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Tom Z

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Hi folks,

I’m Tom, I’m a 36-year-old Brit based in Oslo, Norway, and I was diagnosed with Type 1 at the end of October. There’s so much to take in, early on, so I’ve held off on joining a forum for fear of information overload—but today I caught myself texting the sentence ‘I had a night full of hypos because I overestimated the effects of quiche’ and decided that it was time to find a community that speaks my language.

Being in the Norwegian healthcare system means that my context is a bit different to many other members here, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss experiences that I’m sure we all have in common. What else is there to say? Basal: Tresiba (12 units every morning, after some experimenting). Bolus: Humalog (and finding that a single unit can make a surprisingly big impact). Facing up to kicking the cigarettes after a pack a day for 18 years. (Nice to have the extra motivation, but not delighted about losing my go-to stress reducer at a rather stressful time.) Oh, and I’m a disability studies scholar, so my education is coming to life in strange and unexpected ways…

That’s about it for now, except to say a big thank you for having me. The journey ahead feels much more manageable knowing that a brain trust is just a couple of clicks away. I’ll do my best to give as much to the discussions as I take from them.

Cheers!

Tom
 
Welcome @Tom Z 🙂 My first questions, after your quiche experience, are are you counting carbs and adjusting your Humalog per meal; do you have a half unit pen for the Humalog; and do you have a Libre or other CGM?
 
Hiya! Bit of background info could be helpful Tom, if you don't mind, please. What led up to your diagnosis - sudden onset of symptoms, or what?
 
Hi @Tom Z and welcome to the forum! We're glad you have found us and have reached out. It's completely understandable how you have felt, as a diabetes diagnosis can feel very overwhelming and challenging, especially if it comes as a complete shock.

While we have lots of useful information on here, as well as our website, it can certainly feel like a big info overload to begin with. Other members have and will continue to jump in, and if you have any further questions or concerns please continue to reach out :D
 
Hi @Tom Z and welcome to the forum no one wants to join! 🙂 I was diagnosed at the age of 56 just 5 months ago so know completely what you’re going through. People will say it gets easier with time and they’re right - I was a mess for the first couple of months, probably longer, but now getting more on top of things. Having to think about what you eat, when, how much insulin etc is exhausting at first but you get into a routine. A continuous glucose monitor is a game changer and if you use an app like Carbs&Cals you’ll quickly build a database of meals and therefore the amount of carbs which makes dosing easier.

Any questions, there are loads of people on here to help. You are NOT alone 🙂
 
Tom Z said:
There’s so much to take in, early on, so I’ve held off on joining a forum for fear of information overload—but today I caught myself texting the sentence ‘I had a night full of hypos because I overestimated the effects of quiche’ and decided that it was time to find a community that speaks my language.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum 🙂

I think that feeling of being overwhelmed is familiar to many of us. And yes it can feel like T1 has its own language at times can’t it!

In terms of balancing doses with meals, you might find this basic introduction to dose adjustment helpful:

The nuts and bolts of carb counting

When you live with type 1 diabetes, carb counting is a great way of managing your blood sugar or glucose levels. It can give you more freedom and flexibility in what you eat when you're preparing meals at home, grabbing food on the go or eating out. Carb counting does take some time and effort...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
(apologies if your clinic has already covered this with you!)

For a more in depth way of trying to account for other factors such as activity, exercise, illness, alcohol and all the rest, this free online course run by Bournemouth’s diabetes service is worth a look:

www.bertieonline.org.uk

Good luck, and keep asking questions 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum @Tom Z
What a beautiful place to live. Loved the sunset form the roof of the Opera House.

There is a lot to get your head round at the start, but plenty of experience to tap into on here.
The more information that you can give us about your management, the better we can tailor our answers.
A half unit pen is incredibly helpful at the start, where you are on low doses of insulin (This is because in the era,y stages you will have some beta cells that still work and give you some of your own insulin). If you can tell us how your diagnosis came about this will give us a better idea of how far down the road you were at the start.

It is very understandable to find things a bit overwhelming at the start. However it definitely gets easier. I like the analogy to learning to drive. There seems so much to do at the start, but it soon becomes automatic, and you are then just watching out for the unusual events. Ask any questions that arise. Nothing is considered silly on here. Just ask.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. I’m type 2 so nothing useful to add other than, you will find many supportive type 1 members on here so keep logging in.

Also wanted to say, take each day at a time with the cigarettes. It is so worth it if you can stop for good. I was a hardened smoker (30+ a day) but I’ve been stopped seven years now. If I can quit, anyone can!
 
Welcome, I can sympathise with the cigarettes, you have a stringer will than mine, given up 5 times now but back on them again!
 
Hi everyone,

Thank you very much for your kindnesses, suggestions and resources!

A bit more background from me…

I took myself to hospital after 4-5 weeks of worsening symptoms: severe cramps in my lower legs and feet, constant thirst (and need to pee), weight loss, blurry vision, and fatigue. By the time I was admitted, I was somewhere in the region of 37mmol/l, with an HbA1c of over 25. No history of any form of diabetes on either side of my family except for one (long-departed) great uncle.

For the first couple of weeks, my target range was 10-16 mmol/l. This was later lowered to 8-16mmol/l and then, more recently, to 5-10mmol/l. My specialist nurse encouraged me not to carb count, at least for now, and to focus instead on learning what different foods do to my levels and getting to grips with Humalog dosage. This has been going fairly well, but it’s become more difficult since my target range was lowered to 5-10mmol/l, because I’m that much closer to flirting with a hypo (and more likely to overcorrect). This has been the hardest thing about the process so far, for me: getting towards bedtime with a level of, say, 11 mmol/l, taking a small amount of Humalog, and then scrambling to get my level up again if it falls a bit too low again. I wasn’t aware of the half-dose insulin pen, but that sounds like an absolute godsend!

I was lucky to receive my Libre 3 quickly, and started using it about six weeks ago. It’s a huge help, of course, but it’s easy to become obsessed with it and start to micro-manage even minor fluctuations. I know that I’ll be able to trust my decision-making more once I understand my body better, but it’s hard not to feel that I’m failing in my efforts to establish healthy routines. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and patience isn’t my strongest suit, so I can see the psychological and emotional aspects of diabetes being quite difficult to navigate, at least in the medium term. (I have had struggles with my mental health since mid-pandemic, which complicates things further—a common story, I’m sure.)

I guess my main question concerns carb counting. Have people here found that it helps to alleviate the worries, particularly early on, or can it be a source of additional stress that might be counter-productive?

Many thanks again, everyone!

Tom
 
Carb counting is essential, in my mind, for T1
Get carbs and insulin (and excercise) right, and things run as smoothly as they ever do with T1 diabetes.
And when everything is under control, diabetes takes less head space.
Sure, it means a few sums before you eat, but you soon get used to that
 
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