A newbie Type 1

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Lizzy_type1

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Hello there, I am a newbie!

Great to find a forum for diabetics, I’ve been feeling quite alone.

I am 37 and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in spectacular fashion 6 months ago. I was very ill and nearly died. Thankfully the NHS were amazing during that week in hospital and have been wonderful since.

It’s been a huge shock, as there was no family history of it, and I was ‘fit and healthy’ before. I am still coming to terms with the loss of freedom, and feelings of ‘what could I have done differently?’ (Though not much I gather!) and fighting anxiety around it all.

Practically I’m doing really well, got a libre and I’m quite scientific so been doing a lot of reading. I guess I’m looking for some new friendships with people going through the same journey. As supportive as family and friends are, there is a gulf between empathy and actually experiencing what it means to be Type 1.

Looking forward to interacting with you all,

Lizzy x
 
Welcome @Lizzy_type1 🙂 A Type 1 diagnosis is always a shock. 9 out of 10 people who develop Type 1 have no close relatives with it. You’re right to say there’s nothing you could have done. It’s just bad luck unfortunately. The good news is that you’ve been diagnosed at a time when we have great tech to help you like the Libre and other CGMs🙂 It was more stressful before we had those.

What insulins do you take? Presumably you’re carb-counting and adjusting your mealtime insulin yourself now?
 
Hello Lizzie and welcome.

Really sorry to hear you were so ill at diagnosis but it sounds like you are on the right track now and I hope you have fully recovered.
Which insulins have they started you on and how are you managing?
Hopefully they have given you the basics of carb counting so that you can adjust your fast acting (bolus) insulin for whatever you want to eat?
Great that you have a Libre but important to understand it's quirks and limitations which one of our members compiled a comprehensive list of here...
forum.diabetes.org.uk

CGM limitations and precautions

Moderator Note: This helpful reply was copied from another thread as it details some of the commonly experienced limitations of continuous glucose sensors. My blood sugar has been in perfect range for days now, but although I haven't changed anything, I'm starting to get very short periods of...
forum.diabetes.org.uk forum.diabetes.org.uk

Yes, it is really helpful to touch base and compare notes with others in a similar situation and facing the same challenges as it is very difficult for "muggles" to really understand how much bandwidth diabetes takes up in your brain and how many aspects of life have to be factored in. Hopefully you are already learning that things get easier with time but you will no doubt still have a long way to go. The best way to learn is to carefully experiment on yourself with one eye firmly on keeping yourself safe so having a scientific interest/approach is a very useful trait.

Please feel free to ask any questions that you have. The forum is a goldmine of knowledge and practical experience as well as empathy and we are here for you, to help you in any way we can.
 
Welcome to the forum @Lizzy_type1

Glad you have found us!

And glad you have been gathering all the knowledge and information you can to get you going.

Diabetes does like to mess us around though, so do be on the look out for exceptions to any carefully developed rules and strategies that you put in place. Oh… and don’t be surprised if the goalposts uproot themselves and run off from time to time. o_O

But one of the good things(?!) about diabetes is that we can manage it, learn its quirks and foibles, and play our part in improving our long-term health. 🙂
 
Thanks @Inka @rebrascora you’ve made me feel very welcome thank you for the pointers, I will have a read ❤️ I love the description of others as muggles

To answer your questions, yes I am well now following the rough diagnosis. I’m on levemir and Novorapid, and yes I have Freestyle Libre 2. I am carb counting (carbs and cals app) coupled with experimentation on basal/bolus from reading. Bit of a waiting list for DAFNE course, but I have just finished “think like a pancreas” book which I saw recommended in this forum. The diabetic unit I’m now attached to have been fantastic though, giving me the time for lots of questions!

Thanks for your insights x
 
There’s a kind of online version of DAFNE called BERTIE @Lizzy_type1 Here:


Think Like A Pancreas is a great book with a great title because that’s what we have to do. Be kind to yourself. Diabetes is a marathon not a sprint, and perfection is impossible. All we can do is our best 🙂
 
Welcome! Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you’ve found us.
 
Inka said:
There’s a kind of online version of DAFNE called BERTIE @Lizzy_type1 Here:


Think Like A Pancreas is a great book with a great title because that’s what we have to do. Be kind to yourself. Diabetes is a marathon not a sprint, and perfection is impossible. All we can do is our best 🙂
Click to expand...
Oooo thanks for that, will definitely check that out!
 
