hi everyone! Im 19 was just diagnosed after going into diabetic ketoacidosis on the 4th of February. I'm pretty sad and scared, mainly because before my diagnoses one of my biggest fears was dying in my sleep and now it's a possibility I feel very weighed down a lot of the time. I was wondering how you all cope with these fears and manage to get on with your lives? Do people normally check their blood glucose at night? because I haven't been told to but I'm not sure if I should be? Sorry for all the questions hahah just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.
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19 and newly diagnosed type 1
- Thread starter Lila
- Start date
- Status
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Lila, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear about your diagnosis, DKA is truly a horrible experience 
What insulin are you on?
Try not to worry, although I know everything will be very overwhelming for you at the moment. Your healthcare team will be there for you and should proceed with caution to get your insulin doses to a level that is safe for you. It can be a worry about having a low blood sugar at night, but should that happen then it's more than likely that you will wake up with some strong symptoms - I tend to feel much hotter than I would expect. Keep a blood testing meter by your bed, as well as a good supply of jelly babies or lucozade - or whatever sugary item you prefer to raise your levels. Have you experienced any lows since you got out of hospital? Sometimes it's worth testing around 3 am during the night to see what your levels are, as this is the time when we are normally at our lowest level overnight. When I was first diagnosed I would make sure I was around 7 mmol/l before bed, and often had a snack of a slice of bread and peanut butter. As you get more used to things you will be better able to predict what your levels need to be before going to sleep, and may not need a snack.
I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents by Ragnar Hanas - it is a brilliant book, really well-written and it will teach you a lot about what to expect and how to handle things.
Please let us know if you have any questions, there are lots of us who know just how you must be feeling now - but it does get easier, I promise! 🙂
What insulin are you on?Try not to worry, although I know everything will be very overwhelming for you at the moment. Your healthcare team will be there for you and should proceed with caution to get your insulin doses to a level that is safe for you. It can be a worry about having a low blood sugar at night, but should that happen then it's more than likely that you will wake up with some strong symptoms - I tend to feel much hotter than I would expect. Keep a blood testing meter by your bed, as well as a good supply of jelly babies or lucozade - or whatever sugary item you prefer to raise your levels. Have you experienced any lows since you got out of hospital? Sometimes it's worth testing around 3 am during the night to see what your levels are, as this is the time when we are normally at our lowest level overnight. When I was first diagnosed I would make sure I was around 7 mmol/l before bed, and often had a snack of a slice of bread and peanut butter. As you get more used to things you will be better able to predict what your levels need to be before going to sleep, and may not need a snack.
I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents by Ragnar Hanas - it is a brilliant book, really well-written and it will teach you a lot about what to expect and how to handle things.
Please let us know if you have any questions, there are lots of us who know just how you must be feeling now - but it does get easier, I promise! 🙂
stephknits
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum, Lila, glad you found us. It's natural to be worried about the nights, they worry me too. It might be worth setting the alarm for a few nights at around3 am to see what your numbers are like. Also you could try a small carb snack before bed to help. If your numbers are a bit low at night you could look at reducing your basal, if you are on that regime.
hello! Im currently on homalog before meals and levemir before bed and before breakfast but Ive gotten pretty used to these 5 injections already despite hating blood and needles before! I recently got the 6th edition of Type1 diabetes in children, adolescents and young adults and I have food it very useful! Ive experienced a few lows and sometimes i feel the symptoms when my numbers aren't even low and sometimes I've felt nothing and they've been really low so I don't know what that means hahaha. Thank you for the tips about snacks before bed, bread and peanut butter is pretty tasty so thats good. Im glad to hear it gets easier, thank you for the support and such quick responses!
KookyCat
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Lila
Welcome aboard. As the other have said try not to worry too much, once you get the insulin regime in order you'll get to know when a bed time snack might be useful. Peanut butter on oat biscuits is good too if you fancy a bit of variety. Its absolutely normal to feel scared and overwhelmed but give it a few months and you'll be a pro 🙂 Give yourself a bit of time to adjust, it's a massive change after 19 years as a muggle (non-diabetic), but you'll be fine. One step at a time 🙂
Welcome aboard. As the other have said try not to worry too much, once you get the insulin regime in order you'll get to know when a bed time snack might be useful. Peanut butter on oat biscuits is good too if you fancy a bit of variety. Its absolutely normal to feel scared and overwhelmed but give it a few months and you'll be a pro 🙂 Give yourself a bit of time to adjust, it's a massive change after 19 years as a muggle (non-diabetic), but you'll be fine. One step at a time 🙂
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Sometimes you feel low even when you are not because your levels are falling quite quickly, and sometimes they come on very gradually so you don't get such obvious symptoms, so that's normal - although it's not something they tell you! 🙂 Good to hear you are getting used to the injections, they're not as bad as you might think before you have to start doing them 🙂
Matt Cycle
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hello Lila and welcome to the forum. Try not to worry too much you'll soon get the hang of it.
Lynn Davies
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi and welcome to the forum. Scary times or what!!
Stick with these guy's and they will see you right.
I on the other hand have no idea. I do read the threads but it is like a foreign language to me!
