I have read that the honeymoon period can last for a while and surprisingly people note they prefer the regularity of not being in the phase. I know there are older posts but how long did the honeymon period last for you?
I am enjoying a low dose of insulin and when my pancreas pisses out on me I think it will be hard mentally. I’m not sure why but knowing that something doesn’t work makes me feel…well…weak in a sense. I have not had any problems with my body and all of a sudden…BOOM.
Fyi…had a great control day today. Ate healthy felt great. I know many ups and down lie ahead but one day at a time.
How long did honeymooning last for you? Did you transition well after the phase?
You lucky had none. Was Superman one day and the next day was broken Robin Hood. I think that this was the biggest thing to get used to, the body been broken. I was so custom to a machine that ran like a dream and was super charged. It was a sock that this machine was not unbreakable and could not be used as I wanted to anymore. This was a huge adjustment for me mentally.
I am in my honeymoon phase and feel the same way. Scared and not knowing when it will end. This sux but educatin myself as much as possible to prepare for the monster we call diabetes.
i was diagnosed as an adult and quite early and found tuD immediately, took advice about low-ish carbing, trying to maintain/prolong beta cell function as long as possible. i had a glorious and stable honeymoon that lasted almost 2 years. i never had the serious ups and downs that some people have with their pancreas (pancrei in plural??). my needs would go way down in the heat of an andalusian summer, but pretty steady otherwise.
the end of the honeymoon was gradual for me and it was hard mentally, like starting over with a D diagnosis. while honeymooning, its true that i was low carbing, but even when i did have a treat, my bg was always pretty good, a1cs in the 5s for two years. one time i got down to 5.5 and my doc was like, this is TOO low.
my insulin needs crept up little by little and most of what i take in long-acting. i take 18 units a day and most days no or maybe 1 or 2 units of fast acting. i am/was very resistant to upping my doses. the only run of a1cs in the 7s was last year and my pcp, who i love, told me to add two more units to the long acting. and i waited around for a month, not adding any units because i was convinced that i could fix things with more exercise and skipping dinner. but i got hungry. then after a month i added one unit, not two. then after another couple of weeks, the second unit that she had recommended. i just couldnt admit that i needed more. it has been the same since i was diagnosed. it makes me feel like i am sicker if i have to take more.
four years on, i am still hating having to up my doses. but its not so bad. youll be ok, but it is a bit of a mindf*ck.
I’m glad I am not alone! It’s so frustrating to me that I’m waiting around for the inevitable. I don’t know why but I have been always healthy and this is hard but it may be a good thing to gradually get in the swing of things. I wake up with my BG being in the 80s and I haven’t had to take a fasting insulin yet.
My goal is not base my mood on my BG or how much insulin I do need. Easier said than done because I know myself. I’m hoping for a couple of years (if I’m lucky).
Stupid D…(but thank God for modern medicine I suppose)
Oh great. Haha. I don’t want to feel like I did when I got the diagnosis again. Thanks for your sharing your experience. I will be in a similar situation I’m sure mentally and physically
It was 41 years ago. Honeymoon was a known phenomenon so doctor had me take only one NPH shot with Regular in the morning. That lasted a couple months until I went back. My memory can’t recall the next step or the symptoms. I was fifteen years old. We may have then tried another basal insulin. I don’t remember when I started two shots per day. May have been three months after diagnosis.
The good thing about the honeymoon period it let’s you gradually into the storm. Which gives you time to prepare and educate yourself and others on how to cope and deal with it.
Well you give me hope that it is manageable. Crazy what we take for.granted. of all things EATING! And exercising and working and running around. Today I worked in my yard but had to check for a low. Just by being outside. Grrrrrr. I know it’s a reality but it seems daunting. And I’m not even three weeks in for using insulin.
Yes you are absolutely right. My husband and I planned a backpacking trip the end of May. I’m going but now I have to worry about things I never did before.
Mine only lasted about 2 months after my DKA diagnosis at 28, but I had a slow onset for type 1 (maybe it’s LADA, but my doctor hasn’t bothered getting that specific). I had the typical excessive thirst, random instances of excessive urination and fruity, acidic burps (I think I was in DKA once or twice before the big one that required hospitalization, if that’s even possible), gradually lost about 20 lbs even though I was eating everything in sight, over a period of 5 months or so. So I guess you could argue that my honeymoon phase was more like 7 months? I just wasn’t diagnosed yet.
