Newly diagnosed at 19 years old

[trophywench]

@Bazzlejet - apart from the book your post was lovely! 🙂 It takes a while to firstly accept our diagnoses of diabetes, but secondly on a forum, to discover the subtle nuances of the differences between the different 'Types'.

It's the same as learning about anything new - these things just take time.

 

[trophywench]

I’ve also been set targets between 4-9, as I’m a quite a small person. I have ordered the freestyle libre but the needle terrifies me lol.

What needle? You literally never see one! Think there's a video of one being inserted on the Abbott website isn't there?

 

[ams01]

I believe there is a needle when you have to apply it on your arm?

 

[nonethewiser]

The idea of having to stick needles in me 4 times a day isn’t my definition of fun and I’m quite scared to eat at times because when my glucose levels slightly increase, I feel guilty and horrible.

No need to feel guilty about eating, its what keeps us alive. No not fun injecting but it is what it is & in time little thought will be made of it, anyway year down road you might be illegible for insulin pump, so not injecting everyday just cannula insertion every few days.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I believe there is a needle when you have to apply it on your arm?

Watch some of the videos on their website. There is a needle and the sensor itself has a small (4mm or so) tube that stays just under your skin, but it's all pretty hidden. There's a spring-loaded applicator that fires the needle through the sensor to apply it (the needle goes through the tube taking it just through the skin). I think most who've tried it find it happens quickly enough that they barely notice it.

 

[Inka]

I’ve also been set targets between 4-9, as I’m a quite a small person. I have ordered the freestyle libre but the needle terrifies me lol.

Your size won’t be relevant to your targets 🙂 Being small makes it no easier to control blood sugar. Remember targets are what you aim for and if you get a higher number it’s not a disaster nor a reason you should feel guilty.

Type 1 is something we manage rather than have constant, perfect control over.It was realising that that helped me relax more and not be so stressed after diagnosis.

I don’t have a Libre but I would recommend an insulin pump later down the line. Mine changed my life and made me feel more ‘normal’.

 

[rebrascora]

You don't see the needle on the Libre applicator and iff you press the applicator firmly against your arm the pressure of the outside of the applicator masks the needle sensation so apart from a loud noise as the spring activates to retract the needle, you don't really notice anything much. Sometimes they bleed a bit but again it is not a big issue and the information the sensors provide and the resulting reduction in finger pricks makes them a huge advantage for most of us. Personally I find the sensor application less painful than most insulin injections. I hope you get your delivery soon and find it as amazing as most of us do in helping us manage our levels.

 

[Docb]

Hi @ams01. Some good stuff in the above posts and it sounds like you are close to getting on with it as far as your T1 diagnosis is concerned. It does occur to me that if you are coping with A levels under current circumstances, then taking the T1 diagnosis with only a bit of a wobble in your stride is only to be expected!

You mentioned you had epilepsy. I don't know where you are on the epilepsy spectrum but it might be worth having a bit of a think about how it might interact with the T1. In particular I was thinking making sure that those around you know about both conditions in case you need assistance at any time. Probably unimportant but then I am a bit of a crossing t's and dotting i's person.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @ams01

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Nothing to feel guilty about. T1 is an autoimmune disease, where some antibodies inside you suddenly decided to get active and destroy your beta cells which were making insulin. Nothing you could do about it.

It is indeed shock but it is manageable. It just takes a bit more organisation and planning to do some of the things we want to do. The best analogy I heard is it is like learning to drive. It seems a lot to think about at the start and then it just becomes automatic.

The book by Ragnar Hanas, Type1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults, is excellent. I was diagnosed at the age of 53 and it is brilliant. I just ignored the bit about going Otto school. Well worth a look for the latest version as it is regularly updated with the latest tech, of which there have been so many improvements in just the last few years.

Keep in touch on here. Keep firing questions at the forum. There is loads of experience to tap into on here. Nothing is considered silly. Just ask.

 

[Ljc]

I hope you find the Libre as helpful as I do. 99.9 % of the time the application is totally painless.
Once the sensor is applied you don’t feel it as their is no needle under your skin , just a tiny flexible filament .

In time you may be able to get it on prescription so I suggest you have a chat with your DSN .
Do check out Abbott’s videos /info on the Libre .

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad you seem to be finding forum posts encouraging.

Hope you get on well with the Libre - being able to see what happens ‘between the dots’ can be a huge help, plus you get to see what has been happening overnight every morning. I‘m sure you’ll find the application fairly pain-free, and far less scary that you might be imagining. Having that level of data and detail can feel a little overwhelming for some. So it’s important to remember that this is just information to help you improve your understanding, and help you make decisions going forwards. It’s not a judgement of how much effort you are putting in, or how ‘well’ you are doing

It can take a while to adjust to a diagnosis like T1, and it can seem overwhelming - but modern treatment options and gadgets like Libre can make optimised BG management more possible than ever, and make it easier to live a full, healthy, happy, active and varied life alongside your T1D.