green_dragon Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 For the last 2 weeks I've been drinking shed loads of water, like 6 litres a day!! I put this down to the hot weather and sweating a lot. But last Thursday I finished work a bit early, so I called at the doc's just to make sure there wasn't a problem. The doctor asked the nurse to do a piss test, and then they all started running round and called me in for a blood test, WTF! And then the verdict.. Yep, you've got diabetes. SHIT! I had to go to the hospital where they were waiting to admit me for the night my blood sugar level was off the scale at the GP's, and off the scale in the hospital. Get this though, your blood sugar level should be 4-6mmol/L, when my blood test came back from the lab, it was 52.8mmo/L. They said they'd never seen such a high level on someone not in a coma So now I have to inject myself at least twice a day with insulin! GREAT Who else has got TYPE 1 Diabetes, and how does it affect your life? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Blimey, sounds like they diagnosed you just in time ! It shouldn't effect your life at all mate once you get used to the injections. Have given you a new dietary routine to follow as well high fibre low sugar ? I believe Sir Steve Redgrave has diabetes, he has done alright chin up mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markymark Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Good you caught it when you did - that's a bit scary I'm sure! I know a few people with diabetes, and they live normal lives (apart from the insulin). Just think you have to re-think your diet etc... if you drink, you have to be careful & obviously, the more you know about the condition, the easier it will be to control! I'm sure it's the worst news possible for you, but there is so much available now to help (internet for advice, diabetic sections in supermarkets etc...) Colsoop is right - chin up mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Sorry to hear that Chris, my dad is type 2 and is on pills each day... and I have a feeling I'll inhertit it too one day. Dont let it get you down, they're working hard on treatments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underworld Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Damn glad you are ok! I have pretty weird blood sugar levels too, they drop quite easy making me feel ill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markymark Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 oh also forgot - if you have a look on the internet, there will be LOADS of diabetes forums etc... where you can ask people directly who have the condition to answer a lot of the questions you have - plus, my friend belongs to ones & she would be lost without it - she says the advice, friendship & support is amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Sorry to hear that Chris, my dad is type 2 and is on pills each day... and I have a feeling I'll inhertit it too one day. Dont let it get you down, they're working hard on treatments. Ditto. Sister already touch and go when she was preggers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucifer Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Sorry to hear this. Its in my family alot and im dreading the day TBH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_dragon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Thanks for all the replies guys. This is why even though I don't drive a Supra any more, I might still stick arround to be part of this warm caring community I've just been on some Diabetes sites, there are thousands of people get it, and once you come to terms with it they say you hardly even notice it Must be worse for kids i guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Sorry to hear that Chris, but as people have already said, treatments and knowledge on diabetes and diets etc. these days are much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieSteve Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Damn Diabetes can be a burden on you but it's controllable if your carefull. Have a word with Tom (ahhh aristo). Sure he can give you some advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Poor you. My sister was diagnosed at age 7 after she started drinking water excessively to the point where she was drinking from the bathroom tap! She has coped with it ever since, started off with old fashioned needles 3 times a day but now has a handy pen injection thing that you can put through clothing and is very discrete. Let me know if you have any questions about anything and I'll pass them on for you. Good luck with it all. As long as you are sensible and don't go for long periods of time without food etc and test your blood regularly you should be fine. (my sister has been in intensive care a few times with not taking proper care of herself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Man Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 type 1 usually start at early in life anyway, sugar level not under control bring a string of problem like glaucoma, skin infection from small cut, nerve at limbs start fails etc etc. Look after yourself dude. My grandfather and father are both type2 so I think I will be next. China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 For what it's worth, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 5 years ago. I really thought my life was coming to an end. As it is, I have something called 'fresh fruit syndrome' which means I'm allergic to almost all fruit, veg and salads. So for me, being diagnosed diabetic was pretty crappy. However, after about 6 months of being selfish, I began to realise that there are far worse things that could happen. Far worse. Slowly I began to come to terms with it, and now, apart from needing to take pills 3 times a day, I don't really suffer. One thing I will say, is make sure you eat regularly & properly. My work has pretty much turned upside down over the last year, and I haven't really been eating properly. As a result, I've lost a fair bit of weight, and it's a real struggle to put it back on again. Life goes on, and you will get used to it, but I'm not suprised if you feel preyy crappy right now. You'll be alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattanna Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Thanks for all the replies guys. This is why even though I don't drive a Supra any more, I might still stick arround to be part of this warm caring community I've just been on some Diabetes sites, there are thousands of people get it, and once you come to terms with it they say you hardly even notice it Must be worse for kids i guess! I have had type 1 since i was 18 and am now 33, my blood sugar was nearly 70 when diagnosed, i am also a charge nurse in intensive care and was a transplant co-ordinator so know the consequences of not looking after it, if you take good care of yourself there will be no probs, i still drink, drive the supra, have 2 kids etc etc and have had no bother, it does catch you out time to time but you must never be afraid of it and you will be fine, if there is anything you need help with please let me know, incidentally there has never been anyone in my family with the illness and i have it, type 2 is a different ball game and results from ageing and puttting on too much weight etc etc, type one is a different cause related to immune system malfunction, when you get used to it ask to go on basal bolus system, can mean 4 injections a day, but for the last 6+ years i have had average blood glucose levels the same as someone who does not have it, a lot to take in, like i said any questions let me know cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 type 2 is a different ball game and results from ageing and puttting on too much weight etc etc, Matt I was 32 when I was diagnosed, I was 5'10 weighing 11 stone. In fact, I've never been overweight in my life.... I've been told it's just a matter of time before I'm going to be type 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daston Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 sorry to hear this! What happens if you have a phobia of needles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 sorry to hear this! What happens if you have a phobia of needles? Like me? - Simple, panic every time I have a blood test, and look the other way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_dragon Posted July 9, 2006 Author Share Posted July 9, 2006 Thanks again for all the encouragement! I'm starting to feel ok about it now. All the people who have offered help, I will definately take you up on that. I've got a couple of questions at the moment, and the advice phone no they gave me is not answering! Handy. