I was diagnosed with Type 1 at the end of March. I had been feeling bad for a while, but was still shocked to find out the cause of my ailments. I think logically and I like answers. Not having a concrete reason as to why I have this disease is something that I struggle to wrap my head around.
Just when I think I have my numbers under control, I spike in one direction or the other for a couple days. I am a flight attendant and I have found that when I am working, my numbers are more irregular and harder to maintain than when I am off/at home. At my last endocrinology appointment, I signed the paperwork to get a CGM, but I am still waiting to be contacted/receive it.
My boyfriend whom I live with and my family are a wonderful support system, but I do not have any immediate family or close friends with Type 1 to confide in when I need to vent or ask questions. I’m hoping I can find that here.
I felt the exact same way when diagnosed. Couldn’t believe it, and just want to know what/who to be mad at… Unfortunately we may never know and we continue living life, but we are forced to be healthier now
I’m a pilot (not as a career) currently waiting out the FAA-mandated time period before I can fly again.
I also had to anxiously await receiving my CGM for a month. I’d recommend calling Dexcom directly, they are VERY helpful and will do 1000% more work than your local dr office probably will (in my personal experience). The CGM is a game-changer! I love it.
I’m still very new to this too, but know you’re not alone. If you’re on IG, there are a lot of cool # to follow, like #t1dlookslikeme
Also you’re local JDRF chapter can connect you with a local dia-buddy to meet up with in person and chat with, it was a big help to me! https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/t1d-connections/request-outreach-volunteer-parent/
I got sooooo sick of finger pricking all day long!!
Then after your get your CGM, you’ll want the Apple watch so you can track your blood sugar with a glimpse at your wrist, its so cool and I enjoy showing it to all my friends
Are you on an insulin pump? They make things a little easier. You still have to do a lot of testing to get basal and bonus settings right. If you don’t have a pump yet, consider getting a Tandem t:slim. It operates together with Dexcom to partially automate insulin dosing. Good luck!
Welcome.
I am a 53 year old male LADA TD1.
I am on my 24th day with Dexcom 6. It makes life much easier.
I use their receiver and am happy with it - I decided not to use the cell phone app.
I went on a low-carb diet (7 weeks ago) after years of the glucose “roller-coaster”. I had exercised daily, ate what the doctor encouraged etc… but increasingly gained weight, gained fat, felt more and more awful, bloated…
For me, the meter + low carb diet have changed my life for the better X 10. I went from readings of 140 to 240 to readings consistently 80-120!
I’ve been TD1 eight years (and likely a decade more+ undiagnosed).
If I can be a resource please let me know.
Steve
No insulin pump. Yet. I am still in the works to even get the Dexcom (apparently the G6 is on backorder). I believe knowing my readings more frequently throughout the day will make managing my BG easier. It is hard to steal away time to finger stick in the middle of a short haul flight.
Thank you for the recommendation though. I will put the Tandem t:slim onto my list to research!
Steve, thank you so much for this information! I am a relatively healthy and active individual, but I will definitely consider a low-carb diet! I will reach out if I have any questions!
hi! So sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. I was diagnosed when I was 11 and am now a healthy 26 year old. Sounds like you’re already on a great path with the Dexcom (love mine and would have been great to have when figuring things out)! I’d definitely look into a pump too. I know having one in my 20s has been beneficial for me just because I don’t like carrying needles everywhere. Let me know if you need anything! I’m more than happy to help
cgm is the best tool you can have to learn what food does what to your body… i wish they were around 20+ years ago!!! you will learn how each type of food affects yourself, example pizza and pasta have a hit on the bg level up front then keeps coming… sweets are normally all up front… you will see how long it takes for you insulin to kick in, will also help with your sliding scale… you are still new so you may still check your sugar alot, but i was guilty of having t1 so long i wouldnt check as offen as i should… now with a cgm there is no reason to not have a glance… mdi shots work great and give you a since of freedom that pump doesnt, but at the same time a pump gives you freedom that mdi cant… i use a omnipod which is a tubeless pump and love it! support is deft needed and i am sure you will have plenty of questions and there are alot of helpful people here and other places… just watch out for them claims of diets or drinks or whatever that will reduce insulin or cure t1d lol
Just a heads up that you arent supposed to fly in a commercial jet with an insulin pump. The lower cabin pressure causes the insulin to vaporize, enough air bubbles will form in the reservoir to push insulin into your body and cause you to go low. Injections should be fine, though pens might form air bubbles if you dont remove the needle.
@SpecialEDy. I fly very often. I’ve been on 6 international flights this year and many short hops as well. What you describe does not happen to me. In fact I increase basal to 133% for the entire flight because I run high on airplanes. “ arent supposed to fly in a commercial jet with an insulin pump” is very misleading.
For everyone else; any new conditions you may be in, require extra testing and extra precautions until you know how your blood sugar reacts. So test more and have carbs handy.
I’d also like to correct some misinformation here too. An airplane does not “lower cabin pressure”. Rather, as the plane climbs and altitude increases, the air density reduces. On a commercial airliner, up at 35,000 feet, the pressurization makes the inside of the plane like you’re around 5-8,000 feet. This is simply like driving from the plains up to Denver, CO or a little higher to the ski resorts. The air is just thinner there (less dense). I could see this having a slight effect on your pump if there are any air leaks anywhere, but otherwise, I’d just keep a close eye on your sugar levels. I play golf at a high-altitude course regularly, and my ball travels farther due to the thinner air
I’ve flown many miles, many flights and wore my pump without having any difficulty. The User Manual for all four pumps I’ve used have information for air travel.
@jonboy688 seeing the trend line of my bg is what I am looking forward to most about getting a CGM. It will definitely help me to understand what is happening and aid in keeping things consistent.
I am happy to hear that you love the Omnipod. I have heard nothing but good things and I am excited to explore it as an option.
I have no intentions of trying concoctions that are going to “cure” my diabetes. Scam artists, I tell ya haha
@Dev_Renae the cgm is hands down the best thing that has happened with t1… if i had to choose between a pump or cgm… cgm would win everytime… and now with all the advancements that are happening it is getting easier to control this roller coaster of a ride! cgm+omnipod=closed loop(loop) for a notwaitingmovement… which will become tidepool and horizon
Medtronic 670g lists a minimum operating pressure equal to roughly 8000ft of altitude. Maximum operating pressure is equal to 2 ft of water below sea level.
Tslim doesnt list pressure specifications, but it includes an “altitude alarm” to alert for pressure changes outside of spec.
Omnipod lists a limit for operation of 10,000ft.
You could use Henry’s law to calculate the amount of outgassing of insulin at lower air pressure. On a longer flight, dissolved gases are going to vaporize and displace insulin in the reservoir.
In the VERY short-term [maybe a half-dozen years] Johnathan @jonboy688 improvements in the previously unreliable CGM may have been the best thing happening to T1.
Now in my seventh decade living with diabetes, and not even thinking about insulin only recently “discovered”, I have benefited considerably more from many of the other improvements in care and treatment. Also consider the ability now to even diagnose diabetes - greatly improved; without diagnosing during in early stages of development, diabetes diagnosis would still be a death warrant.
