# New Type1 Looking for Advice



## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Hey everyone, I am 24 years old and was diagnosed as type 1 two weeks before christmas just gone. I though I was coping OK with it and I am. The injections and taking my blood sugar levels is fine. Im just REALLY stuggling with adapting to it all. Going low, counting carbs, watching what I eat and when I eat. I find that now I am feeling down all the time, I have good days and bad days, the good days are when Im able to hide it all and keep it all in and the bad are when I can't. Today has been a bad day and I feel like crying, this is something that I feel most days. I know people say it will get easier but for some reason that doesnt seem to comfort me. Maybe someone can suggest a way to help?

With much thanks in anticipation...


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## Steff (Mar 4, 2010)

Hi Dan and welcome im a type 2 but i do get those feelings most day, some are good so are bad , one thing you have done is join here and that will be of great comfort to you , we can all be here for you if and when you need us.


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## am64 (Mar 4, 2010)

welcome dan well done for finding us ! if you read the threads you will see very quickly that you are not alone with your feelings. This Diabetes is not fun but we are here to support you and im sure some T1 will be in soon with some advice x


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

am64 said:


> welcome dan well done for finding us ! if you read the threads you will see very quickly that you are not alone with your feelings. This Diabetes is not fun but we are here to support you and im sure some T1 will be in soon with some advice x



Thank you both. so soon to reply, its good to know people are out there, im struggling today and its hard.


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## Steff (Mar 4, 2010)

It is hard but once your used to this place you will see all the threads that go up and you will realise you aint alone in this Dan x


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Steff2010 said:


> It is hard but once your used to this place you will see all the threads that go up and you will realise you aint alone in this Dan x



its just so hard to recognise that im not. im surrounded by people who think they know. its more than looking up what diabetes means on google and saying you know, its how it makes a person feel, its how they feel psychologically, and thats the worst part for me now, i can finally say that im not coping


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## Steff (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> its just so hard to recognise that im not. im surrounded by people who think they know. its more than looking up what diabetes means on google and saying you know, its how it makes a person feel, its how they feel psychologically, and thats the worst part for me now, i can finally say that im not coping



And thats ok to admit Dan we all need to ask for help and support at times we are only human, how are you going with the insulin? do you get good support from your careteam?  xx


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Steff2010 said:


> And thats ok to admit Dan we all need to ask for help and support at times we are only human, how are you going with the insulin? do you get good support from your careteam?  xx



the nurses are great, i have nothing but praise for the NHS and my diabetes team so great and caring. im thinking of calling my nurse in the morning and moving my next appointment to early next week as i need a chat. my insulin and control are generally ok, ive no prob with the injections, sometimes i find it hard when i have to do it in my thigh as it hurts, my nurse gave me new needles to try but they arent so great. sometimes, when i do inject i just want to cry as it makes me feel so vulnerable and alone. blood testing is the same too, it just makes me feel so vulnerable, i dont like being the centre of attention and sometimes thats how i feel when i have to test at work. thank you for taking the time to talk to me on here by the way, its really good of you


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## Steff (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> the nurses are great, i have nothing but praise for the NHS and my diabetes team so great and caring. im thinking of calling my nurse in the morning and moving my next appointment to early next week as i need a chat. my insulin and control are generally ok, ive no prob with the injections, sometimes i find it hard when i have to do it in my thigh as it hurts, my nurse gave me new needles to try but they arent so great. sometimes, when i do inject i just want to cry as it makes me feel so vulnerable and alone. blood testing is the same too, it just makes me feel so vulnerable, i dont like being the centre of attention and sometimes thats how i feel when i have to test at work. thank you for taking the time to talk to me on here by the way, its really good of you



Aw no need to thank me we are all here for one another,sounds like things are really good between you and your team, dont worry about work im sure the rest of them are busy getting on with there own thing.Sorry i cant relate to the insulin taking as im on pills only for now. x


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## SacredHeart (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> the nurses are great, i have nothing but praise for the NHS and my diabetes team so great and caring. im thinking of calling my nurse in the morning and moving my next appointment to early next week as i need a chat. my insulin and control are generally ok, ive no prob with the injections, sometimes i find it hard when i have to do it in my thigh as it hurts, my nurse gave me new needles to try but they arent so great. sometimes, when i do inject i just want to cry as it makes me feel so vulnerable and alone. blood testing is the same too, it just makes me feel so vulnerable, i dont like being the centre of attention and sometimes thats how i feel when i have to test at work. thank you for taking the time to talk to me on here by the way, its really good of you



Hey Dan,

I'm 24 as well, and I was diagnosed in May. It is a huge adjustment, and everyone does it at different times.  You've got to give yourself time - you seem to be coping. You've also got to give the people around you time to get used to things. After a bit, watching you inject or test will lose the novelty, and it will just become another one of those things that happens in the workplace.

