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Newly Diagnosed Type 1 with Mental Health - Anyone else struggling?

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Gary_T1_2017

Gary_T1_2017

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi 🙂
 
Hi Gary and welcome to the forum 🙂
Tell us a bit about yourself, how you came to be diagnosed etc.
In answer to your thread title, I suffered hugely with coming to terms with my diagnosis, I have GAD anyway, and I found it difficult to cope with diabetes.
I saw a diabetes psychologist for several months this year, and it helped enormously. My consultant referred me, so whilst a diabetes psychologist is not available in all areas, there will be someone who can help you. Coming to terms with having diabetes can be difficult, and your diabetic team will come across people having problems with this, and will know how to help. Maybe call your DSN and arrange an appointment to talk to them about it.
Also this forum helps enormously, so ask lots of questions 🙂
 
Welcome - I am a newly diagnosed type 2, I suffer from depression and anxiety.

I found being diagnosed extremely overwhelming, but you have come to the right place for support and advice.
 
Wow 🙂 didn't think I would get a reply so fast.

Thank you for your kind welcomes.

I too have suffered with GAD since 2007 and was diagnosed with T1 diabetes in Nov 2016 which was a massive shock.

I'm currently finding each day to be a bit of a daze falling asleep a lot of the time just looking forward to bedtime which is hard on my wife and kids.

Is it normal for a diabetic to be falling asleep so much?

I'm in North Kent where you guys from?

Gary 🙂
 
What kind of insulin regime are you on? And what are your BGs throughout the day?
High BG can make you sleepy, but I always find I sleep more when I'm anxious too.
Are you getting much support from your diabetic team?
I live in the south west, but I am a Londoner at heart 🙂
 
I take 1unit per 10grams of carbs of NovaRapid after food and currently 30units of Lantus at Night, I still wake up with average BG of 14 of Lantus b increased each week until a good waking level apparently. I rarely have BG under 8 normally 10 lowest but shoots up to 26 or more quite quickly. Still learning what to eat and stuff...really fed up at the moment with it all.

Seeing my GAD Consultant Psychiatrist at the moment but will find out about the diabetes one 🙂
diabetic centre are ok but not seen them very much, go back end of Feb as recently had an MRI on Pancreas which waiting for results which is playing havoc with my anxiety.
 
Diabetes is a constant learning curve, and it takes a while to get used to how your body reacts to things.
It will be worthwhile asking your diabetes team about going on a carb counting course, these courses can be really useful with learning about food etc, and also meeting other people with diabetes too. I was on one recently, and for me, the food side of things wasn't particularly useful for various reasons, but I really enjoyed meeting other people with T1, and swapping hints and tips.
I think there is a thread at the top of this section with lots of tips for the newly diagnosed too, along with some good books to read.
Any BG above 14 makes me very tired and sluggish, so these highs could explain your tiredness, and the swinging BGs won't help either.
It takes time to get your particular insulin needs correct, so try to be kind to yourself. You'll get there in the end my lovely 🙂
 
Welcome, you will be feeling tired with high blood sugars, but should begin to feel better as these go down. One thing I noticed in your posts is that you say you has e your NovoRapid after food. I've not known this to be the case before - did your diabetes centre tell you to do this? Check with them, but you should be taking it before you eat. This might help with your levels.
It does take a while to sort out your basal rate and as someone newly diagnosed, this is likely to need adjustment. Wishing you all the best, let us know how you get on 🙂
 
You might also need more - or even, less! - than 1u per 10g of Novorapid - but until they get your Lantus dose better sorted, it's really hard to tell, properly.

You really need to have a good talk to your consultant and DSN - and be as honest as you are being with us, Gary. They really DO want to help us - so don't hide any of your concerns from them - or simply think they don't want, or need, to hear this. They DO !
 
