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Type 1s - How do you get on with life?

S

Smoof

Member
Hi Guys,

I am 33 and newly diagnosed with Type 1. I am really struggling with the possibility that life can go back to the way it was before I was injecting 4 times a day and constantly monitoring my sugar levels. I want to be able to go swimming , do zumba and other active things without worrying if the sweating is because I am hypoiung.

Any hints and tips to help? Looking for reassurance that I can get back to an active lifestyle.

Thanks!
 
It takes a little time @Smoof It's best to get used to the Type 1 and how your body reacts. It's also important to learn as much as you can so that you're confident in managing it. Think Like A Pancreas is a popular book here.

It does get a lot easier. I'm not the most sporty of people but I've climbed in the Rockies, hiked long distance and have attended various exercise classes including swimming.

Don't let diabetes stop you doing things. Make it fit into your life. Be kind to yourself these early weeks, then gradually plan to do more.
 
Hey @Smoof Welcome to the forum and here's a hug for reassurance !

I felt the same when I was diagnosed, I just wanted life to go back to what it was before, so being able to exercise etc without the worry of hypos. It can do, so that's the reassurance. My only advice is to not rush headlong straight back into everything as there are some adjustments to make with exercise, I found that hypos could knock my confidence, so it was 1 step forward and 2 steps backwards,

I ride a road bike, more of a summer cyclist than winter, I swim, do fitness classes. I approach each with a different strategy, so a bike ride which can take up to 2 hours I would normally eat 40 mins before hand, ensure my BG is above 9 before starting, I take 30 min stops to drink and check BG, if I am below 6 then I eat a couple of jelly babies and carry on. Swimming I would go for 1 hour, so again above 7/8mmol/l and test after 30 minutes, due to exercising and the heat it can be difficult to feel a hypo coming on so testing half way is important, hopefully you get my drift with this, each exercise uses different muscles and glucose consumption is different too. Runsweet.com is a good site to see how other type 1's approach exercise.

As Azure has said, take small steps, build your confidence and you will be able to get back to where you were prior to diagnosis. Lots of type 1's on the site exercise so are all testament to this ;)
 
thank you so much @azure and @Juicyj this is really helpful.

Do you recommend the lucozade isotonic drinks? one of the diabetic nurses said that this was better to drink as a top up of glucose.
 
Smoof said:
thank you so much @azure and @Juicyj this is really helpful.

Do you recommend the lucozade isotonic drinks? one of the diabetic nurses said that this was better to drink as a top up of glucose.
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I have the normal Orange Lucozade or the Original one. They work quickly. Some flavours and special types have less glucose in and some very little glucose at all, so look carefully. Regular sugary Coke is also good, but not quite as fast, I've found.

I also have Dextro glucose tablets. I take 1 to 3 of those depending on how low I am.

Have you been taught carb counting? That's crucial for good control and smoother sugars.
 
Ah thank you!

I have been taught carb counting but to be honest it scared me and I haven't implemented it. I do need to though.
 
Smoof said:
Ah thank you!

I have been taught carb counting but to be honest it scared me and I haven't implemented it. I do need to though.
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Hi @Smoof

Unless you carb count it's difficult to match your insulin doses so that your bg levels remain stable, so yes you should implement it as soon as possible.

Life with type 1 need not be too different to how your life was before diagnosis, there's many of us who have lived with the condition for several decades and have led a full & active life. Best wishes.
 
Hey @Smoof !

I was once just like you! - now a couple years later I am only slightly less like you lol

This thing is all mental so the first thing you have to do is reset how you view things - You have to let go of 'the way it used to be' and just focus on 'the best it can be' - and always carry a backpack full of snacks with you everywhere... like room to room even.

It takes lots of practice, and attention - it wont just happen after 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years - it happens whenever you give it enough of your time and understanding to figure stuff out.

You'll need to figure out how many carbs you need prior to Zumba vs swimming, or what to eat if you're feeling good and wanna do another 15 minutes. These are things you will need to fail at a bunch of times before really nailing them down.

I found keeping a log book with me really helped. I wrote everything down, tested many times each day, before after and during exercise to see what was happening with my BS, and how things effected me. After about a year of this I found i no longer needed it and have most things worked out now - or close enough that i can adjust on the fly without too large of an issue.

The trick is patients, and consistency over long periods while slowing making changes. You can't just jump into a random second class anymore - you have to plan it a bit in advance now.

