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Newly Diagnosed - Advice

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Ly101

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all,
Firstly, apologies if I’ve posted in the wrong section.. like my diabetes I’m hoping I get the hang of it soon
I’m a newly diagnosed T1 diabetic (Newly as in 3 days ago) and I’ve just got over the initial shock of finding out. Being 28, reasonably fit and healthy w/ a semi healthy diet I was confused as to why, but we move..

I had one quick question if anyone had some advice. I’m currently taking Novorapid before my meals x3 and Lantus at night. I’ve checked my sugar levels before taking my Lantus shot but what I’m worried about is if I’m currently sitting on 7mmol and I’ve been told to take 10units of Lantus every night.. will being on 7mmol and taking 10 units push me into a low when I’m asleep?

I’ve been told not to correct anything as of yet as they are referring me to a diabetic nurse following my discharge from hospital. (Covid making everything longer)
Anyone got any advice?
 
Ly101 said:
Hi all,
Firstly, apologies if I’ve posted in the wrong section.. like my diabetes I’m hoping I get the hang of it soon
I’m a newly diagnosed T1 diabetic (Newly as in 3 days ago) and I’ve just got over the initial shock of finding out. Being 28, reasonably fit and healthy w/ a semi healthy diet I was confused as to why, but we move..

I had one quick question if anyone had some advice. I’m currently taking Novorapid before my meals x3 and Lantus at night. I’ve checked my sugar levels before taking my Lantus shot but what I’m worried about is if I’m currently sitting on 7mmol and I’ve been told to take 10units of Lantus every night.. will being on 7mmol and taking 10 units push me into a low when I’m asleep?

I’ve been told not to correct anything as of yet as they are referring me to a diabetic nurse following my discharge from hospital. (Covid making everything longer)
Anyone got any advice?
Click to expand...
Hello, and welcome to the forum, but sorry you have to be here, if you see what I mean!
Lantus is a slow acting insulin, which is designed to release into the system over 24 hours, and is meant to mop up the trickle of glucose that your liver releases twenty four hours a day to keep your vital organs ticking over.
Yes, you need to get the dose right, otherwise you will go low at night, but it’s not as big a worry as you fear. If you do go low, your body will wake you up, and you can treat it with jelly babies, or whatever you’ve been told to have handy at all times (and do keep something by your bed, you don’t want to go stumbling over the house to get something in the middle of the night).
What are your morning readings like? If they are in range, the chances are, you’ve been steady through the night, but some people do experience a bit of a dip in the wee small hours, so maybe grit your teeth to a disturbed night or two, and set an alarm for three a.m. and do a test then, to check you’re staying in range, just a couple of times til you’re confident you won’t go low.
 
Thanks for the speedy reply! My first 3 mornings were 9.3, 9.1, 9.1. This morning was 7.3 which I was probably more pleased about. I think I’ll give the 2-3am check a go and see what my levels are. There is so much to take in & everything is new to me. I guess it’s all trial and error, just need to get the worry away as that’s clearly not helping me.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
It's an autoimmune disease. Nothing to do with what you ate or how healthy you are.
Click to expand...
Hi,

yes sorry should’ve made it clear that I’m fully aware of that now. The awareness just isn’t there for most to be honest. The doctor mentioned to me that it could’ve been Covid that kickstarted it all off.
 
Hi @Ly101 - welcome to the club nobody wanted to join! - however, there are some lovely people already members, most of them around these parts try to be helpful and not criticise so you've come to the right place. We don't regard ANY question as 'silly' - cos there are shedloads of things folk don't know to begin with and we were all there too to begin with, same as you.

One big thing 'most people' haven't a clue about is that whether you are aged 2 or 62 you can still be diagnosed with Type 1 - just because you are no longer in the first flush of youth doesn't mean diabetes automatically means it's Type 2 either. (Nor do you need to be overweight and have a diet of junk food to get T2 either as it happens! - a lesson for another time though.)

Ask away - and get sensible answers here.
 
Welcome to the forum, glad you found us. With those waking levels you seem like you are pretty steady at night, but always worth doing that night time check. There is a lot to take on board and it is a big shock so please do ask anything that pops into your head.
 
Welcome to the forum @Ly101
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but pleased that you have found us.

There is a lot to take in at the start. I was 53 when diagnosed and still remember the shock.
It will take a while to get your levels down and the insulin doses sorted to match what you need. The Lantus is there to deal with the insulin from your liver which is trickled out to keep your body ticking over. The Novorapid is there to deal with the carbohydrates you eat. Keep in touch with your Diabetes Speciliast Nurse and she will work with you initially to adjust your doses, and also to teach you how to do this yourself.

A book that I found very useful at diagnosis was Type1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. Ignore the age reference, (and the chapter on school). type 1 is Type 1. It clearly explains what going on and addresses lots of common situations. It is well indexed and good to dip in for a refresher. It is regularly updated with the latest tech that is available, so worth getting the latest edition.

Also there is plenty of experience to tap into on here from people who are successfully managing on a daily basis. Just ask anything that is bothering you. There will be plenty of practical advice available. I know I have learnt most of what I know about my diabetes from others on here.
 
Welcome to the forum @Ly101

Sorry you have to be here, but glad you have found us!

It can be really helpful to have a place like this to share experiences and compare notes - especially with something like T1 diabetes where there is a steep learning curve and so much to get your head around.

Keep asking questions - and let us know how you are getting on. How did the overnight checks go?
 
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