Hi all. So my husband has recently been diagnosed diabetic but awaiting the blood analysis to determine which one. In the meantime he's been treated as type 1 so today we had the very long process of attaching the reader to use with an app, shown how to inject himself etc..... Given so much paperwork. I'm going to bed really struggling with the enormity of it all. So anxious for my husband. He's lost so much weight also which I believe can happen. I just look at him and I long for my old hubby! Asking for some reassurance and guidance please as feeling so sad
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My husband has been diagnosed type 1
- Thread starter Jan71
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Bruce Stephens
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- Type 1
Yes, that's normal. I did too (I was 15 at the time). Now he's on insulin, as things start to settle he should start feeling better, regain the weight, and generally return to something close to normal. And it's completely normal to find the necessary palaver complex and overwhelming. It is like an extra 24 hour a day job, though it also does become easier with experience.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Sorry to hear about your husband’s diagnosis, but glad that you have found the forum.
losing weight at diagnosis is common for T1. I lost 1 1/2 stone in a week just before I was diagnosed at 53. There is a lot to take on board at the start but it does get easier, and becomes just a new ‘normal’ life. It doesn’t need to stop us doing things but just needs a bit more planning and organisation.
Come back with any questions that arise. There is a wealth of experience to tap into and no questions tare thought of as silly.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Your old husband will be back @Jan71 The weight loss is very normal, even though it can look quite scary. That weight will go back on now he’s on insulin. He’ll be feeling better in himself too soon. The first few weeks of Type 1 (presuming it is Type 1) are hard because there’s a lot to learn in a short space of time and it’s a big lifestyle change, but gradually week by week it will become easier.
The tech we have now, eg the Libre sensor I presume you’re talking about, makes managing Type 1 a lot easier. So that’s one positive thing for you and him - he’s been diagnosed at a good time.
There are a couple of books often recommended for Type 1s here:
Think Like a Pancreas’ by Gary Scheiner.
And Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas (ignore the title - it’s great for adults too).
Don’t feel you have to read and absorb everything all at once. Also, don’t worry yourselves about target blood sugars at this stage. The priority is that your husband stays safe - avoiding lows as much as possible and not going super-high. His blood sugars will be quite erratic to start with. Again, this is normal.
The tech we have now, eg the Libre sensor I presume you’re talking about, makes managing Type 1 a lot easier. So that’s one positive thing for you and him - he’s been diagnosed at a good time.
There are a couple of books often recommended for Type 1s here:
Think Like a Pancreas’ by Gary Scheiner.
And Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas (ignore the title - it’s great for adults too).
Don’t feel you have to read and absorb everything all at once. Also, don’t worry yourselves about target blood sugars at this stage. The priority is that your husband stays safe - avoiding lows as much as possible and not going super-high. His blood sugars will be quite erratic to start with. Again, this is normal.
@Jan71 a diagnosis of a chronic condition is very scary.
However, as my DSN told me when I was first diagnosed nearly 20 years ago, "diabetes should not stop you doing anything ". I have pushed that over the years and so far not found her to be wrong.
And, after 20 years, I have no complications even thought I was also told "everyone with diabetes will have some complications after 8 or 10 years."
That is not to say it is always easy but whenever I am having a bad day, I think of the amazing people in the media with Type 1. If Nacho can play football for Spain or Henry Slade can play rugby for England or James Norton can act so amazingly in Happy Valley or Este Haimes can tour with her band. We have even had a Prime Minster with Type 1 and currently have a Speaker of the House.
However, as my DSN told me when I was first diagnosed nearly 20 years ago, "diabetes should not stop you doing anything ". I have pushed that over the years and so far not found her to be wrong.
And, after 20 years, I have no complications even thought I was also told "everyone with diabetes will have some complications after 8 or 10 years."
That is not to say it is always easy but whenever I am having a bad day, I think of the amazing people in the media with Type 1. If Nacho can play football for Spain or Henry Slade can play rugby for England or James Norton can act so amazingly in Happy Valley or Este Haimes can tour with her band. We have even had a Prime Minster with Type 1 and currently have a Speaker of the House.
- Relationship to Diabetes
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Welcome to the forum @Jan71
And to the club that no one wants to join for both you and your husband.
