Newly Diagnosed Type 1

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CosmicOwl

CosmicOwl

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I got diagnosed with type 1 a week ago and everything is still feeling quite surreal, i'm 21, I also have a mental illness which is making coming to terms with this diagnosis a lot harder. I was lucky as I went to the doctor thinking I was lactose intolerant or something and they ran some blood tests and found I had high blood sugar (23.8) and that I was borderline on ketoacidosis which explained the increasing pain I was in. I was lucky they found out before I ended up in hospital. I am now injecting insulin which is pretty scary stuff, and i'm trying to get used to all of this but it's a lot to happen in just one week! It's been shocking news and i'm trying to be positive about all of this, so I thought joining a forum where there are others who understand would be a good move.

So hello everyone 🙂
 
Hi CosmicOwl and welcome 🙂

Sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis, I can well imagine what a shock it was - my son was diagnosed at the age of 4 and our lives seemed turned upside down at first. But please take heart that you will soon learn all you need to know to keep yourself fit and well, and you can still live a full and active life, diabetes won't prevent you doing anything! I would highly recommend you buy this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-1-Diab...8&qid=1368430249&sr=8-1&keywords=ragnar+hanas

Do ask any questions you need to, there's lots of experience on this forum!
 
Hello Cosmic Owl - great that you've joined the forum - well done!. I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis, it always a lot to take in at the beginning, but hopefully soon things will start to fall into place. 🙂

I note you said that injecting insulin is "scary" - no one likes injections - but do you feel its scary because of the injection aspect or because you feel you havent been given adequate information ?. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have !
 
Welcome to the forum Cosmic Owl 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum CosmicOwl - and what a great name 🙂

As you already realise, managing type 1 diabetes with insulin is a skilled task, but with proper education and support, you will get the hang of testing your own blood glucose, adjusting insulin doses to match your readings, food, activity, infection, stress etc.

One thing that does make life more flexible is MDI (Multiple Daily Injections / Insulin), also called basal bolus regime (basal = long acting insulin; bolus = short acting insulin with meals), rather than bimdal insulin (twice daily injections, which commit you to meal times and amounts of carbohydate you have to eat in the next 12 hours or so. However, sometimes bimodal is a good way to get started, particularly if you're not too happy about injections initially. Most people find that the flexibility of MDI far outweighs the 4 (or 5) injections per day over the 2 per day for bimodal regime.

Don't be too hard on yourself, as none of us, even with many years experience get it right all the time - in my case, 17 years experience since diagnosis aged 30 years.
 
Welcome! Sorry to here about diagnosis. However please feel free to ask as many questions as you want as everyone is very helpful on here! I was diagnosed last year at 35 and came as a complete shock. We all know how you feel and are here to help you through it!.. It does get easier!🙂
 
Hi Cosmic Owl, You have joined a good group. There is a lot to learn & things to know but rome wasnt built in a day. Good luck & keep being possitive 🙂
 
Thank you to everyone,

It's scary because it's so overwhelming I suppose, the needles don't scare me, just the fact I have to do this for the rest of my life is quite a daunting thought. There is a lot of information to take in already and i've not even been told it all yet, I don't know how everyone else has coped with being diagnosed!
 
It's easier if you gradually learn what you need. Key thing to appreciate is that it's your life, and you can do more to keep yourself healthy and happy than any health professional you encounter. However, they are good resources for information, screening etc. Some places offer education courses such as DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) or other local variations - never been offered one myself, but everyone I know who has dose one recommends it. DAFNE is only offered 1 year after diagnosis, because in the first year or so, insulin doses are a bit hit and miss, as your pancreas is still producing some insulin at irregular intervals, so-called "honeymoon" period.

So, take it one day at a time. Accept help / support wherever you find it. Ignore unhelpful people who list relatives who died of horrible complications, when treatment and understanding of condition was poorer and they probably had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes for years, which meant the complications established before treatment started.
 
Welcome Cosmic Owl. Over time it will become second nature. I've been diabetic since I was two and I haven't let it stop me from doing anything I want to do from international travel to gate crashing a pop star party to getting a PhD:D
 
Hi Cosmic,

Hope the owl represents SWFC!
I'm a newbie also as they call it on this site of 2 months.
Humulin M3 twice a day for my troubles.
The best thing to do is write down little bits of info that you feel is relevant and then try to remember them, it's a little like revising for an exam. And with that info ask your nurse the questions you feel you need answers to.
There are so many variables to diabetes and so many opinions it's unbelievable, best thing is dont stress just get on with it and lead your life sensibly as advised.
 
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