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Post them up on here, or PM. I'm sure whatever you're wondering, some of us have been there already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black cat Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 glad to see you r ok mate, bet thet was a shocker.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_dragon Posted July 9, 2006 Author Share Posted July 9, 2006 Post them up on here, or PM. I'm sure whatever you're wondering, some of us have been there already Ok then, cheers mate, What do you keep your BG at? I can't seem to ge mine below 16mmo/L If your BG gets too high, do you wait until your next insulin dose is due or inject another dose to level it off? If you want to eat say, a sweet pudding or something, can you increase your insulin to compensate or is it just out of the question? Same thing for beer, if you want ohave more than a couple of pints. What sort of things make you ill? From what I understand, a 'Hypo' is caused by a lack of sugar in the body, so can you have too much to cause a problem? Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Well, some of that I can't answer as I'm still on medication, but as for too much, or not enough, you'll soon begin to 'feel' how your blood is doing. Too high and you'll begin to feel lathargic, ache a bit, and generally feel grotty, too low, and you'll start to get a bit jittery and feel light-headed. Hopefully someone insulin dependant will be able answer your other questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattanna Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Ok then, cheers mate, What do you keep your BG at? I can't seem to ge mine below 16mmo/L If your BG gets too high, do you wait until your next insulin dose is due or inject another dose to level it off? If you want to eat say, a sweet pudding or something, can you increase your insulin to compensate or is it just out of the question? Same thing for beer, if you want ohave more than a couple of pints. What sort of things make you ill? From what I understand, a 'Hypo' is caused by a lack of sugar in the body, so can you have too much to cause a problem? Thanks, Chris 16 is too high, it depends what regime you are on, for insatnce i give a long acting insulin every night which keeps the blood sugar at a level, then before i want to eat i give a fast acting insulin, if i am going to eat more or something with more carbohydrates i can give more insulin, the advantage with this system is that if i am busy and cannot eat as long as i do not give fast acting insulin i do not have to worry. Insulin breaks carbohydrate in your bloodstream into a usable form by the body(glucose), most people eat whatever they want and their pancreas secretes the correct amount of insulin to break that into energy, but not too much as to cause you to have a hypo. A hypo is caused by having too much insulin or not enough sugar in the bloodstream, it is like the glass half full/empty thing. I.E as a diabetic your body produces no insulin therfore you have to inject yours and then eat accordingly to that amount, if you eat too much sugar compared to the insulin you have give blood sugar will rise, if you do not eat enough your blood sugar will fall, it is a bit trial and error as some foods affect people a different way, the general rule is to eat more starch products such as pasta, brown bread, potatoes as they produce sugar more steadily. For instance there is the same amount of sugar in a mars bar as in about 2 thick slices of bread, the mars bar however is already in glucose form so when you eat it all of that sugar is in your bloodstream in about 15 mins and your insulin needs to work on a large amount all at once, hence blood sugar going up, if you eat the bread this is a complex form of carbohydrate and takes longer to be broken down into neat glucose, therefore the glucose is released into the body over about 2 hours therefore making it easier for the insulin to use it and not raising sugar too high, this is why a bowl of shreddies etc keeps you going until dinner time as it gives you bursts of energy at intervals, the mars bars sugar would be gone in about 30 mins or you would have high blood sugar. If your blood glucose goes low you need to get it raised as you will become confused and possibly unconscious, the brain can only work properly with glucose as this is its main fuel.Lucozade brings it up brilliantly, about a quarter of a small bottle, you should then eat something long actin like toast to keep it level. As far as drinking goes i have learnt the hard way over the years, you should never drink without eating, there is sugar in beer etc, but alcohol itself lowers blood sugar so do not substitute food for beer thinking it will do.Stronger lagers like Stella have less sugar, whisky , brandy, bacardi etc have no sugar in them at all, bitters and guinness contain a lot of sugar an should probably be avoided. The thing with drinking is not get so drunk that you cannot remeber whether or not you have taken insulin, as a double dose or no dose would not be good, also if you collapse on the street with a hypo, someone may see that you have been drinking and leave you as a drunk when your low blood sugar is the main problem, also if you are feeling sick with a hangover the next day remember you still need to give insulin, and it may be difficult to eat anything!!.It wil get easier, make sure you keep in touch with diabetic nurse etc, test your blood sugar regularly about 4 times a day, if it is low before going to bed(lower than 5) eat a bowl of cereal or something, and aim to keep your blood sugar betwen about 6-10, you will always have blips, generally speaking if your blood sugar goes high you need insulin to bring it down, you will either be eating too much carbohydrate or giving too little insulin. Remember that foods that contain no sugar like cheese, eggs, meat are good to snack on as they won't affect blood sugar but they are fattening, try and keep fit by doing moderate exercise too, sorry it's so long winded but that is good advice, and i am happy to be contacted if you have any probs.As far as type 2 goes it is a different disease proces to type 1, type 1 have total insulin production failure , whereas type 2 have some insulin production which can then tail off to none and they will need insulin, this does not make you type 1 it makes you type 2 on insulin, they are clasified by disease cause, and they are caused by different mechanisms, type 1 being autoimmune, hope this helps cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Wow, sorry to hear this mate. Do you know which drugs you will be using? There are loads of great methods of administering it like Charlotte mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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