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Stupid but need to ask

kat1989

Well-Known Member
Messages
76
Ive recently been diagnosed type one and to be honest im finding it confusing im on 4-5 injections a day with number ranging from 4.5-7.5 through the day and 6.5-8.0 on a night for bed,now i suffer from hypos every now again so Does my body not make enough or make to much?? Im soo confused so please dont laugh im struggling with it lately:'(
 
Hi Kat, hypo could be due to your body still producing some insulin (honeymoon) or you could have taken too much insulin for your meal, or exercised (housework etc).

I think we're the same age from your username? I'm 25 and was diagnosed in July 13. Feel free to message me if you want to chat, and please don't think your questions are silly x


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I officially became a onesie at the beginning of October. Only taking 2 injections of mixed insulin a day but in the beginning I felt generally a bit rough (like i was about to become hypo) everytime my BGs went below 8. Was told by diabetes clinic that if you've been used to high blood sugars for a while then it can take time to adjust to the low BG values. Took me about 6 to 8 weeks and only just starting to feel comfortable with BGs below 8.
 
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Thank you @danit i have message you,yeah i think im just trying to get my head round it when i was admitted to hospital being diagnosed i was 26.4 so i take it my sugars where to high,so im like does that mean cut sugar out my diet or do i need sugar?? As when i have nothing sweet im so clamey and feel really weak on my feet x
 
ring your nurse tomorrow,
you need the carbs/sweets to balance with the mealtime/bolus insulin...too much insulin or not enough carbs and you will hypo
you also may still be working out your basal/long lasting insulin dose with the nurse.


there is an online course and some very good workbooks to give you a background idea. till you can do your course
 
T1's don't 'need' sugar. Many people on this forum cut it out, others cut down but it's not just about sugar intake.

Your body turns carbohydrates into sugar, so there are a lot of things to consider. Plenty of info on here if you look through the threads and many T1's with a lot more experience than me. Ask your questions, they'll get answered.

Incidentally, I started at 31mmol so you coukld have been worse!
 
Hi @kat1989
it is really confusing at first and in the early days it is important to remember to take things 1 day at a time and that not everything will work perfectly every day -- a lot like life really.
the numbers you have listed look very good 4.5-7.5 during the day is excellent and 6.5-8.0 for bed is great too.

for a while after diagnosis your body can still be producing some insulin -- this is sometimes called "the honeymoon period".
you are not producing enough on your own which is why you were diagnosed with a BG of 26.4.

nobody will be laughing at you -- we are all here because we have the same condition and we all want to help.

all foods we eat are converted to sugar by the body so being diabetic it is important to eat healthily but with an emphasis on food that converts to sugar more slowly wherever possible.
green vegetables are a great example of this -- broccoli , green beans , spinach ,cabbage , etc.
a lot of health care professionals advocate a high carbohydrate low fat diet as the way to eat but there are many here on this forum and elsewhere on other forums that advocate lowering and limiting carbohydrate intake to help avoiding spiking blood sugars as much as possible.

it is important for you to read as much as you can on this and decide what sort of foods will assist you in the long term care of your health.

keep posting and we will try to assist you.
you are not alone !!
 
Thank you @himtoo for explaining it in a lanugage i understand all ive been given is all medical terms so as u can gues my head is doing a thousand things at once and last thing i want to be doing it the insulin wrong or making myself ill so i think a day of research into foods etc tomorrow for me,well of my son lets me
 

it is difficult enough to get your head around all there is to learn and with a child to look after as well you certainly will be busy

happy to help and PM me if you want.

it also very much helps us to help you if you tell us a bit more about
1 - the medications you are prescribed ( there are lots of different insulins )
2 - the foods you eat
3 - any exercise you do
 
Im on the apidra during the day and lantus at night.

