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Newbie Type 1.5

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Ian68

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
My name is Ian, 53 years old and have only recently been diagnosed.

It was a bit of a shock when they checked my blood sugar routinely whilst having a thyroid function test and my HbA1c was 128.

I won’t have the type 1.5 confirmed for another few weeks, but they are pretty certain it is as I have underlying Autoimmune issues being Graves Disease and Thyroid Eye Disease.

Hoping to find some useful Tips & info on the Forum.
 
Hi @Ian68 welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I'm a type 2, so can't offer much apart from a welcome. I've found everyone friendly and helpful, and I'm calmer and in a better state of mind after asking questions and getting good responses.
Hopefully some of the other 1.5s out there can share their wisdom!
Best wishes, Sarah
 
Welcome @Ian68 🙂 There are lots of Type 1s here who were diagnosed at a similar age to you so you’re not alone.

What insulins are you on? Are you carb counting? How are you finding it all?
 
Welcome from another one who started at aged 53 @Ian68 .
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis but pleased that you have found the forum.

If you would like to tell us what insulins you are on that helps us with our replies.

If you are not carb counting yet, it could be a useful skill to develop. This will allow you to start adjusting your doses of insulin at meals, using both the amount of carbs you are eating and then also doing a correction factor. There are online courses such as Bertie


which help with this, but it is also worth asking your team what is on offer in your region. I followed the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating course (DAFNE) which not only taught me how to make adjustments to my doses, but also gave me the chance to meet others with T1 (which is treated in much the same way as LADA. Ours just takes a bit ,on her to get going)

If you have an6 questions at all. Just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.
 
Welcome @Ian68 🙂 There are lots of Type 1s here who were diagnosed at a similar age to you so you’re not alone.

What insulins are you on? Are you carb counting? How are you finding it all?
Thanks for the welcome, I only found out Wednesday evening so haven't had time to look into carb counting so have just cut right back on the Carbs. I am not on insulin just yet only Gliclazide tablets at the moment.

I am presuming they will see if I can get my blood sugar back under control with the tablets before I start insulin they didn't really say. I am due to speak to them next week so hopefully will have some more answers then. 🙂
 
Welcome from another one who started at aged 53 @Ian68 .
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis but pleased that you have found the forum.

If you would like to tell us what insulins you are on that helps us with our replies.

If you are not carb counting yet, it could be a useful skill to develop. This will allow you to start adjusting your doses of insulin at meals, using both the amount of carbs you are eating and then also doing a correction factor. There are online courses such as Bertie


which help with this, but it is also worth asking your team what is on offer in your region. I followed the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating course (DAFNE) which not only taught me how to make adjustments to my doses, but also gave me the chance to meet others with T1 (which is treated in much the same way as LADA. Ours just takes a bit ,on her to get going)

If you have an6 questions at all. Just ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.
Many thanks for the information, I will have a look at the link over the weekend as I really want to get my head around Carb counting before I start on insulin, I am sure to have plenty of questions to ask :D
 
Thanks for the welcome, I only found out Wednesday evening so haven't had time to look into carb counting so have just cut right back on the Carbs. I am not on insulin just yet only Gliclazide tablets at the moment.

I am presuming they will see if I can get my blood sugar back under control with the tablets before I start insulin they didn't really say. I am due to speak to them next week so hopefully will have some more answers then. 🙂

Hmmm. If I’d been diagnosed with LADA I wouldn’t take Gliclazide and would prefer insulin. Two reasons: Gliclazide can squeeze the remaining life out of your beta cells; and early introduction of insulin can help preserve your beta cells longer, which makes control easier.

Here’s a quote from Diabetes U.K. relating to LADA and that latter statement:

“most healthcare professionals agree that the aim of treatment is to keep insulin being produced for as long as possible. So it’s recommended that insulin treatment is started early”


One thing I’ve learnt in my almost 30 years with Type 1 is that you need to stand up for yourself and be a bit pushy. Don’t eat low carb. Eat a normal healthy diet and get the insulin in would be my advice. It upsets me that so many people with LADA receive what I consider unnecessary and pointless delays.
 
Hmmm. If I’d been diagnosed with LADA I wouldn’t take Gliclazide and would prefer insulin. Two reasons: Gliclazide can squeeze the remaining life out of your beta cells; and early introduction of insulin can help preserve your beta cells longer, which makes control easier.

Here’s a quote from Diabetes U.K. relating to LADA and that latter statement:

“most healthcare professionals agree that the aim of treatment is to keep insulin being produced for as long as possible. So it’s recommended that insulin treatment is started early”

One thing I’ve learnt in my almost 30 years with Type 1 is that you need to stand up for yourself and be a bit pushy. Don’t eat low carb. Eat a normal healthy diet and get the insulin in would be my advice. It upsets me that so many people with LADA receive what I consider unnecessary and pointless delays.
Thanks for the Info Inka, I have another appointment next week so will push for insulin then, I am presuming that they are holding off until they get the test results back to offically confirm it is LADA which they tell me takes up to 4 weeks to get back which wont be until the end of December.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for the advice about Carb counting, I have found it really insightful as to what to eat and maintain a downward trend in my mmol/L its been a week and is down from 20 to 7.6 this morning so its getting there. trying to stick to under 35g of Carbs a day.
 
Can I ask a question, whenever I ask my DSN what is the max I should spike to I never really get a straight answer, I had a chinese takeaway last night which included rice & noodles. although the numbers below are not alarming I would just like to know the rule of thumb. my range on my libre is set 3.9 to 10.0

I was 4.8 when I started eating, (8.9 after 1 hour) and down to (6.9 after 2 hours)

logbook.jpg
 
Graphs from people without diabetes show that they can spike up to 9 or 10 and we are manually doing the job of an organ that does it full time so I have no concerns if I peak that high.
And, if I reach double figures, my biggest concern is getting the levels down quickly. The way I understand it, the risk of complications are prolonged highs not spikes.
8.9 is definitely not a problem.
 
The NICE recommendations for adults with T1 are:

Blood glucose targets​

1.6.22 Advise adults with type 1 diabetes to aim for:
  • a fasting plasma glucose level of 5 to 7 mmol/litre on waking and
  • a plasma glucose level of 4 to 7 mmol/litre before meals at other times of the day. [2015]
1.6.23 Advise adults with type 1 diabetes who choose to measure after meals to aim for a plasma glucose level of 5 to 9 mmol/litre at least 90 minutes after eating. (This timing may be different in pregnancy – for guidance on plasma glucose targets in pregnancy, see NICE's guideline on diabetes in pregnancy.) [2015]

1.6.24 Agree bedtime target plasma glucose levels with each adult with type 1 diabetes. Take into account the timing of their last meal of the day and the related insulin dose, and ensure the target is consistent with the recommended fasting level on waking (see recommendation 1.6.22). [2015]

 
Thank you both for the information
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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