[timmy]

Hi Everyone,

I have just been diagnosed (lets say 90% sure) with type 1: i have the usual symptoms of tiredness/fatigue, drinking heaps, lost a heap of weight, blurred vision all within a space of about 1-2 weeks. I just had some bloods done this morning, after a prick test as well as a wee sample. My blood sugar is off the charts as are my ketones.
To be honest im having a difficult time with this, as i assume most do. As per the title thread, im a semi-serious triathlete who also weight trains as well as the whole swim/bike/run thing. The races and training i do never last more than an hour (sprint triathlons). But i have so many questions, im so green at this.
As shallow as this may seem, i havent done any exercise for a week and i feel crap. I swear i have ocd with training. Will i be able to train hard and do triathlons still? I feel real lethargic at the moment, so when i see a specialist, how long does it take to bring my body back down to normal bg/insulin levels? Is there alot of trial and error involved? I feel as though im wasting away here. And strangely, on the flip side, i hear stories of how people have trouble losing weight (cant find normalized values thus eat much more glucose than needed)?
I have also heard you shouldnt exercise at night is that true? I do some of my training at night and am a bit worried about the impacts. Is there any athletic folk available for a chat with type 1? Im not even on insulin, yet all i can think about is 'i have to run for 45 mins at high intensity in 30 mins time and my levels are ___, should i have some jellybeans or some insulin'?!! How much should i have? Should i have eaten the high GI carbs about an hour earlier and expect the peak and run with it? How does my diet which is full of protein (shakes, chiicken etc) with brown rice effect diabtes? Salt?

Needless to say im confused and rather panicked. I feel exhausted and just want a big hit of something so i can continue the sport i love. It impacts me, my wife and my lil 2yo boy, because im just out of energy and want to know so much about how to control/manage it so i can continue on the way things were.
Thanks for being my ears, im the only person i know with type 1 so im very lost on the issue.
Cheers.
Tim

 

[Shanny]

Hello Tim. This is a major shock which impacts your whole future, and you'll need to spend some time now learning the ropes and getting stabilized. Is there some reason your doc gave you the diagnosis, but didn't start you on insulin?

Until you get on insulin & begin to get your numbers down & stable, you'll prob'ly go on feeling like heck. Other type 1 members will can give you better advice than I, but if you doc isn't moving on this, you may have to knock his door down.

Take a few deep breaths and get after your doc for a plan. You need to get your numbers down before you continue such intensive exercise. While training at night isn't a danger that I know of, training while your numbers are so high can cause repercussions.

 

[David Burke]

Shanny has given some good advice. When you discuss your exercise regimen with your doc, make sure you discuss your concerns and desires. I've known T1 to do P90 and Insanity workout programs, so I don't think you will have a problem once you are on a plan.

This may seem odd to some on this site, but you might want to head over to the local bookstore, find a copy of "Diabetes for dummies" and read the chapter on exercise. It offers some good insight on how to handle strenuous exercise over long periods for diabetics.

Good luck and remember to breathe.

 

[timmy]

Shanny- thanks for that. Yep huge shock to say the least. I guess the doc didnt give me insulin, maybe because all i did was a wee test and prick test (BS off the wall, ketones so high they didnt even register apparently?). I have another appnt. tomorrow and as far as im aware they send you on to a specialist with diabetes of sorts? I feel like 'heck' now, does it take long to get the blood sugar levels stabilised?

David- thanks for that, i have become a bit of a book nerd on this stuff, mostly online though. Funny you mention the book though, im heading to the library this arvo :hippie:

cheers,
tim

 

[Donella]

Hello Tim nice to meet ya.My husband was just DX type 2 on Nov 30th. He also had blurred vision and thirst and urination every 20 minutes or so. We now have his BS in the normal range mainly due to his diet cutting out carbs and eating high fat. I have been a big enough basket case for both of us. I felt the same way like he was withering away. I think there is some trial and error for sure we have gone through 2 different meds but he is now just on metformin 500 twice a day. I know nothing of type 1 and very little about type 2 but you learn really fast and this forum is a God send for sure. There are plenty of type 1 here that can answer many of your questions. Just know that it will get better. Keep us informed on ur test results.

