Hello, just a quick introduction. My name is Andy, 58 years old and recently diagnosed as type 1 after being type 2 for nearly 4 years. Confused with what I should and shouldn’t eat, and also annoyed that I have to give up HGV licence for 3 months. Any other hgv drivers out there ?
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Another Newbie..!
- Thread starter Jonesy63
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rebrascora
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Hi Andy and welcome.
Sounds like you are probably LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults). This is a slow onset Type 1 which is often mistaken for Type 2 in the early stages and sometimes even responds to Type 2 oral medication/lifestyle changes for weeks, months or even like in your case, years, but gradually the insulin producing beta cells are slowly killed off by the immune system and you reach a tipping point where the remaining insulin production is not enough to cope and BG levels can suddenly sky rocket. How did your Type 1 re-diagnosis come about? Did you end up in hospital DKA or did you just have a switched on GP/nurse who spotted it before it got that bad?
Which insulin(s) have they given you? That will probably make a difference as to what we suggest you can eat. For instance if you are on an (old fashioned) mixed insulin, you will probably need to stick to meals of set carb amounts at set times, but if you are on a basal/bolus insulin regime then in theory you can eat anything, with moderation.
We have another member @DuncanLord who is relatively recently diagnosed and trying to get his PSV license back, so yes, it is a worrying time when your livelihood depends on it, but it is important to learn how to manage your levels with insulin before getting back behind the wheel, as insulin is dangerous stuff.
What sort of BG readings are you getting at the moment? Are you finger pricking to take readings or have you been given Freestyle Libre sensors?
Hopefully if you can give us more information, we can give you better support/advice.
Sounds like you are probably LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults). This is a slow onset Type 1 which is often mistaken for Type 2 in the early stages and sometimes even responds to Type 2 oral medication/lifestyle changes for weeks, months or even like in your case, years, but gradually the insulin producing beta cells are slowly killed off by the immune system and you reach a tipping point where the remaining insulin production is not enough to cope and BG levels can suddenly sky rocket. How did your Type 1 re-diagnosis come about? Did you end up in hospital DKA or did you just have a switched on GP/nurse who spotted it before it got that bad?
Which insulin(s) have they given you? That will probably make a difference as to what we suggest you can eat. For instance if you are on an (old fashioned) mixed insulin, you will probably need to stick to meals of set carb amounts at set times, but if you are on a basal/bolus insulin regime then in theory you can eat anything, with moderation.
We have another member @DuncanLord who is relatively recently diagnosed and trying to get his PSV license back, so yes, it is a worrying time when your livelihood depends on it, but it is important to learn how to manage your levels with insulin before getting back behind the wheel, as insulin is dangerous stuff.
What sort of BG readings are you getting at the moment? Are you finger pricking to take readings or have you been given Freestyle Libre sensors?
Hopefully if you can give us more information, we can give you better support/advice.
Thanks for your reply rebrascora. I think you are correct about Lada, as it has been mentioned. I’ve been on two doses of insulin, morning and evening for two weeks now. Started with 6 units each, but now has doubled to 12. My readings can be anything from 5 to 15. I seem to spend a lot of time looking online, YouTube etc, finding that lots of things are great according to some, and terrible according to others. I appreciate it’s probably just a case of trial and error. Ironically the DVLA are only concerned about hypos, whereas at the moment my readings are higher than low.
DuncanLord
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Barbara
The way you have described LADA as slow onset type 1 sums my symptoms for the last 10-20 yearsup a treat. But mine as obviously developed into full Type 1. I just never knew I had it.
Welcome Andy. There is plenty of help on the forum. Just ask.
rebrascora
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Andy, what is the insulin actually called? ie Novomix, Humulin I, Levemir etc? There are quite a lot of different insulins and they work slightly differently, so knowing the name of it helps us to understand how that insulin will impact your levels and therefore how your meals/food will impact.
5-15 isn't too bad. It is important to bring levels down slowly so they will gradually increase your doses to bring you into the normal range over a period of weeks to reduce the risk of hypos but also to put less strain on the fine blood vessels in your eyes particularly, which can be quite vulnerable to drastic changes in HbA1c. I know being in double figures makes you feel rubbish but as you know DVLA only worry about hypos so you want to keep those to a minimum, therefore slow and steady is the best way to reduce levels in all respects. Balancing levels is not easy and you soon realise what an incredibly clever little organ your pancreas was when it was working properly. Trying to do the job manually takes thought and effort and can be very frustrating because there are something like 42 factors which affect your BG levels..... so it is by no means a simple 3 way balancing act with food, exercise and insulin. To make matters worse, many of those 42 factors are beyond your control and will stick a spanner in the works when you least expect it, so managing Blood Glucose levels can be a complicated process.
Have you had a hypo yet?
How did your new diagnosis come about?
5-15 isn't too bad. It is important to bring levels down slowly so they will gradually increase your doses to bring you into the normal range over a period of weeks to reduce the risk of hypos but also to put less strain on the fine blood vessels in your eyes particularly, which can be quite vulnerable to drastic changes in HbA1c. I know being in double figures makes you feel rubbish but as you know DVLA only worry about hypos so you want to keep those to a minimum, therefore slow and steady is the best way to reduce levels in all respects. Balancing levels is not easy and you soon realise what an incredibly clever little organ your pancreas was when it was working properly. Trying to do the job manually takes thought and effort and can be very frustrating because there are something like 42 factors which affect your BG levels..... so it is by no means a simple 3 way balancing act with food, exercise and insulin. To make matters worse, many of those 42 factors are beyond your control and will stick a spanner in the works when you least expect it, so managing Blood Glucose levels can be a complicated process.
