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One month in

C

Cd-astro

Member
Messages
20
Hi all,

So this part update, part questions and maybe a side rant.

1. So about a month ago I was diagnosed with type 1 at 24 yrs old. Quite a shock but I have managed to cope relatively well with it so far, I think. But while I took it well, my mum did not. Shes normally quite...protective of me but this just went too far. About a week after I was diagnosed and 2 days after I started insulin I had a train cancel so had a round about route which meant I was very tired when arriving back in my uni city. I did all my tests and insulin but feel asleep soon after without updating her on my reading. Ensue the blow up. Now one of the things that came out of that was 'you're not perfect anymore' and while I never really strived for perfect having your mum say that to you is pretty brutal. I was wondering if anyone else had any similar reactions from family and what you did or do about that when it happens?

2. I've just moved from mixed insulin to long and fast acting separate and was curious if there is anything to watch out for? Also how much did or do you record about the food you eat?

3. Does anyone else get bruising where you inject? Is there anyway to prevent or mitigate that?

4. I have my first meeting with the consultant, dietician and diabetes nurse on the 19th. Are there any important topics/questions I sould be talking/questioning them about?

Sorry bit of a long one.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help!
Charlotte
 
Cd-astro said:
Now one of the things that came out of that was 'you're not perfect anymore' and while I never really strived for perfect having your mum say that to you is pretty brutal.
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Oh wow, not what you need when getting to terms with diabetes (or at any other time, really). I hope it came from feelings like fear and loss of control. Is it something you can talk about with her? Maybe write a letter about how it made you feel? (writing has the advantage you get to have time to think about how you say things and rewrite until it doesn't shout "anger" anymore, possibly preventing a new blow up. Ignore if this is a completely useless suggestion in your relationship with your mother)

Cd-astro said:
how much did or do you record about the food you eat?
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At a month in I wrote my food down in a description like '2 sl. wholegr., butter, cheese' or 'brocc., cheese, pork'. I did it in a time table (old fashioned graph paper with rows of the hours and columns for food, insulin, blood sugar, exercise, extra). Very enlightening, as I tested a lot to find out everything I could about this diabetes thing (diagnosed at 39, 3 years ago). It helped me a lot to understand what was happening when and why.

Cd-astro said:
Are there any important topics/questions I sould be talking/questioning them about?
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Yes, of course!
Could you start a list and we'll see what we can add? Suggestions are a lot easier made if we know what the questions are you are thinking about at the moment. There's still a lot of time before the 19'th

Good luck!
 
Also, have you checked out the main diabetes.co.uk website already? Lots of information there! And just having a look around different threads is very informative as well. Just keep an eye on which type of diabetes is discussed, not everything is relevant for all types!
 
At the moment my questions are:

1. How much should I record about food/BG reactions to food.
2. What do I do about bruising around injection sites.
3. Is there a particular recommended diet?
4. If I have underestimated the number of carbs in a meal and my BG reading is high what should I do?
5. At what point approx. Do you feel the effects of a high or low because atm I am a little concerned I wont notice.
6. As a coffee drinker what drinks are okay and what should I avoid?
7. Given my family history of B12 deficiency is that something I should be worried about?
8. I have a high stress job, will (and if so how) will that effect my BG readings?
 
@Cd-astro with regards to bruising....what size needles are you currently using? Also it may be helpful to pinch an inch of skin and inject into that. The DSNs no longer suggest that BUT it works
 
Hello,
1. My mum was more worried because she watched me deteriorate very quickly. She was also angry at doctors who just prescribe antibiotics without asking for a blood tests or anything. I guess I'm very lucky in a sense that I am alive and there is something to help us all live, which was insulin. I know my dad didn't take it well, being 8 at the time I was very upset to hear my dad blame me for everything - dietary changes etc. I guess from there on wards I experienced depression quite young.

2. Basal/bolus is very good. I too struggled on mixed insulin back in 2001-2006/7, basal/bolus is fantastic at giving us flexibility. You have to watch out for hypos and hypers, make sure you don't over treat either. Some things might be trial and error for carbs, I know some people calculate carbs for their foods correctly but end up hypo because the carbs on the label was incorrect. I record all my readings on my app. Some type 1's use an index book to label carbs like A for apple + how much it weighs = how many carbs. So when you have it again, you can search it and calculate it from there. I also know some of us make a rough estimation with kitchen utensils - I know two scoops of rice using a ladle is about 60g of carbs, not heaped though.