 

[timmy]

Thanks Donella, yeh the lost weight is a bit crazy. Im eating diabetic ice-cream purely because a) i never eat icecream and b) it hopefully wont affect my insulin and 3) its not exactly going to put weight on!....i look forward to using this site a bit in helping understand what diabetes is all about

 

[Shanny]

The thing that worries me, Tim, is that your blood sugar & ketones both are off the charts. That's a perfect setup for DKA, and your doc should've taken immediate steps. If you get any worse - nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, rapid breathing or trouble breathing, don't wait for your dr. appointment. Get yourself to ER on the double.

 

[timmy]

Thanks Shanny, my wife and i questioned why i wasnt given something to bring me back down a bit. I dont know. Maybe he wanted conformation by blood. His advice was not to eat much sugar and rest and dont move much. Kinda goes against everything i do haha, but indeed im watching ice age with my little boy at the moment. So far no nausea, vomiting or any probs, touch wood.

 

[Shanny]

Thanks Shanny, my wife and i questioned why i wasnt given something to bring me back down a bit. I dont know. Maybe he wanted conformation by blood. His advice was not to eat much sugar and rest and dont move much. Kinda goes against everything i do haha, but indeed im watching ice age with my little boy at the moment. So far no nausea, vomiting or any probs, touch wood.

Well, your little boy is LOVING this then, eh?!

Your doc's advice to just avoid eating sugar shows exactly how much he knows about this. Literally nothing. You need to avoid ANY carbs, not just sugar . . . bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta - anything made with white flour or sugar, anything made with cereal grains (corn, rice, wheat, oats). If you have any notion that what you're eating contains carbohydrate, don't eat it.

 

[timmy]

chicken and salad/veggies it is then
kinda sounds like what i eat already....i assume once my insulin isunder control i can factor in brown rice again etc. Thakns for that shanny :thumb:

 

[Guest]

Hi Timmy and welcome to DF from the other coast of Australia.

Shanny has given you great advice about avoiding all carbohydrates. One other thing to avoid that might not be immediately obvious is most fruit, with strawberries and blueberries being exceptions. This means no stone fruit (difficult right now as the shops and market stalls are full of luscious, juicy peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines) or citrus. I'm a T2, but find I'm highly susceptible to citrus, for some reason - even the tiny amount of lemon in a baked cheesecake can put my BG up.

It's hard to see the way ahead with such a diagnosis and the lifelong, drastic changes you are having to make to your whole life, but there is life after a diabetes diagnosis and I'm sure you will find a way to continue with your sport. I know a teenager who was diagnosed with T1 at 13 and has continued to compete in swimming at national interschool level, so it can be done!

 

[jwags]

If you are truely a Type 1, you have to have insulin to live. Type 1 is an autoimmune attack on your pancreatic cells, killing them off , so they don't produce any insulin. Without insulin your bgs will spike dangerously high. When they get very high and you have no way to bring them down you could go into something called DKA. You need to get on a long acting basal insulin and a fast acting bolus insulin at meals to bring those bgs down. Changing diet alone will not be enough. As far as the training it is advised that if your bgs are above 200-250 you should not be exercising because of the risk of dehyration and DKA. Once you get your bgs down you can restart your training. There is a great website and author who specializes in Diabetic Atleletes. Her name is Sheri Colberg Dr. Sheri Colberg | Author, Fitness Expert, Diabetes Expert, Researcher, Lecturer

 

[David Burke]

@jwags

Good to know. I'll check the site after work.

 

[David Burke]

Timmy,

All is not lost. There are several top level athletes with DM. From NFL to Ironman triathletes and everywhere in between. One place to look is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Here you can find tales of what they do to manage their DM and still compete.

I'd post the link but I'm not sure how on my new phone just yet

 

[Richard157]

Timmy, you should be seeing an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist) for your diagnosis and prescribed treatment. I was diagnosed in 1945, when I was 6, and have used insulin for 66 years. With insulin you can have good control, and have a long healthy life.

