Just been diagnosed with type 1

[Stuey Rob]

Hi. I’ve just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after a serious stay in hospital with pancreatitis. My BM’s were very high while in hospital but they’ve managed to get em down but now I am at home I’m measuring all the time and worrying. Today they have been the lowest so far between 5.7 and 14 mmol. I’m just not used to it all and can’t relax

 

[Docb]

Hi @Stuey Rob. Sorry you are here but welcome to the forum.

We have a lot of members who have been where you are now and I am sure some of them will be along soon to chat about how they coped with things and offer you some support and ideas.

 

[trophywench]

Like most of our innards, we're hardly aware of how much they actually do 24/7/365 until something malfunctions. Not a lot of people except on here, would hear me saying next time we go somewhere in our Motorhome, we're weighing up either a small campsite between Blackpool and Lytham, or alternatively the islets of Langerhans cos we've never got to them so far - and laugh!

There's a very helpful and informative book written for non medical people nowadays by Ragnar Hanas which would have been really helpful to all newly diagnosed Type 1s when a lot of us were diagnosed. Do not be put off by the title though! - it equally applies at your or even my, age.

Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition: Amazon.co.uk: Ragnar Hanas: 9781859597989: Books

Buy Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition Seventh by Ragnar Hanas (ISBN: 9781859597989) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Think this is the latest edition, (Edition 7) it is revised every few years to update it.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Stuey Rob

Sorry you have to be here, but so pleased you have found us.

It is quite natural and normal to feel overwhelmed and shaken by a diagnosis of T1 (though as a slightly technical aside, I wonder if your diabetes - if caused by damage from pancreatitis - would usually be classified as type 3c?).

But try not to be disheartened or consumed by anxiety. While serious, of any type, diabetes is a long term condition that can be managed very effectively. With modern insulins, treatment regimen, technologies, and education courses it is possible to life a long, full, active and perfectly happy life alongside diabetes. It isn’t something you can ignore or mistreat, and will happily wreak havoc if allowed, but for the vast majority of people a few adaptations, some attention to detail and a pinch of luck should see you happily living alongside it (rather than crushed beneath it) for 30, 50, 70 years or more. 🙂

Good luck with it and stay connected and asking questions - nothing will be thought of as too obvious or ‘silly’.

 

[mikeyB]

Hi @Stuey Rob, welcome to the gang. 🙂

It all rather depends on whether the acute pancreatitis you had has led to chronic pancreatitis. Have you been prescribed Creon to help with digestion? The pancreas can recover to a degree from Acute Pancreatitis The main function of the pancreas is producing digestive enzymes. It also just happens to be where the Beta cells live that produce insulin, and both functions are affected by pancreatitis to a variable degree.

So your current situation may not persist, but I suspect that it will from what you say.

I assume that you have been told you must not drink any alcohol at all. You are right about it being a serious stay in hospital, acute pancreatitis carries a 25% death rate for the first attack. The odds get worse for second attacks. Any amount of alcohol can trigger that. So can smoking.

It's not all doom and gloom, I can tell you from experience that it is perfectly possible to have a good time without drinking any alcohol. You won't miss it. In fact, it's good fun - and an education - watching your mates getting p****d and incoherent.

Finally, as @everydayupsanddowns says, T1 caused by pancreatitis is Type 3c. ( I was T1 for years before CP reared its ugly head)

Best of luck, and stay in touch. There's a few of us on the forum who handle T1 with CP or absent pancreases, so you are in the right place for advice.

 

[Stuey Rob]

That’s just made me feel 10 times worse

 

[trophywench]

Serious question @Stuey Rob - were you told that by the hospital but hoping it wasn't that important?

 

[Stuey Rob]

I’ve been discharged from the hospital now and due to go for another CT scan in 3 weeks with the same doctor that told me that scans showed “Haemorrhagic Pancreatitis with small volumes ascites”. I’m very aware at how important and serious this is @trophywench

 

[trophywench]

Urggh, has anyone identified a likely/possible cause so far?

