Hi Jane, welcome to the forum
🙂 How did the diagnosis come about? I was in exactly the same place as you in June 2008 - 49 years old, no history of diabetes in the family and I was due to run a marathon a week later
😱 Instead I eneded up spending 8 days in hospital and trying to get to grips with my 'new normal'.
It is a huge shock, particularly since Type 1 often comes right out of the blue and instantly requires a whole new way of thinking about food, having to learn about insulin and blood sugar levels, and to a much larger extent, understanding how the body reacts to and processes the food you eat - something I certainly took very much for granted prior to diagnosis!
The first thing I would recommend is getting a copy of
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Don't be misled by the title - this book is relevant to people of all ages, and covers all aspects of living with Type 1 diabetes. It will help you understand things, inform you of things to look out for, and perhaps also prompt questions for your team about how you need to handle certain situations. There is a very steep learning curve, but do try and take things at your own pace - beyond a few necessary things, you don't need to everything from Day 1. Much of what I have learned over the ensuing 8 years has been through experience, learning how to handle new situations or new foods, and have managed to refine my control so that I now feel perfectly at ease most of the time, with just the occasional hiccough!
🙂
I lost a huge amount of weight prior to diagnosis, but now your body is receiving the insulin it lacked it will be able to use your food properly and you should start to see the weight come back on again. It can take a while, so don't stress about it, patience is the key
🙂 I'm now a very healthy weight which barely fluctuates, and I am back running, so whatever you liked to do before, there is a way to continue and you shouldn't need to give up your pastimes or pleasures
🙂
What insulin regime are you on, and how are you managing? It's good to hear that you have support from your family and a good healthcare team behind you
🙂 Please feel free to ask any and every question you may have - someone here is bound to be able to give you an answer or at the very least some guidance and support
🙂