Hello. So I have been Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes first. Then treated for Type 2. Then diagnosed with Type 1. When I was tested it never made sense. So when I started a new doctor due to insurance change. He didn’t think I was either. So he ran some tests then explained results.
Yes Type 1 but still in Honeymoon stage. The pancreas is producing very little. But producing. So I have been told that but never explained that way. Thankful to get the new view.
He did say the honeymoon stage could last for years to come, not sure. I’m on low doses of insulin daily but struggle with control. Just truly lived the new info but never heard in till this year. Has anyone else been told that. He did say I would have to increase insulin once the pancreas stopped.
I was diagnosed with “diabetes.” Not Type 1 or Type 2. Nothing. I was put on Lantus right away, but I wasn’t put on Novolog until 18 months later. (The oral meds stopped working for mealtimes).
Now that you know what’s coming (total insulin dependence) you can now start to deal with it.
For me, the first part of it was emotional: acceptance. You will feel down about this more than once, because this doesn’t go away until we have a cure. Find someone (or a few someones) to talk about this with. If you don’t have anyone around you, come HERE and complain, grouse–whatever. We KNOW what a pain this is, but if you have a friend or two that you’re really close to, that’s important, too.
But the rest is all practical. If I’m Type 1, what should I eat? How much insulin do I take?
The first thing that will help you on the practical side is you have to develop some skills. Get a scale, measuring cups and start to read all the labels of what you want to eat. Knowing exactly how much of something you’re eating is valuable info. Go to a dietitian and ask if he/she has a carb counting class and help figuring out what your diet should entail. (How many carbs should I eat for a meal? A snack?)
The carb counting is going to go on all the time. If you don’t know how many carbs there are in your meal, how will you be able to figure out the right amount of insulin to take?
Once you start to learn these skills, you can then make more decisions. Do I want to eat a “standard” diet or eat less carbs? How do I figure out carb counting when my family takes us to the Olive Garden or to a really high-end steak house?
You may not be taking mealtime insulin now, but this preparation will REALLY help you adjust faster.
Another very practical thing is, how do I get rid of my sharps? Find out where you can get them disposed of properly for free. Your local waste company may have a place to take them or check out local health centers. They often have a sharps disposal container where you can dump your sharps containers (I use gallon jugs and 2 liter bottles and label them “Sharps”).
Ask us questions. We want to make it as easy as possible for our brothers and sisters in diabetes. Hang in there!
Welcome here, @Crystal621!
I am new here too: to T1, to TuD, and to my new life. I think you will find this community to be a real help, an eye-opener, and a great support.
@Timbeak48 has an amazing list of suggestions, and I’m certain so will everyone else.
I am currently reading a book which I heard about from user @rgcainmd, called “Think Like A Pancreas” by Gary Scheiner.
It’s a great reference, and will help you with some of the “future” basics, and give you practical glimpses for what can or does lie ahead!
Like @Timbeak48 said, ask away!
Another thing I should also say is that, believe it or not, YOU are the expert of your diabetes because you have to deal with it 24/7 365. As the expert on YOUR diabetes, you are also the arbiter of what you are going to do. Everything here is always a suggestion or maybe how WE do it. Pick and choose what advice or suggestions seem right and work for you. We have an expression YDMV–which means your diabetes may vary. Believe me, it does and it will!
Thank you so much. It’s a hard daily struggle feeling no one
understands. Thankful for the support.
Thank you very much. Support is definitely need to all. Up and downs
roller coaster. I have dealt with it 10 years but really think I had as a
child. Never stop learning and encouragements when wanting to give up
struggling. Your words and info is much ly appreciated.
Well, sorry about your pancreas, but as you’re discovering, this forum has tons of great information to help you on the journey. As others have said here, welcome to the forum you never wanted to join!
I agree with what @Timbeak48 says and would just add that you will need a great deal of calm and patience while you are in the honeymoon phase (and for a long time thereafter, just because D is its own challenge that will test your calm and patience on and off forever). For me, there were good and bad components to my one-year honeymoon.
On the good side, the bit of endogenous insulin produced during honeymooning helps to keep spikes from getting too high, keeps some general balance to all the other influences that can produce unexpected highs and generally keeps your insulin needs lower, which if it has no other benefit also keeps the cost of D lower.
On the bad side, sometimes your pancreas won’t help you at one time like it did the previous day in the exact same situation, so try not to be too frustrated by unpredictable highs and lows, and please do always be prepared for the lows (my favorite “antidote” is orange juice, but there are other threads here on how people manage this).
