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Newbie Type 1

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Wood90

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Type 1
Hi

I was diagnosed last week with Type 1 diabetes. After loosing weight unintentionally even tho I ate like a horse and no matter what couldnt put any weight on, aswell as the terrible thirst and guzzling litres of water a day.

I went for a blood test and then was given the diagnosis after spending a night in a&e. Not having a clue what was going on.

Happy owner of a malfunctioning pancreas and now insulin dependant. Crazy week and slowly getting use to all the finger pricks and injections.

After starting on insulin how long is it till blood sugars come down to a normal range. Mine seem to fluctuate in the high teens even tho I am being very conscious of what I eat. (I have a very sweet tooth so gone form snacking on Chocolate to none at all.

All very new and feel like my head is going to fall
 
Welcome @Wood90 🙂 The first weeks after a Type 1 diagnosis are hard. It’s a lot to get your head round practically and emotionally. I’ve had Type 1 almost 30 years but I still remember the intensity of those first weeks and months.

Firstly, it’s normal to be slightly above normal glucose when first diagnosed. This is for two reasons 1) to avoid hypos; and 2) to bring your blood glucose down gradually to lessen the ‘shock’ to your body.

Importantly, what insulins are you taking and when, and are you carb-counting and adjusting your fast insulin?

After starting on insulin how long is it till blood sugars come down to a normal range. Mine seem to fluctuate in the high teens even tho I am being very conscious of what I eat. (I have a very sweet tooth so gone form snacking on Chocolate to none at all.

The diet recommended for Type 1s is the same healthy diet recommended for everyone. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease and not caused by poor diet or anything. The idea is you get the hang of using external insulin and you eat relatively normally. The only thing I was told to avoid was high sugar drinks like Coke unless I was treating a hypo or exercising. Chocolate, biscuits and desserts are all ok in moderation just like for anybody else. The only extra - and yes, it’s a big extra - is the insulin you need to inject and the thought you need to put in.
 
Here are two two great books about Type 1:

Think Like a Pancreas’ by Gary Scheiner.

And Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas (ignore the title - it’s great for adults too)

Pace yourself. There’s a lot to learn and a lot you will gain from experience. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Ask anything you want here, and always remember that you’re trying to do a very complicated ‘job’ and that perfection is impossible.
 
Welcome to the forum and T1 Club.
It sounds as if you scored 100% on the typical symptoms of diabetes and seem to be coping well.
Typically, we are advised to be conservative with our insulin dose when first diagnosed to bring our levels down slowly. So, it is not surprising that, after only a week, your levels are still in the teens. Dropping levels too fast can result in damage to small blood vessels in your eyes.
Please remember that Type 1 is different to the more popular/common type 2 diabetes. With Type 1 we are given the tools to manage carbs such as the sugar in chocolate, insulin. You do not have to cut it out completely. In fact, the diet for someone with Type 1 is a normal healthy diet. Some people chose to eat low carb. I chose to learn how to use my tools.
I suspect you are on a fixed insulin dose at the moment. It is best not to adjust your usual diet too much as this will mislead your DSN when advising the insulin dose. Over time, you will learn how to adjust your insulin but, for now, get used to using your meter and insulin pens.

You didn't ask but, if you were to ask for one piece of advice from an old hand such as me, I would say "Don't expect perfection." There are many things that affect our levels, not just food so strive to manage not control your diabetes and you will be mentally healthier

Feel free to ask questions, rant, laugh, join in the forum.
 
Welcome to the forum
 
Thanks so much for the advice. I've been bit worried about it. The drs didn't explain that. They basically told me hypo is bad and anything over 14 is not great either. So it's been pecking my head that my levels are still high.

I'm on 4 units of lispro sanofi 3 times a day before meals and then 12 units of toujeo every 24 hr.

I go to see a dietician later this month so I'm sure they will tell me all about carb counting etc.

Very much looking forward to speaking and getting advice of all on the forum 🙂
 
Carb counting is where everything should start clicking into place.

In the first few weeks/months you may go through the honeymoon phase where any remaining beta cells you may have chuck out some insulin, which is another reason to be conservative with the dosage to start with.

Have fun, it can be an interesting ride.
 
Could have kept my mouth constantly under tap before diagnosis, thirst is like nothing like it.

Cant add any more than sensible advice above, stick in there in there & keep chin up Wood90, it will all work out fine.
 
Welcome to the forum @Wood90

Glad you have found us, and you seem to be off to a flying start.

There is so much to get your head around in the beginning, and it can feel really daunting. I wasn’t the sort of person who ever really got ‘ill’, so to hear in my 20s that I was now (in some sense) permanently ill was very odd.

In practice it hasn’t worked out like that. And while it is a flaming nuisance at times T1 has just been more of ‘an inconvenient house guest’ (my wife always said we should write a book about our experience with T1 and call it that).

T1 shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy, and most of the time can be managed pretty effectively. New insulins and tech make it increasingly popular to have the sort of glucose profile that goes a long way towards guarding against long-term nasties without having to live like a monk.

Be kind to yourself. Don’t expect perfection. Keep plugging away at it, and try to smile at the nonsense curve balls the ‘diabetes fairy’ throws your way. She’s a tricksy minx - always up to her mischief and changing the rules!
 
Hi @Wood90, It's great to see you've joined the forum community! There is great support and tips on here which will help you through your journey. Please feel free to post any concerns you have and we'll be happy to support 🙂
 
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