly to be being so ill and my brain not functioning properly and being over whelmed by it all. So much to learn and take in. I feel very paranoid about hypos.. do you know what they are like I spoke to my Nurse and she said that my eyes will return to normal so not to worry. I have an appointment on Friday to see a Diabetic Consultant, do you know what happens at these appointments?

Thanks again for your help
 
Leahb said:
Hi everyone :D

My names Leah and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last Thursday. I had spent well over a month feeling ill and gradually getting worse to the point where my son aged 3, life was spent in front of the TV from the moment he got up until his Dad go home from work. I have never ever felt so ill in my life, I literally felt like I was dying. My story is a lot longer as the docs have spent since March trying to find out what was wrong and they took soo much blood from me I' was very surprised they never picked it up before even though I said about the symptoms.

I feel emotionally that one minue Im handling it all well, and the next Im tears... is anyone else like this.

I'm hoping someone can help me with something, since Monday afternoon my right eye keeps going blurry and It can't keep focus. I was just wondering if it's because my bg went from 16.8 and then went down to 7.1? This is the lowest my bg has gone down to. I still have a slight blur now and my bg is 10.7. Will this get better once my bg is more controlled??

I'm off on my holibobs on Saturday so if anyone has any tips that would be great. I've bought myself an insulation bag for my pens.

Thanks
Leah
Click to expand...
Hello and a big welcome to you Leah, just take things easy at first, It's a big shock to the system :shock: I hope you have a lovely holiday :) Take care.
 
in terms of going on holiday i would go to boots and stock up on those dextrose tablets, or some lucozade tablets from the supermarket. they're very light and small so can go in your suitcase ok.

in terms of general advice, just think how awful you felt for that month...and how the only way you will feel is better.

the way i describe hypos to my friend is that it's just like the feeling you get before fainting, if you haven't had breakfast and ened up standing in a hot room or something...that kind of weak and shaky feeling. people are different though.
 
Thanks everyone. I was just wondering if I had a hypo as a few weeks ago I woke in the morning and I had an awful headache and my skin was grey and I felt awful

Thanks again :)
 
Welcome to the forum Leah,

I had the same with my eyes. Normal eyesight again now now and I'm at pretty good levels most of the time. I'm sure you will soon be feeling better but ask any questions or just unload anytime you want. I do mainly to stop my wife getting bored of me talking about diabetes!

Could have been an overnight hypo but very hard to tell. With no insulin then you would have had to eat very little to get there I would think? Probably just a rough nights sleep.

TTP
 
Hi Leah! :wave:

I agree with TTP above about the eyesight when your levels are high-I thought I was going to lose my sight at one stage and driving was a no-no but now my levels are much better my eyesight is pretty much back to normal now.

Hope you stick around on here and do let us know how you get on,have a good holiday too! :D

Paul
 
Hi,

A few weeks before I was diagnosed I found that my eyesight had changed. Usually I wore glasses to correct long vision. But one day I realised I was having trouble focussing through my glasses. I took the glasses off - I remember distinctly, it was a cold bright day - I could see perfectly. I knew something was wrong but not what was wrong.

I kept getting recurring respiratory infections and totally lacked energy. I was unable to breath properly when going upstairs. The eyesight was perfect but I felt dreadful. A visit to the GP resulted in a diagnosis of Diabetic Ketoacidosis and instructions to go to A&E immediately... In hospital I was stabilised and discharged five days later with a T1 Insulin Regimen.

A few days later, still not wearing my glasses, I was watching TV and noticed that the Commentator seemed to have two mouths. The vision got worse. I got to the point where I could not see the hands on the clock. I had become extremely long-sighted. For about three months the vision remained very blurred. I bought very strong Ready Readers to be able to see peoples faces. Then gradually the strong Reading Glasses were also become blurred. I realised that my vision was slowly getting better. I can't remember how long it took but now I am back to my old glasses - the one's I was wearing at the beginning of this story.

The reason for the change in vision is to do with the sugar in the lens of the eye and then the effect of the Insulin. I am sure there are people on here who can give a more scientific answer for the reasons the vision changes. People may advise you to NOT have an eye test until your eyes have settled down.

Did I panic? Yes! I thought it would be the end of being able to drive. But I needn't have worried. My vision has returned to pre-diabetic levels. I can wear my old glasses - the prescription is the same as ten years ago. But I would like some more fashionable frames!
 
Would like to say a big thank you for all the tips and advice which I have taken on board.

My eyes have been driving me mad but I think they are starting to improve! Yay lol. Feeling quite chuffed as my BG levels have been low he last couple of days so its heading in the right direction :D . Can't wait to go on holiday its very much deserved and Im feeling much more confident about things, even the water works have stopped. I think I have come to terms with having diabetes and realised that my life doesn't have to come to halt. Physically I feel like me again, my Dad said I had life in my eyes again,

Once again thank you and I will be back when I get off my holibobs

Take care
Leah
 
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