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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
type 1 diabetic
- Thread starter paulj1973
- Start date
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Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome @paulj1973 🙂 You’re not alone here. There are lots of people who understand and can offer advice and support. How long have you had Type 1? Is there anything in particular playing on your mind at the moment, or any questions you’d like to ask. Nothing is too trivial or ‘silly’.
ColinUK
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi Paul. You are not alone. This forum is full of people who’ve had years of experience and can help point you in the right direction.
Can you tell us more about your diabetes though as it makes it more likely any suggestions will be useful.
How long ago were you diagnosed is a good place to start?
And don’t forget that the support line is there as well.
Can you tell us more about your diabetes though as it makes it more likely any suggestions will be useful.
How long ago were you diagnosed is a good place to start?
And don’t forget that the support line is there as well.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Ok @paulj1973 that gives us something to work with. I’m sure we can offer suggestions that you can explore to improve things - genuinely 🙂
First - a few questions:
How long have you had Type 1 and what insulins are you using?
Are you carb-counting and adjusting your own fast/mealtime insulin?
Are these hypos new - that is, was your control ok before?
When do these hypos tend to happen?
Thebearcametoo
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Parent of person with diabetes
Hi and welcome. Have you been offered a Libre as well?
Hi @paulj1973
The suggestion from @Thebearcametoo is a pretty good one.
I notice that Abbott are still offering the free LIbre 2 trial (https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/).
You can apply for this yourself - no need to get input from your busy team - and try it out for a couple of weeks.
If you have a suitable smart phone, you can download the app and set up alarms to warn you when you are going hypo.
The suggestion from @Thebearcametoo is a pretty good one.
I notice that Abbott are still offering the free LIbre 2 trial (https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/).
You can apply for this yourself - no need to get input from your busy team - and try it out for a couple of weeks.
If you have a suitable smart phone, you can download the app and set up alarms to warn you when you are going hypo.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @paulj1973
Sorry to hear you are feeling alone with your diabetes - hopefully connecting with others online can help you feel less isolated.
Not sure if you’ve found it already, but this is the NICE ‘information for the public‘ for TA151 which deals with insulin pumps.
This is an excerpt:
Hopefully you will be able to have a conversation with your clinic, and get the wheels in motion?
Sorry to hear you are feeling alone with your diabetes - hopefully connecting with others online can help you feel less isolated.
Not sure if you’ve found it already, but this is the NICE ‘information for the public‘ for TA151 which deals with insulin pumps.
This is an excerpt:
This may not be the only possible treatment for diabetes. Your healthcare team should talk to you about whether it is suitable for you and about other treatment options available.
What has NICE said?
Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion or ‘insulin pump’ therapy is recommended as a possible treatment for adults and children
12 years and over with type 1 diabetes mellitus if:
- attempts to reach target haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels with multiple daily injections result in the person having ‘disabling hypoglycaemia’, or
- HbA1c levels have remained high (8.5% or above) with multiple daily injections (including using long-acting insulin analogues if appropriate) despite the person and/or their carer carefully trying to manage their diabetes.
Insulin pump therapy is recommended as a possible treatment for children under 12 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus if treatment with multiple daily injections is not practical or is not considered appropriate. Children who use insulin pump therapy should have a trial of multiple daily injections when they are between the age of 12 and 18 years.
‘Disabling hypoglycaemia’ is when hypoglycaemic episodes occur frequently or without warning so that the person is constantly anxious about another episode occurring, which has a negative impact on their quality of life.
Insulin pump therapy should only be started by a trained specialist team. This team should include a doctor who specialises in insulin pump therapy, a diabetes nurse and a dietitian (someone who can give specialist advice on diet). This team should provide structured education programmes and advice on diet, lifestyle and exercise that is suitable for people using insulin pumps.
Insulin pump therapy should only be continued in adults and children 12 years and over if there has been a sustained improvement in the control of their blood glucose levels. This should be shown by a decrease in the person’s HbA1c levels or by the person having fewer hypoglycaemic episodes. Such goals should be set by the doctor through discussion with the person or their carer.
Insulin pump therapy is not recommended for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Hopefully you will be able to have a conversation with your clinic, and get the wheels in motion?
