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Hello :-)
- Thread starter Jane2012
- Start date
- Status
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Jane, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your partner's diagnosis, it can be a bit of an upheaval, and often it is the people around you who worry the most. It is great that you want to support him 🙂
I would suggest getting a support and information pack for people with a recent diagnosis of type 1 diabetes from JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which is free. Don't worry about the word 'juvenile' in anything you see related to Type 1 - youngsters have some additional things to deal with, but almost everything applies whatever age you are (I was 49 when diagnosed!). Additionally, I would get a copy of
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents by Ragnar Hanas, known as the Type 1 bible as it covers every aspect of living with Type 1 diabetes in a well-written and very accessible form.
What insulin regime is he on? Has he been put forward for a diabetes education course, such as DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating)? Partners are often encouraged to attend these together, so it would be worth doing.
Please ask any questions you may have, there are loads of very friendly and knowledgeable people here who will be very happy to help out - no question is considered 'sill', so if it is confusing or bothering you, please ask! 🙂
I would suggest getting a support and information pack for people with a recent diagnosis of type 1 diabetes from JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which is free. Don't worry about the word 'juvenile' in anything you see related to Type 1 - youngsters have some additional things to deal with, but almost everything applies whatever age you are (I was 49 when diagnosed!). Additionally, I would get a copy of
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents by Ragnar Hanas, known as the Type 1 bible as it covers every aspect of living with Type 1 diabetes in a well-written and very accessible form.
What insulin regime is he on? Has he been put forward for a diabetes education course, such as DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating)? Partners are often encouraged to attend these together, so it would be worth doing.
Please ask any questions you may have, there are loads of very friendly and knowledgeable people here who will be very happy to help out - no question is considered 'sill', so if it is confusing or bothering you, please ask! 🙂
Robster65
Senior Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Jane. Welcome 🙂
You've made the first step in supporting him. By joining here !
What insulin regime has he been put on?
And what have you been advised diet-wise?
The best advice I can offer is to start a diary detailing every test, number of units injected, amount of carbs eaten and any exercise or hypo treatments, etc.
It may not make sense right now but will be invaluable to you and your care team in the weeks to come.
Testing is best done methodically. So, before meals and 1 or 2 hours afterwards to see how high his BG is going. Before bed is important and also upon waking. 🙂
Rob
You've made the first step in supporting him. By joining here !
What insulin regime has he been put on?
And what have you been advised diet-wise?
The best advice I can offer is to start a diary detailing every test, number of units injected, amount of carbs eaten and any exercise or hypo treatments, etc.
It may not make sense right now but will be invaluable to you and your care team in the weeks to come.
Testing is best done methodically. So, before meals and 1 or 2 hours afterwards to see how high his BG is going. Before bed is important and also upon waking. 🙂
Rob
Thank you!
I have to admit, I'm not 100% sure of the names / terminology - but it's one injection at night (the basal one?!) and then a different one before meals (bolus?!).
At the moment, the nurses have got him using a consistent amount of insulin, but looking at what he's eaten so they can relate the two (I assume that's the working out his ratio bit). We are tracking everything so hopefully we can get to know what has what effect on him!
Biggest problem is, he's a nightmare for snacking - so I'm trying to find nice carb free snacks for him - monkey nuts (take time to shell so he can't eat them as quickly) and veg sticks instead of fruit as he'll happily munch tonnes of fruit all day!
I went to see the nurse with him, and I think they will get him (and hopefully me!) on the course before too long, but I guess it's an awful lot to take in at first and they are holding off a little.
I am by nature a fact gathering and learning type of person, so just trying to understand as much as I can.
Thanks very much 🙂
I have to admit, I'm not 100% sure of the names / terminology - but it's one injection at night (the basal one?!) and then a different one before meals (bolus?!).
At the moment, the nurses have got him using a consistent amount of insulin, but looking at what he's eaten so they can relate the two (I assume that's the working out his ratio bit). We are tracking everything so hopefully we can get to know what has what effect on him!
Biggest problem is, he's a nightmare for snacking - so I'm trying to find nice carb free snacks for him - monkey nuts (take time to shell so he can't eat them as quickly) and veg sticks instead of fruit as he'll happily munch tonnes of fruit all day!
