Hello. Age 67. Just diagnosed with type 1. Been treated as a type 2 for 1 year. Seems like Covid attacked my pancreas. Dealing with it but it’s hard. I’m a nurse which makes it worse somehow. Lost 100 pounds and don’t want to gain it back now that I’m on insulin. How much carbs do you all find is a good amount for a day?
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- Thread starter Mpo1957
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Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Welcome to the forum, I'm sure a few who are Type 1 will be along soon but it will help them help you if you could say what insulins you have been prescribed and if you are continuing with the oral medications.
Management of Type 1 is very different from Type 2 which is what you would have been used to so you may need to have a change of mindset in thinking about the 'carbs per day' you mentioned as it is all about balancing your carb intake and your insulin to avoid going too high but also not going too low.
Do you have a Libre of similar or are you still reliant on finger pricks?
oh yea , i got libre 3 and now switching to dexcom 7 with the omnipod for a pump. looking to get better basal insulin and coverage..i am on novolg for short acting and lantus for long acting. even though i am a nurse, i am meeting with a dietician in 2 weeks to get inline with carb counting etc. i have been on very low carb for over a year now , so i need to switch it up and watch my carbs very carefully. i am using an app for food for macros too. thinking is hat covid attacked my beta cells in my pancreas and i stumbled upon getting the antibodies drawn to discover that i have latent autoimmune diabetes type 1.
mashedupmatt
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome @Mpohja1457 - I was lucky and only had a few weeks with an unsure diagnosis - a year is a long time - I lost two and half stone in the space of a couple of months before any diagnosis and actually was advised to put on weight by my dietician at the hospital (which thankfully I have) - personally I try and keep my carb intake steady, so 40-50g carbs per meal and then find it easier to work out my insulin ratios depending on time of day/exercise etc. - but there is no simple answer, and as @Leadinglights has said, it's all about getting the amount of insulin right - it's not easy and everyone is different, and it changes all the time - you are in the best place here on this forum to listen to real life experiences - don't be afraid to ask any questions you have - you are definitely not alone
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
Wow! You are lucky getting a pump so soon after diagnosis. Are you in the UK or perhaps somewhere else in the world, since you mention Novolog which I don't think we have here in the UK, although hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong. No problem if you are in another country, but it is useful to know, as protocols and medicines may be different to what happens within the NHS here, so it can create confusion of we don't know.
As regards diet, there are no real restrictions. The diet for Type 1 is a normal healthy diet which maintains your weight where you want it, just like a person without diabetes. The only thing that is different is that you have to work out how many carbs are in each meal or snack and calculate the amount of insulin you need for that food.... and inject it of course.
Yes, I think there have been quite a number of cases triggered by Covid infections. It is believed that Type 1 is often triggered by a virus which then causes the immune system to get a bit over excited and wipe out some of our insulin producing beta cells. This tends to happen more slowly in us mature adults than it does in children, so it is all too easy to assume that we are Type 2. We have quite a few members here who were initially diagnosed as Type 2. I was lucky and it only took a few months to get Type 1 tests and a correct diagnosis but others had to battle for years and some even more than a decade before they got a correct diagnosis.
I hope you were not left with very high BG levels for a year.
I lost a couple of stones in weight and I have probably put most of it back on in the 5.5 years since but not got any heavier than I originally was, so I am guessing that this is my "comfortable weight", but I could lose some if I exercised more and was a bit stricter with my diet, just like someone who isn't diabetic. Injecting insulin doesn't make you fat, just the food you eat and don't burn off.
Hope all goes well with your pump start. It is interesting to hear that you are starting on the Omnipod 5 and Dexcom 7. I believe @Tom1982 was recently querying if the Omnipod 5 paired with the Dexcom7 yet, so if you are in the UK that could be useful info for him. Obviously, if you are elsewhere in the world, then it may just be that it hasn't quite cleared all the certification process here.
Wow! You are lucky getting a pump so soon after diagnosis. Are you in the UK or perhaps somewhere else in the world, since you mention Novolog which I don't think we have here in the UK, although hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong. No problem if you are in another country, but it is useful to know, as protocols and medicines may be different to what happens within the NHS here, so it can create confusion of we don't know.
As regards diet, there are no real restrictions. The diet for Type 1 is a normal healthy diet which maintains your weight where you want it, just like a person without diabetes. The only thing that is different is that you have to work out how many carbs are in each meal or snack and calculate the amount of insulin you need for that food.... and inject it of course.
Yes, I think there have been quite a number of cases triggered by Covid infections. It is believed that Type 1 is often triggered by a virus which then causes the immune system to get a bit over excited and wipe out some of our insulin producing beta cells. This tends to happen more slowly in us mature adults than it does in children, so it is all too easy to assume that we are Type 2. We have quite a few members here who were initially diagnosed as Type 2. I was lucky and it only took a few months to get Type 1 tests and a correct diagnosis but others had to battle for years and some even more than a decade before they got a correct diagnosis.
