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Type 1 Diabetes - 18 Months in

Brend0nz

Brend0nz

Newbie
Messages
4
Location
New Zealand
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey guys!

Recently found this forum and have been really enjoying reading through here hearing about different people experiences with diabetes, be some good and some bad.

I was diagnosed July 2014 at the age of 20 and have had a relatively cruisy first 18 months or so managing my blood sugar levels.

I was diagnosed after getting really sick, urinating around 25 times a day, drinking copious amounts of water and craving sugar badly. I got to a stage where I was getting infections all over my body and had to wear glasses to be able to see properly.

After a visit to the doctor my Hba1c came back as 114 so around 17mmol. Within 15 minutes of getting this I was being shown how to inject myself with insulin and how to test my blood sugar. Was a real shock!!

Anyways I am around 18 months in now and my Hba1c has been taken every 3 months or so, since my diagnosis I have had results ranging from 38 - 45 which has been keeping my nurse happy! . I have been told I am in the honeymoon stage and not to get too used to it. Has anyone had a similar experience with a honeymoon stage lasting such a long time? I've heard of months but not so much years..

At the moment my diet is very low carb and I can get away with taking no insulin during my regular day. Only when I binge of sweets do I require insulin. I exercise daily and my work is quite physical but I don't have any problems with hypos during the day (Sugar in my coffee is probably saving me! LOL)

So just thought I would share how my experience has been so far and if anyone has had a similar experience around the honeymoon stage I would love to hear how it went for you!

Cheers guys
 
I dont personally as it was such a lon time ago. However, it might be worth reading Bernsteins book, Diabetes Solution, he has a theory you can save your insulin function if you take the stress off your pancreas by v low carbing immediately after disgnosis.
 
I believe mine was around a year, I was told that the better controlled you are then the less strain on the pancreas and therefore it will keep squirting for a bit longer, so maintaining good BG is key.

Use your time wisely to get clued up, knowledge is power with type 1 and Dr Bernsteins book is an incredibly useful read ;)
 
Too long ago to remember, don't even know if the term The Honeymoon Period was widely used back then, but do remember starting on insulin and having to reduce the doses by quite a lot then having to increase them as the months went on.

btw, welcome to the forum @Brend0nz :)
 
I was diagnosed December 2014, so 15 months ago, and also still in the honeymoon period. Long may it last! :) I think maintaining tight control can help to prolong it.
 
My honeymoon period lasted a year...give or take a few days. Everything was normal until one day my sugars shot up from 6~ to about 20 and didn't come down! Language also increased from 4 to 19.

Although, it didn't have too much of an effect on my novorapid. I used to get a way with having a few snacks every now and again which I don't now but the units have barely increased.
 
Hello! I was diagnosed Dec 2014, and still honeymooning! Have gone through cycles, where I can come off most of my insulin for a few weeks before needing to reintroduce again. I try to eat healthily on the most part, but have never low carbed. Currently (at 13wks pregnant) only bolusing for breakfast and no basal. I need a mid morning snack to avoid hypo, have my lunch, and can still hypo before dinner (try working that one out?!). I'm sure there is another member on here who has been honeymooning for c.7 yrs (if I remember correctly). Unlike many, I look forward to when my honeymoon ends and I can calculate my insulin and accurately predict how my body will react. Wishing you the very best x x
 
Thanks guys, Awesome to hear a few experiences around the honeymoon stage. I have ordered that book and I am looking forward to reading through that .

Correct me if im wrong here but I have been doing some research into different diets etc.. If I was to go on a zero carb diet.. As in eating only fats and proteins. I have heard that you c an change your primary source of energy to fats. How would this go with my blood sugar levels.. im thinking no sugar = No insulin? Just a thought. Has anyone ever tried this or have some knowledge on how this would go?
 
Brend0nz said:
Thanks guys, Awesome to hear a few experiences around the honeymoon stage. I have ordered that book and I am looking forward to reading through that .

Correct me if im wrong here but I have been doing some research into different diets etc.. If I was to go on a zero carb diet.. As in eating only fats and proteins. I have heard that you c an change your primary source of energy to fats. How would this go with my blood sugar levels.. im thinking no sugar = No insulin? Just a thought. Has anyone ever tried this or have some knowledge on how this would go?
Click to expand...

It is practically impossible to eliminate carbs altogether, and even on ultra-low-carb diets, your body converts some of the protein you eat into glucose (see gluconeogenesis) because the brain requires glucose to function. So you need some insulin to metabolise this.

Also you need a certain level of insulin to counteract the glucagon in your blood, which otherwise would cause the liver to dump glucose into the blood.

HOWEVER. Eating an ultra-low-carb diet, exercising frequently, and injecting small amounts of insulin is the best way to preserve your natural insulin production - as far as I know. Your diet and exercise and adult diagnosis are the reason your honeymoon is so good and lasting so long. KEEP IT UP!

Also, don't be afraid to inject! Injecting is easy. What's difficult is the carb counting, sugar swings, waking up sweating, adjusting insulin levels due to exercise, etc. etc. If you inject insulin now you may be able to substantially delay that (or if you're really lucky, avoid it altogether).
 
Hi I was diagnosed in July 2014 too still getting my head around it too!!!
 
Sorry for the very delayed post. Have been flat out with work and a whole range of different activities.

So I am currently on 145 days with no insulin injections. I am testing my glucose levels twice and day and I never have any readings above 9mmol. My most recent Hba1c was 6 months ago and it came back at 38.

I have re introduced carbs into my diet and these seem to have little or no effect on my blood sugar levels. Most weekends I will treat myself with high carb meals and several(sometimes too many) beers.

Has anyone ever heard of this? I have a meeting with my diabetic specialist end of January.
 
Brend0nz said:
I am testing my glucose levels twice and day and I never have any readings above 9mmol.
Click to expand...

When are you doing your twice daily tests? Just be careful you aren't lulled into a false sense of security while you aren't taking insulin and you aren't missing any possible spikes. You are probably due a hba1c, 6 months is quite a while since the last one if you are type 1 not on insulin.
 
I usually check my bloods around 11am and then after dinner if I have any carbohydrates. Although I will go a weekend without testing and then check on the Monday morning when I get to work. For example on the weekend just been I didn't do any testing. I had a work function and then a friends leaving do so I had a large amount of beer at both. All of my meals were carb heavy over the weekend and on the Monday morning my blood glucose was 5.4
 
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