Glad you’ve found the forum. It can be a great sounding board, a safe space to offload, an amazing source of support, and before long you’ll be greeting worried and overwhelmed newcomers saying, “Don’t worry we were in your shoes a few months back and felt much the same, but things are so much easier now”
Diabetes is big, and serious, and scary - and has potentially devastating consequences. It’s sly and cantankerous, obstinate and sometimes infuriatingly unpredictable.
BUT
It is something you can live well alongside. And the doom merchants don’t have to be right. Like @helli I am several decades in (30 years in my case) and I’m still pretty unscathed by it with no major complications or nasties.
Good luck to you both, and keep asking questions. Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’.
And to the club that no one wants to join for both you and your husband.
Glad you’ve found the forum. It can be a great sounding board, a safe space to offload, an amazing source of support, and before long you’ll be greeting worried and overwhelmed newcomers saying, “Don’t worry we were in your shoes a few months back and felt much the same, but things are so much easier now”
Diabetes is big, and serious, and scary - and has potentially devastating consequences. It’s sly and cantankerous, obstinate and sometimes infuriatingly unpredictable.
BUT
It is something you can live well alongside. And the doom merchants don’t have to be right. Like @helli I am several decades in (30 years in my case) and I’m still pretty unscathed by it with no major complications or nasties.
Good luck to you both, and keep asking questions. Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Whilst Type 1 diabetes was and still is associated with happening more in childhood - that's absolutely not the case - Mike (@everydayupsanddowns) did a poll on the forum some years ago and more of us were adults than kids when diagnosed - so it's by no means as clear cut as some people think. Diabetes also does tend to 'run in families' however that ain't clear cut either! I'm still the only one as far as I still know in mine.
Think of this as a marathon, never a sprint. Nobody on earth would expect anyone to be able to run a marathon the same day someone told em they had to - so nobody expects your husband or you, to be able to 'know everything' - or even understand everything about D right away. So to begin with, we all need to be patient patients - and ask, ask, and ask again whenever he or you can't grasp anything. Medics should never say 'You need to do X' without explaining why they reckon you need to do it and giving you the opportunity to discuss that.
That Ragnar Hanas book is helpful, but in the meantime you can both enrol into the Diabetes UK Learning Zone - for which you do have to 'sign up' again separately to this forum - and plod through the modules on there, at your own pace. You can also at any time ask anything either of you like, on the forum whenever you need to.
Good luck!
Think of this as a marathon, never a sprint. Nobody on earth would expect anyone to be able to run a marathon the same day someone told em they had to - so nobody expects your husband or you, to be able to 'know everything' - or even understand everything about D right away. So to begin with, we all need to be patient patients - and ask, ask, and ask again whenever he or you can't grasp anything. Medics should never say 'You need to do X' without explaining why they reckon you need to do it and giving you the opportunity to discuss that.
That Ragnar Hanas book is helpful, but in the meantime you can both enrol into the Diabetes UK Learning Zone - for which you do have to 'sign up' again separately to this forum - and plod through the modules on there, at your own pace. You can also at any time ask anything either of you like, on the forum whenever you need to.
Good luck!
- Relationship to Diabetes
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I’m pretty sure the split is roughly 50:50 for people diagnosed in childhood vs adulthood. Which I guess means that younger than 18 is still quite a congested time (because there’s so much longer afterwards), but diagnosis adulthood is not uncommon or rare by any means - even up to later life and autumn years.
One unexpected finding from my (completely unscientific) straw poll, was that 35 seemed to be a particularly tricky time to get a diagnosis. A real hotspot for being classified T2, then later being reclassfied as T1.
Good morning, can I ask you how did you gain your weight? Have spoken to the diabetes uk help line where they mentioned whole milk diary products, nuts etc but can you suggest particular products, recipes or brands? J
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
The weight loss is caused by severe insulin deficiency @Jan71 Because of this, the body is starving and breaks down fat and muscle, causing weight loss. Now your husband has the insulin he needs, he’ll put the weight back on quickly. He doesn’t need special brands, just normal meals with enough insulin to cover them. Cereal, toast, sandwiches, roasts, apple crumble, yoghurts, ice cream, cheese, oily fish, avocado - just normal foods. It’s the insulin that will help him gain back the weight.
What is important is that he knows how much fast-acting insulin to take for the carbs he’s eating.
