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It’s a lot to get used to

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Lucaswatts

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello
I’m Lucas.
I’ve had type 1 for nearly 3 months.
It’s a lot to get used to.
I’m 46 years old.
 
Welcome to the forum @Lucaswatts . Glad that you have found us.

As you say there is a lot to learn very quickly with T1.
If you are happy to do so you could tell us a little about how you came to be diagnosed,
and also which insulins you are using. This can help in answering any questions that you might have.

I was diagnosed with T1 at the age of 53. In spite of this I found the book Type1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. It is regularly updated with the latest tech, so worth getting the latest edition. Things are changing so quickly . The book explains things clearly and is week indexed making it easy to dip into.

If you have any questions at all, just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here. There is plenty of experience on here, and I know that I have learnt most of what I know about my D management from the practical advice on here.
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

I am another Type 1 late starter. I was diagnosed 20 months ago at the age of 55. It is very overwhelming at first but it really does get easier the more experience you get and this forum is a fantastic place to gain advice and tips from people with lots of experience for how to tackle some of the challenges of managing your BG levels manually or impersonating a pancreas as it is sometimes referred to.

Do you have Freestyle Libre? How are you managing with your levels? Have you learned how to carb count and adjust your doses of insulin or are you on fixed doses.... The pandemic is making training for this more difficult but there are online options if you haven't been given any guidance yet.

Feel free to ask any questions you have. Doesn't matter how trivial or embarrassing you might think they are, at least some of us will have experience of them. There are however many different approaches and you have to find what works for you so it helps if you are prepared to experiment a bit to find the best approach for you. Sometimes advice can be conflicting, but that is just because diabetes can be very individual and figuring out the best regime for you personally is quite often a case of trial and error.... but at least we can suggest things to try!
 
Another late developer here, I was 42 at diagnosis. Does take a lot of getting used to. Glad you found us
 
It’s definitely a lot to get used to, whatever age you’re diagnosed at. Is there anything in particular you’re finding hardest to get used to or just the whole thing?
 
Another late-ish joiner to the Type 1 club. Ok, compared to some I was a mere youngster in my mid-30s.
One thing I have learnt is, despite what we may hear and despite some of the alternative names for Type 1 (Juvenile Diabetes, for example), we are not that rare: more than half of the people with Type 1 diabetes were diagnosed as an adult. And that does not include those still incorrectly diagnosed with type 2 because, even some doctors, still think of Type 1 as a childhood disease.

I don't think there is a good age to be diagnosed with a chronic disease but I am glad I was diagnosed a bit later when I had already found my way in life and didn't have to deal with diabetes through puberty and university years.
Sure, that meant it was something I had to get used to rather than something I have always known but finger pricking, carb counting, injecting, keeping hypo treatments close by at all times, never forgetting my insulin, ... have become second nature now.

You are not alone - we have all been through the learning (and still learning), the fear, the acceptance, ... and we are here to tell the tale, help others and, I can't speak for others, but I feel I am stronger because of diabetes. Maybe that's my stubbornness showing.
 
Finger pricking beats collecting wee and boiling it up in a test tube every morning before you even put the kettle on anyway!
 
Hi there @Lucaswatts. 🙂 Another late bloomer here. I was 41 when diagnosed. It does take a while to get used to, you’re right, but at least you found this site.:D Lots of info and support. The most important thing I’ve learned is that it’s all about baby steps, not about charging around trying to change everything at once.o_O🙂
 
Welcome to the forum @Lucaswatts

Sorry to hear you’ve had to join the ‘Hotel California’ club (you can check out any time you like etc...).

If you’ve not found them already you might like ‘think like a pancreas’ and the Ragnar Hanas book (ignore its title - it’s just as clear and helpful however old you are!)
 
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