My single biggest recommendation is to look in to a CGM if you don’t have one already. Being able to see those highs and lows develop in (almost) real-time will give you a huge advantage in managing that, and staying as healthy as possible with regard to blood glucose levels.
Hi! I am totally new to this. I am 23 years old, active and not overweight, just discovered 2 months ago that I have diabetes after a 295mg/dl reading on a blood glucose meter, no symptoms. Got tested: A1C 6,77; blood glucose tolerance test of 238mg/dl, fasting bg of 124mg/dl, then gad antibodies of 1677 UI/ml, peptide C on normal range, close to the lower reference value 1,65ng/mL. Since then I’ve been on a strict diet, and being able to keep my glucose under ‘normal’ values (fasting glucose <100mg/dl), but when I eat more it goes up to 125mg/dl. I was told to begin on metformin, but I didn’t start it, so I could have all those test done. Now that I have it I have a doc. appointment next week,I’m not sure what should I do, though. Does it make more sense to be on metformin while you can, then transfer to insulin, or begin an early insulin treatment? Anyone help? It changed my life =(
Thank you. My husband sees me struggle daily and recommended for me to
find a site and by chance I found this one. Just knowing I have support
and can read others struggles gives me hope. Their is definitely alot I
do not understand about diabetes in general. I only had the CGM for a week
before going on the pump. I was on the pump for 1 year. I choose the
wrong one and waiting on insurance to cover snother. But that one is
expensive as well at first. The supplies for the Omni Pod. was 1100.00 for
3 month supply then after insurance did not want to pay I owed 180o.0o
before they would send anymore supplies. Which my 2 insulins now. Meal
time and 12 hour are covered 100%. I guess if I could have made a better
first time decision knowing all cost and it not be a surprise would help
alot of diabetics. Thank you for your time and concern.
Before you can make informed choices about what to use to treat your D, you need to understand some basics at the very least. I strongly recommend reading Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner.
The answer to your questions depends a great deal on which Type of diabetes you have. I’m not sure what you mean when you posted that your A1c was “6,77”. A1c is noted as an integer followed by “.” which is followed by a single integer, e.g. 6.7. No commas, only one digit after the “.”
Also, I’m unsure why you didn’t begin taking Metformin.
@rgcainmd thank you, I will read this book
I am not from the US, and in my exam it has a comma instead of a “.” 6,77%, what I assume is the same as 6.77%, I think it’s all the same. I didn’t begin metformin, because I thought it could change the following exams I was doing.
OK, I’ve seen commas used instead of decimal points. Thank you for pointing that out.
But I’m still confused about the 6.77. Has anyone else seen A1c reported in the hundredths like this instead of the tenths like I’ve always seen?
Also, is anyone aware of any tests that could be invalidated by taking Metformin? I’m curious.
Just found this site and am calming my nerves just to hear otherwise struggling too and knowing I’m not alone. I am 35 married 2 children and full time career. I have anxiety and anger issues just dealing with normal daily stuff. So of you can find control now with oral or diet. I would want to encourage that. I take 5 shots daily and still struggle with control. Morning sugars 168 to 250. Anxiety sure doesn’t help those numbers. And trying to find my calmness. Control will help not to have nerve damage and other related issues. Staying on top of it and trusting the plan and doing your own research. My gad auto antibody was 138.7. C peptide was 1.1 then antipancreatic islet cells were negative. Tell your doctor all your concerns. Planning together. I’m here to listen.
Crystal621, are you taking both long-acting and rapid-acting insulin?
Yes. Humalog at meals and Humulin. N. Is a 12 hour insulin. I was recently changed to a 24 hour insulin and sugars spiked to 300.to 500. Only 2 days back on my 12 hour insulin. So sugars are higher than normal at moment.
Thank you for your reply. I am sorry about it, and I hope you can find that state of stillness, have you tried doing yoga? or riding horses? Finding something you really like doing and distracts you may help with anxiety and anger.
If you switched from NPH to Lantus as your 24 hour insulin, did you also adjust your meal boluses? NPH, because it has a spike, will cover the dawn phenomeon (rise in blood sugar in the early morning before waking up) as well as cover some aspect of meals, especially at lunch if you take it in the morning. If you switch to Lantus, you then also have to adjust how you are covering meals and, possibly, wake up during the night to cover the early morning rise.
Also, Lantus takes about three days to reach full strength after a change is made (at least this is the guideline I was given). So, I’d give it a little while to build up and adjust before giving up.
Thank you. But I was on for 2 weeks and called doctor of highs and he increase just the 24 hour onew for us to find my dosage. But it was never mentioned to increase meal time one. I have been having chest pain. Anxiety with the change and spouts of anger. It’s been a roller coaster for sure.