 

[Stuey Rob]

Urggh, has anyone identified a likely/possible cause so far?

I

Urggh, has anyone identified a likely/possible cause so far?

I haven’t asked for a cause?? I know the cause. I was asking for advice on my diabetes because I’m new to it and worrying about it all.

 

[Stuey Rob]

I’m just going to delete this thread and leave the forum. It’s stupid

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m just going to delete this thread and leave the forum. It’s stupid

Sorry you feel that way @Stuey Rob

Please stick around. It is only natural to feel overwhelmed in the early stages, but life goes on, and having a ‘hive mind’ of people to ask any questions of, or to share the struggles and frustrations (and victories and triumphs) of day-to-day BG juggling can be really helpful.

 

[Stuey Rob]

I just don’t appreciate terminology like ‘25% death rate’ , ‘odds get worse on a second attack’ and ‘Urggh’. Not nice for replies to a first thread

 

[Stuey Rob]

I never asked for a cause to my diabetes and pancreatitis. I’m 34, I’ll ask a qualified doctor them questions thank you very much. I just wanted some comfort from others being newly diagnosed with type 1 or T3c diabetes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I never asked for a cause to my diabetes and pancreatitis. I’m 34, I’ll ask a qualified doctor them questions thank you very much. I just wanted some comfort from others being newly diagnosed with type 1 or T3c diabetes.

In his defence @mikeyB is a medically-qualified retired GP, and lives with pancreatitis. But I can fully appreciate how upsetting those stats may have been for you.

The forum has an ‘ignore’ function if at any stage you no longer want to see posts by a particular member - though I don’t recommend that
in this case as Mike is a knowledgeable and friendly member

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

But a full, happy and active life with T1 is certainly possible. I’ve been playing the game for almost 30 years and have nothing much to show for it save some slightly calloused fingers.

I‘ve travelled, raised kids, run my own business, and run a half marathon - and T1 just had to come along for the ride.

I can eat pretty much what I want within reason, and modern tech is beginning to do some of the thinking for me 🙂

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Stuey Rob . Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It is a shock at any age and takes a bit of getting used to. Have weaver it is a manageable condition and does not need to prevent you from doing things. It just takes a bit of planning.

The best analogy I was given is that it is like learning to drive. It seems a lot to do at the start, but then becomes automatics, and just watching for the unusual things along the way. Your diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) will be able to help you learn how to make adjustments to your insulin doses to match what you want to eat, when you want to eat.

Hang around and fire away with any questions.

 

[Stuey Rob]

Thanks. This is helping x

 

[Docb]

Hello again @Stuey Rob. I'm sorry the initial responses did not match up to my welcome post but I know the first members who replied to be both helpful and well meaning people who maybe missed the mark this time. Hope you can press the reset button and stay with us because I am sure as things settle you will have things to which you could do with some input and that is where our membership can help.

Your situation is a long way from my experience, but one thing I have picked up from other contributions that diabetes resulting from pancreatitis takes some getting your head round. Take your time, read around the forum where you will find others who are in your position and above all ask questions of us or your medical team. Once you have got a measure of what is going on you can figure out how you are going to cope with how your body works and as @everydayupsanddowns says, work out ways of getting on with your life without it being dominated by diabetes.

Keep in touch.

 

[Amity Island]

Hi. I’ve just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after a serious stay in hospital with pancreatitis. My BM’s were very high while in hospital but they’ve managed to get em down but now I am at home I’m measuring all the time and worrying. Today they have been the lowest so far between 5.7 and 14 mmol. I’m just not used to it all and can’t relax

Hi Stuey,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis (it's a shock I know). When I joined this forum (which has been a great source of info and help from some really great people) I did a short introduction about my diagnosis. You can read it hear if it helps in anyway.

Any questions, keep them coming...

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