Sons just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Spent the morning at the diabetes centre. It’s a lot for the three of us to take in but our son has been brilliant. He’s on a basal bolus regime which suits his lifestyle much better and means at the moment he can pretty much eat what he wants. Going to t in the park won’t be an issue and luckily his nurse is also going, so that’s handy

Gary i have also been put on the basal bolus one. My problem at the moment is as I’m feeling better I’m doing more but I’m having regular hypos. My insulin doses are quite low so presumably im still producing some insulin. There is a lot to try and understand at this point.

with a good DSN (Diabetes Specialist Nurse – more valuable in my experience than the consultant)

As a consultant, can I say that I entirely agree with this statement.

I’ve read up on the symptoms of a hypo speckledbob but will it be really really obvious to him if he’s having one. How long does it take for lucozade/jelly babies etc to take effect? What’s the best thing for home to carry, dextrose tabs?

Hypos. They can be quite personal, we’re all different!

Best thing to do is if he starts feels my a bit ‘weird’, do a BG test and that will confirm the position

Mine can be anything from feeling a bit spaced out, getting the shakes, losing all energy in an instant to complete bewilderment and not having a clue what’s going on. Oh and if it’s a bad one, sweating like a monsoon!

For me, it’s glucotabs. Only takes a few mins to start coming back and usually fully returned within 10 mins

Good luck!

At the moment my hypos make me feel week, shakey and a bit sweaty. So it fairly obvious but i was down to 1.6 yesterday before i noticed. I’ve been using jelly or lucozade but I’m trying glucose tablets for convenience now.

Hypo symptoms are basically quite obvious, except sometimes when you’re hypo. So your brain is literally out of fuel and not working right, it’s both symptom and cause. So, examples, I once thought it was a good idea to try and put my brother in the fridge because he said he thought I was hypo. Another time, when I was younger, my mum said I was hypo and gave me my blood meter, I was so fuddled I didn’t really know what was expected of me, so I tried to eat it. Which is pretty funny but not. To be fair there’s not been many incidents like that over the last 28 years 😆

So, like I say, loss of judgement and denial/loss of awareness is possible, most similiar to how people sometimes go while drunk. A bit of infantility seems to be common too, I’ve seen that from diabetic mates. You just need to bear that in mind as obvious hypo symptoms may not be obvious to him at all. And you can get personality swings too, I can be quite aggressive sometimes (and put people in fridges).

How fast it lifts varies from person to person, for some reason I have a really slow response to sugar so it takes a lot longer for me than is normal (my old consultant just didn’t believe me). Others can be seriously fast, my mate Drew goes from normal to wasted to recovered in no time at all.

What’s best also varies- I found dextrose tablets upset my stomach a bit and since I always have jelly babies around for cycling, I use those now. Possibly not quite as fast but not far off and better over the course of time since I can eat normally afterwards and get back to normal faster. Lucozade and sweets have the advantage of being readily available and also not weird- people don’t think twice if you’re drinking an energy drink.

Oh yeah, I can get really quite stroppy sometimes. Mrs Feet will usually spot this and bully me into eating something. Of course, sometimes I’ve just got the hump and I’m annoyed with something. So I can be stroppy about it AND get a degree of sympathy with little or no comeback! Silver linings….

How many glucose tablets do you take? Yesterday i had a bottle of lucozade, a glucose tablet, 3 roast potatoes and 2 Yorkshire pudding. This was obviously too much because at bedtime i was14.9.

AND get a degree of sympathy with little or no comeback!

Likes

It’s not all doom and gloom mate, although it may feel that way initially. Your son is similar to my circumstances in some ways. I joined the Royal Marines at 16, approx 26 weeks into my training (just when things were starting to get really tough and I was relishing the challenge) I had a weekend at home and felt weak etc……. Back to Lympstone and training wasn’t going anywhere I felt terrible, no strength, peeing and drinking, went to the Doc, few tests later and I’m diagnosed as Diabetic, I thought the ar53 had fallen out of my world, back home with no idea where I go from here, but a very understanding family and some fantastic support from them, makes it easier. 29 years later and I’m fit, there is nothing I cannot do, some limitations yes but in essence I live my life like the majority of my friends. So look forward and don’t dwell, also it won’t be long before the cure is out there. Good Luck.

How many glucose tablets do you take?

Depends, but now I’m on a pump, my meter tells me how many fast acting carbs I need to take to get me back up to ‘normal’ 😀

So another quick question. And I know this can be different for everyone but how often do people have hypos. Is it weekly, every few days?

Hypos depend on so many different things that how often they occur can vary from none for several months to several in a week!!! I find lucozade (the original, not sport or even the orange flavour one) the best for recovery as I cannot stand the taste of dextrose tablets (have tried all the flavours). The general rule of thumb with hypos is the 15 rule, 15 grams of fast acting (high glycemic index) carbs then re-test 15 mins later, repeat if necessary. I can feel the change with lucozade whilst I am still drinking it as it does work that quickly for me.
Hypos will happen and at first they will be scary both to your son and you, keep calm, get a blood test done and get something inside your son quickly and I know it is easy for me to say but keep calm, if he resists help all the shouting in the world wont help. He will soon learn the warning signs and be able to treat prior to the hypo developing.
As a parent all you can do is be there for him because he will need propping up occasionally so your support and lending an ear will be invaluable. Also, dont blame yourselves, there is nothing you could’ve done to prevent this condition occurring.

Good luck

Gary, I tend to feel ‘low’ and then go eat something (sometimes after testing) most days, but I’m rarely significantly hypo unless I’ve got very confused and injected myself twice. The Novopen Echo is the best one to get as it has a little screen to tell you what insulin you had last and how long ago, and saves me from myself.

I’ve only been so hypo I couldn’t help myself once.

grilla

Been there, ended up using an elastic hairband rolled to top,middle or bottom of pen. (Morning , Lunch, Dinner)

Defo got to get the “Novopen Echo” so cheers for that !!

Another type 1 here – I’ve co-driven on rallies so nothing stopping you competing in Motorsport!

Lucozade works best when I go hypo, I carry it around with me everywhere I go. These days the first sign is being confused, first noticed this about ten years ago on a ferry on the way back from the Isle of Man, was playing monopoly with the family and couldn’t work out how much change to give! Can’t recall that happening before that, just the usual sweating.

One piece of advice I’d give is to be realistic, it’ll take time to get used to it by you all. When I was young and going hypo I’d sometimes refuse to cooperate and my parents would literally have to sit on me and pin me to the floor and force me to have some sugar or whatever. But it saved my life!

Only other thing my mum said to me when leaving home for the first time, maybe she was a bit paranoid but she told me that if I ever got arrested the n to tell them I was diabetic. You don’t want to be going hypo locked in a cell with them ignoring your pleas for help…. Luckily never had to test that one out….

Does anyone have any advice on drawing blood. It’s just taken me three attempts before lunch and I’m finding it quite frustrating.

If you’ve not done so already, try a new lancet and turn the device up? There’s often different heads provided for the finger pricker too.

After 10 billion blood tests I have fingertips made of rhino horn but I can still usually get blood first time. You don’t need an awful lot for modern testing machines. You can draw blood from other locations too, but you should probably get pro advice on that.

After 10 billion blood tests I have fingertips made of rhino horn

Same here. Every so often, I’ll use a stanley knife of similar to get rid of the hardened skin (the DSN’s don’t really like this!!!)

If you’re hands are cold, warm them up first.

I use the sides of the end of my fingers. If one doesn’t work, I just use another finger or change the depth of the lancet on teh pricker doodah

Have you had a ‘spurter’ yet? Once in a while, click, squeeze and WHOOSH!! Claret sprayed all over the place! Always makes me laugh, No one else seems to appreciate it though!

Warm hands and try holding your hand below your waist when standing for a few minutes, gets the blood down into the fingers. Sometimes it just doesn’t work though. Try to vary which finger you use, it works the vast majority of the time 🙂

Oh and I’d also recommend the DAFNE course. I did one a year ago and it really opened my eyes. Wish I’d had that years ago.

Son is doing well, us probably less so. He is struggling to inject though, find in the morning, but takes him ages in the evening.

I know how difficult it must be for him, and he gets a bit frustrated but I’m so so proud of him.

“You were lucky” post- when I was a kid, at first my mum did my injections but we soon switched to have me doing them. Could not do it- I’d put them against the skin and push but I just froze up before it went in. So they gave me this:

(not exactly this version, but basically the same). A bolt-action syringe rifle that got around the problem by firing the needle into my leg at a million miles an hour. Slight downside being that usually, if you hit a sore bit, you just stop and move. Not with the insulin howitzer though, wherever you point it, there is where the syringe is going. Ow, very ow.

Northwind, I had one of those as a kid too, so glad things moved on from that, the glass syringes you had to sterilise and you never quite got all the meths out so the resulting injection used to sting like buggery and the re-usable stainless needles that were about 1.5mm diameter and blunt on the first use let alone the 10th or more!!!

The injections will become normal very soon. After a while you don’t really think about it and just do it.

Actually sometimes you do think about it, and they are always much more difficult to administer. Sounds like your son is doing well so far, which is great news

Gary i am the same. The morning injections are fairly easy but in the evening i find myself taking too long with the needle hovering over my skin. I’m trying to approach it like riding my bike. If you think too much about a tricky section you won’t do it.

