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What will happen if I do not take any insulin ? Recently been diagnosed with T1

Grumpy Porridge

Grumpy Porridge

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
My blood keytones were high a few
Days ago . Around 3 3.5 / 4 . They are varying a bit but coming down slowly I guess .

what will happen say over a few days or weeks with no insulin
 
If you genuinely have t1 then it depends if you are still in the honeymoon period if you are then you could live a while until that honeymoon is over..

But ultimately you'd die..
 
Grumpy Porridge said:
My blood keytones were high a few
Days ago . Around 3 3.5 / 4 . They are varying a bit but coming down slowly I guess .

what will happen say over a few days or weeks with no insulin
Click to expand...


Hi, can I ask why you would ask this question, are you burdened with the thought of have Type 1 diabetes ?
 
Have you been diagnosed with type 1? Your ketones suggest nutritional ketosis, but if you're ill and had blood sugars continuously over 13 mmol/l for an extended period of time, you need to phone 111.
 
Yes I had lost 2 stone. And they said they were 90% sure its type 1. A blood test which takes 3 weeks will confirm it
 
Grumpy Porridge said:
... what will happen say over a few days or weeks with no insulin
Click to expand...
You are still making your own insulin, but high blood glucose rapidly kills off remaining beta cells. So without insulin, expect to see blood glucose rise as residual beta cell function declines during coming weeks. Over a period of weeks ketones will also rise and you could go into ketoacidosis. DKA, if not promptly treated, quickly leads to heart failure and the outcome can be bad.
 
Grumpy Porridge said:
My blood keytones were high a few
Days ago . Around 3 3.5 / 4 . They are varying a bit but coming down slowly I guess .

what will happen say over a few days or weeks with no insulin
Click to expand...

Are you out of hospital now and have they given you an insulin prescription? (I read your previous post where your GP sent you to hospital). It would be pretty irresponsible to leave you untreated if they think you've got T1 and have just escaped a DKA episode. And if you're not currently on insulin, you should ring 111 for advice with those levels.

As for your mood, T1 is a tough diagnosis to receive and many people suffer from depression because of it. All I can say is that it doesn't have to ruin your life , but if you run high blood sugars for long then you can slide into a vicious circle of the levels making your depression worse and thereby making it harder for you to control your levels. Please don't give up. Seek help if you get depressed and remember that modern treatments mean that T1 is much easier to manage than it's ever been before.

Good luck. You are not alone.
 
Robinredbreast said:
Do have support for your negative feelings, like MIND or CAMS, does your GP know what is happening with you ?
Click to expand...

Hi, the doctor does know, yes
I just get very stressed about everything . Me having T1 diabetes hasn’t really sunk in tbh

unfortunately at the mo I’m
Not getting much support but think I’m in the process of being referred to my local mental health team

everything stresses me out . Knowing what to eat / how to make it
 
Hi @Grumpy Porridge,
What kind of things do you like eating?
If it helps, these days quite a lot of pre-prepared food comes with the carbohydrate count already done for you, e.g. for one slice of bread, or a tin of soup, or baked beans, or a readymeal to put in the microwave if you have one.
It really helps when working out how much insulin to take.
There’s also a guide called Carbs and Cals in which you can look up things like the carbohydrate content of lots of foods.
They help to reduce extra anxiety.
It’s not unusual to feel anxious about everything when first diagnosed with T1, and high blood sugars make some of us think the world’s a very grey place. Personally, I’m much more likely to feel relaxed and happy if my blood sugars aren’t high. I wonder how long your blood sugars were high for before you were diagnosed.
I do hope you get some professional support soon. In the meanwhile, keep talking with us!
 
I experienced a lot of stress around eating when I was first diagnosed. But after a week or so I realised it wasn’t the end of the world if I got it wrong whilst still figuring things out & through trial & error built up a list of go to meals.

It’s hard when your first start out, especially when you are on fixed doses of insulin, you feel you have less control but this does get better.

I use carbs & cals to track everything I eat. It will give you detail on just how many carbs you regularly consume & once you know you can start to make choices about what to eat to help bring your BG down.

For example you might usually eat 2 slices of toast at breakfast but this spikes your BG so you could then choose to have 1 slice of toast & Greek yogurt or some eggs. For me that would mean that I didn’t feel hungry & I would stay in range.

Plus if you are T1 the change in eating habits doesn’t need to be long term. As you gain more control & confidence you can choose your diet more freely. But it takes time to get there.
 
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