Good luck to you in the months ahead!

Richard

 

[timmy]

thanks for your responses guys! I see the doc this afternoon so i will let you know the outcome and what the plan is from here. Thanks again

 

[timmy]

Well guys its been confirmed, im now type 1. blood glucose of 17 (not sure of the measurement, mmols?).
In any event im just on some basal lantus 10mgs (low dose i assume) until a specialist calls me tomorrow (hopefully!) once a day to try and bring the bs down a bit until i see said specialist.
Big muck around at the doctors though, the chemist had lantus but no needle tips, so the nurse had to show me how to inject without injecting anything. I dont have much body fat so i had to drive to a different chemist for 4mm needles and inject myself when i got home. Pretty simple though thankfully! I have 5 boxes of lantus, enough to sink a ship!
I asked doctor if i should continue to lo-carb to help reduce my insulin levels but he didnt really have much of a clue. My doc has been good to me with everything throughout my life but he admitted type 1 he isnt a specialist on as he mostly sees type 2. So i have zero info on wether to continue lo-carbing or not. I must admit im craving SOME carbs. A peice of toast would be good!

Can i please ask a question? Do you have to inject after every meal as a type 1?

Thanks for the replies guys. I have made some tables/graphs/spreadsheets up already of exercise/duration/intensity/time, lantus dose, bolus dose, grams of carbs, bs reading etc....about 500 different columns
Anyway my first jab tonight for the rest of my life.

 

[David Burke]

If you are taking ONlY Lantus then you inject once or twice a day depending on how well it works for you.

The rest I'll get back to you on. I'm heading off to work now, but I felt that needed to be addressed.

 

[David Burke]

Ok, got a couple minutes so I'll answer a few more.

Your reading of 17 was in mmol/l. That equals about 306 mg/dl. So still high. 10 units of Lantus is a good start. Though depending on exercise levels I woul expect it to go up a little.

Ease gently slowly back into your exercise regimen. You don't want to bottom out. Keep glucose tablets with you at all times, two of those can raise your BG about 30 points in 30 minutes. Good for when you go too low, but you will need to eat something shortly after using them, within an hour or so.

Oh, and since you are on insulin you can have carbs. I've redone my diet and cut my carbs by one-fourth, limiting to 200 per day. I expect that to drop even more.

Just remember to work with your docs at the start then find what works for you

 

[Jeremymc1]

Hi Timmy,

Welcome and sorry to hear about your diagnosis. The good news is that this is something you can live with. It will take quite a bit of experimentation and learning over time, but you will get a hold of it. In regards to training, you can certainly still train. I am type 1 and play some pretty heavy soccer and am able to manage it just fine. Not to overload you or create more questions, but I ended up switching to an insulin pump which has helped a great deal in both my blood sugar and my overall management of this disease. As Richard said, you need to see a specialist. Most type 1 diabetics and I am sure many type 2 diabetics see an endocrinologist. To answer one of your questions, you will take your fast acting insulin (when you get it) before your meals. One thing I did to get a handle on my diabetes is the following. I cut my carbs out. Completely. I brought my numbers down with my insulin. Once my numbers were down to a "normal" level, I started bringing carbs back into the picture while learning my ratio (how much insulin I need to take per the amount of carbs I take in). I still eat pretty low carb, but you don't necessarily have to. With insulin, you can manage carbs (a luxury for type 1 diabetics), but I find it easier to manage "my" diabetes with low carb. One more important thing. Nobody knows your ratios. How your body reacts to insulin is individual, same with carbs. You will figure out how much insulin you take to bring your blood glucose levels down, how much you need to take to account for carbs, how many carbs you need to take in to bring your blood glucose up if low, etc. Again, nobody else (besides your Dr) can tell you what those ratios are or how much insulin you can take.

I remember feeling lost like you and this forum was a huge help. I and others are more than happy to help you as you gain control of this. Ask as many questions as you want, we are all here to help each other. You sound like a fairly disciplined individual, so I am confident you will be fine

Cheers,

Jeremy