Welcoming myself

Hi there,

I'm a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic (hit the 1 week mark today, Friday) and am looking forward to talking to the many others who go through their days in similar ways.

I was hit with a very nasty covid punch but recovered after 2 weeks. 2 to 3 days later, I started peeing and drinking water like crazy. I did not know what was going on and figured that it'd most likely be an UTI. After my urine was tested, it was quickly apparent that it was not an UTI and that it was in fact diabetes. Tonight, I realized that Covid can affect and harm the pancreas which is what I suspect has happened to me. I've otherwise been in a very healthy condition.
My insurance covers the FreeStyle Libre 2 which has made it very easy to figure out how my body reacts to certain foods or activities and how quickly or slowly it can change.

My HbA1c (IFCC) came back as 110 H. I believe that's 12.2%. I don't really know what this means but I do know that it's important. I should look into that now that I mention it.
I'm currently also at almost all times above 22mmol/L with my current dosages of insulin. I'm confident in how to calculate the amount of insulin I should/shouldn't be taking but I haven't really been instructed to do so yet so I'm not sure if I should. Receiving this news and having a supportive partner allows you to get a lot of information.

This is my first time talking about it in "public". I've (as expected) had a heavy wave of emotions come through me since I got the news.
I'm very grateful to have found this platform and I'm looking forward to learning more!

EllieM said:

Hi @Gardevoir and welcome to the forums.

Just over 100 years ago T1 was a death sentence, 50 years ago it was a life shortener but today with the aid of modern technology the prospects for new T1s are bright. It's one of the few illnesses where the patient can manage the illness rather than having to depend on advice from the medical team. (Though at this stage you'll be very dependent on your team).

I've been T1 for 53 years so have seen and benefitted from the improvements.

Your hba1c corresponds to an average blood sugar of 17mmol/L over the last 3 months, so I expect you've been feeling quite ill. I expect your team will advise you on how to increase your dose gradually to normalise your levels, they generally prefer to do this slowly, partly because you don't want to overdose on insulin and partly because it can be better for your body (specially eyes) to make the change slowly. Please resist the urge to buy any expensive new glasses while you are adjusting back to normal, as high blood sugars can effect your vision.

At this stage you have a massive amount to learn but my advice would be to remember that this is a long term process (marathon not a sprint) and you don't have to learn it all at once. My single most important piece of advice for a new insulin user is to always carry some form of sugar with you. If you get hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) you can become confused and you want to make it easy for yourself to find the sugar you need.

Once more welcome.

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Thanks a lot! I'm very happy to hear that you're going strong for so long. I'll be looking forward to doing the same.
I haven't been feeling ill whatsoever, even while hitting 32mmol/L (I now know I should've called contacted someone).
I've definitely been noticing the changes in my sight but was also informed by my specialist that this'll be temporary while my body's getting used to the changes.

I now understand why my HbA1c numbers are important and will read into it more! Thank you again.