hi im newly diagonsed type 1 (2 weeks ago)

[befni]

hi my name is beth and im am a diabetic!

that felt good... i am newly diagonsed type 1 and havent had a hypo yet?

i live in leeds UK and am in the RAF

[Belinda]

Welcome Beth to the forums!!! You have found the sweetest, friendliest place to be. Lots of support, encouragement, advice and fun here. Hope to see you around .

[befni]

hi belinda thanks for your reply, i am wondering about hypo's, i wasnt admitted to hospital after my news. have heard that some people are and have induced hypo's? does anyone have any thoughts on this as i should go back to work after this week but i am concerned that i will hypo and wont recognise it or be able to deal with it?

[MarkMunday]

Welcome to the forum!

As you are newly diagnosed, it is unlikely that you wouldn't feel a hypo coming on.

If you start feeling shaky or light headed, it could be because your blood sugar is dropping. Test you blood sugar as soon as this happens. And if it is less that 4, you should eat something.

Carry a can of coke or some glucose tablets around with you at all times, in case you need to increase your blood sugar in a hurry. And test before you do anything that could be dangerous if a hypo creeps up on you - like driving.

I wouldn't be too concerned. It is only after having consistently low blood sugars for a while that "hypoglycemic unawareness" becomes a problem.

Cheers,

Mark

[am1977]

Welcome, Beth! :)

So glad you found us...I think you will find that this is a great site and there's lots of helpful and supportive members here.

It's very overwhelming in the beginning, almost like information overload. Don't let this get to you, actually the more you learn and the more questions you ask the better off you will be.

It sounds like you are handling the diagnosis very well...good for you. It's a rough disease, but it can be managed. How are you doing with all the testing and injections? It takes time, but you will get used to it and find that it becomes part of your routine. Testing is key in control...by doing this you will be able to know where your levels are at all times and make adjustments if neccessary. As a type 1, I'm sure you will experience hypoglcemia reactions at some point...it can happen very easily if there is too much insulin given or from exercise or activity. It's good to have some food on hand at all times for situations like that, it's sometimes happens unexpectedly.

Anyway, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post at anytime.

Take care :)

[koblenz]

Hello Befni and welcome,

Like you I am new to this forum and new to T1 diabetes. I would like to echo the comments of the others and encourage you to stick around and ask any questions you may have. I have found this group of folks to be very supportive, thoughtful, and helpful. I have learned A LOT from asking questions and reading previous posts. It has taken some time and been a little difficult, but it is all starting to make sense.

Thanks you guys!

On the hypo issue, I agree with Mark. When I get hypo, I feel shakey, dizzy, suddenly listless, and a little fuzzy in the head. I test and treat IMMEDIATELY. As time goes on, I find it a little harder to recognize hypos. While I have not had any severe episodes (lowest I have been is 57mg/dl), I do worry a little and keep a sharp eye out. This may sound obvious, but monitoring is the key; if I even suspect I may be low, I just test for the heck of it.

What are your prospects for saying in the RAF? As a result of my diagnosis, I was medically retired from the United States Air Force after 16 years of service. So not only am I getting used to being a T1, but I am getting used to being a civilian (I am not sure yet which has been harder . :confused: ;) ).

So welcome, keep your spirits up, and remember, there is always someone out here to lend a hand; or in this case a keyboard.... or... er... well, you know what I mean!

[Batty]

since everyone else has bascially gone over everthing..nothign left for me to say, but welcome to the forum(I'm new too!), and to T1! :)

Natalie
T1 for 11years

[Shalyndria]

Hi Beth, welcome to the friendliest Diabetic Forum to be found anywhere on the world wide web. I'm sure you'll find this site to be as fun, friendly and helpful as all of us here do!

Frequent testing is the best way to detect hypo's and guage how you feel when one is occurring. A BG (blood glucose) is considered hypoglycemic if the resulting number is less that 3.9 mmol/L (70 mg/dL), and should be treated with the 15/15 rule. That being for a reading of less than 3.9 eat 15 grams of CHO (carbohydrates) and then test again in 15 minutes. If the BG is still under 3.9, eat another 15g CHO and test again in 15 minutes. And so on and so forth until your BG is within normal range. At this point some ppl eat a bit of protein to be sure another hypo doesn't occur, but that's a personal choice.

Good luck to you, and happy posting!
Shy

[befni]

hi all, thankyou all for your replies, i can tell this is going to be a very supportive network to be a part of.

i have been very lucky in that i should be able to continue working in the raf, i just wont be allowed to go overseas anywhere.

thanks for your info on hypo's all, i think at the minute it is just fear or the unknown, i did consider asking my doc about inducing one before i went back to work?

any thoughts?

[Tammy]

Hi Beth, this is indeed a great place to be. :)

I have been diagnosed Type 1 for 2 months now, and like u have not yet had a hypo, and i didnt need hospital either.
Hope you are coping ok with everything, look forward to seeing you around.

[zookeeper671]

Hi Beth, welcome!

This place is like a sponge of knowledge filled with very cool people. :D

Angie

[HeatherP]

Hello Beth and Welcome! I'm T1 myself for 13 years. Hope you find helpful info here and make some new friends!

Nice to meet you,
HeatherP

[LauRa Lu]

HI Beth,

I've been diagnosed since january now (T-1) sounds like a long time when I say it but feels like so much less :)

I was lucky, I had My first hypo on my journey home from hospital after being in for two weeks and by the time I got home it was obvious what was happening. I'd had so much info the few days before that I knew I just need to have somthing sugary. Luckily it was new year so there were plenty of sweets and chocs left over.

If I hadn't of had my hypo then I would have been like you... worried about getting one and not know 100% what to expect.

But like some one else has said already, you're newly diagnosed so I think you'll notice when you're sugars drop to low.
My main symptom was shaking and a general feeling of 'feeling odd'.

I always carry glucose tablets with me and like to have a small bottle of coke around the house. Lucozade orange tabs are the tastiest :p

You sound like you're doing great tho. And I'm pretty certain you'll notice the signs of going low and it won't be a problem ;)

good luck :)

[befni]

thanks again to all for your replies.

I had TWO, one last night around 22:00 and one again today, it was nothing like i thought it would be, and i do know why i had them, i think it was from going on a big shopping spree yesterday and not altering my insulin and then today i went to work for a visit, 6 hours round trip!!!

however i coped and feel alot happier about it now, it was kinda weird though. I became very cold and then my heart was thumping in my chest, i tested and was 3.9. that is only just below "normal" though isnt it?

anyway at least i can say i will know how to deal with it now, and i was amazed at how quickly my blood sugars went up!!!

[Jenny]

Welcome Beth! That is good that you haven't had a hypo yet. The lows suck.

[rzrbks]

befni, that's right at the bottom of the "Low" level. But since you're newly diagnosed you will be much more sensitive to going low for a while. Unfortunately, that wears off and you'll have to reacquaint the "Low" sensation to your brain/body every so often.

I remember the 1st time I actually went down as low as 5.5. I thought I was ready for hospital. :D But eventually, I got to the point where 5.0 was normal and anything above 7.7 was just too horrible to endure.



As others have mentioned, it's good to keep glucose tablets with you for when you feel a low coming on. I know some of the doifferent flavors aren't the best tasting, however, they are measured amounts of Carbs. and therefore give you the most controlled way to respond to lows. I also carry one of the 1/2 sized cans of coke with me and keep packages of peanut butter crackers(15 gms of carbs) or packets of granola bars(15 gms of Carbs each) where I can get to them easily.



Good luck, and congratulations on being able to remain in the RAF.
:thumbsup: