New person to the site and to diabetes

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Nicola1873

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Type 1
Hi folks, I came across this site on the facebook DUK page. Im 27 and diagnosed with T1 diabetes 1 month ago :( a lot of info to take in but hopefully can manage this well (here's hoping) lol
 
Welcome to the site and good luck with the diabetes. It will all become second nature after a while. I've had it for 40 years and it hasn't stopped me from doing anything I want to do. Please ask us about anything you want to know.
 
Hi Nicola,

Welcome aboard, You have come to a great place for support.
 
Hi Nicola and welcome to the forums. I hope you find them useful.

Have your health care team explained much to you (it seems to vary a bit)?

Ask any questions you think of and someone will try and help you out.
 
Thanks very much folks 🙂 Its all a bit vague really, I had a carb counting class a few days ago and my diabetic nurse says my bs levels should be single figures just now. I've been mostly doing a lot of reading myself as my initial contact with the diabetes team was info overload and was like a rabbit caught in the headlights lol so I'm slowly getting the gist of it all.
 
Just adding my welcome Nichola. You've made a great find here - there are some really lovely people around with a wealth of knowledge of Diabetes. Check out the list Northerner (our main Moderator) puts on the main page for facts about Diabetes then ask anything you need/want to know.

We use it to whinge, rant, express happiness and sadness and generally give and take advice (although we can't give medical advice we can, and do, give "this is what I found in my own case" type of advice).

Looking forward to hearing more about you, how you were diagnosed, what your Care Team have put you on in the way of medication etc.

Snoop around - we're a friendly lot.

🙂
 
Nicola1873 said:
Thanks very much folks 🙂 Its all a bit vague really, I had a carb counting class a few days ago and my diabetic nurse says my bs levels should be single figures just now. I've been mostly doing a lot of reading myself as my initial contact with the diabetes team was info overload and was like a rabbit caught in the headlights lol so I'm slowly getting the gist of it all.
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Hi Nicola, welcome to the forum 🙂 Things can get a bit muddled at first, but it looks like you've got a good team if you've already been taught carb-counting! One thing I found immensely useful, and still do, is the book Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. It's an absolute gem and covers every imaginable topic in clear detail so you can dip into it whenever you have a question or are looking for something new to learn. If you're not sure about anything, then of course you have loads of lovely, friendly people here with all sorts of knowledge and experience who will be happy to help! So fire away with any questions you may have and let's see if we are up to the task! 🙂
 
What a lovely welcome already and I do come armed with loadsa questions. 1st 1, here goes..
How often do you have to change the needles on the finger pricker (see I don't even know its name) lol I asked the diabetes registrar when 1st diagnosed and her reply was 'whenever suits' so not much to go on lol thanks in advance!
 
Nicola1873 said:
What a lovely welcome already and I do come armed with loadsa questions. 1st 1, here goes..
How often do you have to change the needles on the finger pricker (see I don't even know its name) lol I asked the diabetes registrar when 1st diagnosed and her reply was 'whenever suits' so not much to go on lol thanks in advance!
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It's a fingerpricker! :D This does vary from person to person. Some people change them every time but a lot of people change them on St Swithun's Day i.e. once a year! Mostly, I change mine when they appear to be blunt and start hurting, which may be once a fortnight 🙂 Needles, on the other hand, I change every time because they can become damaged (although some people reuse needles too).

So, really, it is up to you - change them every time if you want or when they start to hurt, or if you find they are not getting blood efficiently. 🙂
 
Nicola1873 said:
What a lovely welcome already and I do come armed with loadsa questions. 1st 1, here goes..
How often do you have to change the needles on the finger pricker (see I don't even know its name) lol I asked the diabetes registrar when 1st diagnosed and her reply was 'whenever suits' so not much to go on lol thanks in advance!
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The finger pricker is called what you guessed. The needles for a finger pricker are called lancets. But "whenever suits" is pretty good advice - most people can feel a prick more from a blunt than a new sharp lancet, but I can't say I notice any difference, so a lancet lasts me at least a month! 🙂 Which has the advantage of not filling up sharps container too fast. Getting sharps bins in the first place and disposing of them safely is a bit of a challenge, as every council / PCT has its own system, so it's one area where asking here isn't much use - unless there's someone living in the same council area, and not everyone wants to reveal that.
 
Nicola1873 said:
Thanks very much folks 🙂 Its all a bit vague really, I had a carb counting class a few days ago and my diabetic nurse says my bs levels should be single figures just now. I've been mostly doing a lot of reading myself as my initial contact with the diabetes team was info overload and was like a rabbit caught in the headlights lol so I'm slowly getting the gist of it all.
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hi nicola and welcome to the forums. i had same problem when i was first diagnosed had so much information my brain sorta shut down. its only now 2 years later i am finally doing somthing about it and this forum does help a lot 🙂
 
Hi Nicola. Welcome 🙂

Hopefully we can tell you a few tips to get your blood glucose (BG) down to single figures and get you a gold star from your DSN.:D

Rob
 
Welcome to the forums Nicola 🙂
 
A belated welcome to the forum from me Nicola 🙂
 
Thanks very much everyone, all so kind. Have had some good readings this past few days, let's hope it stays like that 🙂
 
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