[cjz]

Hello, my name is Cary. I'm 24 years old and I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes a couple of weeks ago. I'm joining this site in hopes that I can get some help in dealing with my new life. I have so many questions and I don't know where to begin. The "support" staff at the doctor's office seem to act more annoyed than concerned when I ask them for any advice. Anyways, I'm hoping that I can get some advice from some of you, and I hope to eventually be able to give some advice of my own.

I'm finding it really tough to keep my blood sugar down. I've been counting carbs so precisely, yet I can go from a 130 before a meal to 250 despite taking the recommended insulin dosage per carb count. Is my blood sugar always going to be so volatile? I get scared and angry whenever I see anything over 180. This is so frustrating.

 

[beefy]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

There's many type I's on here who can give you help and advice.

I'm a Type II, but I strongly believe one of the best things to do as an adult-onset with Type I is not just count carbs, but REDUCE them. It's very possible (even likely) that you're insulin-resistant (an adult-onset type I that's seeing spikes to 250 when counting carbs and bolusing the correct dosage indicates this), so lowering your overall intake of carbohydrate will help not only prevent blood glucose spikes, but help reduce the amount of insulin you'll need by doing so.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is read Dr. Richard K. Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution" book - it's got great advice. He recommends EXTREMELY tight carb control, and not everybody needs to reduce to as low carb as he recommends - but it's a great place to start. Most libraries have it, and much of it is online free - so it's not necessary to purchase it to get the info contained therein.

Good luck, and :welcome: from me!

 

[magicplinger]

Hi, Cary. We have some type 1's here who have had diabetes for many years, but they are healthy because they have tight control of their bg. They and others can be very helpful to you with any questions you might have, so ask away. Welcome.

Froggie

 

[Richard157]

Hi Cary, welcome! It seems you need to adjust your premeal dosages. Do you have an insulin:carb ratio? I use a 1:6 ratio at breakfast. A 1:6 ratio means I need 1 unit of fast acting insulin for every 6 carbs I eat. If I started consistently having high blood sugar two hours after breakfast , I would change my ratio to 1:5. If I was still having highs, I would try 1:4. By experimenting, I would eventually find the ratio that works best, and eliminates the highs.

Carb ratios can vary throughout the day. I use a 1:8 ratio at lunch, and a 1:10 ratio in the late evening. I discovered all my ratios by experimenting as described in the first paragraph.

The book "Using Insulin" by John Walsh would help you a lot with ratios, and much more. If you ever use an insulin pump you could use the book "Pumping Insulin" by the same author.

Richard

 

[optimist]

Hi, and welcome!
I`m also type 1 and have been on insulin for 13 months.
I guess you still are in the honeymoon. It`s not easy to calcuate how much insulin you need when your own body suddenly produce insulin.
I used several weeks before I started to think I knew a little what was happening with my rollercoaster-BG.
For me life with diabetes became much easier when I started to live LCHF, but I`m still learning.
You have found the right place to be.
Which insulin are you on, and how much insulin do you use?
Hope you will find this forum as supporting and filled with info as I`ve found it!

 

[cjz]

I have been told by my doctor to stick with 4 carb choices per meal (60 carbs per meal) and to use 1 unit of insulin per 30 carbs. I use Novolog befor meals and Levenin (sp?) before bed. They want me to be very strict about the amount of carbs for right now so that they can see how my body reacts to the insulin.

But my body seems to be reacting differently each day. Does it have to do with the TYPE of carbs I'm eating? Or does my body just randomly decide to produce insulin one day and then not produce any the next?

 

[optimist]

The type carbs you eat count, and for me I also see that if I eat fat together with the carbs, they dont make my BG peak so much.
But as long as you still are in the honeymoon your body will sometimes produce more insulin tha other times, and it makes it nearly impossible to avoud high and lows in your BG if you eat sp many carbs yo do.
For me I found that 40-50 carbs each day and never over 20 carbs in one meal is the right way, but you have to find your way. My carbs comes mainly from vegetables
When I got my diabetes last year I was told the same as you, but I became reaaly stressed out when I couldn`t balance my BG.
Most people in here live LCHF since this is the best way to have a steady BG and also a good life with our diabetes.

 

[cjz]

Interesting. Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice! I've got a lot to learn!