I only found out I have type 1 diabetes 10 days ago, having been admitted to hospital as an emergency.I am in complete shock, and finding it very difficult to cope with. I have to go for a PET scan tomorrow, so have to keep my glucose levels between 4 to 10. Will be glad when tomorrow is over!
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Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter elliew
- Start date
- Status
- Relationship to Diabetes
- At risk of diabetes
Hello @elliew ,
Thank you so much for joining the Diabetes UK community forum. I am so sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you.
How are you and your family coping with it? You may find it helpful to read through some of the pages of other newly diagnosed individuals.
Also, please let us know how your PET scan goes tomorrow.
Thebearcametoo
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Parent of person with diabetes
Hi and welcome. Hope the scan goes well. It’s confusing and overwhelming in the early days but you will get the hang of it.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @elliew , I am glad that you have found us, but sorry that you have needed to .
It is a lot to take on board at the start, BUT this is a manageable condition. It just takes a bit of organisation. What insulins have they put you on? I liken my diagnosis to learning to drive. At the start it seemed so complicated, looking in the mirror, stear , change gear all at the same time! Now it is all automatic, and I am just watching out for the unexpected. So it is with my Diabetes.
You might find the book Type1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. The age reference is irrelevant. I was diagnosed at 53 and still found the book very helpful. It is clearly explained and well indexed. It is worth looking for the most recent edition as it is regularly update with the latest equipment and technology available to us.
I hope that the PET scan goes well tomorrow. Let us know and come back with any questions that you have. No questions are considered silly on here. Just ask.
It is a lot to take on board at the start, BUT this is a manageable condition. It just takes a bit of organisation. What insulins have they put you on? I liken my diagnosis to learning to drive. At the start it seemed so complicated, looking in the mirror, stear , change gear all at the same time! Now it is all automatic, and I am just watching out for the unexpected. So it is with my Diabetes.
You might find the book Type1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. The age reference is irrelevant. I was diagnosed at 53 and still found the book very helpful. It is clearly explained and well indexed. It is worth looking for the most recent edition as it is regularly update with the latest equipment and technology available to us.
I hope that the PET scan goes well tomorrow. Let us know and come back with any questions that you have. No questions are considered silly on here. Just ask.
Toucan
Forum Host
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @elliew
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you have found us.
Lots of wise (and not so wise) old (and not so old) T1 heads here for you to share experiences with, and ask questions.
Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’ so ask away!
You might find this set of resources useful if you have trouble tracking down reliable information on different topics: https://www.t1resources.uk/home/
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you have found us.
Lots of wise (and not so wise) old (and not so old) T1 heads here for you to share experiences with, and ask questions.
Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’ so ask away!
You might find this set of resources useful if you have trouble tracking down reliable information on different topics: https://www.t1resources.uk/home/
Thank you so much for the replies. I am still at the "confused stage", just guessing really. I have just tested my blood as I felt a bit hungry (I'm not eating very much) and it's 14.9, I'm not due to eat for another 2 hours, is it safe to take 2 or 3 units of novorapid without food? Or do I wait until 20 minutes before I eat?
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yes, but be aware that those 2 or 3 units will still have an action beyond that 2 hours (it lasts 4 or 5 hours), so take a unit or two from whatever dose you would have taken for your next meal. And remember that (with any luck) while you're at 14.9 now, that might be going down. So beware: it's easy to go low while doing this. But so long as you're paying attention doing that kind of thing is OK. (Easier if you have some kind of continuous monitoring because you can see what's happening (or what was happening 10 minutes ago.)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We can’t really advise on doses, we can only share our own thinking and approaches if we were in similar circumstances. People will have individual insulin sensitivities at different times of day. A starting point on some diabetes courses for ‘bog standard’ T1s is that 10g of carb might increase your BG by approx 3mmol/L, and that 1u of insulin might reduce BG by approx 3mmol/L.
But individuals can vary wildly... and those ratios could easily be doubled or halved... so the 2-3units you suggest might reduce your BG by 6-9mmol/L, but it could equally be 3-4.5 or 12-18!!
And as have been suggested, you may already have iob, (insulin on board) which is acting to reduce your 14 over the remaining hours of your previous dose. 4-6 hours is a guideline for the duration of insulin action.
Not sure if that helps, or confuses more!
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Being confused (and so cautious) is usually the right way to go. Better to be a little bit high than low.
(I'm having to use lower amounts of insulin than I normally do, even though I'm doing much less exercise (less walking, no dancing at all); partly it's the warmer weather, but a lot of it is just eating more food that's cooked from scratch (rather than shop-bought sandwiches for lunch.)
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