I'm not bad at carbs though
Stick with these guy's and they will see you right.
I on the other hand have no idea. I do read the threads but it is like a foreign language to me!
I'm not bad at carbs though
Flower
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hello and welcome Lila 🙂
Diagnosis is a huge shock to the system on top of recovering from being so poorly with DKA. Take it all bit by bit and test when you feel you need reassurance especially as it is such early days for you. I always test before bed and often during the night so that I'm confident I'm ok. In time you'll get used to how your body feels with different glucose levels.
It is very overwhelming to start with dealing with so many things your body just used to do but it does start to fall into place. Ask your diabetes team for as much help as possible and this forum is a fabulous place for support and advice from people who 'get' diabetes. I wish you well with it all 🙂
Diagnosis is a huge shock to the system on top of recovering from being so poorly with DKA. Take it all bit by bit and test when you feel you need reassurance especially as it is such early days for you. I always test before bed and often during the night so that I'm confident I'm ok. In time you'll get used to how your body feels with different glucose levels.
It is very overwhelming to start with dealing with so many things your body just used to do but it does start to fall into place. Ask your diabetes team for as much help as possible and this forum is a fabulous place for support and advice from people who 'get' diabetes. I wish you well with it all 🙂
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Lila
Welcome to the forum. I have only recently started to use the forum and I have found people so helpful.
If ever you don't understand something anyone tells you just ask again. No one will mind.
It is a lot to take on at first. The best analogy I heard was when it was compared to learning to drive. At the start being expected to steer, drive AND change gear seemed impossible, but now I don't even think about all that. Dealing with your diabetes will get easier step by step.
In the early stages as you are leaning about it all, if you feel like testing just do it. As northerner said you will sometimes feel low when you are not (because your levels are dropping quickly) and other times miss the signs (because the levels are on a slow fall). This still happens and I just test if I feel the need to, and don't worry if I was wrong.
I always test before bead, and it is a bit of a treat if my levels are low as I have an excuse for a snack. If I wake during the night (or should that be when I wake in the nigh) to go to the loo I test as a matter of habit. I am already awake so I might as well check what is happening. I am sure that my pancreas would do so for me if it was still working.
Your Diabetes team will take you through things step by step, and help you learn all that you need to, and I have found that there is always someone on here with some helpful advice.
Welcome to the forum. I have only recently started to use the forum and I have found people so helpful.
If ever you don't understand something anyone tells you just ask again. No one will mind.
It is a lot to take on at first. The best analogy I heard was when it was compared to learning to drive. At the start being expected to steer, drive AND change gear seemed impossible, but now I don't even think about all that. Dealing with your diabetes will get easier step by step.
In the early stages as you are leaning about it all, if you feel like testing just do it. As northerner said you will sometimes feel low when you are not (because your levels are dropping quickly) and other times miss the signs (because the levels are on a slow fall). This still happens and I just test if I feel the need to, and don't worry if I was wrong.
I always test before bead, and it is a bit of a treat if my levels are low as I have an excuse for a snack. If I wake during the night (or should that be when I wake in the nigh) to go to the loo I test as a matter of habit. I am already awake so I might as well check what is happening. I am sure that my pancreas would do so for me if it was still working.
Your Diabetes team will take you through things step by step, and help you learn all that you need to, and I have found that there is always someone on here with some helpful advice.
Hi Lila and welcome to the forum 🙂
I was diagnosed aged 19 as well ! (Although that was 20 years ago haha ). As others have said try not to worry too much - you'll soon get the hang of everything 🙂.
This forum is a great place for support so don't be shy !
Xx
I was diagnosed aged 19 as well ! (Although that was 20 years ago haha ). As others have said try not to worry too much - you'll soon get the hang of everything 🙂.
This forum is a great place for support so don't be shy !
Xx
TheClockworkDodo
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hello Lila, and welcome 🙂
When I was first diagnosed (also with DKA in hospital) I was put on far too much night-time insulin and I had a hypo every night - and every night I woke up, wide awake, and knew I was hypo, and was able to get up and do something about it. I still have a lot of hypos (but not at night now), but most of them are really easy to deal with, and not scary at all. I don't check in the night unless I happen to wake up (hardly ever), and I'm still here. So please don't worry!
When I was first diagnosed (also with DKA in hospital) I was put on far too much night-time insulin and I had a hypo every night - and every night I woke up, wide awake, and knew I was hypo, and was able to get up and do something about it. I still have a lot of hypos (but not at night now), but most of them are really easy to deal with, and not scary at all. I don't check in the night unless I happen to wake up (hardly ever), and I'm still here. So please don't worry!
AlisonM
Much missed Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi Lila, welcome to the forum. It can be overwhelming at first, but you'll amazed at how quickly you'll learn the tricks. I have night hypos fairly often, so I do wake myself to test sometimes, especially if I've been low during the day. You don't need to make a habit of it, but it's good to check now and again particularly if you're low on waking. Your Levemir may need adjusting a bit, or the timing possibly shifted back a bit from bedtime. Talk to your DSN as soon as you get a chance and see what s/he has to say.
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