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Christmas greetings

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Adrian H

Adrian H

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello everyone,

I’m a newbie here, and new to diabetes. I’m 44 and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the end of November.

I haven’t really come to terms with it, if I’m honest. The medical staff were wonderful at the time, and continue to be wonderful. But it’s a lot to take in. A lot of appointments, a lot of information, a lot I just haven’t got a clue about yet!

If I can summarise how I feel right now, I feel really positive about the changes I have made, and plan to make, in terms of diet and lifestyle. Eating more healthily, drinking less and exercising more are all things I should have started doing years ago! The reason I’ve joined this forum and am posting for the first time is that sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, and sometimes I just want to talk to someone about it. Earlier this evening I spoke to someone in a similar position to me (she was diagnosed about 18 months ago) and I found it really uplifting to share experiences.

With that in mind, I signed up and am writing to say hello, and to send my Christmas greetings to you all.
 
Welcome Adrian, and well done for using your diagnosis as a prompt to improve your lifestyle and diet.

Like you I was diagnosed with T1 as an adult, and it is indeed a lot to learn very quickly, and can be overwhelming. I am pleased that you have a good specialist team at the hospital and recommend that you make use of the support they can give you. That is why they are there.

It is very early days for you and your body will take some time to adapt back to lower BG levels. If you would like to you could tell us a bit about how you were diagnosed. People’s experiences are all very different. Have your team talked to you about the honeymoon period? That is when a few beta cells, that have survived the onslaught from the antibodies so far, decide to chuck out some insulin, for a while. This can make things a bit unpredictable at the star, so be patient with yourself and don’t be surprised if your levels are a bit wobbly.

A book that I found very helpful early on and still refer back to is Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. Ignore the age reference, it is a relevant for us as it is for the younger people. It is well explained and includes all the practical info for us.

I have learnt so much from my there on this forum, by simply asking. No questions is considered silly. We have all been there, so please ask away.
 
Thank you so much for your helpful reply, SB2015. I’ll get a copy of the book you recommend, as I’m keen to learn as much as I can. I’ve also downloaded “Bright Spots and Landmines” by Adam Brown, based on the reviews, and I’ve started to read it.

I hadn’t heard the term “honeymoon period” until tonight (you were the second person to use the term), although my diabetes nurse has explained the concept to me. I’m currently using Abasaglar once a day while I’m still producing some insulin, and I’ve been prescribed Humalog to allow me to enjoy my Christmas dinner! My BG levels are still a bit all over the place, and still a bit high, but better than they were!

I was initially diagnosed by Google... I’ve always wanted to lose some weight, but never really did, so I was delighted when my weight suddenly started to drop. But then I was always thirsty, and then suddenly incredibly tired and falling asleep during the day. I wasn’t feeling well, so I put the symptoms into Google and came up with diabetes. My dad has been Type 2 for a long time so I figured that was what it must be, and made an appointment with my GP. I had some blood tests, and when the results came in... I got sent straight to A&E! My BG was 20.9 and I was phoned and told to go to hospital or I was at risk of going into a coma!

Please excuse my complete ignorance, but until very recently I had no idea that diabetes could have such an effect. Or that I could be in such a bad way. Even then, I didn’t think that I might have Type 1 diabetes. So it was all quite a shock when I found out. But the NHS is amazing, and the people who work there are incredibly knowledgeable and reassuring, and within an afternoon I understood what diabetes is and what it means to be diabetic, and learnt how to test my BG and how to inject myself with insulin. Like I said in my first post, I know I have a huge amount to learn, but I’m determined to do that and to be positive about it along the way.

I’m looking forward to being a part of this forum so that I can learn from others, and maybe one day being the person who replies to a newbie and welcomes them into the community. Thank you for doing that tonight.
 
Hiya

Nothing weird about you at all mate - being diagnosed with a chronic medical condition is recognised completely by the medical profession (except I think a lot of em might have forgotten that) as being as bad as a bereavement of a loved one.

Who ever knew the love of our lives was primarily our T-cells?

As such it's a ruddy shock - and not something we can get over PDQ either.

Those medics, by the way, actually expect you to keep asking questions - so don't disappoint them (or us LOL) Anything we can help you with, we will.

If you just want to have a temper tantrum, scream and rant, you're also welcome to do it on here! Good luck.
 
welcome to the forum and I was exactly the same, lost weight etc etc and diagnosed as Type 1 in November.

Its hard to come to term with at first, but it will get easier, the book suggested is wonderful and I have it as well, its our new bible.
 
Hello and welcome to forum
 
Hi, welcome to the forum.
 
Was a well-thumbed copy of it either on the shelf or more likely somewhere on the desk in my DSN's office. It usually had a load of post-it notes sticking out of it, with patients' names on it, with bits to help them with their individual queries - that's how good it is!
 
I’ve ordered a copy of the Ragnar Hanas book, due for delivery on Thursday. Really appreciate the suggestion, and look forward to reading it. I’ve also been reading about the grieving process, which makes a lot of sense. Thanks everyone.
 
Hi Adrian welcome to the forum 🙂. This forum is the best Christmas present you and your family can have, read and learn, eventually you`ll be giving advice and reap the rewards of members response. Please enjoy the holiday and don`t be over concerned about your levels, we all do temporary just don`t let it get silly. Merry Christmas 🙂.
 
Hi Adrian and welcome from another person diagnosed in their 40s. Really glad you decided to join, the forum has made a huge difference for me, it really helps talking to others who get it. I hope you have a lovely Christmas.
 
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