Newly diagnosed 30 something :)

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Bonnietype1

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Type 1
Hey everyone !

I'm Bonnie, from Essex !

Got taken into hospital last week as an undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetic s my body had gone into ketoacidosis :(

I'm home now, feeling better but a little overwhelmed by everything. I know I've got to get my levels under control but I'm still unsure as to what it means for me long term, what I should do first etc.

Currently on Lantus and Novorapid.

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Hi Bonnie, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis - it can be a bit of a whirlwind and a shock, but I am glad that you have found us so quickly as there are lots of people with many years of experience who know exactly what you are going through. Right now, there will appear to be all sorts of things you need to know, but try to take things at your own pace and keep in touch with your team and us if you have any questions 🙂 Make sure you make a record of all your injections and meter readings, and it would also be very helpful to record your meals too, particularly the carbohydrate content of any food or drink.

I would suggest having a browse of our Useful links thread for starters - particularly recommended is Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas, also known as the Type 1 bible as it is an invaluable resource (I was 49 at diagnosis and it's perfectly relevant to me, so don't be misled by the title!)

Are you currently on fixed doses for your insulin? What have your levels been like since leaving hospital, and have you any particular problems currently?
 
Hi Bonnie.

Sending a warm welcome to the forum and hope you are feeling a bit better 🙂
 
Thank you 🙂

I'm already recording my BG levels before meals and my injections. I have a little bit of experience as I had gestational diabetes when i was pregnant with my daughter 2 years ago.

The diabetic nurses at my hospital are calling me every day and were adjusting as necessary, right now, they are just trying to get my levels down. They keep upping the lantus, which is now on 18 and 10 of the novo with each meal. My levels are fluctuating but basically highest is around 25 (it was 40 in hospital) and lowest 8.6) My morning levels are reading at about 14 atm so it is coming down slowly as the lantus gets into my system.

I just feel so spaced out. I guess its where my levels had been so high for such a long time and they are now starting to come down ?

I'm also trying to get to grips with everything I need to do like DVLA, Car insurance Doctors, Dentist, Eyes etc...
 
Welcome to the forum from another Essex 30 something 🙂
 
Bonnietype1 said:
...I just feel so spaced out. I guess its where my levels had been so high for such a long time and they are now starting to come down ? ...
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When I was diagnosed it took me a while to realise just how ill I had been with the DKA 😱 As soon as they gave me insulin I felt 100 times better, although as you say felt a bit spaced out for a while. You will probably have been used to much higher levels constantly before diagnosis, so now you are getting things under control this can have an effect on you in many ways. Hopefully, it won't be too long before you can hit on some good dosage levels and then begin learning how to make more finely-tuned adjustments 🙂
 
Thanks for the Hello's everyone 🙂

Hello Mark - which part of Essex are you ? I thought I'd add in the 30 something lol - something to break the ice.

I really hope so @Northerner. Is that how you were diagnosed ? I know it sounds a bit dramatic as there are worse things that could of happened but when the nurse came in with all the testing strips, insulin etc and told me I was type 1, I just cried. I think I had known for a while that I was diabetic but expected to be able to just take some metaformin and manage it myself :( . Massive shock to the system !!
 
Hi Bonnie a warm welcome to the forum from me.
 
Hi Bonnie & welcome to the forum.

Hopefully the spaced out feeling will go soon once your levels are "normal"

How you finding it all?
 
Bonnietype1 said:
Thanks for the Hello's everyone 🙂

Hello Mark - which part of Essex are you ? I thought I'd add in the 30 something lol - something to break the ice.