I feel like the honeymoon phase, while short for me, did give me time to accept my diagnosis, and like others have said, do my research and get used to testing, etc. I have heard from many people that insulin and low carb diets have allowed them to extend their honeymoon phases, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself to delay it. If you’re honeymoon phase ends tomorrow, it’s not your fault.
This is a great mindset. Just test frequently, and try your best to keep your blood sugar in range. Don’t get hung up on whether it takes 20 units of insulin or 10. What matters is that you are taking good care of yourself - exercise, eat healthy, and take the appropriate amount of insulin to stay in range. That being said, I struggle all the time with basing my mood off of my blood sugar. I feel like a failure sometimes when I’m high, and I have to remind myself that it’s only temporary, nobody’s perfect, and that it’s impossible to control your numbers 100% of the time.
I still get occasional honeymoons- and I’ve been diagnosed for 18 years. Most of the time, my basal rates and ratios are just fine, but once every couple of months or so, I get a random 4-5 days where I have to cut my insulin WAY back (like 35% of normal).
Endo says she’d be surprised if I still had some pancreatic function, but it’s the only thing that makes sense, and she’s willing to order some additional testing to confirm.
its true, youll have to worry about weird stuff no one else ever thinks about. sometimes the fear doesnt go away so you have to do things afraid. im doing three weeks of the camino de santiago this summer, two of them alone. the only things i worry about are having lows in the middle of the night because my basal will need readjusting and serial killers.
I was diagnosed 25 years ago at age 9, and my honeymoon started a month after I was diagnosed and only lasted two to three months. It was never a strong enough honeymoon that I could stop taking insulin, but during that period I took less insulin and had far better control than before it started or after it ended.
What a cool trip! You’ll have to let us know how it goes. We bought a niiiiiiice backpacking tent and we are very busy in the summer months. I’m hoping good things because we won’t even be close to a doctor. I know and feel it will be okay though. And my family will be close. Good luck to you.
Made me laugh about serial killers. In truth there are many other things in life that are worrisome. It’s hard…though…because we sont have a choice with D. It’s very real and daily…
Jen…how are you doing with your 30s? I am about the same age as you now. Nine is such a young age to me. One of my kids is about that age! In complete honesty I’m glad it’s me and not one of my kids. Thanks for.responding.
Your post made me smile. Everyday I get more used to the reality and take it one day (some days one meal) at a time. That’s funny you said to just keep swimming because I always say that and sing it when I’m down. Thanks for sharing your story. My husband has been amazing.
I usually have a healthy dinner waiting for me each day. It’s his way of showing he cares. I’m lucky to have a great support system. “Just keep swimming.”
Even though Type 1 used to be “juvenile” diabetes, a lot of people are diagnosed as adults. On TuD, especially, those of us diagnsoed as kids really are in the minority. I don’t often see people post and say they were diagnosed before adolescence. And I agree, it is very young! I’m a teacher, and the first time I worked with a 9-year-old student I thought, “Wow, I had to deal with a diabetes diagnosis at this age…” I have no known diabetes complications so far. I went on a pump almost 10 years ago, and started on a CGM just over a year ago, and the latter was life-changing for me. I’m dealing with other, non-diabetes-related health issues that make health in general somewhat challenging. I’ve also gained a lot of weight over the years, which is something I very much want to change. My control is far from perfect, but I’m able to maintain my A1c in the 6s with the help of the CGM, and I’ve recently become interested in eating a low carbohydrate diet (though that’s been more off than on between working out of the office, moving, and attending a conference, and general exhaustion these past couple of weeks).
After 40 years I have no idea whether I have any residual insulin production. For sure I have never reduced my insulin to 35% of normal! I have never had a c-peptide test and will have my first one when I reach Medicare in 2017. It is required to get coverage for an insulin pump.
I have no idea whether I had a honeymoon period in 1976. There was no home BG monitoring and I only took 1 injection per day. Lots of lows and highs, but very little understanding of why.