FWIW if it was one of my children going through this i would be beside myself with worry. I’m glad its me and not them.

FWIW if it was one of my children going through this i would be beside myself with worry. I’m glad its me and not them.

Yeh I know what you mean. I wish it was me, not him.

re sore fingertips guys i use my triceps muscle area for blood testing…saw it on a patient info leaflet years ago (yes i actually read those things!)as was sick of the soreness/inflamation and was worried about infection when out on bike, cycling jerseys are just long enough to keep the area mud free and it honestly never hurts! current mrs is a a nurse (ex diabetic specialist)who now advises patients to try it after seeing me do it

re sore fingertips guys i use my triceps muscle area for blood testing…saw it on a patient info leaflet years ago (yes i actually read those things!)as was sick of the soreness/inflamation and was worried about infection when out on bike, cycling jerseys are just long enough to keep the area mud free and it honestly never hurts! current mrs is a a nurse (ex diabetic specialist)who now advises patients to try it after seeing me do it

Injections. There is a more advanced delivery system which fires the insulin through the skin, not sure if that is for type 1. Good luck OP my Nan had to inject every day and with the old school syringes.

I always inject into my belly area, there seems to be very few nerve endings around there. If you place the needle gentle against your skin first you will feel if there is a nerve in the area and can just move if you feel the slightest twinge. Make sure to go straight in and out to stop the needle tip “cutting” circles inside which leads to hardening/scaring.

Still hate careless Phlebotomists though

He’s doing okay with his injections now but his blood levels aren’t really come down that much, guess it just takes a bit of tweaking.

He is getting sore fingers so I’ll mention the triceps area to him.

When I was first diagnosed my parents did my injections for the first few weeks (one would sit on me to hold me down, the other would inject. Then decided one day I’d go for it, never stopped since. So sounds like he’s doing better than me so far.

It’ll become second nature before long, and it’ll fit in with his lifestyle without him thinking too much about it.

😀

After twenty years I can’t remember what its like not to be special have Type 1 diabetes..!

I got it for my 24th birthday so can’t imagine what it must be like to have to get to grips with it as a child.

Be aware though, tests from arms aren’t as “up to date” as fingertip ones.
I do my fasting tests from my forearms, but when there’s active bolus insulin kicking about, fingertips.

https://www.accu-chek.com/us/glucose-monitoring/alternate-site-testing.html

Gaaagghhh!!

Got a letter from the GP practice nurse asking me to go for a 6 month check at their ‘Diabetes Clinic’ and enclosed a blood test form.

It’s always a joy, last time I had to explain to her what an insulin pump is and how it works 😯

The blood test form also has ‘fasting’ checked. I asked about fasting tests at the hospital (they never ask for a fasting test) and they said it’s only of any use to diagnose someone as having diabetes. Quite clearly as I’ve been under their care for over 20 years, I certainly do have diabetes. They went on to say that they don’t want to know what my levels are fasting as it’s not relevant. They do want to know what my levels are when I’m doing normal things, i.e. not fasting.

Seems like I need educate the nurse again 😯

Just been looking at the runsweet forum about running. Seems really complicated. Hope its not going to be too hard getting back on my bike.

Gary, I’m a couple of weeks ahead of your son and I’m starting to get used to the finger pricking and injections now. I had a bit of a rough patch a week or so back when it was getting to me a fair bit but now it’s becoming normal and much easier.

I’m looking forward to getting back to normal(ish) life soon and am feeling stronger and happier.

Heh, my GP wisely has nothing to do with my diabetes. I wouldn’t be educating the nurse, I’d just be declining the appointment, if I was you.

Fasting tests can be useful though when working out basal vs bolus, mind. That’s obviously not what they have in mind here though

Fasting tests can be useful though when working out basal vs bolus, mind. That’s obviously not what they have in mind here though

I’m on a pump and there is a fasting element involved in getting the basal rate set properly, but that got nothing to do with what the nurse wants.

I’d love to politely decline the appointment, but if you do they get all arsey about repeat prescriptions, and I can’t be bothered with the hassle!

Speckledbob
Exercise can be a daunting thing with an insulin regime, but it’s manageable, just like everything else. It will seem complicated at first, but will soon become routine. I find the pump excellent for all kinds of exercise, but realistically, you’re a little way off a pump yet. It’s probably worth you investigating pumps though to see if it might suit you, then asking your hospital team for what you’d need to do if you think you want to go that way

Suppose i just need to get out and see what happens. We’re supposed to be moving in a couple of weeks to place which is very accessible to the canal. I’ll take the kids to look after me.?