Newly diagnosed 43 year old

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MartinL

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Type 1
Good afternoon all,

Prepare for a long introduction…

I’m Martin. I’m 43 and from the northeast of Scotland. On Thursday last week (4th July) I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. To say it came as a shock is an understatement. For the last 20-30 years I’ve been involved in endurance sports so I have been pretty active with no dietary, health or physical issues.

For the last 6 months or so I experienced a few symptoms of things but never paid much attention to them because I associated them with training, ie weight loss, increased appetite, drinking lots of water.

I had an offshore medical a couple of weeks ago and glucose was found in my urine sample. I was given a blood glucose test and it measured 19.1 mmol/L so I was referred to my GP for further testing. Monday I had a fasted test and was told to phone back Monday for results.

They called me on Thursday to bring me in immediately to see them. Initially I left with a prescription for Glicazide and a possible diagnosis of Type 2. I then got called into Aberdeen to the specialist unit for further discussion etc where I was diagnosed with Type 1.

A whirlwind of prescriptions, meeting with nurses, specialists, doctors and consultants, lessons in what to do and a bucket load of emotions pouring through me and I was on my way back to the office as a newly confirmed diabetic.

So here I am, at the start of my journey. I have meetings coming up with the specialist team in Aberdeen so hoping that I’ll learn a bit more about managing things so I can keep on running.

Thanks.
 
Welcome to the forum @MartinL . Sorry you need to be here but pleased that you have found us.

There are quite a few of us on here who are late starters with T1, and recognise the shock and whirlwind of emotions at diagnosis. We have far better tech available to us now which can make the management a lot easier. It does get easier, and the best analogy I was given is that it is like learning to drive. There seems to be so much to think about at the start but after a while much of what you do becomes automatic. So it is with all that we do in managing T1.

It will help us in our responses if you can tell us what insulins you are using.
Do you have a Libre sensor - if not it is worth asking about this. It makes monitoring levels a lot easier.

You mind will be full of questions and there is a wealth of experience to tap into on here. Nothing is considered silly. Just ask.
 
Ps
Once things have settled there is no reason why you can’t get back to running.
 
Welcome @MartinL 🙂 A Type 1 diagnosis is usually a surprise and definitely a big shock. It’s just bad luck and can happen to anyone, no matter how healthy they are or how great their lifestyle choices are. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease and nothing to do with lifestyle.

As @SB2015 says, you’re not alone in being diagnosed at your age. There are lots of people here diagnosed at a similar age or older.

What insulins are you on? Yes, you’ll be able to go back to running once you get the hang of things 🙂

There are a couple of books often recommended for Type 1s on this forum:

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).

Think Like A Pancreas is American but I liked the chatty style and it contains some great information, as does the Ragnar Hanas book.
 
Welcome to the forum @MartinL

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. We have quite a few T1s who were diagnosed in or after their 40s, so you are in good company here.

For T1 endurance inspiration, you might like to look into Roddy Riddle, who I’ve been lucky enough to meet. He’s a former pro cyclist who has competed in the most extraordinary endurance challenges (including the Marathon Des Sables) since being diagnosed with T1 aged 40.

RoddyRiddle.com | Roddy Rules Diabetes

roddyriddle.com
 
Inka said:
Welcome @MartinL 🙂 A Type 1 diagnosis is usually a surprise and definitely a big shock. It’s just bad luck and can happen to anyone, no matter how healthy they are or how great their lifestyle choices are. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease and nothing to do with lifestyle.

As @SB2015 says, you’re not alone in being diagnosed at your age. There are lots of people here diagnosed at a similar age or older.

What insulins are you on? Yes, you’ll be able to go back to running once you get the hang of things 🙂

There are a couple of books often recommended for Type 1s on this forum:

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).

Think Like A Pancreas is American but I liked the chatty style and it contains some great information, as does the Ragnar Hanas book.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up on the books.

I have been put on Levemir and Novorapid. It’s definitely a challenge keeping things balanced at the moment. I am actually on holiday this week which took some persuasion with the team in Aberdeen who have called me up everyday to see how things are going. Next week I have numerous appointments with specialist nurses, dietitian’s etc
 
SB2015 said:
Welcome to the forum @MartinL . Sorry you need to be here but pleased that you have found us.

There are quite a few of us on here who are late starters with T1, and recognise the shock and whirlwind of emotions at diagnosis. We have far better tech available to us now which can make the management a lot easier. It does get easier, and the best analogy I was given is that it is like learning to drive. There seems to be so much to think about at the start but after a while much of what you do becomes automatic. So it is with all that we do in managing T1.

It will help us in our responses if you can tell us what insulins you are using.
Do you have a Libre sensor - if not it is worth asking about this. It makes monitoring levels a lot easier.

You mind will be full of questions and there is a wealth of experience to tap into on here. Nothing is considered silly. Just ask.
Click to expand...
Good morning and thanks for the reply. I have a ton of questions to ask when I go back to see the team in Aberdeen and one will be about a libre sensor now. The insulin I am on is levemir and novorapid.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @MartinL

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. We have quite a few T1s who were diagnosed in or after their 40s, so you are in good company here.

For T1 endurance inspiration, you might like to look into Roddy Riddle, who I’ve been lucky enough to meet. He’s a former pro cyclist who has competed in the most extraordinary endurance challenges (including the Marathon Des Sables) since being diagnosed with T1 aged 40.

RoddyRiddle.com | Roddy Rules Diabetes

roddyriddle.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up on the book and the link. I will definitely check this out.
 
I hope you’re still managing to enjoy your holiday @MartinL Caution is the way - watch out for hypos and for ketones, ie both the extremes of low and high. There’s a lot to learn with Type 1 and at first it seems very overwhelming. It does gradually get easier though.

One thing to say is that perfection is impossible. We’re trying to do the job of a pancreas and it’s not easy!
 
MartinL said:
Thanks for the heads up on the books.

I have been put on Levemir and Novorapid. It’s definitely a challenge keeping things balanced at the moment. I am actually on holiday this week which took some persuasion with the team in Aberdeen who have called me up everyday to see how things are going. Next week I have numerous appointments with specialist nurses, dietitian’s etc
Click to expand...
Good to hear that your team are on hand to help you and I hope that you are managing to enjoy your holiday in spite of the additional thinking needed for your T1.

Using Levemir and Novorapid will give you flexibility and your team will work with you to enable you to adapt your insulin doses to suit what you are eating/doing each day.

The Ragnar Hana book is excellent with clear explanations (ignore the age reference but miss out the chapter on starting school!!!!!). Keep questions coming and tap into the wealth of experience on here.
 
Hi and welcome. The first few weeks are about gathering data as to how you respond to the insulin as well as slowly bringing your glucose levels down to what is considered normal. Things may feel like they’re moving too slowly in having exact answers but it does take time. It sounds like you’re getting good support. It will take a while for you to get your head around everything and to get back to normal but it will happen. We’re here for the emotional side as well as the practical side.
 
May I ask since you mentioned you'd had an offshore medical - do you work offshore, and is there any prob doing that thing with T1 diabetes?
 
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