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Txdp20

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Type 1
I’m a 27 year old newbie writing this from a hospital bed. Yesterday I went to the doctors a non-diabetic and was admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis and concluded it to be Type 1 diabetes I’ve developed.

Feel a bit surprised and confused, take insulin and don’t feel great still. In a weird state of mind where I know my life’s changed forever but I’m not entirely sure on the impact yet (as I’m yet to get home). I’ve been advised to message on this forum and hope others share experiences.

Looking forward to hearing from others.
 
Txdp20 said:
I’m a 27 year old newbie writing this from a hospital bed. Yesterday I went to the doctors a non-diabetic and was admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis and concluded it to be Type 1 diabetes I’ve developed.

Feel a bit surprised and confused, take insulin and don’t feel great still. In a weird state of mind where I know my life’s changed forever but I’m not entirely sure on the impact yet (as I’m yet to get home). I’ve been advised to message on this forum and hope others share experiences.

Looking forward to hearing from others.
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Hey, and I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with T1D but welcome to the forum. I know it will be a shock if you have any questions don't be scared to ask. Diabetes UK also have lots of information about T1D.
 
Txdp20 said:
I’m a 27 year old newbie writing this from a hospital bed. Yesterday I went to the doctors a non-diabetic and was admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis and concluded it to be Type 1 diabetes I’ve developed.

Feel a bit surprised and confused, take insulin and don’t feel great still. In a weird state of mind where I know my life’s changed forever but I’m not entirely sure on the impact yet (as I’m yet to get home). I’ve been advised to message on this forum and hope others share experiences.

Looking forward to hearing from others.
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I was in this position 4 months ago . It’s a steep learning curve and I’ve had up and down days . I found it really useful to have my husband with me at some appointments, he has helped me learn how to deal with everything. I have gone low carb so that I don’t have to inject too much insulin as I don’t like to be too high or too low . I feel better now than I have in months . My hb1ac has reduced to 41 in this short time . I had 5 minutes of fantastic advice from my consultant... low carb and exercise. Good luck you will get there and remember this forum is full of people that understand exactly what you are going through and how you feel
 
Hi @Txdp20 ..
I’m a type 2 and as such can’t offer much advice but there are many here who can, just would like to say hello and welcome, you certainly came to the right place.
I found this place invaluable when I had my diagnosis around a year and a half ago..
 
Thank you for all your kind replies, I’m slowly coming to terms with it and my head still feels a bit fuzzy from being a pin cushion the last few days. Has anyone every felt a bit fuzzy for the first few days? My blood sugars still around 13-17 throughout most of the day (and that’s on hospital food) so I assume at a clinic meeting next week I may be advised to up the dosage f insulin.

How have people got used to being out and about? I’m not used to carrying anything when going out of the house so now it feels I may need a briefcase, what do people use/take? Ever struggled getting into anywhere or travelling abroad through customs?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you for the advice so far.
 
Hello @Txdp20 and welcome to the forum 🙂

I was also rather surprised to be admitted to hospital with DKA and diagnosed type 1, especially as I was 44 at the time and had no family history of diabetes (I later discovered on this forum that this sort of thing is more common than people think). 9 years later, I can tell you that you do get used to it and it all becomes second nature after a while - there's very little you can't do with diabetes, with just a bit more planning than you would have needed before.

It's safest for your blood sugar to come down slowly, so it's good that it hasn't come down too fast. It will go down though, don't worry, especially when you are off hospital food, which is not usually very healthy 🙄

You are likely to feel fuzzy with your blood sugar still in the teens - when it does come down you should suddenly feel a whole lot better!

Yes, you will need something to carry your kit in - if you're just out for a walk or something you can get away with stuffing your meter and some hypo treatment in your pockets, but you can't really do that if you're out for any length of time, with insulin pens and the whole caboodle. It's easier for women with a handbag - I put my kit in a drawstring fabric bag and then put that into my bag when I go out. A lot of people put their kit in a pencil case.

If you are travelling over the summer, especially if the temperatures do what they've done the last couple of summers or if you're going somewhere sunny, you'll need a Frio wallet to keep your insulin cool. I haven't travelled through customs with mine, but a lot of people here have and rarely have problems - it's advisable to get a letter from your GP or diabetes nurse though, just to say you're on insulin and need to carry medical stuff (get one which isn't dated, then you can re-use it). Also, when you arrive at the airport you can get a sunflower lanyard from the help desk, and carrying that with you is a discreet way of letting the airport staff know you have a medical condition, which should help.
 
@TheClockworkDodo

Thank you so much for your kind, detailed experience. It’s given me a bit of confidence having just been discharged from hospital and feeling a little overwhelmed and daunted at the future.

