# Just been diagnosed with Type 1



## annieeeeelleey (Nov 29, 2011)

On the 1st of August I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I had all the symptoms, the thirst etc for about 2 months and had been to the doctors confused 6 times before diagnosis and they told me I was exaggerating and having anxiety/depression. So on the day I was diagnosed (I had been to the doctors complaining of dry mouth and thirst and they told me nothing was wrong) I had a blood test in the morning and at midnight an ambulance came to my house when I hadn't even called one. I was shocked and went to the hospital to find my blood sugar was 44. I had a lost a stone and was weighing 6st so I was very frail and ill and stayed at hospital for 5 days as I had ketones as well. When i got to the hospital, they basically took some more blood, urine tests and called me in to tell me I was diabetic and that i would have to take insulin injections for the rest of my life, usual reaction of crying and straight away they just took another 8 vials of my blood even tho I had blood tests that morning. 
First dose of insulin at 2am and then wake up and feel AMAZING haha!
No thirst or dizziness just felt hungry!
Quite a traumatic start to the diagnosis I mean, it wasn't pleasant to have everying denying that you were ill and the blood tests were horrific I was bleeding all over myself and I could smell the blood. 

On here because I have just turned 18, NOBODY I know has diabetes (type1/2) and I feel so isolated, I am meant to be at the prime of my life and I literally feel like it the worst time. 

Please talk to me! Show me how to cope and be happy and accept this disease!


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## Northerner (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie, welcome to the forum  Don't worry, you are not alone!  Such a shame that you didn't get diagnosed until things got really bad, shame on your doctor fr not recognising the symptoms and doing the simple tests. I know what you mean about feeling amazing once you had been given insulin - same went for me! I lost 17 pounds in the 3 days before diagnosis - I think you don;t realise at the time how ill you are, and of course the insulin is such a big relief after feeling so bad. What insulin regime are you on?

Have alook in the Type 1 section of our Useful links thread. Definitely see if you can get hold of a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas. It will explain everything you need to know about living with Type 1. Well, maybe not _everything_, but for those things it doesn't, you have us!  

Things will get better. I'm over 3 years down the road from you and I have learned so much - and most of that has been due to the lovely people here, so please ask anything that you are unsure of, some of them have been at it for nearly 50 years!


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## annieeeeelleey (Nov 29, 2011)

*Insuline regime*

Well I have changed quite a bit, but I am on 11 units of levemir twice a day
and I take novo rapid with every meal and in between (if i need to) about 10-12 units each meal


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## Northerner (Nov 29, 2011)

annieeeeelleey said:


> Well I have changed quite a bit, but I am on 11 units of levemir twice a day
> and I take novo rapid with every meal and in between (if i need to) about 10-12 units each meal



It's similar to me, except I'm on lantus instead of levemir. Have you been taught how to carb count or do you guesstimate how much you need fr each meal? It's good that you are on this regime as it is the most flexible - a lot of people are put on two injections a day which means you have to eat at certain times, and eat certain amounts of carbs. After a while you will get used to the meals you eat regularly and know how much (usually!) to inject. A lot about managing diabetes well is learning through experience so it's rarely something you are going to get right at the beginning.

It's not the best thing to happen, but having spoken to hundreds of people on here over the years it's clear that it doesn't have to stand in the way of anything you want to do, you might just need to plan ahead a bit more!


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## Mark T (Nov 29, 2011)

Welcome to the forums annieeeeelleey


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## elaine1969 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie,  I do not have diabetes, my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 last summer,  although I do not understand what it feels like other than from a parents perspective I just wanted to say welcome to the forum.  There are a bunch of very knowledgeable and extremely friendly people on here,  I am sure you will get the support you are looking for xx


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## annieeeeelleey (Nov 29, 2011)

I have the carb and cals book but I just guess mainly! Sometimes it's right or wrong but I understand I am a beginner!
It is just a whole new life, I am 18 I want to go out and get drunk but I know now I need to be healthy, there are so many complications with your health when you have diabetes! 
I have been losing my hair and my nurse said it was because of the shock my body had when I got diabetes (she called it a long word but I dont remember)
I hate having diabetes though, when I was diagnosed the nurse described it as 'a little friend that is with you all the time' but I don't see it as my friend at all!


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## annieeeeelleey (Nov 29, 2011)

Thank you, I know it was really hard on my mum she was really upset and confused. She also felt like she was unable to look after me as she was worried she would get it wrong, she's been brilliant and I am sure you have too. After diagnosis I was really angry and vented out all my anger towards my mum so it can be just as hard for mum's as it is the diabetic! 
I want to be on a pump but I was told I need to learn carb counting, howcome your daughter is on it so soon and do you think it is better than injections?
Thank you! xxxx


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## Northerner (Nov 29, 2011)

Has your nurse mentioned any carb counting courses to you yet? The most popular ones are DAFNE and BERTIE, but your PCT might do one of their own, so if they haven;t been mentioned yet, do ask what is available and when you can go on a course. If you want to read up on pumps, have a look at the Input website:

http://www.input.me.uk/

Your team will probably want you to get used to things on injections for a while yet. Pumps tend to be given to people who have particular problems. For example, very young children or people who are finding things very difficult on injections and can't get good control. Only about 5% of people in England have pumps, so the criteria are very strict.


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## trophywench (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie

Welcome to the club no-one wanted to join! - but you know once you have membership that will never be rescinded and some of us actually make friends (real life ones I mean!) through meeting on forums like this.

