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Very newbie

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Anabub

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Type 1
Hi everyone - total newbie here having been diagnosed with type 1 on friday at the age of 45...

I am trying to get my glucose reading into the normal range - currently sitting between 12 and 18 mg throuhg the day and I was wondering what my expectations should be to get to a normal reading - I am currently on 18units of Semglee and 6 of novorapid before meals - I have no idea really where I would exepect these to be and how long it should take me to get it under some measure of control.

Any advice or tips very welcome!

Thanks!
 
Welcome to the club @Anabub.
The usual advice is to aim for between 4 and 8 most of the time. Bear in mind that people without diabetes could spike higher than this and dip slightly lower so don't freak out if you see something around 10.

Our bodies are clever and fickle. They can adapt to higher levels but don't like it if the levels drop too quickly. For this reason it is usual to gradually reduce levels rather than a sudden drop. Some people have experienced damage to their eyes when they change too fast.

Do you have regular contact with a Diabetes Nurse? They should advise on bringing down your levels safely.

As for how long it should take to get some level of control, I never consider controlling diabetes. There are too many things that can affect our levels that if we try to control it we will fail. We can manage our levels This may sound pedantic but mental health problems are higher in people with diabetes and setting ourselves up to fail will cause problems.
After more than 15 years with Type 1 diabetes, there are still days when diabetes decided to do its own thing and mess up my levels. And I am continuing to learn more about me and my diabetes (we are all different(.

So, my tips would be
- do not expect perfection
- do not let diabetes take over your life
- continue to ask questions
 
Hi Anabub, welcome to the forum.

Some really great advice above and the tips are spot on! When you're first diagnosed, it can take anything from 3 months before your lifestyle changes to bare fruit so your numbers are expected to be high after diagnosis.

As mentioned, everyone is different and striving for perfection will stress you out more than needed. The link below will help you to understand what the normal ranges are which will naturally fluctuate for any reason including getting a cold so don't be hard on yourself if you don't achieve them all the time. They are there as a guide re where you can aim to return to for 'most' of the time.

How to check your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. On this page:
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Nothing with diabetes, is ever instant! (Well, fingerprick testing is, but only at that exact second ....)
 
Thanks for the advice, I am in regular contact with the nurses and they've been great to be fair.

Seems like my ketones are improving, been 0.5 for let last 24 hrs having been in hospital over the weekend trying to get them down, so I'm calling that a short term win!

Baby steps...
 
Welcome to the forum @Anabub

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Good to hear that your ketones are coming down, and that you are in regular contact with your DSN. A good relationship with your nurses can be a huge asset going forwards.

You might find these books helpful, which are often recommended here:

Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas - don‘t worry about the title. Suitable for all ages, just skip the chapter on school!

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner - A practical guide to managing diabetes with insulin

And keep asking questions here too. Lots of experienced hands with centuries of BG juggling between us 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum @Anabub from another late starter (53).

You have already had great advice above, so I will just encourage you to keep asking questions. No one will mind and nothing is considered silly on here.

As @helli has said don’t expect to get things perfect, Diabetes just doesn’t work like that. It sounds like your DSN is working with you to bring things down safely to normal levels and enabling your body to adapt. A great start for you.
 
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