Always hungry?

[cazmod]

Hi
I am newly diagnosed type 1 (6 days ago) and started insulin therapy...I am so hungry all the time although blood levels still above 10 most of the time so not stable yet !! Even had to get up in the middle of the night for toast last night as I couldnt sleep as I was so hungry (Blood test - 8.9 at the time). Is this normal???

Was being treated for type 2 for 18 months before correct diagnosis so have been running v high sugars for sometime.

cazmod

 

[Northerner]

Hi cazmod, welcome to the forum 🙂 I would say this is normal - I could have eaten a horse between two breadvans on an hourly basis after I was diagnosed! How did you come to be diagnosed originally, and what prompted them to change your diagnosis? There are lots of people here who have been similarly misdiagnosed. Had you lost any significant weight before diagnosis? I think what happens is that, prior to diagnosis, your body can't use the food you are eating as energy because you are not producing enough insulin to help process it - as a consequence, your brain thinks you must be starving! Once you start using insulin, you are suddenly able to use the energy that your body has been craving, hence the hunger. Also, because a healthy pancreas would just trickle out enough insulin to cope with the food (carbs) being consumed, things are more balanced. When you are injecting, you are giving your body a big surplus of insulin all at once and this can also have an effect on your hunger levels.

I would suggest though, that you avoid carbs as a snack when your levels are already on the high side. Instead, go for something like a protein snack, such as cheese or nuts, or for something sweet, sugar-free jelly - your body doesn't need carbs at such times, but your brain needs to be assured that you are eating something. 🙂

What insulin therapy are you on? I would recommend having a look in our Useful links thread for links to lots of good resources - in particular, I would recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas - by far and away the best guide to living with Type 1 and all that it entails.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and there is bound to be someone who can help! 🙂

 

[delb t]

Can only add that my son ate for England when he was first diagnosed this lasted for 3/4 weeks if I remember correctly- and welcome by the way

 

[LeeLee]

Hello and welcome from a correctly diagnosed T2!

 

[ch1ps]

Hi Cazmod

You sound like me, was diagnosed T2 then ended up in hospital with ketones and had lost a lot of weight. Now diagnosed T1.

The hunger I had for a while and put on a stone very quickly, I think it was replacing what I had lost when the ketones had built up.

 

[cazmod]

Thanks for the welcome

Hi to those who have replied and thank you for the advice, its reassuring to know that I am not going a bit mad ! I was diagnosed type 2 18 months ago from a random blood test. they kept saying I didn't fit the profile for type 2...no family history, slim, etc but didn't think to check my antibodies until a couple of weeks ago. I am apparently destroying my own pancreas I have lost a stone in weight during this time and have felt very frustrated that the tablets I was taking had no effect. I felt it was my fault!. So, I am actually quite relieved to have a correct diagnosis at last. I am on Lantus at night and 3 x fast acting insulin doses at meal times. It makes me feel in control although I am not stable yet (early days I know).

Thanks again for the welcome and I will enjoy looking around the site 🙂

 

[Glo]

Hi Cazmod, when I first went onto insulin I felt the same, always hungry in 20 months I put on 3 stone. As I was already overweight this didn't help me at all. Dn did not explain why this was happening just lectured me. I changed gp practise a year ago & am trying to lose weight to reverse T2.