Also - get really good at noticing the small changes in your body - the tiny tingles, and strange feelings on on your skin, or ears, or tip of your nose, and what the various headaches mean lol

(yep - i can now tell a low headache apart from a high headache with fairly good accuracy - or what it means when my ears tingle, or when the little space under my tongue is tingling - you'll never feel these signs more then when your first diagnosed and if you wait to long they can vanish and then you wont be able to use them to help out)
 
Hi snoof,

I feel exactly the same!
I was diagnosed in August this year, and my diabetes is stopping me from going out and having a good time as I'm constantly low!
 
Hi!

I'd advise that if you're a particularly active person, to lower the amount of insulin that you have when you inject as it will decrease the likelihood of you having a hypo when being active.

However you could also have a sugary drink before to do activity, to act as a buffer from your sugar levels decreasing. Ribena is particularly good, especially if you're actually having a hypo, because its sugary and gets into your system fairly quickly!

Over time you will be able to control your diabetes with your life style - diabetes will never stop you from doing anything, you just have to manage it!

HB
 
Hey smoof! I'm similar! 32 years old, type 1 Zumba fanatic!! Zumba is a high intensity exercise as you know. I make sure I test right before I start class and if it below 7 mmol I will check it again during class. At first I didn't want people knowing because I didn't want a fuss made. Now I don't care who knows! Always carry lucozade for those hypos just in case. You will feel the difference between a hypo and just regular sweat I'm sure anyway.dont let it hold you back buddy! There's always that initial fear but the longer you live with this condition the more you adapt to life with it!
 
wannabemammy said:
Hey smoof! I'm similar! 32 years old, type 1 Zumba fanatic!! Zumba is a high intensity exercise as you know. I make sure I test right before I start class and if it below 7 mmol I will check it again during class. At first I didn't want people knowing because I didn't want a fuss made. Now I don't care who knows! Always carry lucozade for those hypos just in case. You will feel the difference between a hypo and just regular sweat I'm sure anyway.dont let it hold you back buddy! There's always that initial fear but the longer you live with this condition the more you adapt to life with it!
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thanks for this @wannabemammy I am at the stage right now where I am just so embarrassed about people knowing and don't want them to make a fuss (good to know you were once here and not now!). reading everyone's comments it's clear that I have to take this by the horns and really understand how my body is working. !Thank you
 
hollieb said:
Hi!

I'd advise that if you're a particularly active person, to lower the amount of insulin that you have when you inject as it will decrease the likelihood of you having a hypo when being active.

However you could also have a sugary drink before to do activity, to act as a buffer from your sugar levels decreasing. Ribena is particularly good, especially if you're actually having a hypo, because its sugary and gets into your system fairly quickly!

Over time you will be able to control your diabetes with your life style - diabetes will never stop you from doing anything, you just have to manage it!

HB
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Thank you @hollieb I like Ribena so thats lucky! one good thing to come out of all this.
 
Try looking at http://www.runsweet.com/.

Cutting down on insulin before you exercise helps, but it is difficult when on a pen as you need to cut down before hand and sometimes plans change. I was on a multi day self supporting white water kayaking trip in Nepal a few years ago and managed 2 days with no insulin and eating as normal (it was great), using pens and testing every 2 hours allowed me to adjust and reduce my insulin, its called sugar surfing which I do now 24/7 on a pump with a CGM.
 
Chas C said:
Try looking at http://www.runsweet.com/.

Cutting down on insulin before you exercise helps, but it is difficult when on a pen as you need to cut down before hand and sometimes plans change. I was on a multi day self supporting white water kayaking trip in Nepal a few years ago and managed 2 days with no insulin and eating as normal (it was great), using pens and testing every 2 hours allowed me to adjust and reduce my insulin, its called sugar surfing which I do now 24/7 on a pump with a CGM.
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Sugar Surfing sounds like something I can aspire too!! :)
 
You got this Smoof! The initial embarrassment fades after time! Actually to be fair I am t1 15 years and it's only since I did the DAFNE course in April of this year that I stopped hiding my condition. Kinda like I needed someone else to point out to me..what's the big deal?
One thing I learned from DAFNE is if im doing a Zumba class I will reduce my insulin dosage by 30-50% for the meal directly before Zumba and that usually stops me having hypos while I dance

Hope you get back to enjoying the exercise you like soon!
 
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