sooo... after a routine blood test (and some symptoms that I had brushed off as caused by other considerations), it turns out that I am Type 1 diabetic. Late onset (50). Blood test 6 months ago was fine - and now looks like my pancreas has given up almost overnight.
Currently trying to fathom my way through the base insulin as well as acceptance/realisation that that things have changed significantly and irreversibly. It is making me very sad.
Medium term, once I know what is going on and how the body reacts - I want to get back to racing (3 or 4 hour Gorricks), Triathlon and longer events such as 100 mile South Downers.
Anyone else in a similar boat and can share some crumbs of comfort/advice pls? Finding it all a bit bewildering right now!
TIA!
My daughter has been Type 1 since she was one year old.
You know what it has prevented her from doing? ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!
Get your head round carb counting as fast as you can. A copy of Carbs and Cals and set of digital scales would be on my immediate shopping list.
There's loads of us on this forum, don't be shy about asking for advice or support. Personally, I've been type 1 for 32yrs now and it hasn't gotten in the way of anything I've wanted to do. It can be rubbish at times, but it's easily managed.
Best wishes
Craig
Son is 25 and has had it since 14. He's a HGV driver now, passed the tests this summer. There is a lot to take in, but the carbs and cals book and app are very useful at first. I assume you are on injection's first ? Hopefully you'll get put on a pump at some point. Worth pushing to see if you'll be funded for a libre !
Tech to manage diabetes has advanced hugely over the years - as others have said it need not stop you doing anything. Steve Redgreave got his fifth gold after diabetes diagnosis
https://steveredgrave.com/obstacles_diabetes.html
Its a lot to get yo9ur head round at first for sure but you will adapt and manage it well
Thanks all, appreciated. And yes... injections straight off the bat until I learn the ropes and then move to a pump perhaps.
As already posted, it is a massive change to get your head round, but if you can do that then it will be easier and you'll be managing it and getting on with everything you want.
Lots of great advice on here and all of them will have better advice/suggestions than I can provide. I was 17 months old when I was diagnosed and I'm just over a year away from getting the first chocolate medal for services to diabetes (it isn't chocolate and it isn't called that, it is recognising 50 years of living with diabetes), so my experience is very different and likely to be less relevant to you than others.
Feel free to post up any questions or just to vent, you aren't on your own with this but I suspect that is exactly how it feels.for.you just now.
Suspect this will feel like a terrible time, but try to take a step-by-step approach to it as it isn't sorted and managed overnight, it takes time and relearning stuff, but it can be done and you will go on to be doing everything you want to do.
Chin up, Lad, you've got this sorted (just accept it won't be overnight).
Yeah. Use this thread as Q&A. Bang up the questions when you have them and I'm sure someone will be on it ASAP, or feel free to DM.
Anyway, if you get a choice of kit I can't recommend Abbott enough. If something goes wrong they fix it. If they can't fix it they replace it. No messing. It just gets done. For free.
And you never get put on hold. They always have someone available to talk to.
I've never dealt with anyone as good at customer service as these guys.
Welcome to the club!
I will have been type1 for 50 years next month (that's a scary thought in itself) and technology has advanced massively over that time. It can be occasionally stressful trying to get things balanced initially but stick with it, it's worth it.
As others have said, it hasn't stopped me from doing anything I've wanted to and one thing to remember, diabetes doesn't define you, it's just part of who you are.
My advice is, get diagnosed at 7 and get your mum to take care of everything then learn it from her over like 10 years, much easier.
It HAS stopped me from doing things I wanted to do, I wanted to drive a minibus. Uh think that's it though.
I’ve had it for 30 years or so and technology is brilliant nowadays, I use an Omnipod and Dexcom and it definitely makes my life easier.
Be kind to yourself, diabetes can be unpredictable whatever you do, and it can be easy quite to get stressed and blame yourself for failures. I had about 15 years where it was relatively easy then I went through a few difficult years where in the end I didn’t eat anything without weighing it, only ate the same foods at the same times, recorded everything meticulously including sleep and stress before realising, for me, everything can be exactly the same except the outcomes. I try to go with the flow a bit more now, pay attention to food and insulin but not feel guilty when it doesn’t go well. There is also a fantastic support community out there now, with lots of athletes posting online with their various strategies. Runsweet used to be a great resource, although I’ve not been on recently, lots of others around too. I absolutely love my Dexcom attached to my Apple Watch for exercise, it’s a gamechanger compared to the old days! 🙂
First top tip - fill in and get your GP to sign the form that gives you a medical exemption from prescription charges. This is valid for 5 years. I used to think it was a lifetime thing, until one time I must’ve ticked the maternity exemption by mistake, then couldn’t challenge the fine I got in the post….
Secondly - remember to carry hypo treatment wherever you go. It’ll save you a furtune instead of having to stop at the nearest place when it happens at the most awkward time….
thirdly - as above - there’ll be adjustment but don’t let it stop you from doing anything you want to do. Obviously flying a plane is out (for now), but I’ve been a rally codriver for about 12 years and done several world championship events - despite my dad sitting me down 34 years ago and it breaking his heart to tell me I’d never be able to go rallying!
Fourth - don’t worry about short term highs, it’s the long term picture that has main effects.
Fifthly - don’t panic if you forget insulin etc wherever you end up. I occasionally forget to take spares up to Scotland and can get emergency prescriptions sorted. I forgot to take spares to Kenya but you can buy what you need worldwide. Last month I got a train across Poland and was going to Ukraine the next day, before I realised I’d left my insulin pens in the plane seat pocket….. doh! Luckily I had spare insulin cartridges and needles, just no pens. Thankfully after trying a few polish pharmacies they had one for £20. Think there is a theme forming there…
Good luck - try to stay positive. Libre is fantastic compared to what it used to be only a few years ago.
I've filled in the med exemption form.... my eyes are really blurry since the diagnosis, so am hoping that I have managed to avoid the maternity box.
First thing I am noticing is the combinations of food and environmental factors (cold, exercise, or lack of) that really have different impacts one the blood sugar. I seem to be learning though and have stopped quite so much yo-yo this week... although defo good and bad days.
Was feeling pretty down in the dumps at the weekend, which I think was the first time I had to sit down and think about it without work or other things in the head - but feeling more positive this week. This thread - and also meeting another "type oner" by chance on a ride at the weekend, has really helped.
Zwift is helping too.... I can actually measure efforts and the effect it is having. Blood sugar plummeted as I hadn't eaten before ridind - and the wife can find me more easily slumped in the garage than somewhere on the south downs. (I wasn't slumped, but I did utilise the nearby Haribo). I have been surprised at how easy it is to miscalculate, so is something I need to get much better at.
You will get better at the calculating as you understand what your body needs.
Yeah. You'll learn to spot when a calculated number "doesn't look right" too.
This is all sounding quite positive...great to read.
I've filled in the med exemption form.... my eyes are really blurry since the diagnosis, so am hoping that I have managed to avoid the maternity box.
I think blurry eyes after diagnosis is quite common, due to high BG. This should improve, you’ll get called for eye screening checks every 2 years I think.
I have had it for so long I can’t remember not being diabetic. I can only imagine that it’s VERY much more difficult to adapt after living life normally for so long first.
It is tough, but you’ll get used to it (not much choice really!). A lot of it is trial & error to find out what works for you.