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Newbie here, saying HELLO...

M

Maldonboy1

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
My name Iain age 48, I was diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic late October 2021 - shortly after receiving Covid Jabs - but of a socks especially as there is no family history of Diabetics.
I had a good understanding of Diabetic having grown up with a couple of friends with Type 1, I am fortunate that monitoring Blood Glucose levels are more convenient now with digital monitoring from what my friend had to put up with 30+ years ago.
I have just about managed to reach my targets over the past 3 years and having recently been prescribed FreeStyle Libre Sensors am not having to go through the rigmarole of fingers prick testing throughout the day.
I have unfortunately found that contact with the Diabetic Nurse is hardwork and the GPs tend to presume I have lived with diabetes from childhood, treating me as if I'm ignorant until they've read my notes or I explaining that I have only been living with it for the past 3 years.
I have been finding some reluctance from my surgery when I run out of text strips before a repeat is due and have been critisised for using too many.
I was wondering if anyone else was diagnosed after their Covid Jabs? My GP will not answer any question I had at the time and it too time to report side effects that led to my diagnosed, about 6 weeks of reporting constant need to urinate, thirst and weightloss. I felt I was being brushed aside.
Anyway that's my introduction and I hope to gained some advice from joining this group.
 
Hi Iain, welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like you’ve navigated a pretty big life change with a lot of resilience, especially being diagnosed later in life and without any family history to prepare you for it. I'm really sorry to hear your early symptoms weren’t taken seriously - that kind of delay and dismissal can be so frustrating and, sadly, not uncommon.
It’s great to hear that you’ve managed to reach your targets over the past few years and now have access to Libre sensors - they really can make a world of difference in day-to-day management. But it’s disheartening that you're still having to push for basic things like test strips or understanding from your team. You're not alone in that experience, either - quite a few people here have mentioned similar struggles, especially with being newly diagnosed as an adult. Some have chosen to self-fund the test-strips, as they prefer to test more often for their peace of mind.
Really glad you’ve joined us - there’s lots of lived experience here and I hope you find this a helpful and encouraging space.
 
Hi @Maldonboy1 and welcome to the forum - I too was diagnosed Type 1 after chronic weight loss and all the other symptoms after a COVID Jab (Moderna I think) - I developed another auto-immune condition shortly after the jab (Psoriasis) and then as a result of the blood tests was diagnosed Type 1 so I am equally inquisitive into any research into this - sorry to hear you've been having struggles getting test strips for a meter - that is not right - fire away with any questions you may have - glad you have joined us
 
Hi and welcome.

Good to hear you have Libre to help you. Are you under the care of a hospital diabetes clinic/consultant as well as your GP. Generally GPs have little understanding of managing Type 1 and I certainly would not want to rely on their advice. I would not expect them to know if a Covid jab could trigger it or what else might have been the trigger. Most of us simply don't know.

Have you been offered an intensive education course like DAFNE (Dose adjustment For Normal Eating) or a local equivalent. It is usually a 4-5 day course, either a straight week or one day a week for several weeks. It is so much more than a carb counting course which the name suggests and teaches you how and when to adjust your basal insulin and how to manage illness and social events involving alcohol and exercise with insulin. It is also a great opportunity to mix with other Type 1s and you learn to problem solve for each other.

As regards your Covid jab possibly triggering your Type 1, it is believed that a virus can be the trigger for Type 1 and to my way of thinking, a vaccine is designed to stimulate the immune system and therefore could potentially trigger it to erroneously attack your insulin producing beta cells in the same way as a virus can.
I was diagnosed the year before Covid but was still in the "honeymoon period" when I had my first Covid vaccination and I saw my insulin needs double in the 2-3 months follow the jab (Astra Zenica) so I suspect that the jab triggered my immune system to kill off my remaining beta cells..... that is just a suspicion on my part. I see my Type 1 as a bit of a ticking time bomb in that sooner or later something is going to trigger it and in some respects I was quite relieved to say goodbye to those last beta cells as they were making my diabetes management more unpredictable, throwing out insulin here and there when I didn't expect it. Once they were gone and I only had my injected insulin, things became a little easier to manage. My view is that if it was the Covid jab which triggered your Type 1, it is just as likely that the virus itself would also have triggered it sooner or later or perhaps some other virus. There was certainly an increase in diabetes diagnoses as a result of Covid, so I think that would be a reasonable conclusion.

Which insulins are you using and how are you getting on with them? Constant Glucose Monitoring (CGM) like LIbre certainly makes the whole process a lot easier and convenient.
I am able to order 3 pots of test strips a month as I did before Libre but in reality I probable only order them 2 or 3 times a year as I rarely need to double check Libre which is really reliable for me.
How many are you using a month?
If you are having problems and are under a clinic then the clinic staff (a DSN ... Diabetes Specialist Nurse... or consultant) should be able to write to your GP and have your allocation increased, unless they believe you are testing too much. I tested a lot before I got Libre but I just self funded the extra ones I wanted to use to get extra data, rather than just the necessary tests before meals and at bedtime and before driving. Now I sometimes only test 2 or 3 times a fortnight, so very little use, unless I have a few days break from using Libre, as I do occasionally and then I go through quite a few test strips. Not sure if that helps but others will be along to tell you what their allocation is.
 
Hi @Maldonboy1 I too was diagnosed T1 recently being last August at the age of 50. The diagnosis was about 6 weeks after having Covid itself and did wonder if there was any type of link (I did also have the jab on numerous occasions even though I wasn't, or indeed didn't think I qualified going by past medical history). Also, similarly no family history of diabetes. Fortunately, I haven't come across any issues obtaining repeat prescription - I think I am one of the lucky ones with quite an accessible DSN and diabetes team at my local hospital. Good luck with getting your GP practice to see sense and stop being awkward with your prescriptions.
 
@Bazarama Out of interest, do you have any family history of other autoimmune conditions? My mother had a couple of autoimmune conditions but not diabetes although her brother (my uncle) had Type 1. Within a couple of years of each other, in our mid 50s, my sister and I both developed autoimmune conditions, mine being Type 1 and my sister PolyMyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). My gut feeling is that the predisposition to autoimmune conditions may be genetic, but perhaps to a lesser extent is the actual one you develop. Just a theory which is why I am curious if there are other autoimmune conditions in your family history.
 
rebrascora said:
@Bazarama Out of interest, do you have any family history of other autoimmune conditions? My mother had a couple of autoimmune conditions but not diabetes although her brother (my uncle) had Type 1. Within a couple of years of each other, in our mid 50s, my sister and I both developed autoimmune conditions, mine being Type 1 and my sister PolyMyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). My gut feeling is that the predisposition to autoimmune conditions may be genetic, but perhaps to a lesser extent is the actual one you develop. Just a theory which is why I am curious if there are other autoimmune conditions in your family history.
Click to expand...
Hi, no not a thing at all! My Dad lived to the good old age of 91 (born 1919) and my Mum is still going strong at turning 80 this year. Fun fact, If you do the maths you’ll figure out they had quite a difference in age!!! However nothing in family history and Mum keeps asking where I ‘caught’ it from
 
Welcome to the forum @Maldonboy1

Hope you find it a friendly, welcoming, and supportive place. There’s something quite special about being able to tap-into the forum Hive Mind whenever you have a question, or think there’s something odd about your experiences (like your GP being reluctant to prescribe sufficient text strips - which they certainly shouldn’t be restricting!)
 
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