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @paulj1973
You are definitely not alone with your type one. A freestyle libre will help you to monitor your levels more easily and if you can get a pump you would be able to make adjustments to enable you to avoid those unpredictable hypos.
How have you manage before?
Are the changes that you’re experiencing new, especially the hypos.
You are definitely not alone with your type one. A freestyle libre will help you to monitor your levels more easily and if you can get a pump you would be able to make adjustments to enable you to avoid those unpredictable hypos.
How have you manage before?
Are the changes that you’re experiencing new, especially the hypos.
ive been diagnosed for roughly 10 years thank you for replyieng to me
i struggle to manage my blood sugars are every where im on fast acting insulin and a back up in the evening hypos no warning i use free sryle libra thank you for replying to me paul
im on fast acting insulin and back up at night i have stuggled for a long time hypos unpredictable with no warning i use free style libra thank you for reply paul
thank you for reply im worried if there are any affects or problems paul
hypos can happen anytime no warning im useing fast insulin and back up at night somtimess so servere with no warning im on the floor wet myself and can not get up for ages i dont remember paul
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
That sounds awful @paulj1973 Have you always had hypos like this since you were diagnosed or have they come on recently?
You say your doctors are at full capacity - do you mean your GP surgery? Do you have a DSN (a proper diabetes specialist nurse) that you can call? They’re usually based at hospitals as part of the diabetes department.
When you eat your meals, are you counting up the carbs in your meal first and then injecting the right amount of insulin, depending on the carb amount? If you’re not doing that, that could help explain your hypos.
Another thought - have you had things like coeliac disease ruled out? It’s a lot more common in Type 1s and hypos can be one of the symptoms of coeliac disease.
I have an insulin pump. They can reduce hypos but they do need quite a bit of input and understanding from the user. They’re fine though and nothing to worry about.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Which background insulin do you use? Just wondering if this might be a case of Lantus causing problems as some people experience. How much back ground insulin do you use and when was the last time you altered the dose?
Do you know how to do a basal test to see if your background insulin dose is correct?
You really need to get advice from your Specialist Diabetes Clinic on this urgently. There should be a helpline for the clinic where you leave a message with your details and the nature of the problem.... which is "severe hypos resulting in unconsciousness" and they will ring you back and give you appropriate advice or make an appointment to see you to help you to sort it. If you don't know the helpline number, ring your local hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the diabetes clinic. It is a priority that you get help with this so don't feel like you are bothering anyone. You need help urgently and they will want to know and help you. It does sometimes take them 24hrs or next working day to ring you back if you leave a message and if you don't hear anything after 2 working days, ring and leave another message.
If you can't manage to contact your local diabetes clinic, ring the Diabetes UK helpline on the number at the top of the page 0345 1232399 and hopefully someone there will be able to help you. Please let us know how you get on.
Do you know how to do a basal test to see if your background insulin dose is correct?
You really need to get advice from your Specialist Diabetes Clinic on this urgently. There should be a helpline for the clinic where you leave a message with your details and the nature of the problem.... which is "severe hypos resulting in unconsciousness" and they will ring you back and give you appropriate advice or make an appointment to see you to help you to sort it. If you don't know the helpline number, ring your local hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the diabetes clinic. It is a priority that you get help with this so don't feel like you are bothering anyone. You need help urgently and they will want to know and help you. It does sometimes take them 24hrs or next working day to ring you back if you leave a message and if you don't hear anything after 2 working days, ring and leave another message.
If you can't manage to contact your local diabetes clinic, ring the Diabetes UK helpline on the number at the top of the page 0345 1232399 and hopefully someone there will be able to help you. Please let us know how you get on.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Those sound really awful @paulj1973 
I agree with others, that you urgently need specialist support. There are a number of options specifically aimed at tackling severe hypoglycaemia which might really help you.
Have you ever been offered structured education to help tailor your insulin doses to suit your daily life? Something like DAFNE or BERTIE? (though different areas have their own courses).
DAFNE in particular has good clinical results for reductions in hypoglycaemia.
I agree with others, that you urgently need specialist support. There are a number of options specifically aimed at tackling severe hypoglycaemia which might really help you.
Have you ever been offered structured education to help tailor your insulin doses to suit your daily life? Something like DAFNE or BERTIE? (though different areas have their own courses).
DAFNE in particular has good clinical results for reductions in hypoglycaemia.
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