You're totally in the right place though, this forum has helped me loads.

Becky x


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Steff2010 said:


> Aw no need to thank me we are all here for one another,sounds like things are really good between you and your team, dont worry about work im sure the rest of them are busy getting on with there own thing.Sorry i cant relate to the insulin taking as im on pills only for now. x



thats ok, finding someone to talk to is helpful. have you been diagnosed for a long time? do u have down days? how do u cope? if they are too personal to answer then i honestly understand


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## Steff (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> thats ok, finding someone to talk to is helpful. have you been diagnosed for a long time? do u have down days? how do u cope? if they are too personal to answer then i honestly understand



I got diagnosed last Feb ohh i have many down days hun, at the minute im getting alot of hypers and currently have no kind of relationship with my doctor so i have no where to get support accept from home , think the only way i cope is this place mainly cause i know i have some genuine great mates on here who know what im going through.


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

SacredHeart said:


> Hey Dan,
> 
> I'm 24 as well, and I was diagnosed in May. It is a huge adjustment, and everyone does it at different times.  You've got to give yourself time - you seem to be coping. You've also got to give the people around you time to get used to things. After a bit, watching you inject or test will lose the novelty, and it will just become another one of those things that happens in the workplace.
> 
> ...



thanks becky, im feeling better now ive joined, ive let things get ontop of me today and im glad ive found people who understand. its not that people stare at me or anything, its just i kind of feel that they do. i suppose having this now really makes you think how fortunate you are when you have choices about what you eat, drink, do and at what times.


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Steff2010 said:


> I got diagnosed last Feb ohh i have many down days hun, at the minute im getting alot of hypers and currently have no kind of relationship with my doctor so i have no where to get support accept from home , think the only way i cope is this place mainly cause i know i have some genuine great mates on here who know what im going through.



well, im going to keep coming back on here and we'll all see this through together. i think the support of people who are going through the same is vital as only they can really understand what its like. i have great friends who understand, but im finding it hard to say that im not coping mentally with it.


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## Copepod (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan, I was also diagnosed type 1 as a young adult, aged 30 years, 14 years ago. A few things that helped me - being selective about who I told, as once you've told someone you can't untell them; being clear about help or lack of help required; setting some goals / ambitions eg travel destinations, sports / activities etc. If you're interested in outdoor activities, adventurous travel etc, just ask.
It really does get easier, but some things are real pains eg ban on driving minibuses, vans, buses, HGVs etc; professional SCUBA diving; re/joining armed services etc.


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Copepod said:


> Dan, I was also diagnosed type 1 as a young adult, aged 30 years, 14 years ago. A few things that helped me - being selective about who I told, as once you've told someone you can't untell them; being clear about help or lack of help required; setting some goals / ambitions eg travel destinations, sports / activities etc. If you're interested in outdoor activities, adventurous travel etc, just ask.
> It really does get easier, but some things are real pains eg ban on driving minibuses, vans, buses, HGVs etc; professional SCUBA diving; re/joining armed services etc.



hello. yeah, my lifestyle was all about eating out, enjoying a glass or two of wine. ive always focused on wanting to travel, to see the world. venice, italy, america etc. the limitations of my diagnosis seem to be the only thing i can see at the moment


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## Pigeon (Mar 4, 2010)

Hi Dan, I can totally understand how you feel, I was there 3 years ago when I got T1 aged 26. You think life will never be the same again, and I was so angry that this had happened to change my life and none of it was my fault! There's no shame at all in crying about it and asking for help, I think sometimes you have to admit that it's getting you down and then you can work out how to make it better. Glad to hear you have a good medical team, that really helps. Getting diagnosed just before Christmas must have been a bit rough!

Please believe me when I say that this won't stop you eating out or travelling - you just have to make sure you know what effect these things will have, and get organised. There are people on here who have travelled a lot and can share experiences. I went to Canada for 3 weeks last year which was my first big trip since diagnosis, and it was great, I ate ice cream most days, ate out every night, was able to take my insulin on planes with no bother. Yeah, there were a few more high and low readings than normal, but you can deal with those.

What insulins are you on? Have your clinic offered you any courses or group support? I did a few of these and it really helped with getting better control, and it was nice to meet other type 1s in the flesh!