Hiya - it's an awful shock at any age and more people are diagnosed with Type I in adulthood than childhood these days anyway so assuming your brain is as adult as your body, very scary reading about all the this that and the other you have to worry about now, that you didn't have to worry about yesterday even though you already knew that should you need a heart transplant at some stage, it's possible and that you don't automatically shuffle off our mortal coil the minute you have a stroke - that definitely does NOT help, does it ?! (why do QWERTY keyboards still not have the 'interobang' symbol?) :( 😉😱

So - welcome to the Club nobody ever asked to join!

Mike (@everydayupsanddowns) always used to have his signature that stated 'Impersonating a pancreas since (year) ' and any number of us have done it longer than him but one thing all of us will tell you is that it does truly get easier with time so advise to take it at you own pace - NOT someone else's, even if that is a hospital consultant, they aren't God and that's a certain fact!

Try to be a patient patient and for goodness (and your own!) sake - keep your sense of humour at all times - we all need it as much as insulin!
 
Hi @Lizzy_type1 Very pleased that you have found us.

There is a lot to get your head round with a diagnosis of Type1 and it is a steep learning curve. The best analogy I had was that it is like learning to drive, which seemed very complicated at the start, but much of it becomes automatic and you are just watching for the unusual. It is the same with Type 1. It definitely gets easier.

Think like a pancreas is a great book, as is Type 1 Diabetes in children, adolescents and young adults by Ragnar Hanas. An excellent reference book, regularly updated with the latest tech. Ignore the age reference (I was 53 at diagnosis) just miss out the chapter on starting school!!!

We are here for you and happy to answer any questions that arise.
 
Lizzy_type1 said:
Hello there, I am a newbie!

Great to find a forum for diabetics, I’ve been feeling quite alone.

I am 37 and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in spectacular fashion 6 months ago. I was very ill and nearly died. Thankfully the NHS were amazing during that week in hospital and have been wonderful since.

It’s been a huge shock, as there was no family history of it, and I was ‘fit and healthy’ before. I am still coming to terms with the loss of freedom, and feelings of ‘what could I have done differently?’ (Though not much I gather!) and fighting anxiety around it all.

Practically I’m doing really well, got a libre and I’m quite scientific so been doing a lot of reading. I guess I’m looking for some new friendships with people going through the same journey. As supportive as family and friends are, there is a gulf between empathy and actually experiencing what it means to be Type 1.

Looking forward to interacting with you all,

Lizzy x
Click to expand...
Hi Lizzy,
I was also diagnosed with Type 1, 6 months ago. I’m very much a newbie like you. It has been brilliant to have found these forums and I do encourage you to ask questions. I find I get good advice and encouragement too. It certainly can feel very lonely when you are first diagnosed. I have also joined my local Diabetes UK group who have interesting meetings and I find I quite like a face to face meeting.

Initially I was quite overwhelmed with thoughts of all the things I would no longer be able to do but I am trying to be more positive and pushing myself to do things outside my comfort zone like travelling.

I also have a Libre2 which I am very dependent on as I hate finger pricking although I have realised that it is not that accurate when it comes to lows and highs so I do check these with a finger prick. I’m also reading ‘Think like a Pancreas’ in fact you have inspired me to finish it!

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

All the best
 
CathyFP said:
Hi Lizzy,
I was also diagnosed with Type 1, 6 months ago. I’m very much a newbie like you. It has been brilliant to have found these forums and I do encourage you to ask questions. I find I get good advice and encouragement too. It certainly can feel very lonely when you are first diagnosed. I have also joined my local Diabetes UK group who have interesting meetings and I find I quite like a face to face meeting.

Initially I was quite overwhelmed with thoughts of all the things I would no longer be able to do but I am trying to be more positive and pushing myself to do things outside my comfort zone like travelling.

I also have a Libre2 which I am very dependent on as I hate finger pricking although I have realised that it is not that accurate when it comes to lows and highs so I do check these with a finger prick. I’m also reading ‘Think like a Pancreas’ in fact you have inspired me to finish it!

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

All the best
Click to expand...
Thanks @CathyFP it’s great to meet you! I know what you mean - every day is a learning experience and pushing just beyond where is comfortable to see what’s possible. Today I did yoga for the first time since diagnosis, which was great how did you find your local diabetes group? I’ve had a look online around Nottingham/Derby, but found a Facebook group but not a diabetes uk one.

Thanks
 
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