Hi Gary and welcome to the club none of us wanted to join... but we're here and helping each other 🙂
I'll echo what has already been said - it takes a while to get your levels sort of under control but you will feel a heck of a lot better once they are there. I can well remember felling like all I wanted to do was sleep but as your Blood Glucose levels drop you will get your energy back. You might get sort of blurry vision as well as your levels drop.
As a newly(ish) diagnosed T1 (I'm not a year yet) I am still tinkering with doses and amounts, and just when I think I've sussed it it changes! For example, it seems I am extremely insulin resistant in the morning but very sensitive in the evening.
I found this forum to be a fantastic source of support and encouragement that got me through the first couple of months. Keep asking questions (I certainly did!) and also make use of your DSN. Do you have a phone number for them if you need help or advice?
You mention 1u per 10g carbs, but when are you checking your Blood Glucose levels?
Do you check before your meal & then 2 hours after? Your figure of 26 does seem extremely high but how long after your meal was this taken?
I agree with stephknits, it is usual to take Novorapid before, and not after meals and that may be causing a very high peak, but even so... are you reducing your overall Carbohydrate intake? It does help to reduce the peaks.
Sorry for all the questions but it's this sort of help that I needed when I first started out.
And I'm in Sussex so not too far away from you 🙂
regards
zx
 
Mini-Vicki said:
Hi Gary and welcome to the forum 🙂
Tell us a bit about yourself, how you came to be diagnosed etc.
In answer to your thread title, I suffered hugely with coming to terms with my diagnosis, I have GAD anyway, and I found it difficult to cope with diabetes.
I saw a diabetes psychologist for several months this year, and it helped enormously. My consultant referred me, so whilst a diabetes psychologist is not available in all areas, there will be someone who can help you. Coming to terms with having diabetes can be difficult, and your diabetic team will come across people having problems with this, and will know how to help. Maybe call your DSN and arrange an appointment to talk to them about it.
Also this forum helps enormously, so ask lots of questions 🙂
Click to expand...
Hi Gary
Warm welcome to the forum
 
Hi Gary and welcome to the gang. We're a friendly bunch so please ask any questions - nothing is silly and we have all been new to Diabetes at some point, so know the confusion and learning curve that is involved, but you'll get there. Don't expect things to change overnight, but as you make changes to your diet (cutting down on carbs) and tweak your insulin, things will improve.
 
Welcome Gary.
Lots of people here who are happy to help.
Just keep asking questions.
 
Thank you all for your kind words and advice, means a lot.

At the moment I'm my own worst enemy I think as panic if my sugars are too high and then panic if their too low so my mental health is really effecting me effectively controlling my diabetes at the moment.

For example tonight like many nights my sugars have dropped to 6 which makes me anxious about taking my Lantus in case I Hypo in my sleep and don't wake up in the morning :-(

Need to see my psychiatrist again soon to talk through these fears and sure this forum will also help in a big way.
 
Hi Gary! Like you I also have mental health issues. You can get through this. We're all here to help you and so are you support nurses. Don't ever be afraid to pick up the phone and ask questions.
 
Hi Guys & Girls,

Got my MRI results today and apparently my pancreas looks fine but my liver bile ducts were dilated / enlarged so need further investigation...

So anxious today, also being put on Metformin 2 x daily too and need to record my 3am bloods to see if I'm hypo'ing before Lantus increased any further.
 
Gary_T1_2017 said:
Thank you all for your kind words and advice, means a lot.

At the moment I'm my own worst enemy I think as panic if my sugars are too high and then panic if their too low so my mental health is really effecting me effectively controlling my diabetes at the moment.

For example tonight like many nights my sugars have dropped to 6 which makes me anxious about taking my Lantus in case I Hypo in my sleep and don't wake up in the morning :-(

Need to see my psychiatrist again soon to talk through these fears and sure this forum will also help in a big way.
Click to expand...

Gary do not put yourself down about levels, it doesn't help.

Its c**p (I hope that's not rule breaking), it really is, a constant battle, balancing act, but it's liveable. Some of us on there have had it yonks and have long full lives.
A friend of mine told me on Monday a friend of theirs was diagnosed last weekend, they are still in shock, I didn't know what to say. Its horrible news to hear another poor soul has got it, and that sure that was 10 years off 10 years ago is still another 10 years off, its beyond pants.

Honestly I cant even think how i got through year 1 or 2 of it but I did.
Many of us here never thought we would still be here or do half the things we have done. Its not life ending, its life changing. I was told I couldn't have a healthy child. But I have a 6 year old, shes not a sickly child, shes not got this, she is a perfectly healthy little girl that I made in this chaotic body.
There's other people who have busy jobs or compete in sports, travel the planet, run the country with it so it doesn't have to stop you doing anything, just its more of a battle.

It sounds like you are sleepy with the high results, if I get over 14 I'm like an actual zombie I cant keep my eyes open and I am beyond snappy and rude.

Is it going any better with the 3am checks?

We are all here for you.
 
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