I am new to juvenation, new to diabetes, and diagnosed with T1 officially as of today. after going to the dr office for a physical, my bs came back at 312 and then A1c at 12.1, today got back my GAD's and confirmed T1. I am on glemepride and metaformin, but will transition to insulin, next week. I am 42, have always been healthy, except for gallbladder surgery in 1990, I have a wonderful husband and 5 year old daughter, went to doctor to get caught up on physical really hoping to have a baby...with this news, I am just utterly dumbfounded and shocked.....my labs showed still making a small amount of insulin...I am thankful this website exists, but not sure exactly where to start...this just feels like a lot right now....
Hello trciaa, It will all be overwhelming for the next 4-6 months. Be sure to lean on your family and friends, it will be easy to get depressed.
You are fortunate to have a doctor that understands the condition, the insulin should help your beta cells last/perform longer.
Do your best to reduce your carbs and find an excercise that you can enjoy, it really helps. When I get 30 plus minutes of excercise my bloodsugar numbers are excellent.
Please do not hesitate to ask questons, there will be alot o learn for you this year. I started my T1 diabetes journey just after the new year this last January and will be cellebrating my one year anniversary on January 6th two days after my 15th wedding anniversary. My first A1C was 10.7 my latest was 5.8, I am not taking any meds anymore and my Endo has not seen it neccassary to start me on Insulin, wish he was more up to speed on T1.
I'm really sorry this happened. At first you will be overwhelmed with diabetes info, but over time you'll figure out how to make diabetes fit into your life. One of the biggest challenges I've had as a diabetic parent is putting myself before my child when I'm having a low or high blood sugar that needs to be dealt with. But it's imperative to take care of yourself so that you're in good shape to parent.
Diabetes isn't the death sentence it used to be. There are so many great resources now and you can find a treatment plan that works for you. A couple things I'd recommend.
*Your doctor sounds great. Make sure you have a doctor who is knowledgeable and whom you like.
* Learn about carbohydrate counting. It allows you to adjust your insulin to the food you eat, instead of having to eat a strict diet.
* Once you start taking insulin you'll need to keep glucose tablets or some type of sugar easily available. I have them in my purse, desk at work, by my bedside, car glove compartment, and gym bag.
* Find a glucose meter you like so it's easy to test. The meters are cheap but test strips are expensive. Find out what your insurance company will cover. I'm a fan of the One Touch Ultra Mini and have several that I keep in different places to make sure I can always test easily. Continuous Glucose Monitors are machines that put a little needle in your skin to test all the time. The downside is that they are expensive and not yet reliable enough (you'll still have to test to verify results). But you may try one and see what you think.
* Insulin pumps are WONDERFUL. It mimics the insulin dosing of a pancreas and allows most people to have better control and greater flexibility.
* Exercise is the toughest variable in managing diabetes. Sometimes it makes blood sugar go up and other times it drops blood sugar fast (depends on type of exercise, fitness level, etc.). If you work out make sure to look over Shari Colberg's "The Diabetic Athlete."
Michael-thank for you encouraging words; your A1C level is so inspiring after one year, it is still so unbelievable. Next week will be the big one to get on insulin and I will go back to exercising, I taught yoga for a few years and really feel that it will help. When you exercise do you run, walk watch your heart rate?
once again great hearing from you---since you have a little road under you, I do not feel so alone.
funny your wife's name is Licia, my hubby is Mike :)
Jenna--thanks for your suggestions, especially about parenting and exercise---I think that I will definetely have to adjust to that...i don't know anything about pumps, thought I would have to do the pens...so I will check this out too.....it is just so relieving to know there are parents, professionals and athletes here...i am grateful for this site!
My excercise of choice is cycling, I had made some changes in my lifestyle in my early thirties because my Grandfather was diagnosed with type 2 D when he turned 70 and my mom was diagnosed at the age of 60.
I expected at that rate I would be diabetic at the age of 50. So it certainly was unexpected when I had the symptoms of diabetes at the age of 42 after I had modified my diet and began exercising regularly. I had been mountain biking for recreation for 5 years and racing competitively for 3 and a half years, with a couple of podium finish's.
I was not a lot over weight 5' 9" and around 180, (very strong due to the Mountain biking) not fat by any means just thick. I was excercising consistantly and eating fairly well.
I was having more and more fatigue, and went to my primary who sent me to a sleep study, where I was diagosed with moderate sleep apnea. This of course made me think all the symptoms, unusual thirst, unexpected weight loss, blurry vision, and hard core fatigue, were related to the apnea.
I am now doing both MTB riding and road cycling trying to do 125+ miles a week.
Most rides last between an hour and an hour and a half, consisting of between 30 and 45 miles on the road bike or 12-15 on the mountain bike trails.
I have recently purchased a heart rate monitor and usually am hovering around 150 bpm while riding.
We will be riding a 66 mile ride this Friday and look forward to a 100 mile ride next Saturday.
When I get three or four days of 90 plus minute rides a week my blood sugar numbers are spot on perfect for a couple of days subsequent. You can't panic about high BS numbers right after excercise because it is likely just your liver releasing glucose to provide energy.
very happy to see you've already found us, triciaa. i hope you find this site as wonderful as i have found it :o) this is a great place to come for information, friends, and support.