3. Yes I do, quite badly as well. I showed my DSN yesterday that I have 6 bruises in 6 different areas of my thigh. Sometimes we hit a nerve. It could also be your technique or needle size.

4. Carb counting course if you wish to know more about diabetes in depth. It's very important to know what to do in certain circumstances, like illness, stress, exercise, adult activities, etc so you can adjust your dose according to activities and carbs. Also learning about insulin profiles, you might find one insulin doesn't quite suit you and find something else. I know I've moved from novorapid and levemir to fiasp and tresiba and it is good.
 
Another bruiser here! Stomach looks horrendous at the moment. Plus have bruise on thigh is still faint 4 months after arrival. Rotation of sites is paramount, to give time for healing. I just put up with them. Consultant says it’s the luck of the draw! Advice-don’t worry!
 

I was diagnosed when I was 8 and though I didn't realise at the time my T1 Mum was very very upset. In those days (1970) T1 diabetes was regarded as a significant life shortener (she was told I'd probably die at 50) and so she was not only upset by my health outlook she was also stricken with guilt because she felt that her genes had caused it. (Personally, I think I was lucky she was T1 because unlike her, who had no family history of diabetes, I was diagnosed very very early .) I am grateful for the fact that my parents never shared their health concerns and by the time I was adult and took in the issues the outlook was much better.

So I guess I suspect your mother's outburst is more about her own fears about diabetes (is there diabetes in her family so that she feels guilty?) than anything about you. (It's a bit scary to have to live up to being "perfect", anyway, so maybe you've just dodged a bullet there.. There's absolutely no reason why your T1 should affect your academic career unless astrophysics was meant to be a pathway to astronaut.) It sounds like you're coping very well but she does sound seriously overprotective - fine if you want some moral support but I can't think of any other reason why you should be updating her with readings. You're an adult, you're going to be diabetic for a long time and you'll have to handle your own insulin dosing. Actually, on second thoughts, if you were very new to insulin I can see why she was worried (assuming you'd agreed that you were going to tell her) but even so, I personally wouldn't make it a permanent arrangement.

Cd-astro said:
At what point approx. Do you feel the effects of a high or low because atm I am a little concerned I wont notice.
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You won't necessarily notice a high, but if you testing reasonably often you'll pick it up soon enough. Lows are immediately concerning, because they can make you behave irrationally, hallucinate and even go into a coma if you go low enough. It's best always to have access to glucose (or equivalent), so make sure to always carry them with you when you go out. No real way to describe a hypo till you experience one (shaky, sweaty, confused, hungry,....some or all of the these). Different people have different reactions but I'm pretty sure you'll know it when it first happens. Though some diabetics lose hypo warnings, it's much more common in long term ones. Personally, I always found my ability to do maths waned when I started to go low .

And on a positive note, just tell your consultant/doctor you're doing astrophysics and you won't have to convince them you're numerate, which should be a big boon, as they'll trust that you can calculate your own insulin doses.

Good luck.
 
I'm a recent type 1 as well and also get occasional bruising, using 5mm needles. Seems common and not something I'm bothered by. I don't think it's anything to do with technique.

Re B12, as far as I know, taking insulin etc. shouldn't affect it. Obviously you may want / need to take supplements (such as methylcobalamin) to head off possible deficiencies.

I am eating and drinking whatever I want - which is something I certainly couldn't do as type 2. I don't personally record what I eat any more, though I used to and if it helps you then by all means do it. I am finding that a rough mental calculation of the carbs and insulin needed is working fine for me. I haven't needed to weigh anything but it depends what you eat, if you're preparing your own food then you may need to do that compared to people like me who eat from packets and tins.

Obviously if you are drinking something with carbs like milk or fruit juice, or some alcoholic drinks (not spirits) then you'll need to bolus for those.

I have found that lows are usually - but not always - very noticeable. Highs have never been noticeable. If I were to find I was a bit high, it would depend how soon I was to eating again. If it wasn't far off I would just add a correction dose before my next meal. If I wasn't intending to eat for hours, I might take a correction dose now. But you have to be careful you don't still have insulin working in your system (especially if you've been stacking) and miscalculate and end up going too low.

Overall I've found it's all pretty straightforward so far and it is usually simple enough to be there or thereabouts with the insulin and staying in a good blood sugar range.
 
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