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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
New to diabetes
- Thread starter Jbjb9999
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rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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- She/Her
Hi and welcome
I am 2 and a bit years down the road from you (diagnosed at the age of 56) and all I can say is, "Hang in there! It does get easier." but I know how overwhelming it is to start with and there are a lot of emotions that often come with the diagnosis as well as the information overload.
Would you like to tell us a bit about how you came to be diagnosed and which insulin(s) they have started you off with? Are you managing your injections and BG tests OK or have they given you a Freestyle Libre sensor? Is there anything particular you are struggling with at this early stage (apart from everything! 🙄 ) Hope you have been signed off work for a few weeks whilst you get your head around stuff because there is a lot to learn and adjust and get used to in that initial period.
I am 2 and a bit years down the road from you (diagnosed at the age of 56) and all I can say is, "Hang in there! It does get easier." but I know how overwhelming it is to start with and there are a lot of emotions that often come with the diagnosis as well as the information overload.
Would you like to tell us a bit about how you came to be diagnosed and which insulin(s) they have started you off with? Are you managing your injections and BG tests OK or have they given you a Freestyle Libre sensor? Is there anything particular you are struggling with at this early stage (apart from everything! 🙄 ) Hope you have been signed off work for a few weeks whilst you get your head around stuff because there is a lot to learn and adjust and get used to in that initial period.
Hello thanks for your reply, it started with being dizzy, going to the toilet a lot at night. Always wanted a drink. I had a blood test and it came back my bloods were 33 and keytones 2.7! They started me on novomix which wasn’t good for me with the hypo”s. I’m on slow acting insulin now. That I take once a day. I have tried the free style I liked it but mine stopped working so waiting on a new one. How are u finding things? It’s just a massive change for me. The most feels scary at the minute .
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Which long acting insulin have they given you? As a type 1 they really shouldn't have started you on a mixed insulin.
Were you admitted to hospital or are you being treated by staff at your GP surgery ... which might explain the Novomix! Hopefully you will get a referral to the diabetes clinic at some point but with Corona Virus causing a lot of Blood Glucose instability, the DSNs have been busy on the wards I believe and there are a lot of people being diagnosed as a result of Covid so they have an extra large workload.
Sorry to hear that you suffered hypos so early on. Those first ones are pretty scary but once you get used to them and don't panic so much you learn to manage them just like everything else that goes along with it.
Libre is a fantastic bit of kit but it does have glitches. Abbott are usually pretty good about replacing faulty sensors though and the replacement should come through quite quickly. I assume you have a BG meter and test strips as back up? Did you get the Libre 2 with the alarms? I just have the original Libre without the alarms but I am pretty good at sensing hypos so I don't feel in a rush to upgrade and the reader battery lasts much longer on the original before needing a charge with it not being blue toothed. Hope you have a new sensor soon. It must make sense of things so much quicker when you can see what is happening 24/7 right from the start. I was diagnosed over a year before I got Libre and then I self funded for over 3 months before getting it on prescription, but money well spent.
As a result of being a member of this forum I have learned so much in the last couple of years from the experiences of others here who kindly share what they have learned and what works for them. Doesn't guarantee it will work for you, but it gives you ideas of things to try when things are not going smoothly. The biggest piece of advice I would give you is don't be frightened to experiment with things to find what works for you but always think about keeping yourself safe and once you get the hang of the basics, don't let it stop you doing anything you want to do. Oh, and don't strive for perfection.... that way lies madness! There are something like 42 factors which affect BG levels and most of them, you have no control over, so if you have a bad day with your levels, just accept it and move on because tomorrow is a new day, when hopefully things will go better.
Were you admitted to hospital or are you being treated by staff at your GP surgery ... which might explain the Novomix! Hopefully you will get a referral to the diabetes clinic at some point but with Corona Virus causing a lot of Blood Glucose instability, the DSNs have been busy on the wards I believe and there are a lot of people being diagnosed as a result of Covid so they have an extra large workload.
Sorry to hear that you suffered hypos so early on. Those first ones are pretty scary but once you get used to them and don't panic so much you learn to manage them just like everything else that goes along with it.
Libre is a fantastic bit of kit but it does have glitches. Abbott are usually pretty good about replacing faulty sensors though and the replacement should come through quite quickly. I assume you have a BG meter and test strips as back up? Did you get the Libre 2 with the alarms? I just have the original Libre without the alarms but I am pretty good at sensing hypos so I don't feel in a rush to upgrade and the reader battery lasts much longer on the original before needing a charge with it not being blue toothed. Hope you have a new sensor soon. It must make sense of things so much quicker when you can see what is happening 24/7 right from the start. I was diagnosed over a year before I got Libre and then I self funded for over 3 months before getting it on prescription, but money well spent.
