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I’m new to diabetes
- Thread starter Claire H
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42istheanswer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi Claire! Welcome to the forum
Did they do tests to check it isn't type 1 if you're newly diagnosed and already on insulin?
I was diagnosed a bit over a month ago so have been updating myself on all things diabetes
and as you say, making sure I eat better than I was doing
Did they do tests to check it isn't type 1 if you're newly diagnosed and already on insulin?
I was diagnosed a bit over a month ago so have been updating myself on all things diabetes
and as you say, making sure I eat better than I was doingHey
Yeah it was in the hundreds when they tested me after my surgery and I’m using humulin kwikpen as I’ve been told to inject 18 ml and if my blood sugar is higher than 8 inject another 2 ml.
HeyHi Claire! Welcome to the forum
Did they do tests to check it isn't type 1 if you're newly diagnosed and already on insulin?
I was diagnosed a bit over a month ago so have been updating myself on all things diabetes
I’m not sure if I got checked for type 1 but my blood sugar was in the hundreds after my surgery so maybe that’s why I got diagnosed with type 2 plus diabetes runs in my family as one of my aunties had type 2 but she didn’t look after hers properly.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Insulin is measured in units - so 18 units 🙂 Yes, that’s definitely a high HbA1C. It’s understandable why they think it’s Type 2 if you have it in your family, but do keep the possibility of Type 1 in your head. Type 1 and Type 2 are very different conditions, and many adults are wrongly assumed to ge Type 2 when they’re actually Type1.
There are different types of Humulin - what’s the full name of the one you’re on? It will have letters or numbers after the ‘Humulin’ bit.
This is pen I’m using as it’s better I show you what own I use.
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rebrascora
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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- She/Her
Hi and welcome from me too.
Do you mind me asking what the surgery that you had was? I am just wondering if that has some bearing on your diabetes. Obviously don't feel obliged to disclose anything that you are not comfortable discussing, but I am just wondering if you might possibly be a Type 3c if it was gall bladder/pancreas/liver related.
That is a mixed insulin I believe.....A combination of long acting insulin which deals with the glucose your liver trickles out day and night to keep your vital organs fueled and a quick acting insulin which deals with the glucose released from the food you eat and digest. Do you inject it morning and evening or just once a day?
Do you mind me asking what the surgery that you had was? I am just wondering if that has some bearing on your diabetes. Obviously don't feel obliged to disclose anything that you are not comfortable discussing, but I am just wondering if you might possibly be a Type 3c if it was gall bladder/pancreas/liver related.
That is a mixed insulin I believe.....A combination of long acting insulin which deals with the glucose your liver trickles out day and night to keep your vital organs fueled and a quick acting insulin which deals with the glucose released from the food you eat and digest. Do you inject it morning and evening or just once a day?
Hey
I have womb cancer and had to have it removed along with all my tubes as the cancer had spread to them and after my surgery they discovered that my blood sugar was in the hundreds but not sure what in the hundreds it was as I was still a bit spaced out after my surgery.
Yeah I inject twice a day one on a morning and then the other on a night time along with my metformin tablet as well.
rebrascora
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Oh dear, that all sounds very traumatic and then having to get to grips with using insulin straight after must be really overwhelming. It was bad enough for those of us who had a relatively slow intro to insulin. Sending you big (((HUGS))).
So pleased you have found the forum as it really is a lifeline for support as well as a goldmine of knowledge and experience.
Do make sure to take the Metformin mid meal with a substantial amount of food to reduce the risk of gastric upset and I hope they have started you on a low dose and building it up gradually.
What have they given you to monitor your Blood Glucose levels? Are you finger pricking or have they given you a Libre sensor to scan your arm?
It can take quite a while to get insulin doses right and balancing it with what you eat can be tricky so don't expect perfection. Getting it right most of the time is about as good as you can get but it will take time and experience (trial and error 🙄) to slowly improve to that stage, so do be patient and don't let anyone make you feel inadequate or like you are failing because diabetes, particularly with insulin, is a massive learning curve.
