Hi I’m Mozzy I’ve been being treated as type 2 diabetic for years but nothing seemed to work for me, the Diabetic nurse I was referred to at another clinic suggested doing a GAD test and anti body test the results came back positive, was told I’m Type 1 and that is whole different ball game. Onto different meds and two taken away. It’s only been a couple of days and I feel I’ve got more energy and life in me. Now I’ve got to go to a few introduction classes and see a dietician. I was wondering is there anything that’s different in a type 1 diet?
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Newly confirmed type 1
- Thread starter Mozzy
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adrian1der
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Mozzy. I'll call in @rebrascora who is also a T1 originally diagnosed as T2
rebrascora
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- Type 1
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- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
So pleased to hear you have eventually been properly diagnosed and you are starting to feel better now you are on appropriate treatment.
Which insulins have they given you and which medication have they withdrawn?
How are you managing with injecting the insulin?
What are your BG readings like?
If you have been trying to manage your diabetes with a restricted diet, then the insulin will allow you more freedom but we still need to be sensible and try to eat a healthy diet. Personally I prefer to stick with a low carb higher fat and fibre way of eating as that seems to suit me but everyone is different and you need to find what suits you and your body. Learning to balance your insulin to the food you eat is key and will take time for you to figure out. Same as with Type 2 it can help to keep things simple at first and do lots of testing to see how your body responds both to the food and the insulin. If you can get Freestyle Libre sensors (ideally on prescription) these will help you enormously as you can see exactly how your body is responding after each meal and enable you to time your insulin injection to balance the food better.
It is good that they are sorting you out with classes and dietician appointment. There is a lot to learn. If you get the chance of a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) course or whatever your local equivalent is, I would strongly recommend it. Not only will the course material give you confidence in adjusting your insulin and keeping yourself safe in a whole range of situations including exercise and alcohol but you get to spend time with other Type 1 diabetics which makes a massive difference to your whole outlook (diabetes can be quite isolating because it is difficult for friends and family to really fully understand) but it also helps to make contacts through the course educators which can then help to access some of the technology available to us Type 1s.
Anyway, I am probably overloading you with info, so will stop there but please ask if there is anything you don't understand or want/need to know. There is a huge learning curve ahead of you but it will start to make sense after a few weeks/months of experience. Before long you will be your own diabetes expert. The big thing to know is that diabetes doesn't always play by the rules and sometimes, despite your best efforts, things will go awry. If you are a perfectionist, this will be frustrating but it is normal and you have to learn to roll with the punches sometimes.
So pleased to hear you have eventually been properly diagnosed and you are starting to feel better now you are on appropriate treatment.
Which insulins have they given you and which medication have they withdrawn?
How are you managing with injecting the insulin?
What are your BG readings like?
If you have been trying to manage your diabetes with a restricted diet, then the insulin will allow you more freedom but we still need to be sensible and try to eat a healthy diet. Personally I prefer to stick with a low carb higher fat and fibre way of eating as that seems to suit me but everyone is different and you need to find what suits you and your body. Learning to balance your insulin to the food you eat is key and will take time for you to figure out. Same as with Type 2 it can help to keep things simple at first and do lots of testing to see how your body responds both to the food and the insulin. If you can get Freestyle Libre sensors (ideally on prescription) these will help you enormously as you can see exactly how your body is responding after each meal and enable you to time your insulin injection to balance the food better.
It is good that they are sorting you out with classes and dietician appointment. There is a lot to learn. If you get the chance of a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) course or whatever your local equivalent is, I would strongly recommend it. Not only will the course material give you confidence in adjusting your insulin and keeping yourself safe in a whole range of situations including exercise and alcohol but you get to spend time with other Type 1 diabetics which makes a massive difference to your whole outlook (diabetes can be quite isolating because it is difficult for friends and family to really fully understand) but it also helps to make contacts through the course educators which can then help to access some of the technology available to us Type 1s.
Anyway, I am probably overloading you with info, so will stop there but please ask if there is anything you don't understand or want/need to know. There is a huge learning curve ahead of you but it will start to make sense after a few weeks/months of experience. Before long you will be your own diabetes expert. The big thing to know is that diabetes doesn't always play by the rules and sometimes, despite your best efforts, things will go awry. If you are a perfectionist, this will be frustrating but it is normal and you have to learn to roll with the punches sometimes.
Thanks for answering. I’m on Lantus solo star and nova rapid and Victoza at the moment my HBa1c was 94 last month spiked up from 54, was put down to self isolating not being able to exercise as much, now they are saying it’s because I’ve been diagnosed wrong for to long, no wonder I’m confused! I’ve been reading about injecting before meals is better, think I’ll have to ask before I try. my weight has balooned up since I was first diagnosed 22 years ago and now finding it very hard to get back to normal weight, i Was told it maybe because of the carbs I was advised to have being a type 2 that things may change now as advice is a lot different, I won’t hold my breath though!!! Here’s hoping! Once again thank you. Xx
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It is even more impressive that your nurse recognised the possibility of Type 1 if you have been putting on weight (Usually Type 1 is flagged up by weight loss). She is obviously switched on. Gold start for her for getting you tested.
So sad that you weren't given good dietary advice from the start. If you want to lose weight you will need to reduce the amount you eat and exercise more. Learning to carb count and adjust your bolus insulin (NovoRapid) to match what you eat and also adjust basal (Lantus) doses will be even more important to help you do that safely, so do attend whatever education courses they offer you.
The choices with weight loss are probably between a calorie controlled diet or a low carb diet. Many here find a low carb way of eating provides a more sustainable weight loss but it does take some getting your head around eating low carb initially, but then it just becomes the new norm for you. If you are the sort of person who can lose weight and keep it off rather than being a yoyo dieter, then calorie controlled diet may well work for you. I'm a yoyoer so low carb is the best option for me and now I have been doing it for a while, I actually really enjoy my food, don't feel deprived and will happily continue like this for the rest of my life.
Incorporating a brisk daily walk (or cycle ride) into your schedule, if you are able, will help your diabetes and weight loss.
So sad that you weren't given good dietary advice from the start. If you want to lose weight you will need to reduce the amount you eat and exercise more. Learning to carb count and adjust your bolus insulin (NovoRapid) to match what you eat and also adjust basal (Lantus) doses will be even more important to help you do that safely, so do attend whatever education courses they offer you.
The choices with weight loss are probably between a calorie controlled diet or a low carb diet. Many here find a low carb way of eating provides a more sustainable weight loss but it does take some getting your head around eating low carb initially, but then it just becomes the new norm for you. If you are the sort of person who can lose weight and keep it off rather than being a yoyo dieter, then calorie controlled diet may well work for you. I'm a yoyoer so low carb is the best option for me and now I have been doing it for a while, I actually really enjoy my food, don't feel deprived and will happily continue like this for the rest of my life.
Incorporating a brisk daily walk (or cycle ride) into your schedule, if you are able, will help your diabetes and weight loss.
As I say I’ve been diagnosed a day, so time will tell. Weight loss seems to be a bug bare I have stabilise at what I am now from losing quite a bit, I can’t bike ride or walk far as I’m disabled can only manage 55 yards at a time hopefully now things are changing with lockdown I maybe able to get to the swimming baths, around by me you have to book and at the moment they are all booked up, Rock and a hard place it would seem. Thanks for the advice about a low carb diet I’ve tried it before but will try again, it’s not that I eat much I feel it’s more not getting enough output, as my daily in take is just under 1000 cals a day. My GP has said I must try to get it to the 1000 for my body to work but I find it hard as I just don’t feel hungry. Oh! well we’ll see how things pan out in the next few months
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