Food wise pretty much anything love my sunday dinners and veg,fish chicken,cereal for breakfast,sandwiches curries etx there isnt really anything i wont eat lol but can have full fat dairy and nuts as im not suited to them.
And exercise i run round after a 2 year old everyday aswell as housework,washing visiting family etc only time i stop is when little one is in bed
 
ok @kat1989 thanks for that - sunday dinners are great for feeling full and slight adjustments can make them a bit lower in carb
substituting more roast parsnip and less roast potato will help
mashed carrot and swede is a great lower carb taste.
steamed broccoli and cauliflower are fantastic.
limit the gravy to 50ml if poss

I try to eat fish 2 times per week , and chicken a lot.

i would avoid cereal if possible as that does tend to spike my bloods.

the most important thing of all though is testing your blood sugar.
I test about 8-10 times per day
first thing in the morning and then before every meal and 2 hours after each meal and at bedtime

eating to your meter is the catchphrase i like to describe what I do.
 
You'll probably need to experiment a bit and find out what's right for YOU. himtoo above states that cereals spike his BG levels, I have cereals every workday morning and they have little effect on me, which is fortunate as I simply don't have the time or the inclination to prepare a cooked breakfast on workdays.

Shortly after being diagnosed I went out for an Indian meal with the missus, I ate what I would have normally eaten and was horrified that my BG levels were high for about 36hrs afterwards. On the second occasion, I didn't have poppadoms, mango chutney (check the sugar in that stuff!) or naan bread. I had only a small portion of rice and and tried not to eat too much of the sauce that came with meat dish. A couple of hours after the meal my BGs were just over 8, so I am happier that I can carry on eating Indian food but realise that I have to pay a bit more attention to what I order.

I got a bit down about the diagnosis in the beginning, but I decided that MY approach would be to treat this as a challenge and a learning experience. Right now, I'm trying to eat the same amount of carbohydrates every day, inject the same number of units and monitor my BG levels. I find this easier to do on workdays when I have a routine, and less so at weekends when I might not get a coffee and biscuit mid morning or end up unexpectedly going without lunch. Came home that day to find my BG was 2.3 and I'd had no hypo feelings at all.

So have fun experimenting, and above all else try not to get stressed at such an early stage. Stress and diabetes are not good bedfellows.
 

that is great advice on the routine @urbanracer -- establishing a routine in the early days allows you to get to know what works for you and also what doesn't.

I have the same sort of a meal at the indian too -- never any mango chutney ( all sugar) and I tend to order the tandoori chicken as it is a dry meal with a curry sauce on the side that i ignore.
 


As said the Honeymoon period can make bg control less predictable.

You need to contact your DSN and ask for their advice on dealing with night-time hypo's, they'll likely tell you to cut back on your basal insulin which is usually the correct way of dealing with night-time hypo's or may tell you to go to bed on a slightly higher bg levels or eat a small carby snack before bed, your daytime bg levels are extremely good so well done you.

Persevere for now until things settle down, once you've been diagnosed for 6 months you'll be eligible to go on a carb counting course such as DAFNE.

btw, no question is stupid, we have all been there...................
 
Thank you for getting back to me a out this nice to know im not the only one who has struggled i do keep a food diary so ill see through that with my blood recording and see wjat makes me high and what keeps me im brackets,i try not to stress about it but its so much to take in and learn in the beginning think once ive got used to it i should be fine
 


Your doing extremely well, it all falls into place over time. Try and get a copy of the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner, it's a must read for anyone living with type 1 diabetes.
 
Hello Kat, noblehead and I are old timers at this diabetes, and I know I am stilll learning, definitley no question is stupid or irrelevant. It will take time to adjust, it's can be a lot to take in, especially juggling with young children as well.
Just experiement with foods, and tweak things like food intake and adjusting Insulin doses, exersising ( I know you must be getting your fulll quoter with a young child) . Do you have support from family or a partner ?
I wish the internet was around when I was diagnosed and finding this forum has been a tremendous help, with such wonderful support and advice.

Take good care and give diabetes time to settle. Good luck.

Best wishes RRB
 
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6 months! nobody mentioned that to me at the diabetes clinic.
 
Will look into getting that book and giving it a read,i have support from some family and my partner but still dont feel they understand what i go through or how i feel on a daily basis but they try,just some adjustments to life i guess to be taken carefully but think once i k ow whats good for me and what isnt ill be ok
 
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