First 'days out' since diagnosis - advice welcome!

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pawprint91

pawprint91

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Type 1
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So since being diagnosed last month, I haven't really been out anywhere other than to the shops and costa, but later this week I am going to the theatre with a meal beforehand, and on Monday I am supposed to be going to a wedding.

I'm still only on basal insulin so injecting before meals isn't really the issue, and I've still been left with the advice of 'eat whatever you like' by my diabetes nurse (...!) but I don't want to see any crazy spikes in blood sugar - however, I've not yet mastered the skill of carb counting on sight - I know nutracheck can help to some degree, but it's a local restaurant so I know their menu won't be on there. I'm guessing in relation to the meal/theatre the best thing to do would be to choose something 'sensible' (not lots of rice and chips or chocolate cake etc) but with some carbs to avoid lows later in the evening. Also, I know alcohol can cause lows in the long term if you have too much, but can it cause a spike in the short term if you have a g&t or glass of wine with food?

I'll be honest, I'm more nervous about the wedding than the meal/theatre, because there's often big gaps between courses at weddings, and it's London so I know there'll be a fair bit of walking to get to the venue etc - I don't seem to be having lows at the moment (could change on a dime!) but I don't want to snack too much during the day and then eat the meal and be sky high afterwards - the meal itself isn't too bad, some egg and potato concoction in terms of starter, a quiche/tart for main and eton mess for dessert. I also don't know how being out so much will affect my sugars in both cases, so don't want a low either! I am attending with close friends, so I know I'll be well looked after, at least. At this early stage, I don't have a CGM, I have to rely on finger pricking (something else I've never done in public apart from in my car after a bigger shopping trip!). If anybody has any advice about either day, please let me know! Thank you 🙂
 
Hi @pawprint91 I understand your nervousness but my advice would be to relax as much as possible.
For dinner and theatre (which sounds fun), you may benefit from eating something close in structure to what you normally eat - if you normally have pasta, have pasta; if you normally have meat and two veg, have meat and two veg
The wedding may be a little more challenging but the best idea to to keep an eye on your levels between meals and react if you need to but I wouldn't pre-empt a fall with snacks.
As you do not have a CGM at the moment, how about signing up for the Libre free trial and using that during the wedding?

But when it comes to finger prick testing in public, most people don't notice. The more awkward you look, the more obvious it is so my advice would be to do it as if it is perfectly normal thing to do.
 
helli said:
Hi @pawprint91 I understand your nervousness but my advice would be to relax as much as possible.
For dinner and theatre (which sounds fun), you may benefit from eating something close in structure to what you normally eat - if you normally have pasta, have pasta; if you normally have meat and two veg, have meat and two veg
The wedding may be a little more challenging but the best idea to to keep an eye on your levels between meals and react if you need to but I wouldn't pre-empt a fall with snacks.
As you do not have a CGM at the moment, how about signing up for the Libre free trial and using that during the wedding?

But when it comes to finger prick testing in public, most people don't notice. The more awkward you look, the more obvious it is so my advice would be to do it as if it is perfectly normal thing to do.
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Thank you! x
 
Obviously I am Type 2 but I managed to find suitable things in the menu at the pubs we went to last week. A steak and stilton salad, a pulled ham hock salad, haddock fishcake, burgers but only have half the bun and no chips.
You can always ask for extra veg or coleslaw instead of potatoes or chips.
 
I can't offer any advice on food as you are type 1 and newly diagnosed - (I have strict instructions from the mods) but it does honestly get better and these days I can spot suitable foods at a buffet in a blink, and I ask those waiting at table for low carb options without a second thought. You'll soon develop estimating skills as long as you put in a bit of study and a few checks - it will become second nature.

Don't feel that you are doing anything out of the ordinary doing a finger prick check in public - just go right ahead - if anyone looks at you a bit oddly just say 'diabetes check' or the like and go on with what you were doing.

Before leaving, though, do check that you have everything you might need all together ready to go - check it again, and then again as you are about to leave, and then check it is with you as you go out of the gate.

My husband managed not to pack the box with nappies etc for the baby when we went on holiday once, threw away tickets and parking permit left ready for next day at a military base and carefully removed something from the car boot essential for me when we were going to a funeral some decades later - I don't think any amount of training will help there but at least I now know that I really do need to check every detail for myself.

Taking things for an extra day in a second bag in the bottom of the first one is a good idea, particularly for a visit to London - it has been good for me several times. You don't need a suitcase, my packing list was tablets undies new tights and a comb.
 