As a result of being a member of this forum I have learned so much in the last couple of years from the experiences of others here who kindly share what they have learned and what works for them. Doesn't guarantee it will work for you, but it gives you ideas of things to try when things are not going smoothly. The biggest piece of advice I would give you is don't be frightened to experiment with things to find what works for you but always think about keeping yourself safe and once you get the hang of the basics, don't let it stop you doing anything you want to do. Oh, and don't strive for perfection.... that way lies madness! There are something like 42 factors which affect BG levels and most of them, you have no control over, so if you have a bad day with your levels, just accept it and move on because tomorrow is a new day, when hopefully things will go better.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome @Jbjb9999 🙂 Do you mean you’re now only taking a slow-acting insulin now? Which one? What’s your blood sugar like? The recommended regime for Type 1s is Multiple Daily Injections, which sounds unpleasant but it’s not and you soon get used to it. It compromises ofone or two injections of slow-acting insulin which keeps your blood sugar steady in the absence of food, and also fast-acting insulin before you eat. This deals with the rise from eating.
You mention hypos. If you’re sensitive to insulin, you can get half unit pens and take more tailored doses of insulin.
I was on Novomix or similar immediately after diagnosis. It didn’t work for me either. It contains set proportions of slow and fast insulin so a person would have to be very lucky to match that profile of insulin need.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I'd thought about that in the past, when OH's bro and family moved to Skeg - how extremely patchy the NHS is round there, not one single central hub for all health conditions. It's Louth for some things, Grantham for others, Nottingham or Leicester for cardiac - no idea what they do or for whom at Norwich ......
Relax a bit. It is with you for the rest of your life. You will get used to and come to terms with it. Try to stop eating white bread, sugar and other sources of carbohydrates that will raise your blood glucose and thus will require insulin injections to allow muscles to absorb the sugars as fuel. High blood sugars affect blood vessels, nerves and eyes so should be avoided. It will take time but we have all been thru it. It does get easier with time. Talk to your GP and hospital team, they will help. Good luck 🙂
HI @Jbjb9999 and welcome to the forum.
Initial diagnosis is a huge shock but, as the others have said, it does get easier.
Last year, this useful thread was started (5-top-tips-for-better-diabetesing).
You are probably just about old enough to remember Bill and Ted but you can skip all their references and should find some useful advice in the thread.
For now, I would say "ask any question you have, There is no such thing as a stupid question. This forum is a font of knowledge and we will try to answer."
And don't confuse type 1 and type 2, especially when it comes to diet. Many of us have not need to make any change to our diet, we eat bread (including white bread) when we want and I have just enjoyed a treat of a jam doughnut.
Oh, and "Don't panic."
Initial diagnosis is a huge shock but, as the others have said, it does get easier.
Last year, this useful thread was started (5-top-tips-for-better-diabetesing).
You are probably just about old enough to remember Bill and Ted but you can skip all their references and should find some useful advice in the thread.
For now, I would say "ask any question you have, There is no such thing as a stupid question. This forum is a font of knowledge and we will try to answer."
And don't confuse type 1 and type 2, especially when it comes to diet. Many of us have not need to make any change to our diet, we eat bread (including white bread) when we want and I have just enjoyed a treat of a jam doughnut.
Oh, and "Don't panic."
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Be Excellent To Your Diabetes etc
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Jbjb9999
Sorry to hear you’ve had to join our club.
It can really knock you sideways at the start, so be kind to yourself, and allow yourself time to come to terms with this new chapter.
The good news(?!) is that treatments, options amd technologies are getting better and better all the time, which makes it easier than ever to fit diabetes into a flexible, fun, exciting, fulfilling life, full of pretty much anything you want to do. Some things may need a bit more preparation, or some lateral thinking, but your diabetes shouldn’t stop you from doing whatever you set your heart on.
Several forum members have found these books to be a helpful guide and useful source of reference
Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner - A practical guide to managing diabetes with insulin
and
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Don't worry about the title - this book is equally suited to people diagnosed in adulthood!
Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
Sorry to hear you’ve had to join our club.
It can really knock you sideways at the start, so be kind to yourself, and allow yourself time to come to terms with this new chapter.
The good news(?!) is that treatments, options amd technologies are getting better and better all the time, which makes it easier than ever to fit diabetes into a flexible, fun, exciting, fulfilling life, full of pretty much anything you want to do. Some things may need a bit more preparation, or some lateral thinking, but your diabetes shouldn’t stop you from doing whatever you set your heart on.
Several forum members have found these books to be a helpful guide and useful source of reference
Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner - A practical guide to managing diabetes with insulin
and
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Don't worry about the title - this book is equally suited to people diagnosed in adulthood!
Good luck, and let us know how you get on 🙂
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