all my doctors agree that the “adjustment” to my new condition will take a MINIMUM of 6 months…
almost 6 months ago i was diagnosed type 1 diabetic.at the time i was in the ICU after having ketoacidosis related seizures…
the 5.5 months since the Dx have been very rough.learning to take insulin has not been easy,i have a basal and rapid.my insulin needs are changing daily and some times from one meal to the next…incorporate diet,carb counting,portion weight and measure,insulin sensitivity and insulin carb ratio…my head spins with all this info all night long…i dont realy sleep anymore but i do get plenty of exercise!
in the hospital my A1C was about 14 and a half %…my bs in the ER was in the high six’s…since the Dx iv brought it down better than half.my first post Dx a1c was 7.2 i’ll take my next test in about a month,i’m hoping a1c will be lower.
my doctors also agree that the severe pain i have had for months, in almost my whole body but especially bad from the waist down is Peripheral Neuropathy…long story short is my bs was so high for so long that i have some nerve damage and now my bs is much closer to normal and the nerves are healing in the most painful manner possible…this doesnt help my sleep structure at all.i think i’m past the worst of it but now when it flares up it’s fuckin Hell on Wheels!!! i’v got meds but nothing narcotic…i think the break-thru would be much easier to handle with an opiate on board but i also feel like i’v made it this far without the narcs and mabey i’m better for it,(for me,of course.i dont judge anyone by there medicine cabinet).i also think i might be punishing myself…i’m not a happy boy!
i have tried to go back to work at my old job but i cant meet the physical demand of the work…this is killing my ego! i’m enrolled to begin training for Pharmacy Technician…i’ll start in about a month and it takes about a year 4 hours a day 4 days a week…how i’m going to juggle school while limping myself through work and manage my betes all at the same time for a year? i dont know!!
forgive the spelling and terrible punctuation please…also any type of feedback or comments are encouraged…not a word about my sentence structure will be tolerated:)
please contribute…i have only met a couple type 1’s,i would very much like feedback and contribution from others.
I kept improving for years but I had a fairly good grip on T1 within 6 months (not emotionally, but otherwise). My first goals were to figure out how much insulin to take for pb sandwiches and Rice Krispies cereal.
I didn’t have the neuropathy, that sounds difficult but improving.
Hi TJD: Welcome! It is strange to say “welcome to the club” but you have diabetes and TuD is a good place for people with diabetes. There are many of us here who were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as adults, including Manny Hernandez (the founder of TuD) and me. I hope you find support and what you need here.
Hey Tee, hang in there mate… particularly as there isn’t really any other choice. I’ve been diagnosed about 7 months now, am still pretty peed off, but a lot less emotional than I was and generally getting on with it. At first everything I found out about this condition freaked me out but the more I learnt the more I felt I could take control of. And that’s what I’m really trying to do now; find out how it works, suss out the food (I’m going low carb as that makes total sense to my understanding of T1). I’m also experiencing terrible pain in my lower legs, arms and hands, but assume it will get better as I’m fit and exercise a lot. I remember learning how to use a computer and thinking that there was no way I would be able to learn or remember all these important things… what an idiot! And it’s the same wih this. You will easily get the hang of it, absorb the info, trial and error, slowly, slowly. And those days when you just can’t/won’t do it, come on here, read about other people, even communicate with them, and feel very much not alone xx
I’m an adult Type 1, too. I would like to say that it gets easier, but that would be a lie. Every single day, every hour of the day, you have to stay on top of this disease. I have learned so very much from reading posts and asking what I thought were really dumb questions. If I can help you answer any questions or just listen to you vent about how this has changed your way of life … I’m here. Believe me, there are more of us than you think. What insulin are you using? I am amazed that you got your A1C down so fast! Girl, that is an accomplishment! I’m still praying for one under 9! Looking forward to hearing from you. Best of luck to you and God Bless.
I don’t have a lot of time today but wanted to pass on a couple things.
I was DX’d 8 months ago with a very similar story. No idea how I stayed out of the hospital, but I was a wreck. A1c of 12.0 bg 430 all the pain you are talking about plus my eyesight was going bad, very weak, you name it.
First the pain. Check our alpha lipoic acid (R ALA) it helped my neuropathy from just about the first dose .
Second the insulin. This is very individual. I found myself on a roller coaster trying to eat the prescribed diet. I decided to try low carb. I have found that eating around 100 grams per day works well for me. many days I take only my basal insulin and do just fine (especially with moderate exercise). Most of the time my bg is 95 to 120. Rarely am I over 150 or below 80. You do have to keep on top of you bg to make sure you don’t go too low.
As I said my a1c last October was 12.0. In February this year it was 5.5. I will find out my latest results on the 11th of July.I’m sure that my lower bg has helped the nerve pain, but I know that the ALA has. Compared to the first of this year it is 98% gone.
TuD is the right place for support and info. Keep at it. You and I (and many others) know how damaging and painful it is to do nothing! Stay motivated to tame the lion.