Leadinglights said:
Obviously I am Type 2 but I managed to find suitable things in the menu at the pubs we went to last week. A steak and stilton salad, a pulled ham hock salad, haddock fishcake, burgers but only have half the bun and no chips.
You can always ask for extra veg or coleslaw instead of potatoes or chips.
Click to expand...
Given the insulin regime she is on, I think it is important for @pawprint91 to continue with a similar diet to what she has at home. If she is eating low carb, then your approach is good but I didn't think she was at the moment, hence my advice.
If she follows your low carb advice when her fixed insulin dose has not accommodated it could lead to the hypos she is trying to avoid.
 
helli said:
Given the insulin regime she is on, I think it is important for @pawprint91 to continue with a similar diet to what she has at home. If she is eating low carb, then your approach is good but I didn't think she was at the moment, hence my advice.
If she follows your low carb advice when her fixed insulin dose has not accommodated it could lead to the hypos she is trying to avoid.
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I did say I was type 2, your advice should be useful to her as she was thinking it might be difficult to find things to eat. Sorry if you think I misled her.
 
Drummer said:
Don't feel that you are doing anything out of the ordinary doing a finger prick check in public - just go right ahead - if anyone looks at you a bit oddly just say 'diabetes check' or the like and go on with what you were doing.
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Thank you, I'm feeling a bit nervous about doing it in public, so this is reassuring!
Drummer said:
Before leaving, though, do check that you have everything you might need all together ready to go - check it again, and then again as you are about to leave, and then check it is with you as you go out of the gate.


Taking things for an extra day in a second bag in the bottom of the first one is a good idea, particularly for a visit to London - it has been good for me several times. You don't need a suitcase, my packing list was tablets undies new tights and a comb.
Click to expand...
I am a very organised person by nature and love to 'be prepared' so thank you for this advice!

@Leadinglights - whilst I will go with @helli's advice for now, thank you for yours as it could definitely help me in the future with eating half the bun or having extra veg etc - so thank you to you both! 🙂
 
I’d go with the diabetes nurse advice, eat what you like. Obviously within reason if you want to avoid spikes. So eg if you would normally have a main meal and no pudding at home, and fancy pudding when you’re out, then don’t have a high carb starter, some bread rolls, a whole pizza, garlic bread and then a chocolate cake! But if you try and balance what you fancy with something balanced - so a choice that has protein and veg as well as carbs, if that’s what you would have at home, then you shouldn’t have results too different to at home.

If I wasn’t on bolus insulin I wouldn’t bother looking up carbs when eating out, but do fingerprick if you’re feeling unwell
 
Hi @pawprint91 I also understand your nervousness. We were determined to stick to our normal routines and eat lunch out on the first Saturday. I dropped my test kit, and my pen on the floor as I was shaking so much.

As @helli has said eating similar meals to at home would be good If possible, but if things go a bit awry just make sure you have your test kit and Jelly Babies (or gluco tabs) available to treat a hypo if needed.

You asked about drinks. I tend to stick to a G&T with light tonic, so a bit of carbs to balance the drop due to alcohol, along with wine and just be sensible.

Most importantly enjoy the time, and just do the best that you can. Then let us know what fun you have had.



Enjoy your day
 
pawprint91 said:
So since being diagnosed last month, I haven't really been out anywhere other than to the shops and costa, but later this week I am going to the theatre with a meal beforehand, and on Monday I am supposed to be going to a wedding.

I'm still only on basal insulin so injecting before meals isn't really the issue, and I've still been left with the advice of 'eat whatever you like' by my diabetes nurse (...!) but I don't want to see any crazy spikes in blood sugar - however, I've not yet mastered the skill of carb counting on sight - I know nutracheck can help to some degree, but it's a local restaurant so I know their menu won't be on there. I'm guessing in relation to the meal/theatre the best thing to do would be to choose something 'sensible' (not lots of rice and chips or chocolate cake etc) but with some carbs to avoid lows later in the evening. Also, I know alcohol can cause lows in the long term if you have too much, but can it cause a spike in the short term if you have a g&t or glass of wine with food?

I'll be honest, I'm more nervous about the wedding than the meal/theatre, because there's often big gaps between courses at weddings, and it's London so I know there'll be a fair bit of walking to get to the venue etc - I don't seem to be having lows at the moment (could change on a dime!) but I don't want to snack too much during the day and then eat the meal and be sky high afterwards - the meal itself isn't too bad, some egg and potato concoction in terms of starter, a quiche/tart for main and eton mess for dessert. I also don't know how being out so much will affect my sugars in both cases, so don't want a low either! I am attending with close friends, so I know I'll be well looked after, at least. At this early stage, I don't have a CGM, I have to rely on finger pricking (something else I've never done in public apart from in my car after a bigger shopping trip!). If anybody has any advice about either day, please let me know! Thank you 🙂
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Check your local restaurants web site allergy advice and all the nutritional information should be there including carbs per portion. as to the wedding enjoy but I would suggest carrying a sugar emergency ration just in case suggest a couple of small bags( kiddie bag size) of hairdo. easy to carry as they squish down in a small bag and one bad + 16-18g carbs for a quick pick me up.
 
