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Overwhelmed by diagnosis of Type 1 earlier this week

HoneyBea

Active Member
Messages
44
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi all.
Newly diagnosed and a bit scared of what's to come! I inject NovoRapid (3 times a day) and Levemir (before bed). I check my blood sugar every few hours at the moment but am a bit worried that they are currently ranging from 4.0 to 18.0. I have only this week started using insulin so is there usually a period of highs/low until you get the hang of it? I guess I expected the levels to correct themselves as soon as I started using the insulin but that hasn't happened yet
. Any feedback really would be appreciated as I'm feeling a little hopeless right now.
Beth
 
Hi Beth, testing and injecting means you are doing wonderfully. You are one week in so the medics probably gave you a standard dose to inject to start with, is that right? If so adjustments will come as you go on and learn more about carb counting and insulin timing.
 
Hi @HoneyBea . Welcome aboard.
25yrs type 1 and my sugars vary from -4 to +14 .
Try not to worry to much so soon.
Learn carb counting and insulin adjustments, listen to advice especially here and ask lots of questions.
It gets easier, just as long as you take control of it.
I always say I don't have diabetes it has me and I'm the boss, we live life my way.
Good luck, keep asking questions and I'm sure you'll be the boss sooner rather than later.
 
Thanks guys, that's reassuring. yes, I have a standard dose throughout the day at the moment. I guess it'll get easier the more I know and the more experience I have with it. Thanks again
 
It does take time but you are doing everything right and it does get easier in time, just keep doing what you are, testing every few hours and before eating and 2 hours after eating
 
Hi @therower. I am inspired that you have had 25 yrs with type 1. What is your secret to managing it all? Are you a low Carber? I really struggle with low carbing- moderate is as low as I can go without losing the plot!
 
HoneyBea said:
Thanks guys, that's reassuring. yes, I have a standard dose throughout the day at the moment. I guess it'll get easier the more I know and the more experience I have with it. Thanks again
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Hi. It must be feeling so brand new/ life rehauling at the moment. Give yourself time for it all to settle physically and emotionally. You have started a new learning curve- it's always stressful learning something new at the start. Your mind and body will settle down soon. Be kind to yourself and take each step of the journey as it comes. Good luck and we're here if you have a wobble
 


In my case it took about 12 weeks for my blood sugars to stabilise ( a little) but we are all different, maybe you'll have have better luck.

Welcome to the forums.
 
That is so kind. Thanks all, I really do feel like I'm not alone in this now, I really appreciate the support and no doubt I'll be calling on you all again soon for some more advice
 
@HoneyBea Don't worry - it gets easier The key to getting less erratic sugars is to count carbs. If you weren't taught this at diagnosis, push to be taught the basics as soon as possible. When you're not diabetic, your body automatically releases just the right amount of insulin to deal with the carbs/food you eat. When you have Type 1, your body can't do that any more so you have to 'be your own pancreas' and do this job by counting carbs and adjusting your insulin to match what you're about to eat.

Type 1 is a bit mind blowing to start with, but with knowledge and experience you'll soon learn and get into a routine. That will make everything easier as you learn to fit diabetes into your life

If you would find a book useful, Think Like A Pancreas is a great one and very popular with Type 1s here It's also very readable.
 
Hi @Lifeissweetenough .
There are many more T1's on the forum with more years experience than me.
My approach to diet has changed over the years but I definitely don't do low carb, I've tried it twice and both times it didn't give me the results I wanted.
I eat sensibly, I carb count, I watch portion sizes, I aim for 3 meals a day, I snack in between if I need to and I exercise 6 days a week.
After 25yrs I'm still just T1 with no complications so far. Carb intake daily comes in around the 150/180 g mark. If the carbs go up I just adjust insulin accordingly.
I appreciate LCHF works for a lot of people but it's still only an option of which there are many.
Positivity and happiness are more important than unmaintainable diet's for me.
 
Hi @HoneyBea
welcome to the forum !
some good advice so far!!
all I can add is to be kind to yourself -- you can only gain experience in real time-- so do allow yourself to learn and not expect everything to happen immediately.

all the best !!
 
HoneyBea said:
Thanks guys, that's reassuring. yes, I have a standard dose throughout the day at the moment. I guess it'll get easier the more I know and the more experience I have with it. Thanks again
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It does get easier @HoneyBea , by far the worst time is the first few weeks as there's so much information & advice to take in.

Welcome to the forum btw
 
Hi and a big welcome from me. It can be a bit of a shock to start with and a lot to take in, but it will get a little easier in time with more confidence.
Take care RRB
 
Keep a record of what you eat, your insulin dosages and blood test results - you'll probably find that morning you had just 2 wheatabix, instead of the large bowl of Crunchy Nut cornflakes (other cereals are available!) you dipped low, or you were high for quite sometime after eating the friday night curry. Having this information at hand will help you and your diabetes team to manage the condition.

And therowers comment about being 25yrs type 1 and sugars vary from -4 to +14 is spot on, everyone has days when nothing works, fortunately tomorrow is a new day and no 2 days are the same! (Ground Hog Day would never ever happen to a T1D)
 
Hi @HoneyBea you might find the following resources helpful:

https://www.t1resources.uk/home/ - A central point where lots of websites and resources for T1 have been put together to help newly diganosed and their families and friends.

http://www.bertieonline.org.uk/ - Learning to carb count, insulin adjust and a whole lot more!

Have a dig through those. Hopefully there's some stuff that's useful.
 
Hi @HoneyBea
Try not to get overwhelmed you will get this in no time
Are you based in or near London
 
I have only been diagnosed with type 1 for about 7 weeks, 1 week before coming away to college. I have managed to get used to it fairly quickly, as much as you can really! My levels are still all over the place- especially this week! So don't worry about it, your consultant will get it sorted. And anyway, it settles but then will need to be changed again if you're anything like me right now! Good luck
 
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