• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

type 1 diagnosed 4 days ago

P

Pinkjessi21_

Member
Hi. I was diagnosed 4 days ago, big shock for me. Im 30, type 1. Im on levermir and novorapid. Counting carbs doing 1u to 10g. Bms are still raised was wondering how long it will take to stabilise and will i put weight on? I lost almost a stone 2 weeks prior to diagnosis. Im 8 stone 11 which is low for me, im 5 foot 6. Im also worried about bm testing/insulin administering in public. Ive got 2 small children and am always out and about....or was :-(
 
Welcome to the Pinkjessi21.

It might take a few weeks before your bg levels settle down, just keep testing your bg regularly and record them together with your carb intake and insulin doses and show the diary to your DSN, they will advise you further on adjusting your insulin.

Its very common to lose weight leading up to the diagnosis and to gain it once insulin is started, so please don't worry, as for injecting in public, once you done it a few times and gained some confidence you'll feel more comfortable doing it.
 
Firstly, try not to panic. It's a huge shock, but you will get used to being diabetic. I can't answer all your questions as I'm T1 on mixed insulin, but I can assure you about one thing, you'll put the weight back on eventually. It took me a few months to regain the stone I lost, but I'm now back to my pre-diabetic weight having finally got control of my bg levels.
 
Hi and welcome. You are on a good insulin regime together with carb counting. Once you get your Basal shots balanced and get used to carb counting you should find your BS comes into a good range. Your weight should stabilise but won't go up unless you have too many carbs. I was told to aim for a fasting bs level between 5 -7 mmol which I now achieve by slightly adjusting my Basal. I now virtually always inject in public; I've never seen anyone notice. I virtually never test in public as I rarely have my kit on me; I'm very predictable. I always test before and during driving of course.
 
Welcome!

Weight will go back on as your blood levels lower.

It is a huge shock but you can still live a good healthy life.

Best advice is to make sure you can get plenty of test strips and make sure if you drive - you must test and be above 5.0.
Test before meals and 2 hours after.
Occasionally test around 3am.
Alsays have hypo stopping stuff with you.. Jelly babies or gluco tabs, lucozade etc. you must like what you have for hypostoppers.

It takes time but you will get there.
 
Hi pinkjessi21
I was diagnosed last September at the age of 33. Took me 3 weeks to get bs into target range. You will get there don't worry. Any questions please just ask away, in here or in a direct message, lots of people here who will be only too pleased to help
 
Hi pinkjess I support type1bri quote please do ask anything. I was 7stone wen I was diagnosed and I am 5'8 so I totally get the change and how it's a whirl pool of emotions things to get use to practically and adjustment that comes with it as I think a lot of people can empathise with you. My greatest resource was my diabetic nurse to talk about all things to so I would encourage to use your as much as can do if you can. Thinking of you
 


Yep...its a sod when your told eh bud...I was told four weeks ago too..T1
Am I can asure you ..u will have far more questions come up...anger ...am still in anger and not excepting it all...but I still stick my self 6-7 times a day counting carbs...

Yer kinda gets to much and head spins like nuts....good thing is my tum is so flat ...the lady loves it lol .....so not all bad eh bud

Look one thing I can say about this T1..... It's a battle at start sure....will get easier to a degree....but the more you read an learn about your own body's response to foods ..the faster and easy it will become...am still learning too...I have a small head start to you bud.....but can tell you now.......
The smile will come back soon.....was you DKA at all ....I was too
 
Welcome. @daisy1 we be along with some interesting information for you. Injecting in public is just something that needs to be done. I now don't worry about it. Keep the carbs low. You are now on a roller coaster of a learning curve but you have found the right place for knowledge.
 
@Pinkjessi21_

Hello and welcome to the forum You have received some very useful advice above from members. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you a lot of information about carbs which should be helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 140,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Hi Pinkjessi21_

looks like everyone has got the info bit covered.

I will just add a warm welcome -- you're among friends
 
Hi I completely relate to you. I'm 35, and was diagnosed with type 1 just 5 days ago. Still in shock and trying to get my head round it all. I've started on insulin too but have not yet been out of the house. I really don't know how I'll do I'll do it in public either? Good luck to you, I hope it gets easier for both of us
 
I know what you are going through. I was diagnosed 16 months ago and it's not easy.. however I now eat out probably more now than I did before being diagnosed. Going to the pub tonight to hear a live band and had meals out all of last weekend. I inject and test in public now without feeling like a I've got leprosy or anything to be ashamed about. It did take a while but just be discrete and never in a public toilet.
 
Wow! Thank you so much to everyone for the support! I have found tis website/forum really hepfull. Bms seem to be settling, was 7 this morning, levemir was upped to 10u. Finding it really hard not to snack between meals. Im so used to eating whatever i want and used to eat little and often. Anyone got any suggestions fir low carb snacks?
 
Bananas are medium so if your blood sugar drops to say 5 and your busy it can be a good way to maintain your levels. Otherwise apples are low
 
85g Apple is around 10g of carbohydrates. 85g banana is around 20g. Carbohydrates. A small plum is approximately 5g carbs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…