I really hope so @Northerner. Is that how you were diagnosed ? I know it sounds a bit dramatic as there are worse things that could of happened but when the nurse came in with all the testing strips, insulin etc and told me I was type 1, I just cried. I think I had known for a while that I was diabetic but expected to be able to just take some metaformin and manage it myself :( . Massive shock to the system !!
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I thought I had a bad stomach bug, but it reached a point where I was barely functioning so I called an ambulance - DKA and I was in hospital for 8 days! With hindsight, I had had symptoms for a long time, but the virus pushed me over the edge and scuppered my pancreas - I was due to run a marathon that week, so yes, a total shock! I didn't really take it in whilst in hospital, it was only when I was leaving and had a quick lesson in how to use the pens that it really hit home. I think that, for me, it was in some ways a relief as it explained why I had been feeling like I had, and it was something that I could have some degree of control over. It's now nearly 5 years for me and I've been fortunate enough to be able to manage it very well. I think that, whilst you can learn a lot, it is your own experience of dealing with it that will teach you the most, as there are likely to be many subtleties that are unique to you - there's no 'one size fits all'.

But as I said, you've made a good start! 🙂
 
Hello ladies, thank you 🙂

I'm just a bit overwhelmed but yet want all the information I need to know. now !! lol

I want to know what the implications are, if there's been any permanent damage, what to expect etc... I'm very impatient :/
 
Northerner said:
I thought I had a bad stomach bug, but it reached a point where I was barely functioning so I called an ambulance - DKA and I was in hospital for 8 days! With hindsight, I had had symptoms for a long time, but the virus pushed me over the edge and scuppered my pancreas - I was due to run a marathon that week, so yes, a total shock! I didn't really take it in whilst in hospital, it was only when I was leaving and had a quick lesson in how to use the pens that it really hit home. I think that, for me, it was in some ways a relief as it explained why I had been feeling like I had, and it was something that I could have some degree of control over. It's now nearly 5 years for me and I've been fortunate enough to be able to manage it very well. I think that, whilst you can learn a lot, it is your own experience of dealing with it that will teach you the most, as there are likely to be many subtleties that are unique to you - there's no 'one size fits all'.

But as I said, you've made a good start! 🙂
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Thank you 🙂

I'm glad I've found this forum, I don't feel so alone already 🙂
 
Ermmm we could tell you the basic implications but I wouldn't want to drown you with info til you got your head round it.

If you keep good control then there shouldn't be any long term problems.
But I'd try to get a retnal screening soon to check it your eyes
 
Bonnietype1 said:
Hello ladies, thank you 🙂

I'm just a bit overwhelmed but yet want all the information I need to know. now !! lol

I want to know what the implications are, if there's been any permanent damage, what to expect etc... I'm very impatient :/
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Because Type 1 tends to manifest itself more rapidly than Type 2, there is less likelihood that you will suffer any permanent problems. You should soon have a retinopathy scan to determine whether any damage has been done to your eyes (if there is then it is likely to be temporary), and also get your feet checked for sensitivity, pulses etc. You should also have blood and urine tests for your kidneys and possibly liver function and a preiodic check of your blood sugar levels called an HbA1c - you probably had this done in hospital and it would be useful to know as a starting point.

Have a look at the 15 essential checks from Diabetes UK:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/upload/About us/15 measures checklist.pdf
 
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Oh gosh, I hope you guys didn't think I meant I wanted that info from you lol !

I meant I know that my own experience of Diabetes will determine the outcome but the control freak in me just wants to know everything now ! sorry if you thought I was being demanding lol !
 
Bonnietype1 said:
Oh gosh, I hope you guys didn't think I meant I wanted that info from you lol !

I meant I know that my own experience of Diabetes will determine the outcome but the control freak in me just wants to know everything now ! sorry if you thought I was being demanding lol !
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If I'm honest, I'm the same.
I love knowing things about what's going on with my body
 
Bonnietype1 said:
Oh gosh, I hope you guys didn't think I meant I wanted that info from you lol !

I meant I know that my own experience of Diabetes will determine the outcome but the control freak in me just wants to know everything now ! sorry if you thought I was being demanding lol !
Click to expand...

I was exactly the same when diagnosed! 🙂 The book I mentioned covers practically everything, so worth investing in 🙂
 
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