Brand new type 1 diabetic here...

[trophywench]

OK - so you chose a high carb breakfast - ONE Hot X bun is approx. 30g carb and that's the cheap ones without shedloads of dried fruit and without a sticky topping, then a small bowl of cereal is at least another 30g. 10g carb sends my BG up by 3.0 so 60g will increase it by 18.0 ! I'd also need 6 units of Novorapid to counteract it - so your 4u that someone guessed for you sounds like it wasn't enough.

So - what was your BG before bed and on rising? We don't know what your BG was before brekkie, so can't actually definitely state that the 4u wasn't enough to 'cover' the meal, can we? If your BG was 5.0 before you ate then No it isn't - but if it was already 22.0 - then it might be too much.

Have you been told you'll get an appointment with the specialist team 'soon' or what?

Surely to God you haven't just been discharged and left on your own to cope with no follow up?

 

[Matt Cycle]

Hi Toffee and welcome to the forum. 🙂 Hopefully things should get a bit clearer in time. As regards the fixed doses you're on at the moment then you need to find the right amount of carbs to suit your doses. i.e. if you find your breakfast works well with two slices of toast then you can't have just a boiled egg the next day or you'll be hypo and equally bowls of cereal and hot cross buns you'll be sky high as you've already found.

I'm assuming in time you'll be taught to carb count - matching insulin doses to the carbs you're eating. Try and speak to your nurse/diabetic team about this as the sooner it's explained the easier things will be for you although in the early stages after diagnosis things can be a bit up and down anyway.

Also if you drive you'll need to inform the DVLA and you'll be issued with a 3 year licence.

 

[HOBIE]

...hello, I was diagnosed with type 1 (DKA) on Thursday after a visit to the doctors and a urine test ended up with me on five drips and having a whole host of new words thrown at me in hospital.
I'd been having the usual symptoms for months and a previous visit to a blood clinic last October resulted in them "losing" my samples so I never heard back from the doctor and presumed I was just ill with something less worrying than diabetes.
Anyway, after my visit last week to the doctors I have had a couple of overwhelming days being poked and prodded, and I'm now back home without a clue of how I'm going to adapt...but adapt I will.

I feel daft asking this because I may have been told but can't recall, the little Lancet things that prick your fingers...I was given ten in a small bag, I'll run out by tomorrow at the rate I'm checking...should I have been given more or do you use the same one multiple times?

Thanks in advance

Welcome toffee. Good luck with the work. you Will feel better in a week or two 🙂

 

[toffee]

I went to the doctors this morning, asked for more lancets and I managed to book an appointment with a specialist nurse tomorrow at the hospital I was taken to last week.
It's all a lot to take in, Trophy, my count yesterday morning before breakfast was 9.8....I am not with it as far as the carb counts go yet, bought a book off Amazon its arrived so hopefully things will start to settle down when I'm on the ball.
I'm four days a diagnosed diabetic, the amount to take in is absolutely mind blowing I have to say, all that information whilst still trying to function on a day to day basis with work, kids etc is tough. You lot are superheroes managing it, and very kind offloading your advice and encouragement, thank you.

 

[SB2015]

I went to the doctors this morning, asked for more lancets and I managed to book an appointment with a specialist nurse tomorrow at the hospital I was taken to last week.
It's all a lot to take in, Trophy, my count yesterday morning before breakfast was 9.8....I am not with it as far as the carb counts go yet, bought a book off Amazon its arrived so hopefully things will start to settle down when I'm on the ball.
I'm four days a diagnosed diabetic, the amount to take in is absolutely mind blowing I have to say, all that information whilst still trying to function on a day to day basis with work, kids etc is tough. You lot are superheroes managing it, and very kind offloading your advice and encouragement, thank you.

Welcome Toffee, and well done on beginning to get your head round things. There is loads to learn very quickly but plenty of help available on here. I was 53 at diagnosis and have learnt so much from people on here who are managing this day to day.

Four days in and you are already injecting, testing and beginning to ask questions. The info about your BG alongside the amount of carbs you are eating will help the DSN work with you to sort out appropriate amounts of insulin for you. It takes some time to bring down your levels at the start and your body needs a bit of time to get used to the reduction so don’t worry too much at the start if you are not getting readings that you want. Keep a watch on your carbs (it takes a bit of working out and maybe weighing but there is useful info on an App called Carbs and Cals) and if you find you are a bit high a couple of hours after a meal, try eating a bit less next time.

Soon your DSN will work with you in carb counting and then adjusting your doses at meals to match. As @Matt Cycle has said with the fixed doses, you will need to adjust your meals to suit those doses for now.

Loads to learn, loads of support available, and IT DOES GET EASIER. Do you remember learning to drive. It all seemed complicated at the start but it becomes automatic. Managing your Diabetes will be the same.
Just ask any questions that you have. No questions are considered silly on here. We have been there and know how small things matter. Just ask, and someone will be along soon.