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Pigeon said:


> Hi Dan, I can totally understand how you feel, I was there 3 years ago when I got T1 aged 26. You think life will never be the same again, and I was so angry that this had happened to change my life and none of it was my fault! There's no shame at all in crying about it and asking for help, I think sometimes you have to admit that it's getting you down and then you can work out how to make it better. Glad to hear you have a good medical team, that really helps. Getting diagnosed just before Christmas must have been a bit rough!
> 
> Please believe me when I say that this won't stop you eating out or travelling - you just have to make sure you know what effect these things will have, and get organised. There are people on here who have travelled a lot and can share experiences. I went to Canada for 3 weeks last year which was my first big trip since diagnosis, and it was great, I ate ice cream most days, ate out every night, was able to take my insulin on planes with no bother. Yeah, there were a few more high and low readings than normal, but you can deal with those.
> 
> What insulins are you on? Have your clinic offered you any courses or group support? I did a few of these and it really helped with getting better control, and it was nice to meet other type 1s in the flesh!



hello, well, im on insulatard at the moment. we havent realy gone down the support group route at the moment, tpying on this message board is the most open ive been about how much im not coping with this. im nervous about travelling with this, but im sure this is something i need to work through. its just hard to look to the future at the moment when so much is focused on the 'right now'


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## Sugarbum (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> hello. yeah, my lifestyle was all about eating out, enjoying a glass or two of wine. ive always focused on wanting to travel, to see the world. venice, italy, america etc. the limitations of my diagnosis seem to be the only thing i can see at the moment



Hi Dan,

You are in the right place, keep checking in to read some stuff off the board as regularly as you can. Here you will find people who know exactly what you are going through, and as others will also vouch, you will pick up some things that will help you along your way. Knowledge really is power in diabetes Dan 

I was diagnosed aged 28 and instantly everything changed. I was very mechanical at first, completing things one by one, testing, injecting etc etc. Having to remember everything was extremely stressful. I was shocked with how life had changed and how much time I spent thinking about diabetes- it was ALL I thought about! After a long while I saw a psychologist, one through my diabetes clinic who specialised in people with diabetes and she explained all the grief process I was going through for my old life (sounds rather dramatic!) but all is absolutely fine now I can assure you.

You can achieve anything you want Dan, life will seem very different for some while but when you have adjusted, learned more and picked up the skills you will get your life back on track. Just at first it is so much to deal with, I felt very medicalised. The reaction of other people around me was irritating me, I was suprised at peoples general ignorance and insensitivity! After a while I sifted out all these things that bothered me.

Where do you live? I would definately recommend either finding a support group which you can do on the diabetes UK website, or maybe coming to drinks (see the board for the up-comming surrey meet) for abit of mingling?!

Take care
Louisa x


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Sugarbum said:


> Hi Dan,
> 
> You are in the right place, keep checking in to read some stuff off the board as regularly as you can. Here you will find people who know exactly what you are going through, and as others will also vouch, you will pick up some things that will help you along your way. Knowledge really is power in diabetes Dan
> 
> ...



signing up here seems to have been one of the best decsions ive made in a long time. yeah, i agree, peoples reactions and things they say can be hurtful even though at times they may not realise it. im from the north west of england. i'll be keeping in contact with the message boards and continue viewing the site for updates etc


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## Pigeon (Mar 4, 2010)

Definitely knowledge is power. I was on insulatard twice a day at first too - I think my clinic do that for new people as it's a simple way to start taking insulin - and two injections a day seems like plenty to start with! In time though, I found it affected my life too much - having to eat at the right times, and having to eat before bed was getting me down, and it was impossible to enjoy something like a wedding when you don't know what or when you'll eat.

I went on a course for newly diagnosed people at the clinic which was really helpful - I was a bit apprehensive beforehand but I learnt so much about how insulin works and what different foods do. I found out about the different types of insulin, and after that I changed to multiple daily injections (MDI) which is where you take a long acting insulin once or twice a day, and then a quick acting one with each meal. It's been a lot more flexible, and then you can choose when you want to eat, and how much -it really felt like I got my life back then.

Sorry if this is in information overload - stick with what you're comfortable with for now, but in time you may want to research what else is available and how it could improve your quality of life and help you enjoy eating out again.


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> signing up here seems to have been one of the best decsions ive made in a long time. yeah, i agree, peoples reactions and things they say can be hurtful even though at times they may not realise it. im from the north west of england. i'll be keeping in contact with the message boards and continue viewing the site for updates etc



do you mind if i ask how you broached the conversation of wanting to see a psychologist? im thinking that might be exactly what i need right now. i understand if that is a very personal question


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## Dan101 (Mar 4, 2010)

Pigeon said:


