Newly-ish diagnosed!

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mummy2riley

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi everyone 🙂 In January of this year, after being told in January 2010 I had impaired fasting glucose, I was told i'd developed type 2. Came as quite a shock to be honest, to myself and my doctors, as i'm only 23, am not overweight and have no family history. I was put on Metformin 3 times daily and then had Gliclazide introduced 3 months ago after seeing no improvement in my sugar levels. After having more routine blood tests last week and being very ill the last 6 months, I was called in to see the diabetic specialists at the hospital yesterday who confirmed i'm actually an early detected type 1 and have now been put on insulin injections. Feeling very overwhelmed and a little scared right now and hoping this new routine of medication starts to make me feel like my old self again.

I have wonderful friends and family supporting me but I don't know any other diabetes sufferers and it'd be really nice to hear other peoples experiences and get a little bit of reassurance that it does all get easier! Injections was my worst nightmare and the prospect of having this routine for life is pretty daunting 🙂
 
hi welcome to the forum ...its very overwelming at first but you have found a good place with lots of info ...have a good look around and remember no question is regarded silly here so ask away xx🙂
 
Welcome to the forum mummy2riley 🙂
 
Hi, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear of your misdiagnosis, it's unfortunately not uncommon. Hopefully, you will start to feel much better now you are receiving appropriate treatment 🙂 Things do get easier in time - I'm three years since my diagnosis now and it no longer dominates my thinking like it used to do. What insulin regime are you on? Have you been offered any diabetes education courses? The most well known is DAFNE, but some PCTs offer their own versions. I'd suggest looking at the links in our Useful links thread - and would particularly recommend getting hold of a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas, which covers just about everything! Anything that you are not sure about, please ask!

I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
Welcome mummy2riley.
It's tough getting diagnosed at any age, especially the confusion about type and medication when diagnosed as an adult. Hope insuli ndoes stat making you feel like your old self again - and ask for as much guidance as possible eg about matching insulin doses to carbohydrate intake, as well as exercise, stress, infection etc. If your area offers DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating), then ask for a referral, although it's only possible once out of honeymoon phase (when pancreas tills produces some insulin, somewhat irratically), at least 1 year after diagnosis. In the meantime, ask away here - we'll help as much as we can.
 
Welcome mummyriley you have come to the right place for help and support
 
Hi there MTR and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Thankyou for all the responses 🙂 i'm currently on 10 units of Glargine in a morning and 3 units of Novorapid before breakfast, lunch and dinner. I've already started to see a drop in my glucose levels which is fantastic, my average glucose levels have been between 14 and 18 the last few months.

I see the specialist nurse again on Wednesday of next week and we have also discussed referring me to dietitian. I've lost almost 3 stone since last September despite not changing my diet dramatically. Cutting out sugary food and drinks hasn't been that hard on me and I don't drink often either so thankfully that's not been a massive strain.

One question I do have which I forgot to discuss at the hospital (I was too in shock to think up any questions!) is regarding the insulin injections I take with meals. I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and while I do my best to start my day with a bowl of cereal, some mornings I don't feel ready to eat until late morning, which usually turns into brunch rather than 2 separate meals. If I choose not to eat breakfast and to not take that dose of insulin, will it have a massive impact on my sugars or is that dose simply for when I do have that meal. I've been used to being on a strict routine of tablets everyday which I took regardless of what I ate. I plan to ask my nurse in greater detail next week, I just wondered if anyone could give me a pointer on it now!

Thankyou all for the warm welcome 🙂
 
One question I do have which I forgot to discuss at the hospital (I was too in shock to think up any questions!) is regarding the insulin injections I take with meals. I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and while I do my best to start my day with a bowl of cereal, some mornings I don't feel ready to eat until late morning, which usually turns into brunch rather than 2 separate meals. If I choose not to eat breakfast and to not take that dose of insulin, will it have a massive impact on my sugars or is that dose simply for when I do have that meal. I've been used to being on a strict routine of tablets everyday which I took regardless of what I ate. I plan to ask my nurse in greater detail next week, I just wondered if anyone could give me a pointer on it now!

Thankyou all for the warm welcome 🙂

In theory the insulin you have in the morning is to 'cover' the carbs in your breakfast. However, many people find that if they don't eat and don't have that insulin then their levels will rise through the morning. This happens to me. What happens is that your liver puts out it's own stores of glucose as you wake and the act of eating switches this off. The only way to find out how you are affected is to test at hourly intervals so you can chart any rise and its extent. Some people find that having a non-carb meal e.g. bacon and eggs with no insulin will also stop the rise, and others find that even a meal with no carbs needs a little insulin! As you are on tiny doses anyway, it might be difficult to decide how much insulin you need.

Defnitely something to discuss with your nurse - why not try it one morning and do the testing so you have some information to take to your appointment?
 
Hi mummy2riley. welcome 🙂

It sounds like you've been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride. You'll pick up all sorts of information and good and bad habits from reading and posting on the forum.🙂

I'm from the old school regime where you eat 3 meals a day, no snacking and only skip a meal in an emergency. It does make life a little tedious and limits spontaneity. As Northerner said, you're the best placed person to discover what will happen if you try something. If it hurts, don't do it again or modify things to compromise.

As far as a life on injections being a scary prospect, it soon becomes the norm and you won't think about it. Beats taking a load of tablets anyday ! :D

Rob
 
You are only right Robster, I often entirely forget to take tablets. They want you to take em at peculiar times like before you consume anything in a morning, then not consume anything for ages afterwards (Thyroid tabs)

By then my BG will already be halfway up the ladder - because of that very thing Northerner explained MTR - "Dawn Phenomenon" it's called. (Dates back to when you had to dash out of your cave and rush off to hunt the woolly mammoth to put a dinner on the table. Come on, body! - get with it! - we have Ocado now to cater for that sort of thing!)
 
Hi there, sorry to hear about the long time it's taken to get a proper diagnosis, but hopefully it will be onwards and upwards from here.

I got type 1 when I was 26 and it was a big shock and seemed very daunting at the time. I can assure you I soon got used to the injections and after the first few it wasn't a big deal. Getting sugar levels down made me feel so much better I didn't worry about the injections!

At first I thought I would have to change me diet loads, but if you get to do a course (they call it EDWARD in Nottingham - Education for Diabetes Without A Restricted Diet!) then as others have said, you can match carbs to insulin and eat what you like, pretty much. So I don't feel like I have to miss out on treats.

Hope you get on well with the nurse this week, ask away if you have any questions and make sure you get the info you need!
 
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