I went to see the nurse with him, and I think they will get him (and hopefully me!) on the course before too long, but I guess it's an awful lot to take in at first and they are holding off a little.
I am by nature a fact gathering and learning type of person, so just trying to understand as much as I can.
Thanks very much 🙂
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yes, you've got the terminology correct Jane 🙂 It's a good, flexible routine to be on (also known as MDI - Multiple Daily Injections).
It sounds like you've got off to a great start and with good support from your medical team. It does take a while to get familiar with everything, especially if you have had little prior contact with doctors etc., a situation true of many Type 1s, so if this is the case with him then you start to feel a bit 'medicalised' with all the appointments, tests, etc., but after a while they should reduce to just regular check ups or when there is something that needs discussing with a DSN 🙂
How was he diagnosed, and how did you find us?
It sounds like you've got off to a great start and with good support from your medical team. It does take a while to get familiar with everything, especially if you have had little prior contact with doctors etc., a situation true of many Type 1s, so if this is the case with him then you start to feel a bit 'medicalised' with all the appointments, tests, etc., but after a while they should reduce to just regular check ups or when there is something that needs discussing with a DSN 🙂
How was he diagnosed, and how did you find us?
All a bit bizarre really - he didn't feel quite right... he was drinking a lot especially at night, had lost weight, was constantly hungry, couldn't always see clearly. I told him he would be fine, stop worrying!
Then he went to the Docs with an ear infection and said - "while I'm here... " next thing we knew he's at the hospital being prescribed bags of things to inject! So all a bit odd, and as you say for someone fit and healthy definitely a shock, especially as it came so out of the blue and unexpected to everyone.
And I found you via the Diabetes UK website, as you can imagine, I've spent quite a lot of time on there over the last two weeks!
Then he went to the Docs with an ear infection and said - "while I'm here... " next thing we knew he's at the hospital being prescribed bags of things to inject! So all a bit odd, and as you say for someone fit and healthy definitely a shock, especially as it came so out of the blue and unexpected to everyone.
And I found you via the Diabetes UK website, as you can imagine, I've spent quite a lot of time on there over the last two weeks!
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I was due to run a marathon in Stockholm the week I was diagnosed, so as you can imagine it was all a bit of a shock for me too! I'd had the symptoms you describe for quite a while, but being a typical bloke had ignored them or put them down to something else, then I got really ill over about 4 days and ended up in hospital for 8 days 😱
Robster65
Senior Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
You may find the snacking will ease off a bit once his BG (blood glucose) is nearer normal.
The brain doesn't realise that he's diabetic, so receives signals from the muscles sayign they need more glucose, causing a hunger feeling. Once his system has settled down, the brain may readjust to 'normality' and slow down on the panic eating.
Be aware also, that pre-diagnosis the weight drops off due to fat and muscle wastage, so once balanced it can pile back on again if the calorie intake isn't checked. Especially snacking on nuts, which are really good and low carb but calorie dense. Just in case his trousers won't do up in a few weeks!
Rob
The brain doesn't realise that he's diabetic, so receives signals from the muscles sayign they need more glucose, causing a hunger feeling. Once his system has settled down, the brain may readjust to 'normality' and slow down on the panic eating.
Be aware also, that pre-diagnosis the weight drops off due to fat and muscle wastage, so once balanced it can pile back on again if the calorie intake isn't checked. Especially snacking on nuts, which are really good and low carb but calorie dense. Just in case his trousers won't do up in a few weeks!
Rob
I do think that's probably the scariest thing, and certainly something I didn't know - just how quickly it can happen, almost overnight! I guess we are very lucky that he wasn't actually ill, it was picked up before then.
Thanks for the snacking optimism... but he's always been a bit of a grazer, so we'll have to see how he gets on there - the alternative solution is that I'll have to eat all the nice things in the house to remove temptation!!!!!!!
Thanks for the snacking optimism... but he's always been a bit of a grazer, so we'll have to see how he gets on there - the alternative solution is that I'll have to eat all the nice things in the house to remove temptation!!!!!!!
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