I hope you were not left with very high BG levels for a year.
I lost a couple of stones in weight and I have probably put most of it back on in the 5.5 years since but not got any heavier than I originally was, so I am guessing that this is my "comfortable weight", but I could lose some if I exercised more and was a bit stricter with my diet, just like someone who isn't diabetic. Injecting insulin doesn't make you fat, just the food you eat and don't burn off.
Hope all goes well with your pump start. It is interesting to hear that you are starting on the Omnipod 5 and Dexcom 7. I believe @Tom1982 was recently querying if the Omnipod 5 paired with the Dexcom7 yet, so if you are in the UK that could be useful info for him. Obviously, if you are elsewhere in the world, then it may just be that it hasn't quite cleared all the certification process here.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I’m guessing you’re in the US @Mpohja1457 as they have Novolog. The diet recommended for Type 1s is the same healthy diet recommended for everyone else. In fact, limiting carbs too much can make control harder.
I have a pump (not the Omnipod) and the G7, which is fabulous. That should be a great help.
I have a pump (not the Omnipod) and the G7, which is fabulous. That should be a great help.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @Mpohja1457
You are amongst many of us who on here were diagnosed with T1 later in life (I was 53). It is a big shock and takes a lot of getting used to. There is no need to put weight on if you don’t want to, just choose the diet you want to eat that suite you. We ‘simply’ (a lot to get your head round initially) have to match our insulin to the carbs we choose to eat.
You ask about the number of carbs for T1 -that is up to you. I chose to bring mine down in order to reduce the size of the spikes I was getting after my meals. My insulin couldn’t keep up with sorting them out quickly enough. We aim for (but often miss) 30g of carbs at each meal.
Good to hear that you have an appointment with your dietitian coming up. Carb counting seems a lot to get your head round at the start but it is surprising how quickly you learn the info about the foods you eat more often. I am also very good at carbs in biscuits!!!!
You are getting a pump very quickly after diagnosis, and I have heard of others doing the same. Let us know how you get on.
You are amongst many of us who on here were diagnosed with T1 later in life (I was 53). It is a big shock and takes a lot of getting used to. There is no need to put weight on if you don’t want to, just choose the diet you want to eat that suite you. We ‘simply’ (a lot to get your head round initially) have to match our insulin to the carbs we choose to eat.
You ask about the number of carbs for T1 -that is up to you. I chose to bring mine down in order to reduce the size of the spikes I was getting after my meals. My insulin couldn’t keep up with sorting them out quickly enough. We aim for (but often miss) 30g of carbs at each meal.
Good to hear that you have an appointment with your dietitian coming up. Carb counting seems a lot to get your head round at the start but it is surprising how quickly you learn the info about the foods you eat more often. I am also very good at carbs in biscuits!!!!
You are getting a pump very quickly after diagnosis, and I have heard of others doing the same. Let us know how you get on.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
It's a bit like learning to drive - in that with a manual gearbox, every time you needed to stop, then pull away again, there's a certain procedure to follow to prevent stalling the engine, as well as having to look here there and everywhere then do it again because you need to turn right just after you've started off again after the traffic lights at the more major junction you had to stop at. To begin with, I can remember now thinking I'd never get the hang of it! But of course, I did, because with enough practice, it became an ingrained habit. And that's much the same as using insulin to manage your blood glucose.
You gutter a tyre occasionally or mount a kerb - no great prob - as long as you don't hit any thing or any one else in the process!
You gutter a tyre occasionally or mount a kerb - no great prob - as long as you don't hit any thing or any one else in the process!
CliffH
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I can empathise: I was diagnosed with LADA in my 50s when I was working in the NHS as a psychologist. As I was walking back to my car across the hospital in a state of shock (having been told that, from now on, I'd be injecting myself with insulin four times per day), I was thinking to myself, "I'm not supposed to be a patient: I work here!". Having said that, eight years later I'm grateful that it was picked up before any lasting damage was done - as far as I know.
Like you, I'd lost lots of weight before I was diagnosed: I'd put it down to being a keen cyclist. I found that I did put weight back on quite quickly once I started on insulin. However, I just adjusted what I was eating, having been ravenously hungry all the time before I was diagnosed! Also, I found that I had more energy, so I could build up my cycling.
I eat a high volume of carbs (I don't know exactly how much), as I burn lots off with cycling and adjust my insulin accordingly. However, as with any other keen cyclist I eat a low-fat diet - which is of course important for many people with diabetes, regardless of carbs.
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stephenS50
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Franthepotter
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi Mpo its Fran. I am a type 2 and remission with diet. Its really really hard, and i find its a balance between what i eat and exercise. Very bad back limits me to walking and occasional swimming but when i dont move its not good for my bloods. I eat carbs in broccoli and other green veg which do have some. Nothing with wheat or grains are tolerated sadly. Also no pulses but that was trial and error. hope that helps. I spoke to a nutritionist who said that I am getting carbs from my veg, as I am eating a lot of veg. Its not fun but hey other things in life are fun xx