What is important is that he knows how much fast-acting insulin to take for the carbs he’s eating.
trophywench
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Despite feeling like death warmed up for a while before my diagnosis of T1, I was pleased my weight had dropped down half a stone cos I reckoned I might have been able to get into a size 10 when I could next afford to buy clothing and come on - all teenage/early 20s girls identifying much more with Mods than Rockers, really aspired to looking like Twiggy than any other role model (so what if she was/is nearly a foot taller than me anyway? Pah!) So I hoped I wouldn't put it back on .... Oh bugger!
Looked like my body prefers being just over 8 stone and size 12, so I'm stuck with it. Tina Turner I ain't either and though I've probably still got the legs to carry off 4 inch heels, I ain't got the feet nor the inclination any more!
Just eat normally - on the assumption you don't normally live on tins of eg Quality Street and bags of crisps etc.
Looked like my body prefers being just over 8 stone and size 12, so I'm stuck with it. Tina Turner I ain't either and though I've probably still got the legs to carry off 4 inch heels, I ain't got the feet nor the inclination any more!
Just eat normally - on the assumption you don't normally live on tins of eg Quality Street and bags of crisps etc.
SB2015
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
As others have said the rapid weight loss at diagnosis with T1 is due to inability to process the carbs due to lack of insulin. Now that your husband is injecting again he won’t lose any more weight unless he chooses to. If he wants to put some weight back on he could eat bigger portions than he did before for a while.
I quickly out my weight back on and settled back to my ‘normal‘ weight. I didn’t use any specific diet, just enjoyed feeling a lot better now that I had some insulin in me.
let us know how he gets on.
Tdm
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IF he wants to put weight on, avoid a low carb approach...its hard to gain weight on low carb, and its not really necessary for type 1s. I did low carb for a while as i thought it would make managing blood sugars easier, but, to be honest, i can get just as good control with higher carbs
TheClockworkDodo
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @Jan71 and welcome to the forum. I was diagnosed with type 1 in my 40s, and like your husband I had lost a lot of weight, I was underweight and looked awful! Within a few days of going on insulin I felt wonderful!
Please don't worry, you should soon have your old husband back now he is on insulin, as others have said. There is a lot to take in at first but in time it will all become second nature. There is no need to worry about what he eats if he has type 1 - it's type 2s who need to be careful what they eat and cut down on carbs. Type 1s can eat pretty much anything we like and just adjust the insulin to fit around the food (at first the hospital diabetes team should help with adjusting insulin doses, but after a while your husband should be taught to do this himself).
It sounds as though the person you spoke to on the helpline was being careful in case your husband turns out to have type 2, as dairy and nuts are good foods for type 2s who need to put on weight, but if your husband has type 1 he will be able to eat carbs as well - in fact he should eat exactly what he'd normally eat for now, so that the diabetes team can help him fit the insulin around his normal diet.
The only food/drink he should avoid are the things we'd use to treat low blood sugar (hypos) - eg fruit juice, glucose tablets, jelly babies, full-fat coke. He should have plenty of hypo treatments with him everywhere he goes though, so that he can treat a hypo immediately he has one, but not consume them unless hypo.
I hope he's been given a blood sugar meter (finger-pricking device) as well as the sensor and app, as the sensors are not always accurate at the lower and higher ends, so if he gets any odd readings he should always test with a meter to be sure.
Please don't worry, you should soon have your old husband back now he is on insulin, as others have said. There is a lot to take in at first but in time it will all become second nature. There is no need to worry about what he eats if he has type 1 - it's type 2s who need to be careful what they eat and cut down on carbs. Type 1s can eat pretty much anything we like and just adjust the insulin to fit around the food (at first the hospital diabetes team should help with adjusting insulin doses, but after a while your husband should be taught to do this himself).
It sounds as though the person you spoke to on the helpline was being careful in case your husband turns out to have type 2, as dairy and nuts are good foods for type 2s who need to put on weight, but if your husband has type 1 he will be able to eat carbs as well - in fact he should eat exactly what he'd normally eat for now, so that the diabetes team can help him fit the insulin around his normal diet.
The only food/drink he should avoid are the things we'd use to treat low blood sugar (hypos) - eg fruit juice, glucose tablets, jelly babies, full-fat coke. He should have plenty of hypo treatments with him everywhere he goes though, so that he can treat a hypo immediately he has one, but not consume them unless hypo.
I hope he's been given a blood sugar meter (finger-pricking device) as well as the sensor and app, as the sensors are not always accurate at the lower and higher ends, so if he gets any odd readings he should always test with a meter to be sure.
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