Tobias x
 
TheClockworkDodo said:
I haven't travelled through customs with mine, but a lot of people here have and rarely have problems - it's advisable to get a letter from your GP or diabetes nurse though, just to say you're on insulin and need to carry medical stuff (get one which isn't dated, then you can re-use it).
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To nit pick it's security rather than customs (though I'm sure customs might be an issue sometimes). And yes, you want a letter just in case, and if you get the option try and get a generic "has Type 1 diabetes mellitus" one rather than one that lists specific things you happen to be using right now (mine predates the Freestyle Libre by a few years, for example). But yes, the good news is (in my experience) there's never much of a problem.
 
Txdp20 said:
@TheClockworkDodo

Thank you so much for your kind, detailed experience. It’s given me a bit of confidence having just been discharged from hospital and feeling a little overwhelmed and daunted at the future.

Tobias x
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That first week at home after diagnosis is a bit scary and understandingly overwhelming. We went out for lunch the first day and I was shaking so much doing my jab I dropped my pen, ... It gets a lot easier and all that we have to do just becomes part of a new ‘normal’ life. I like the analogy with learning to drive. It all seems pretty complicated at the start, but then just becomes automatic, whilst watching for bumps in the road, deviations, and the unexpected.

You will have been given a lot of information at the start and will no doubt be full of questions that you forgot to ask, or arise as life kicks in. Keep in touch with your specialist team, and also keep asking on here. There is a wide experience to tap into from people that just ‘get it’.

As you progress you will be taught to carb count and then match your insulin to that (be your very own pancreas). This will enable you to choose what to eat and when to eat. Lots to get used to but plenty of help available.
 
Hello Tobias welcome to the forum.🙂 So sorry about your diagnosis, DKA not very nice but glad you are out of hospital now. Your learning curve has already started, take onboard as much as your brain can cope with but don`t overwhelm yourself. You will be offered yearly eye tests to check for Retinopathy and other eye problems associated with the big D, please check your feet everyday and moisturise them but not between the toes. You should have blood tests every 3 months at your Dr`s but you may have to remember to make your own appointments, keep in touch with your D team especially your DSN (Diabetic Special Nurse).

You have already been given good advice from other members and we will always be here for you, if you get fed up and need to rant,rant. Ask any question at any time of the day there are members from all over the world, when you gain D knowledge don`t be afraid to share it with the forum or if you just fancy a yap about something other than D yap away. Great to have you onboard keep in touch, sorry about the circumstances but hey you have a lot of support, take care our friend, regards.🙂
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
Thank you all for your words and advice so far. My sugars have been slowly dropping since leaving the hospital (I'm usually a healthy person and I'm not a massive sugar person so tis frustrating). Only had one large dip when on a packed train last night from London with no seats (is it just me or should there be disabled/priority seats on every journey reserved?). I'm booked in to meet with the diabetes team this week as well as the eye clinic later on this week. Does anyone have any background or advice on what they're like? Are there any bloggers people follow on instagram whom are T1?
 
I believe @everydayupsanddowns blogs.
At the eye clinic they put drops into your eyes to dilate them and then take a photo of the retina. The drops sting a little and you are not supposed to drive for several hours afterwards and a pair of sunglasses may make you more comfortable if it is a daytime appt but it isn't anything to be anxious about. At this early stage there is unlikely to be any damage to your retina, but they use these early photos so that they can compare future results against them.
The diabetic specialist team should be very supportive, but it takes time to get to grips with you need to know so don't expect them to tell you everything at that first visit. Firstly, they don't have time and secondly, you wouldn't manage to take it all in anyway. Figuring it out takes time and trial and error. Everyone's lifestyle is different and that affects our diabetes. The food we eat and when, the environment we live and work in, the nature of that work, our leisure time activities, our circadian rhythms/hormones etc...hundreds of variables which mean that no two people will be the same, so whilst following a blogger may give you some ideas, their way of doing things may not work for you.
It will be frustrating at times. You will almost certainly get hypos occasionally, so make sure you have hypo treatment with you at all times. I carry everything in a bum bag and I now feel strange if I don't have it round my waist.... like driving without a seatbelt.... I think for me it would have been helpful to know that hypos are "Normal" and to be expected because we won't get it right all the time. I naively thought that 2 hypos a year would be a lot and when I had 2 in a week I was panicking until someone here said they sometimes had 2 a day. Normal is different for everyone but it helps to realise the range of normal is quite broad.
Anyway, I hope you find your team friendly and supportive and manage to steadily lower your BG into the normal range without going too low.
 
Hello @Txdp20

Welcome to the ‘Hotel California’ club no one wants to join, but you can never leave.

If you are looking for other online contacts and social media connections, I suggest to try www.t1resources.uk which has a searchable database of blog posts, YouTube videos, websites etc on most topics, plus pointers for channels like Instagram or Twitter. And all the items have been reviewed by both PWD and HCPs

If you say ‘hi’ to me on either of those I can make some introductions 🙂 I’m on as ‘everydayupsanddowns’ or ‘everydayupsdwns’ if they have a character limit!
 
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