Piglet said:
Check your local restaurants web site allergy advice and all the nutritional information should be there including carbs per portion. as to the wedding enjoy but I would suggest carrying a sugar emergency ration just in case suggest a couple of small bags( kiddie bag size) of hairdo. easy to carry as they squish down in a small bag and one bad + 16-18g carbs for a quick pick me up.
Click to expand...
I know it's a wedding, but hairdo? Haribo perhaps! I use the kiddie bags extensively these days and buy them form Aldi when they can be ridiculously cheap prior to events such as Halloween; super-bags of 40 kiddie bags worked out at 16p per 100 gm wt making JBs look ridiculously expensive. I use to worry about the carb count accuracy of kiddie bags, since the different types of Haribo have slightly different wts; but now just assume any kiddie bag is +/- 15gm carbs. This makes them a great hypo interceptor when falling.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
I use to worry about the carb count accuracy of kiddie bags, since the different types of Haribo have slightly different wts; but now just assume any kiddie bag is +/- 15gm carbs. This makes them a great hypo interceptor when falling.
Click to expand...
When you say 'hypo interceptor', do you mean you'd maybe eat a bag if you found your bg to be 4.1 for example? 🙂
 
Thank you to everybody who replied - I think days out actually seem to suit my bs at the moment, as the readings I had on the day of the theatre were actually probably my best to date! (I think it's all the walking about!). The wedding wasn't too bad, didn't drink an awful lot so levels seemed to hover round 10/11 pre-meal with a spike of 14 after (didn't have a great deal of carbs, only a large spoon of rice and a few potatoes), but by the time we'd walked back to the car at a fast pace, it was 6.8! I have more days out planned over the next few weeks, but also basal insulin to contend with now too!
 
SB2015 said:
Hi @pawprint91 I also understand your nervousness. We were determined to stick to our normal routines and eat lunch out on the first Saturday. I dropped my test kit, and my pen on the floor as I was shaking so much.

As @helli has said eating similar meals to at home would be good If possible, but if things go a bit awry just make sure you have your test kit and Jelly Babies (or gluco tabs) available to treat a hypo if needed.

You asked about drinks. I tend to stick to a G&T with light tonic, so a bit of carbs to balance the drop due to alcohol, along with wine and just be sensible.

Most importantly enjoy the time, and just do the best that you can. Then let us know what fun you have had.



Enjoy your day
Click to expand...
Thank you! I did feel a bit conscious about finger pricking, but managed to do it in quieter places and I had super supportive friends with me too. I had a lovely time, thank you! 🙂
 
So glad you enjoyed the meal out. Something to be repeated so that you develop more confidence, and you will probably find that only the people you are sat with will notice what you are doing. Enjoy yourself.
 
pawprint91 said:
When you say 'hypo interceptor', do you mean you'd maybe eat a bag if you found your bg to be 4.1 for example? 🙂
Click to expand...
Fair question.
At 4.1 with a down trend arrow, yes I'd eat a bag; at 4.1 with horiz arrow probably only 1/2 a bag and with an upward arrow I'd eat none. But that has caught me out in the past. At 5.0 + down arrow I'd eat 1/2 bag and continue to closely monitor; 5.0 + horiz or up arrow I'd eat none and monitor.
Invariably there is an odd no of sweets inside a bag; so 1/2 a bag might be the smaller half or larger half, depending on what I thought might be going on.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
Fair question.
At 4.1 with a down trend arrow, yes I'd eat a bag; at 4.1 with horiz arrow probably only 1/2 a bag and with an upward arrow I'd eat none. But that has caught me out in the past. At 5.0 + down arrow I'd eat 1/2 bag and continue to closely monitor; 5.0 + horiz or up arrow I'd eat none and monitor.
Invariably there is an odd no of sweets inside a bag; so 1/2 a bag might be the smaller half or larger half, depending on what I thought might be going on.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. I currently rely on finger pricking only, but if I am low I am usually heading lower I have found (when I do drop, it does seem to be like a stone) so thanks for the tip - I currently have jelly babies as a hypo treatment so I'll probably just have a couple of those as a hypo interceptor; thank you!
 
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