A little friend????? - well that nurse clearly ain't diabetic then, is she?  Daft woman.  (That's not what I would have said to her had I been you, she clearly is an alien from another planet!)  (and there would have been Very Rude Words most likely)  So well done for not punching her, I say.

However - diabetes is actually habit forming! - in other words, bit like chewing your finger nails, after a while, all the stuff we have to do - which you can't imagine ever being a habit - becomes so run of the mill you don't think about it.  So much so that - honest! - you frequently wonder things like 'Did I have my jab before I ate my lunch?' - You might remember testing your blood and the meter will even have that in its memory.  You may recall (once you become expert at carb-counting) actually working out the number of carbs on your plate and working out from that what doseage to dial up - but heck - did you actually do it or not?

Nobody would suggest you have a pump until you have a really good understanding of the bodily processes involved, and of carb counting because you need both to make the most of a pump.  One issue with babies and small children is because of the teeny little doses of insulin they need - only a pump can deliver such small amounts in a reliable way. 

Get that Ragnar Hanas book - your mum and you should read it together (or separately but at the same time!) because I can guarantee you will both learn an awful lot of things you don't know yet.

And ASK QUESTIONS.  Never stop asking.  Nobody on here will ever get fed up of answering and nobody will criticise you when you muck it up - we all do it.  If a diabetic ever tells you they haven't - then they are lying ......


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## Ellie Jones (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie sorry to have to welcome to our exclusive club of diabetes, I know the Gucci club is far more enjoyable clue

Yep your nurse wasn't far wrong with the 'new friend' that's how I see my diabetes my mate that comes everywhere with me, and yes at times this does mean they drive me scatti and I do enforce them to do as I want whether they like or not..

I would wait until you settle on your insulin before looking at drinking, as there is some very important information you need to know to help you keep safe..  But we explain later as you've very much in the 'information' overload stage..

I smiled when you said you didn't know any diabetics when I was diagnosed I knew one my friends husband who was a bit of a god send at the time, as I was diagnosed in 1989 at 24..  And at the time I didn't know I would end divorcing my first husband, then meeting and marrying another T1 diabetic  And no we didn't meet via diabetes just happened to end up working for the same company


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## Robster65 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie. Welcome 

I hope you've changed GPs. What a terrible way to get diagnosed. No wonder you were confused.

Life will be as normal as it ever would have been. It's just that you have to inject yourself and think about what you're eating (which is never a bad thing! ). 

Not sure about 'little friend' though. Annoying relative that lives with you maybe.

Rob


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## Northerner (Nov 29, 2011)

You might like my poem 'My Darling Diabetes' 

http://diabetespoetry.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-darling-diabetes.html


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## everydayupsanddowns (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Annie

Welcome to the forum! (but sorry you have to be here)

Found a link to this animation earlier entitled 'diabetes makes you stronger' which is a slightly topsy turvy way of looking at the ole D monster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXkrCvQhWg8


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## grahams mum (Nov 29, 2011)

hi and welcome i am sorry that this happened to you but you sound like a very sensible girl so i am sure you can learn all the best bits to make everything go wright  for your future


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## Andy HB (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to the forum from me.

What do you mean that 18 is the prime of life? I thought it was 47! 

And I bet you'll be able to find that out for yourself without many problems with the fine help of this forum!

Andy


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## margie (Nov 30, 2011)

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope your Dr has apologised for dismissing your symptoms as anxiety.  Its quite common for your emotions to get all mangled when you are first diagnosed. There is a lot to take in and you may feel that your life won't be what you want it to be.

Getting drunk with diabetes is not a good idea - ask your GP or DSN to explain the ins and outs of it.

If you want to get ahead with carb counting there is an online course you could do. Click here for more information.

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/


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## grahams mum (Nov 30, 2011)

margie said:


> Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope your Dr has apologised for dismissing your symptoms as anxiety.  Its quite common for your emotions to get all mangled when you are first diagnosed. There is a lot to take in and you may feel that your life won't be what you want it to be.
> 
> Getting drunk with diabetes is not a good idea - ask your GP or DSN to explain the ins and outs of it.
> 
> ...



hi i agree on the apologies you could have gone in ketoacidosis coma and not realising it family GP dont really see any young people with diabetes but is not an excuse they should be better trained


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## Copepod (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome Annie - and like everyone else, I'm sorry you have to join us. Just one fact that might affect answers - comments about NICE guidelines for getting an insulin pump apply only to England and Wales; Scotland has a body called SIGN that does a similar job, but with slightly different criteria.

Hope you get on a carb counting course, whatever is provided in your area - DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) operates in all parts of UK - described here http://www.dafne.uk.com/ locations at http://www.dafne.uk.com/all-courses.html 

Most of the DAFNE course content is available at http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/ which would be better than nothing if there's a long wait to get on your local "in person" carb counting course.


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## imtrying (Nov 30, 2011)

Hi Annie,

I'm 29, was diagnosed at 10, and until this year didn't know ANY other T1 diabetics....that's 19 years of dealing with it all on my own.

I'd be more than happy to talk with you or add you on facebook or twitter. I have a few girls on mine who are from Scotland (I think someone mentioned that's where you were from, if not...SORRY!) and they are about your age and I know would be more than happy to offer you someone to talk to as well. 

Good luck, and the single most best thing you could have done for youself, was find this forum.


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## slipper (Nov 30, 2011)

Hello Annie, just a quick welcome from me , a newbie type 2.  Sounds like you had a dreadful time, but you found us and there is lots of expertise here.


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## Steff (Nov 30, 2011)

Annie hi and a warm welcome to this wonderful forum.


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