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My honeymoon phase

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Simon Workman

Simon Workman

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi guys! I was diagnosed with probable type 1 diabetes around August last year. At the time they weren't 100% sure it was type 1 as there were mixed signs. However since then they are now almost positive it is type 1. I've been going through my honeymoon phase since then managing it with metformin and then quickly adding glicazide to the mix as metformin on its own wasn't enough to keep my blood sugar levels down. I've struggled since to be able to exercise properly (I was always pretty fit and in decent shape all my life). Thankfully the deydration and running to the loo often has stopped but I just feel constantly fatigued, particularly my legs which are like lead a lot of the time. I am no expert which is why i've come on here to seek advice but would it not be best for me to get onto insulin now if the specialist is saying its inevitable? Is taking insulin likely to resolve the tiredness/lack of energy? I try to be good with diet and do ok most of the time but lately its been harder to keep the levels down. I saw the nurse and she's saying i can double the glicazide dosage. I have to start training for a new career very soon as my current job is ending but i'm very apprehensive as i find my memory/brain isn't working as well as before so i'm worried i may not be able to master it. This has all got me asking myself would i be best on insulin now if it helps keep a better control of my blood sugar levels?

Sorry for the long message but i'm pretty stressed out about this and in need of a solution! Thanks in advance!
 
Hi. I would suggest starting insulin sooner rather than later. I had all the tablets before insulin including max dose Gliclazide for years and a waste of time really when I needed the insulin. My GP initially refused but offered it when she saw it was the only solution. At least your GP is assuming T1; mine said I wasn't without any tests etc hence the insulin refusal at first. Insulin is an excellent solution and removes most symptoms relating to diabetes such as tiredness.
 
All I can offer is go back to the GP and tell her what you've said here.
 
Thanks guys! Yeah i've requested my Diabetes nurse at my GP's gives me a call tomorrow. If i was to be left feeling this way for the rest of my days i'm not sure how i'd be able to learn and then start a new career TBH. I'm pretty stressed out between losing my job and the diabetes so hopefully they might just let me go on insulin now. All I want is to feel somewhere close to normal again TBH! This sucks!
 
Simon Workman said:
Thanks guys! Yeah i've requested my Diabetes nurse at my GP's gives me a call tomorrow. If i was to be left feeling this way for the rest of my days i'm not sure how i'd be able to learn and then start a new career TBH. I'm pretty stressed out between losing my job and the diabetes so hopefully they might just let me go on insulin now. All I want is to feel somewhere close to normal again TBH! This sucks!
Click to expand...
Good luck.
 
I'm surprised that if they have confirmed you are T1 they haven't put you on insulin now. Are they still deliberating and just seeing if the tablets work before moving you over?
I think I'd be having a word with them.
Good luck.
 
Hi, I'm type 1 and have been on basal/bolus insulin regime from the start. As others have said you need to speak to someone about this. Good luck.
 
Good to hear from you again. I would recommend starting insulin asap, i can't really see any benefit to delaying. I would try to get a referral to your hospital diabetes team and would recommend trying basal bolus also known as multiple daily injections (MDI) as opposed to mixed insulin. Although, of course, it is a personal choice. Let us know how you get on
 
If you are type 1, metformin and gliclazide will be little to no use to you. Are you testing your own BG levels?
I have been down this exact road before I was correctly diagnosed as type 1 and started on insulin, metformin to start then add gliclazide and then stitagliptin. My HbA1c was 120 😱 by the time I was eventually put on insulin and I felt beyond awful. I couldn't exercise, I could barely walk a mile without being in tears from the muscle pain, when I had been very fit previously.
Talk to your diabetes team, do you have a diabetes specialist nurse you have been referred to? (Not the gp nurse) Talk to them about insulin, basal / bolus regime seems to suit many type 1s. If you haven't yet been referred to a DSN, insist on it. Insulin will make you feel a million times better. I've been where you are, and I look back now and I really don't know how I coped pre insulin.
 
Thanks again guys for the comments and words of advice. I do have a diabetes specialist although i've only seen him once and that was 5 months ago. I do have an appointment with my diabetes nurse at my GP's tomorrow though so i will try and put my feelings across more forcefully, Can I actually demand to go onto insulin or is it ultimately their choice?
 
If you have no success, ring your DSN and ask for an appointment with them. The GP nurses have some knowledge, but it can be limited and/or outdated. My diabetes nurse at the GP insisted there was no way I could be type 1, and told me to eat less, no food after 6pm unless I was starving and then a glass of milk...
I think that ultimately it probably is there choice, (I may be wrong!) but you can put your wishes across very strongly and explain the reasons why. If they are assuming you are type 1, there is no reason for them to deny you insulin. Let us know how you get on tomorrow x
 
Thanks Vicki. Well my specialist when he saw me 5 months ago said its basically certain its type 1 and I should expect to be on insulin by the end of the year at latest explaining to me about the 'honeymoon phase' and how it worked. I do feel awful though and need to get my body and brain into some sort of functioning state again in preparation for training for my new career path.
 
Well, there's absolutely no way to know when it even if your honeymoon phase will end. So, if insulin will help you, you can still be prescribed it even whilst honeymooning.
What was your last HbA1c like? So you rest your own BG at home to know what your levels are like through the day?
Just tell your nurse everything you've said here - and good luck! Sending positive thoughts your way x
 
I have one further question to any of you guys who have been through this honeymoon phase. I've noticed my memory and general functioning of my brain is not as good as it was. Its extremely frustrating and is another factor that is causing me worry and stress with me having to learn a new job/skills. Is it likely I should be a bit more coherent and able to take things in when I get onto the insulin? Maybe i'm just getting old lol.
 
If your BGs are high, this will definitely cause a sort of 'fog' in your brain. This is the only way I describe what I felt!
I had a good two years of very high BGs, and when I look back at that time, it feels kind of like a dream state, like I was wading through treacle the whole time. That sounds a bit silly, but my brain was fogged, my muscles hurt so much, I was emotional and tired all of the time. Glucose is needed for all cells to fuction, so it makes sense that when they are out of sync either high or low, it will make you feel unwell.
 
Also, if you are honeymooning, this doesn't mean you shouldn't be on insulin. It just means that your insulin requirement will change IF the honeymoon period ends. It just means that your pancreas is still producing some insulin, enough to keep you ticking over, but not enough to lower your BGs. Gliclazide will be unhelpful in this situation, as it puts more pressure on your poor pancreas to produce more insulin, which, as a type 1 it simply cannot do.
 
Thanks Vicki. The fog you speak of sounds like my situation. And all the other symptoms are identically to mine! It's a nightmare but knowing that it won't last forever is a big comfort. Don't think I couldn't have faced feeling like this for the rest f my days! Thanks!!!
 
You will feel better. There's light at the end of the tunnel I promise 🙂
Let us know how you get on tomorrow 🙂
 
The brain fog sounds familiar to me but it does pass when you get your levels somewhere near.
 
The brain fog is exactly what I experienced when i was wrongly diagnosed Type 2 and had high blood sugars for 9 months. The difference on insulin was profound. I can remember feeling the fog lift. My husband noticed a marked change and said it was like having his wife back. I can see no benefit in feeling like this, i would get an appointment asap with hospital DSN and get sorted on insulin.
 
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