> Definitely knowledge is power. I was on insulatard twice a day at first too - I think my clinic do that for new people as it's a simple way to start taking insulin - and two injections a day seems like plenty to start with! In time though, I found it affected my life too much - having to eat at the right times, and having to eat before bed was getting me down, and it was impossible to enjoy something like a wedding when you don't know what or when you'll eat.
> 
> I went on a course for newly diagnosed people at the clinic which was really helpful - I was a bit apprehensive beforehand but I learnt so much about how insulin works and what different foods do. I found out about the different types of insulin, and after that I changed to multiple daily injections (MDI) which is where you take a long acting insulin once or twice a day, and then a quick acting one with each meal. It's been a lot more flexible, and then you can choose when you want to eat, and how much -it really felt like I got my life back then.
> 
> Sorry if this is in information overload - stick with what you're comfortable with for now, but in time you may want to research what else is available and how it could improve your quality of life and help you enjoy eating out again.



yeah, ive heard about MDI and that sounds a great way of getting things 'back to normal'. not sure about more injections at the moment though. its nice to hear you say exactly what im going through and i havent had to tell you, what you just wrote at the start of your message is exactly what im going through! No one seems to know how awful it is HAVING to eat before bed, its the last thing you want to do, that and wake up during the night to do a blood test just to make sure youre not going low, my sleep patterns are rubbish at the moment!


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## Sugarbum (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan101 said:


> signing up here seems to have been one of the best decsions ive made in a long time. yeah, i agree, peoples reactions and things they say can be hurtful even though at times they may not realise it. im from the north west of england. i'll be keeping in contact with the message boards and continue viewing the site for updates etc



Its strange, because at 28 when I was diagnosed, I really felt I knew myself well, what I was about and how strong I was. I got this, and it threw everything up in the air. At that time I just couldnt imagine "normal" again. But I promise you Dan, the more effort you put into learnign about it and getting in control of it, the better it all gets.

With regards to other, I would suggest not overloading them and giving them time and space. My mum still is abit weird about it and it was 4 years ago! She just feels bad for me. My dad has type 1 diabetes and cant even discuss it with me- he feels responsible. 

But that is the great thing about the board, you realise everyone goes through the same kinds of problems.

Im glad you are pleased you joined the board. Just remember, nothing is silly. Ask questions if you need to!


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## rachelha (Mar 4, 2010)

Dan you have come to the right place for support and advice this forum is great, I wish sites like this had existed when I was diagnosed.

WIth regards to the travelling it is still possible, just takes a bit more thought.  One of the board members (type 1) has just headed off to Australia and i have done a far amount of travelling since diagnosis.


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## aymes (Mar 4, 2010)

Hi Dan , welcome to the site. You've had some fab advice so far and seem to be approaching things well, willingness to learn is what you need to have to get to grips with it all. It is such a lifestyle change, I was diagnosed at 21 so know a bit about how much of a shock it all is. It sounds a cliche but it really all does become 2nd nature after a while and life does get back to 'normal', if indeed normal exists! For me going on mdi was the turn around for me feeling in control of everything, but I did stick on the mixed insulin's for a while, and I think that was right for me at the time, I think we all go at our own pace.
I do hope you stick around the site, so many of us find the place invaluable, just being able to talk to people who really 'know' how it is and understand.


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## scotty (Mar 4, 2010)

Hi dan, welcome to the site,

I was diagonsed last october im 28, it hit me at first, and thought the worst,  i do always think about it, but with good support and good control things will get better


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## PhilT (Mar 5, 2010)

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum.


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## sofaraway (Mar 5, 2010)

Hi Dan welcome to the forum, You've had some great advice already. 

I seem to go through different stages of how I feel about my diabetes and I have had it for 10 years now. There are some ups and downs, but generally I am able to be positive about it and appreciate what it has given me also. 

Talking to people who just 'get it' really helps. Being on this forum has been really helpful to me and meeting up with these guys and everyone testing and injecting before eating was a really good experience. If you can get to one of the meets would be great, we've got Surrey, London and York coming up.


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## Dan101 (Mar 5, 2010)

sofaraway said:


> Hi Dan welcome to the forum, You've had some great advice already.
> 
> I seem to go through different stages of how I feel about my diabetes and I have had it for 10 years now. There are some ups and downs, but generally I am able to be positive about it and appreciate what it has given me also.
> 
> Talking to people who just 'get it' really helps. Being on this forum has been really helpful to me and meeting up with these guys and everyone testing and injecting before eating was a really good experience. If you can get to one of the meets would be great, we've got Surrey, London and York coming up.



Thank you to everyone for the welcomes and support. im glad i made the descision to join and i know its helped me already. its true, talking to people who 'just get it' helps, not having to explain things is my aim, not having to make an excuse or feel a burden and thats how i feel at the moment.


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## SilentAssassin1642 (Mar 5, 2010)

hi dan and welcome. I've had T1 for 14 years and Ijust wanted to tell you that it does get easier. You will be feeling a bit out of sorts, we all get that sometimes. I'm still on MDI's after must be well...10 years or more...


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