Overwhelmed newbie

[stevieh]

Hi my name is Steve, I was diagnosed on Friday with Type1 diabetes, I have had Addison:s disease for over 30 years and the auto immune aspect of it has affected my pancreas, I'm feeling rather flat today, yesterday I woke up to a hypo with a reading of 2.8, today it was 10.4, I understand the importance of a good diet, and I've really tried my best over the weekend, what I don't understand is what constitutes too large a meal or too small a meal? I'm on Lantus, and Novorapid before each meal (3 times a day), what is a diabetic snack? If for instance I'm hungry around suppertime and want something a bit more than a snack, do I have to inject again?
Most of my life I've lived with health issues and this is just an added burden, feel totally overwhelmed and fed up.

 

[Northerner]

Hi my name is Steve, I was diagnosed on Friday with Type1 diabetes, I have had Addison:s disease for over 30 years and the auto immune aspect of it has affected my pancreas, I'm feeling rather flat today, yesterday I woke up to a hypo with a reading of 2.8, today it was 10.4, I understand the importance of a good diet, and I've really tried my best over the weekend, what I don't understand is what constitutes too large a meal or too small a meal? I'm on Lantus, and Novorapid before each meal (3 times a day), what is a diabetic snack? If for instance I'm hungry around suppertime and want something a bit more than a snack, do I have to inject again?
Most of my life I've lived with health issues and this is just an added burden, feel totally overwhelmed and fed up.

Hi @stevieh, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis It's very early days for you at the moment so it will take some time for your body to adjust, and for you to find the appropriate doses of insulin for your varying needs. I'm guessing you are currently on fixed doses of novorapid? In time you will learn to 'carb count', so that you can adjust your doses to suit the amount of carbohydrate in your meals. Once you are familiar with this method it won't really matter how much or how little you eat (within reason!), because you can just adjust the insulin - if you want to skip a meal or eat a meal without carbs then you shouldn't need any novorapid at all (although this can vary from person to person - there are no hard and fast rules with diabetes, unfortunately). Get your self a free copy of 'Carbs Count' from Diabetes UK to understand what it's all about, and also read 'The nuts and bolts of carb counting'. You should discuss this with your healthcare team before embarking on it though - as you are so early on in your treatment, there will be a period of adjustment whilst the correct lantus (known as a 'basal' insulin) dose is determined, and what your insulin-to-carb ratios are for your novorapid (known as a 'bolus' insulin).

As for snacks, again this can vary from person to person. Some people find they can have up to 10g carbs in a snack, others may need to inject a small amount of insulin to 'cover' it. Personally, I tend to avoid snacks I need to inject for, because then you can get into a situation where you are 'stacking' the insulin - you have insulin working from a previous dose, then if you add more later it's difficult to know when all the insulin will have been exhausted. Nuts or cheese are my preferred alternatives if I'm a bit peckish 🙂 You should, however, always have some fast-acting sugar to hand in case your levels drop low (between 1-3 jelly babies for me).

I'd highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. It's not cheap but it covers every aspect of living with Type 1, whatever your age (ignore the title, I was 49 at diagnosis!).

Please let us know if you have any questions, and we will be happy to help 🙂

 

[Zillah]

Welcome Stevieh, you've made the best step already- joining this forum. Lots of lovely knowledgeable people who will support you in your journey. Keep positive 🙂

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome to the forum Stevieh from a T2.
If you keep a record of your readings along with a food diary, hopefully that will show a pattern.
The stock advice for hypo's is jelly babies. Northerner would know more about them and insulin than me.

 

[trophywench]

True Ralph however neither of us as far as I know has any personal experience of Addison's - which complicates matters more than somewhat - and I think means that one's need for insulin is considerably reduced. Very small doses in comparison to eg me - and I don't use a lot myself.

 

[HOBIE]

Welcome Stvieh. If I want a snack I am straight after seafood 😉. Lots in the freezer or a tin of Mac fillets. Good luck & please keep asking 😎

 

[stevieh]

Hi Jenny,
The steroids I take for Addison's actually increases blood sugar.