 

[Minnie0008]

Hi Toffee,

I am also very newly diagnosed and haven't been sent on any courses yet either, its so overwhelming isn't it! One thing i have learnt so far though (and i think this will help you too) is that if you have fat or protein with your carbs, the carbs release much slower and your BS will not spike as much. I started off eating cereals (high in fibre of course 🙂) and my diabetes nurse told me that cereal probably isn't the best choice as there is not much to slow the release of carbs down. I now have something like a bacon sandwich, or egg on toast (much tastier anyway!).. this has really helped keep my BS a bit steadier. Hope this helps you.

 

[SB2015]

Hi Toffee,

I am also very newly diagnosed and haven't been sent on any courses yet either, its so overwhelming isn't it! One thing i have learnt so far though (and i think this will help you too) is that if you have fat or protein with your carbs, the carbs release much slower and your BS will not spike as much. I started off eating cereals (high in fibre of course 🙂) and my diabetes nurse told me that cereal probably isn't the best choice as there is not much to slow the release of carbs down. I now have something like a bacon sandwich, or egg on toast (much tastier anyway!).. this has really helped keep my BS a bit steadier. Hope this helps you.

Well done Minnie
For such a recent Newbie, you are picking up things very quickly. At the start for me I was just content with managing to get jabs done, and certainly wasn’t focused on proteins and fats as I am now. Good to hear your DSN is good as well.

 

[toffee]

Hello all, I thought I would just pop in to say a big thank you to everyone. I can't believe how fast I have got to grips with this condition, understanding what to eat with regards to releasing carbs and at what rate has been a steep learning curve, but one I have embraced. I love my distnace running so managing my insulin versus distance/carb intake will be interesting, I just used to carb load without a thought before a long run/race but a bit more planning required from now on.
Hello Minnie by the way, I learnt the hard way about slow release of carbs with certain food early on, thought I'd be fine after my bran Flakes to do a bit of excercise, I'm so much more informed after a week or so though, bought some books (Carbs & Cals) and used online tools to get up to speed with it all.
Had some conflicting advice from my DSN's and the doctor, I was given a different blood glucose monitor today and the doctor seemed to suggest it was not the best idea.....I like it more than my previous one and got the impression it was a nuisance for him to change my prescription.
Met an old school friend from nearly 40 years ago who works at the doctors so that was nice, I'm still getting used to protocols at the GP surgery as up until my diagnosis I had not seen a doctor for over 25 years, they have posh screens now to check yourself in and everything 🙂
I feel like I'm getting there anyway, when I posted initially I did not have a clue how I was going to cope, it's not become second nature yet injecting etc but because I'm disciplined and listening to the experts (including you lot on here), I feel much better with regards to my self management of my type 1 condition.

 

[SB2015]

Hello all, I thought I would just pop in to say a big thank you to everyone. I can't believe how fast I have got to grips with this condition, understanding what to eat with regards to releasing carbs and at what rate has been a steep learning curve, but one I have embraced. I love my distnace running so managing my insulin versus distance/carb intake will be interesting, I just used to carb load without a thought before a long run/race but a bit more planning required from now on.
Hello Minnie by the way, I learnt the hard way about slow release of carbs with certain food early on, thought I'd be fine after my bran Flakes to do a bit of excercise, I'm so much more informed after a week or so though, bought some books (Carbs & Cals) and used online tools to get up to speed with it all.
Had some conflicting advice from my DSN's and the doctor, I was given a different blood glucose monitor today and the doctor seemed to suggest it was not the best idea.....I like it more than my previous one and got the impression it was a nuisance for him to change my prescription.
Met an old school friend from nearly 40 years ago who works at the doctors so that was nice, I'm still getting used to protocols at the GP surgery as up until my diagnosis I had not seen a doctor for over 25 years, they have posh screens now to check yourself in and everything 🙂
I feel like I'm getting there anyway, when I posted initially I did not have a clue how I was going to cope, it's not become second nature yet injecting etc but because I'm disciplined and listening to the experts (including you lot on here), I feel much better with regards to my self management of my type 1 condition.

Well done Toffee for getting to grips with things. I was like you at diagnosis and rarely saw a doctor. I still remember him saying ‘we will be seeing a lot more of each other’.
Glad that you have found info on here helpful. Keep asking ANY questions that you have. Someone will always come along with an answer.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Hello @toffee and a slightly belated welcome to the forum 🙂

You will probably find that when you get conflicting advice from your DSN and your doctor about diabetes, it's your DSN who knows what s/he's talking about! - they are the experts, while a normal GP will very rarely see someone with type 1 diabetes and is unlikely to know much about it.