Have you had a hypo yet?
How did your new diagnosis come about?
DuncanLord
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Hi Andy
I’m PSV not HGV
You need the 3 month BG levels recorded on a glucose meter(s).
Then your Dr has to back any move to un-revoke your license. Plus probably a D4.
DVLA has a long backlog. I was diagnosed at the end March. Had results by beginning of July. Sent paperwork to DVLA 15 July They only scanned onto system two weeks ago. Sorry to disappoint.
Think about Tachograph machines. Before Digi cards we had discs. Before that we had log books. The neat copy to be handed to VOSA. Private message me if you need help with how that applies to your situation.
The forum is especially helpful in both coming to terms with this pain in the ass diabetes and for help with anything. Even a place to rant about our feelings.
There’s also a virtual forum meeting tomorrow Sunday at 3pm on zoom. Message @everydayupsanddowns for the log in code if you want.
Duncan
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The insulin is Humulin M3, and it was through an antibody test as suggested by my diabetic nurse. I haven’t had any hypos yet, and I always feel fine. Thank you too for your reply Duncan. My licence has been revoked until Jan 10th, that is the 3 month period that my dr should hopefully give me the all clear.
rebrascora
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Humulin M3 is a mixed insulin and means that you need to eat regular meals of a roughly set carb content at reasonably set times in order to balance your levels. This is considered a bit of an old fashioned insulin regime and limits you both in respect of what you can or need to eat and when. That is fine if you are happy with that situation and can eat meals at appropriate times to keep levels steady but there is a more flexible insulin system which allows you to eat what and when you like or skip meals if you feel like it, where you inject as much or as little insulin for meals as that meal requires. It means more injections per day because you inject for each meal as well as injecting a long acting insulin once or twice a day to cover the glucose your liver trickles out throughout the day and night. So effectively 5 injections a day if you eat 3 meals but it gives you so much more control over your levels and flexibility over what and when you eat. This is referred to as a basal/bolus system or Multiple Daily Injections (MDI). Most Type 1 diabetics find this system works better for them than the mixed insulin but it does take more thought/calculation and of course more injections.
Another advantage of this system is that you can use the fast acting insulin (the bolus insulin) which you use for meals, to correct any high levels and bring them down. This can be particularly helpful at times of illness when BG levels can suddenly go very high and risk ketones developing, but generally it just enables you to to be more flexible with your lifestyle.
Can I ask, are you under the care of a diabetes clinic at an hospital and perhaps a consultant, or a diabetes nurse at your GP practice? Have they given you an idea of what amount of carbs you should be aiming for at each meal to keep levels steady. It would be quite difficult for us to advise on food with you being on a mixed insulin other than to keep them quite similar in carb content. So for instance, if your nurse had suggested approx. 60g carbs per meal then we could suggest things that might be about that, but without knowing what you are aiming for it is impossible to make suggestions.
Another advantage of this system is that you can use the fast acting insulin (the bolus insulin) which you use for meals, to correct any high levels and bring them down. This can be particularly helpful at times of illness when BG levels can suddenly go very high and risk ketones developing, but generally it just enables you to to be more flexible with your lifestyle.
Can I ask, are you under the care of a diabetes clinic at an hospital and perhaps a consultant, or a diabetes nurse at your GP practice? Have they given you an idea of what amount of carbs you should be aiming for at each meal to keep levels steady. It would be quite difficult for us to advise on food with you being on a mixed insulin other than to keep them quite similar in carb content. So for instance, if your nurse had suggested approx. 60g carbs per meal then we could suggest things that might be about that, but without knowing what you are aiming for it is impossible to make suggestions.
DuncanLord
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Diagnosed end of March. 10th October still waiting on DVLA to contact Doctors, Send me for another medical and make their minds up.
The wheels at Swansea seem to turn rather slowly.
Thanks for that Barbara, I really appreciate the detail and the time you have taken to answer. I am at present under a diabetes nurse at my local GP. I have an appointment at Leicester General Hospital, but that is not until November, and is only a phone appointment.
Oh no, don’t like the sound of that. Hopefully they’re a bit quicker with HGV under the present climate
DuncanLord
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- Type 1
I got the car license back after 2 months, a 3 year medical license, but without any of the class 2 entitlements and without the large vans I had grandfather rights.
As company sick pay has dropped over the months Citizans Advice advised me to look at universal credit. It might be worth looking as wages drop and bills keep coming in.
you can’t claim it in arrears but it might help with DVLA delays.
Keep smiling
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Welcome to tue forum @Jonesy63 sorry to hear about your difficulties getting your license back. Hopefully you can build up the required days of data and number of BG checks, and get support from your Dr to put ticks in all the right boxes 🙂
It is unfortunate that the DVLA have been impacted so significantly by the pandemic and by industrial action. There do seem to be significant delays in many cases
It is unfortunate that the DVLA have been impacted so significantly by the pandemic and by industrial action. There do seem to be significant delays in many cases
Thank you, it’s much appreciatedWelcome to tue forum @Jonesy63 sorry to hear about your difficulties getting your license back. Hopefully you can build up the required days of data and number of BG checks, and get support from your Dr to put ticks in all the right boxes 🙂
It is unfortunate that the DVLA have been impacted so significantly by the pandemic and by industrial action. There do seem to be significant delays in many cases
trophywench
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Anything that does not need human intervention by DVLA still turns around pdq. When it does need A Person, they are months behind. This week - mid July.
DuncanLord
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The problem is the season for the Welsh to get to know their favourite animals is starting, if it ever stopped!!!!!
Lol
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