Officially Type 1

[Lynnzhealth]

I was diagnosed T2 in March 2017, but went into DKA in May 2019. I was in hospital for 4.5 days and was very sick according to the nurses/doctors. I knew nothing about DKA. The doctors sent bloodwork off Island to check the antibodies and whatever else so they could give me a correct diagnosis. I had my appt yesterday with the Specialist and he confirmed T1. He said in his 30 years he has had a few younger people do this, however I was the oldest so far. He said he has had three or four people since my episode come into the ER with DKA and they are in my age range, but a little younger. I'm 71. He is puzzled why this is happening now. I've been on insulin since my hospital stay and trying to cut back on bread/sweets. For the two previous years I was on low carb, healthy fat, lost 55 lbs, and my bloodwork results were excellent. He also confirmed this yesterday and said I look great. When I was in hospital I only got regular foods, like people without diabetes. Now, I'm having a very hard time going low carb again. I have put on 11 pounds, with most of it on my stomach and thighs. I know I have to be careful adjusting my insulin, but I'm thinking if I just stop eating bread (flours) and cookies (sugar) that will be an immense help. I find that eating those things really spikes my blood glucose. I need it to level off. He said a good range for me would be 5 - 7, because below 5 it can lower really quickly and that's not good because I live alone. He did say my A1C is coming back down to the good range again. So, now that I know it is actually T1, I can begin to work on putting things back in order with my 'bad' carbs and getting my BG back to where I had it before this incident.

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Lynnzhealth Sadly you've discovered that t1 can be diagnosed at any age, it's not a Juvenile condition as many believe, the best thing is that you're now with an official diagnosis, rather than living with an undiagnosed condition, so that's a phew.

We are all different in regards to our carb tolerances, personally I prefer to avoid them unless i'm running or likely to be busier than usual as otherwise I can find my spikes go into the teens and they can take some extra management to control, also I prefer to work with smaller doses meaning less margin for error. Get a copy of Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, it's a very useful read in regards to managing your diabetes.

It would also be a good idea to now change your profile so your status reflects your t1 too

 

[becca59]

Sorry that you have been thrown this diagnosis. Just to point out that you do not have to eat low carb as a type 1 on insulin. Some people eat low some moderate and others eat anything. We are all different. You have been low carbing for the last two years so may find it difficult to get out of that mind set. Yes it is an absolute for type 2s. It isn’t for those of us on insulin. Also, I put a little bit of weight back on after diagnosis but to be fair I had lost a shed load. I am still not back at what I was nearly 6 years after my diagnosis at aged 54. To get more level bloods is all about when insulin is injected and how much. Trial and error.