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Type1. Advice needed!!!

Katie1105

Katie1105

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
Flintshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Spiders
Hi. I'm Katie im 23 almost 24 and have had diabetes for 17 years. My control has never been great but has got a lot better over the past three years. Ive just found out im pregnant not sure how far along we think maybe 6 weeks now. I cant get control of my bloods. One minute they are great then i go and have a really high reading then it drops to a really low reading.
I am also prone to miscarriage as i had two last year and had two before that two years ago though this is the furthest I have ever made it.
I need some advice or tips on how is best to treat my diabetes while pregnant as a nurse i spoke to didnt help at all.
How many times a day should i test now as I usually only test four times?
Any advice accepted
 
Welcome to the forum @Katie1105 and congratulations on your pregnancy!

First of all, if the nurse you spoke to was useless then I suggest you find yourself another one.
If you ring your diabetes clinic that you usually attend for your care then they will book you in to see a specialist diabetes midwife who will get the wheels in motion for you as far as your diabetes care goes.
You also need to book an appointment with your GP in order go get a community midwife as you'll need both.

Diabetes care wise you need to test A LOT!
I usually test about every hour in the day and once or twice in the night but I am obsessive!
Definitely test first thing in the morning, before meals and an hour after meals (so your doctor will work out of your ratios are correct) before any snack and before bed time.

I'm assuming you're on a basal bolus regime?

If you're having a really high reading going down to a really low one then it would seem your correction dose is too high and needs looking at.

Do you carb count? This may help prevent them from going that high in the first place.

All the best Claire x
 
Katie1105 said:
Hi. I'm Katie im 23 almost 24 and have had diabetes for 17 years. My control has never been great but has got a lot better over the past three years. Ive just found out im pregnant not sure how far along we think maybe 6 weeks now. I cant get control of my bloods. One minute they are great then i go and have a really high reading then it drops to a really low reading.
I am also prone to miscarriage as i had two last year and had two before that two years ago though this is the furthest I have ever made it.
I need some advice or tips on how is best to treat my diabetes while pregnant as a nurse i spoke to didnt help at all.
How many times a day should i test now as I usually only test four times?
Any advice accepted
Click to expand...

Congratulations :) Test lots and lots! You need to test two hours after meals. So you're looking at something like 7-10 or more tests a day. Test, assess and react if necessary eg eat if too low, correct if too high and you are confident to correct.

You should be seen by a special team - OB, diabetes consultant, DSN, midwife. I phoned my hospital as soon as I got a positive test and was seen within a few days.

Are you taking the high dose folic acid? If not, get that as soon as you can.

I'm really sorry you've had miscarriages before. I had one early on and it's horrible. My only advice for that is to rest, eat well, keep hydrated and keep your blood sugar as much in range as possible. Relax too. Easier said than done, I know!
 
Hiya
Congratulations first of all. It's hard work but really worth it. Sorry to hear of your miscarriages that must be really hard.
Not lots more I can add that @azure and @claire1991 havent said already but maybe try to follow a low GI diet (porridge is the best in a morning if you like it) to try stop spikes.

I personally found that if I got my control right during the night (I set my alarm twice normally) that helped a lot. You will have some high readings you just need to work on bringing them down. I used to test half hour after meals and bolus more if necessary. I was told to aim for 5-5.5 before meals and 7.5 hour after meals.

I am on the pump and was for both pregnancies. I have been diabetic since I was 2 so have had injections for years first-I personally preferred the pump and could tailor my control but other ladies manage fine without one.

I also phoned my hospital as soon as I was pregnant and was seen straight away but I did pre-conception first and second time with my twins I was immediately in.

Good luck and if you need anymore reassurance this is a great place to get support x
 
Thank you all. It's great advice.
I have seen a midwife today and found i'm 8 weeks pregnant so will be phoning the hospital to try and see specialist tomorrow. Fingers crossed and touch wood.
I will start testing every hour then :)
Finally some helpful advice its music to my ears :)
 
Congratulations! it can be a really difficult time. My first advice would be not to stress. Feeling frustrated with high readings and maybe correcting too much put of frustration and panic (I've been there whilst pregnant) can lead to lows, then worrying because you are too low and maybe over correcting the other way can cause you to go high again ( also been there whilst pregnant!)

Take things one step at a time and remember they will be a lot of changes along the way while you are pregnant.

I have read some good advice from the other ladies about what to eat. Something the dietician suggested to me whilst pregnant was to eat protein along with the carbohydrate to help with the spikes and dips.

You have done the right thing by asking for help and advice. Another thing I would say is make sure you have a dsn that you Have faith in! I have one and I want to have another baby before she retires as she is the only one I trust fully!

Good luck any questions, just ask. The ladies on here are fab X X x
 
Hi Katie, congratulations! :)

it's good you got in with the midwife but as the other ladies have said get on the phone to your DSN so you can be seen ASAP, I hope the unhelpful nurse you mentioned in original post wasn't your DSN.

I'm so sorry about the miscarriages you've been through, even more reason to push for appt with DSN as soon as, and think positive! :)

Do ask any questions you may have, as random as they may seem I bet one of us has asked it at one point or another X
 
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