My best advice would be to visit the forum regularly and ask lots of questions and don't be frightened to experiment on yourself a bit to learn how your body responds because we are all different, but always keep one eye on safely and carry hypo treatments (many of us find Jelly Babies particularly useful or Dextrose tablets handy to keep in pockets and handbags and by the bed and in the car and in the bathroom even. Usually it takes 3JBs (which is about 15g carbs) or 4-5 Dextrose tablets to treat a hypo but if you have one, you may be tempted to eat the whole packet (hypos can make you feel ravenous) so it is useful to portion them up, so you aren't tempted to over treat.
Hopefully they will slowly titrate your insulin doses so that you don't hypo for a long time but being prepared at all times is really important to keep yourself safe.
Just to reassure you that whilst it is incredibly daunting at first, a lot of it eventually becomes second nature and it is a bit like driving a car. When you first start to learn, you have to think about every little part of it like pressing the clutch and selecting the right gear and steering and indicating and wiping the windscreen and all the other stuff but gradually you just do all that stuff automatically and then you just concentrate on which road you need to take and is that dog/child likely to run out into the road in front of you or are the lights going to change before you get to them etc. and the steering and changing gear and whatever else just happens in the background. Hopefully you will find it like that too and in a short space of time you will be checking levels and injecting like you had been doing it all your life.
So pleased you have found the forum as it really is a lifeline for support as well as a goldmine of knowledge and experience.
Do make sure to take the Metformin mid meal with a substantial amount of food to reduce the risk of gastric upset and I hope they have started you on a low dose and building it up gradually.
What have they given you to monitor your Blood Glucose levels? Are you finger pricking or have they given you a Libre sensor to scan your arm?
It can take quite a while to get insulin doses right and balancing it with what you eat can be tricky so don't expect perfection. Getting it right most of the time is about as good as you can get but it will take time and experience (trial and error 🙄) to slowly improve to that stage, so do be patient and don't let anyone make you feel inadequate or like you are failing because diabetes, particularly with insulin, is a massive learning curve.
My best advice would be to visit the forum regularly and ask lots of questions and don't be frightened to experiment on yourself a bit to learn how your body responds because we are all different, but always keep one eye on safely and carry hypo treatments (many of us find Jelly Babies particularly useful or Dextrose tablets handy to keep in pockets and handbags and by the bed and in the car and in the bathroom even. Usually it takes 3JBs (which is about 15g carbs) or 4-5 Dextrose tablets to treat a hypo but if you have one, you may be tempted to eat the whole packet (hypos can make you feel ravenous) so it is useful to portion them up, so you aren't tempted to over treat.
Hopefully they will slowly titrate your insulin doses so that you don't hypo for a long time but being prepared at all times is really important to keep yourself safe.
Just to reassure you that whilst it is incredibly daunting at first, a lot of it eventually becomes second nature and it is a bit like driving a car. When you first start to learn, you have to think about every little part of it like pressing the clutch and selecting the right gear and steering and indicating and wiping the windscreen and all the other stuff but gradually you just do all that stuff automatically and then you just concentrate on which road you need to take and is that dog/child likely to run out into the road in front of you or are the lights going to change before you get to them etc. and the steering and changing gear and whatever else just happens in the background. Hopefully you will find it like that too and in a short space of time you will be checking levels and injecting like you had been doing it all your life.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Claire H
Glad you have joined us 🙂
Diabetes can be a daunting and overwhelming prospect in the beginning, but I agree with others - lots of the things about day-to-day blood glucose juggling that take up brain space in the beginning can become second nature over time, and fade into the background.
Diabetes is potentially very serious, but it’s also a condition that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, lots of people on the forum have later reflected that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years!
Hope the Humulin M3 begins to gradually bring your BG levels back into a healthier range, and you start to feel brighter and more generally well.
Glad you have joined us 🙂
Diabetes can be a daunting and overwhelming prospect in the beginning, but I agree with others - lots of the things about day-to-day blood glucose juggling that take up brain space in the beginning can become second nature over time, and fade into the background.
Diabetes is potentially very serious, but it’s also a condition that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Try not to be disheartened about your diagnosis, lots of people on the forum have later reflected that their diagnosis became a catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life. Perhaps changes that they had been intending to make for years!
Hope the Humulin M3 begins to gradually bring your BG levels back into a healthier range, and you start to feel brighter and more generally well.
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