hello everyone, I'm a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic.

[chameleons.]

Hello everyone, I'm a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic,
I was diagnosed on the 21st of January this year, and I'm slowly getting to grips with my altered lifestyle.
I went into the hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis, and my family suspect I have had diabetes for over a year unknowingly. I have an extreme fear of needles, and can have a vasovagal attack (fainting) just seeing them. that being said, I have been injecting without much issue, except the occasional painful one or bruising, since the start of February. At the moment I am struggling slightly with my mental health, just wondering if anyone has any advice for me, or how to make injections easier.
also, I have had chronic bad luck with my diagnosis, developing both insulin edema (0.9% of diabetic diagnoses) and also minor diabetic neuropathy, very uncommon for my age group.
thank you!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @chameleons.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It’s not uncommon for it to emerge in teenage years, which is a bit of a double-whammy because the surges in hormones at that time of life can make it a bit less predictable at times. We don’t have many members at your age, but we have some who are a little older and some parents of young people @Thebearcametoo @Sally71

I think @Inka has experience of working through needle phobia so may be able to share some hints and strategies.

Sorry to hear you’ve got lumped with insulin edema and neuropathy too Hopefully the neuropathy will be the temporary kind which can be triggered by a rapid improvement in BG levels when starting insulin (Treatment Induced Neuropathy in Diabetes - TIND or TIDN). In which case it should clear up as your levels begin to stabilise. Not that T1 levels ever really stabilise, to be honest, but your body may have got used to running at much higher levels for a while, and can take a moment to adapt to being back in range.

I’m not very familiar with insulin edema, so will have to go and look that up.

Ask away with any questions, or just use the forum as a safe and understanding place to vent and offload among folks who ‘get it’

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

A quick scan of this observational study suggests that insulin edema in teenage T1s may also be short lived, and could resolve in time

Insulin Oedema in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - PMC

Despite the essential role of insulin in the management of patients with insulin deficiency, insulin use can lead to adverse effects such as hypoglycaemia and weight gain. Rarely, crucial fluid retention can occur with insulin therapy, resulting in ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Alan44]

Hi @chameleons. and welcome to the forum.

Please ask as many questions as you wish and we will try and answer your questions as much as possible

Alan😉

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Hi and welcome. It sounds like you’ve had a rough time and it will take your body time to recover. Well done for managing your injections despite your phobia. We’re here for any questions you have and for your general support.

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @chameleons and welcome to the Forum 🙂. I'm glad you decided to join us as it's overwhelming when you're first diagnosed with so much to take on board and getting to grips with a new lifestyle. Honestly it does gradually get better - firstly well done for getting to grips with your injections 🙂. As mentioned, use this Forum to ask any questions or vent and offload - we really understand what it's like to live with the condition.......
Let us know how you're getting on