Newly Diagnosed - confusion on waking?

[Mal / Blackpool UK]

Hi there ‍♀️ I’m new to the forum myself but have been type 1 for 13 years, how are you feeling?

Hi, can I please ask, I’ve just been released from hospital 4 days ago, I’m still waking up not knowing where I am, or not knowing what day it is, takes me 5/10 minutes to realise that I’m in my own house and not still in hospital, I’m having to write it down before I goto bed, so I can read it once I wake up. Is that normal? I’m type 1 diabetic, I’ve got covid as well - thanks in advance

 

[Em89]

Hi, can I please ask, I’ve just been released from hospital 4 days ago, I’m still waking up not knowing where I am, or not knowing what day it is, takes me 5/10 minutes to realise that I’m in my own house and not still in hospital, I’m having to write it down before I goto bed, so I can read it once I wake up. Is that normal? I’m type 1 diabetic, I’ve got covid as well - thanks in advance

Hi Mal,
I can’t speak from experience as I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t end up admitted to hospital with DKA at diagnosis. It doesn’t sound right that you are so disorientated though, have you contacted your diabetes team to see what they recommend? It could just be an extreme symptom of covid, like a fever side effect but best to contact someone who can properly advise you.

Hope you feel better soon

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hi, can I please ask, I’ve just been released from hospital 4 days ago, I’m still waking up not knowing where I am, or not knowing what day it is, takes me 5/10 minutes to realise that I’m in my own house and not still in hospital, I’m having to write it down before I goto bed, so I can read it once I wake up. Is that normal? I’m type 1 diabetic, I’ve got covid as well - thanks in advance

Hi Mal,
Sorry to hear you are struggling so much.

I'm flagging your post here to @everydayupsanddowns who is an administrator and who, as well as having loads of good advice, can move this post into a separate thread. Then you will get responses specifically for you and not enmeshed with @classicnorm comments.

I can't answer to your question is it normal to be confused. I went into hospital 2+ yrs ago for a planned op, knowing I might emerge diabetic and spent 2 weeks there steadily recovering. So I was extremely sore, but knew where I was and roughly what U needed to do. I've also, so far, avoided Covid. I'm T3c, which is akin to T1 yet different; there are plenty of T1s in this forum with loads of experience.

But if you cpuld tell us a little bit more about yourself, such as:
When did you first know you were diabetic?
Is your T1 diagnosis already confirmed or are you waiting for more results?
What medications are you on?
Are you under a hospital based Diabetes Centre with a named Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN)? Such a nurse would be different to one in your GP's surgery.

From answers to those questions people can offer support and guidance to help you move forward. Diabetes is complicated, confusing and contradictory. At times it was frightening, but less so now that I've learnt a little about it (my mantra is knowledge dispels fear).

For now keep replying in this thread and once an administrator next sees this, they'll move your thread if they agree it would help.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your run-in with covid, your diabetes diagnosis, and your confusion on waking @Mal / Blackpool UK

Sounds very unpleasant and worrying for you.

I’ve split your post and its replies into a new thread, so that things don’t get all mixed up with responses to the other thread 🙂

How is your experience of Covid? Are you feeling feverish and spaced out with it?

Have you had any episodes of hypoglycaemia? It might be worth checking overnight to make sure your levels are staying above 4.0 while you are asleep, as overnight hypos can make you feel very groggy and weird when you wake.

Doesn’t sound right though. Hope you manage to improve things and wake more alert and aware very soon.

 

[Robin]

Hi, can I please ask, I’ve just been released from hospital 4 days ago, I’m still waking up not knowing where I am, or not knowing what day it is, takes me 5/10 minutes to realise that I’m in my own house and not still in hospital, I’m having to write it down before I goto bed, so I can read it once I wake up. Is that normal? I’m type 1 diabetic, I’ve got covid as well - thanks in advance

I think stress and trauma can cause all sorts of brain disruptions, and you’ve certainly had that in spades. I was particularly stressed quite a few years ago, and had to lie there for a while trying to work out which day of the week it was, who else was in the house, whether I'd got to get up and go straight round to people I was carer for, or get my children off to school, or whether there was other stuff I’d got to do. I took to writing it down and leaving it by the bed. When the period of stress calmed down, I got back to knowing what day of the week it was again.

 

[SB2015]

Hi @Mal / Blackpool UK

Like others I don’t remember that level of confusion at diagnosis. I am wondering whether you are in other medications that could account for this. Certainly worth following it up.

I hope that you get things sorted soon.

 

[Vonny]

Hi @Mal / Blackpool UK, a friend of mine who is on a variety of medications for different issues has just gone down with covid. She's been totally spaced out, had auditory and visual hallucinations which went on for a week. It could just be the covid which has caused this for you. If it continues though I'd certainly seek medical advice.