Just got diagnosed as type 1

[Toomeyboyo]

Hello
I had to be rushed into hospital just over a week ago in the middle of the night. I had a DKA and also got COVID so yeah, spent a night in intensive care. They ended up diagnosing me with type 1 diabetes(I had no idea) and after just over a week in hospital I was discharged 2 days ago and suddenly being at home it’s a whole new world all of a sudden for me. Being fully responsible for it was a bit scary, I was struggling to relax and was just on edge the whole time yesterday but today has been better as my levels have been between 6-10 throughout the day. Going to the supermarket again for the first time was a very bittersweet experience as I couldn’t get any of my usual chocolate crisps or drinks but was happy to be back in the real world again after being stuck in hospital for a while. I hope to learn a lot more and get to the point where I’m not worrying and maybe still enjoy the occasional bag of crisps? I’m not sure. I’m still learning and learning to accept it and knowing that if I stay on top of it everything will be fine. I’ve needed a lot of reassurance the last few days and desperate to get to that point where I'm confident and have a good understanding of it all. Hello everyone by the way!!!

 

[ColinUK]

Hello!

And that’s one heck of a way to be diagnosed!

Can you shed any light on any of the test results or general lifestyle/healthiness etc so we can get a better picture of the person behind the profile?

And as for learning more about diabetes and what it means etc then you’ve come to the right place. No questions are off limits here so if there’s anything you want to ask then ask away. 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Hiya - and welcome to the club no-one wanted to join !

You can and will get to that point, honestly. Has anyone suggested your reading this book? Don't be put off by the title - it really is useful to anyone newly diagnosed whether 3 or 53 and explains things clearly and accurately, which is the main thing we all need.

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

Anything you need to know or 'just wonder' about - please ask!

Keep doing that the rest of your life, ask, ask, ASK !

 

[danielmg]

Welcome to the community @Toomeyboyo.

I can only echo @trophywench in terms of always ask if you are unsure about anything. A lot of diabetes management I have found over the last 3+ years is trial and error, so don't become disheartened or frustrated by unusual results. So long as you keep notes on the things that work/don't work, you will (hopefully) learn to reduce the number of unusual results through developing a strong routine + awareness of factors that cause low/high readings.

Following on from @ColinUK, It would be a big help if you were able to provide some information on your insulin medication routine - which types of insulin are you currently taking (fast-acting, background, or both)?

Best of luck with everything.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome from another person diagnosed with T1 as an adult.

The best analogy I was given is that managing this is like learning to drive.
It all seems a lot to do at first, but it then just becomes automatic.
It will quickly become part of your new normal

There is a lot to learn very quickly at the start. I have learnt loads from others on here, especially the practicalities and realities of living with D. Whatever questions you have just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Toomeyboyo

Congratulations on the great progress you have made so far!

It is perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed and knocked sideways by a diabetes diagnosis, and you’ve really had a double-whammy with covid along for the ride too.

I like @SB2015’s analogy of learning to drive, where it’s impossible to imagine at the start that any of this will become automatic or second nature, but soon enough it all just ‘happens’ and feels nothing special, while you are singing along to your favourite tune.

Once you’ve had a chance to find your feet you might be happy to experiment with your old favourite snacks.

With T1, nothing is off limits, but what you will find is that some things no longer feel ‘worth it’. In fact when I first joined the diabetes online community some of the Americans used to use the term ‘bolusworthy’ for some of those occasional choices which you knew carried a higher risk of BG chaos.

I tend to put foods in categories

frequently... quite often... occasionally... and ‘not worth the bother’

If I really enjoy something, and know I can sometimes get it right but often end up chasing my BG for hours and hours I am prepared to take that on every so often... But some things just aren‘t important or enjoyable enough to warrant the BG chaos they inevitably cause. Breakfast cereal for example. Just not worth it for me!

Beer on the other hand... or takeaway curry..? Selflessly continuing my long term n=1 experiments purely in the name of research 😉

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Toomeyboyo Covid and Type 1 - wow! I hope you’re feeling a lot better now.

Yes, you can eat crisps. You can eat pretty much everything with Type 1 but you need to think more than people without diabetes, and count the carbs/watch portion sizes sometimes/choose your moment sometimes.