- This topic has 17 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by
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@bucco asks:Newly diagnosed adult T1 – any hints/tips?
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Hmm, now in no particular order:
* Don’t panic. Being diagnosed with an incurable chronic condition is severely crap but all is not lost. With practice, knowledge and a bit of luck you can live with diabetes without too many problems. With good control it’s unlikely your feet will rot off just yet despite what people might say.
* However, you do need to take it seriously. Ignoring the ‘betes will result in disaster sooner or later…
* Speak to other diabetics. Opinion and knowledge ;
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Some more, again in no particular order:
* Find a good pharmacist. As someone with a chronic condition you are a very valuable customer to the pharmacist. A local independent one can sometime be better than a generic Boots. Make them work for their repeat prescriptions – get them to do as much of the donkey work as possible
* You’ll need to tell the DVLA you’re diabetic. You’ll then get a three year licence which can be revoked if you have ;
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@bucco Welcome to the club. If you’re not thoroughly overwhelmed by the myriad of tips from my co-writer, I’ll add just one more. Don’t aim for perfection, it doesn’t exist. Celebrate every bit of progress you make, and every in range blood sugar you get rather than beating yourself up over the highs and lows.
And of course, spend plenty of time reading badly written blogs such as this one.
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@alison – “myriad tips” indeed! It’s quality advice
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@Tim It kills me to admit it, but as I read your top tips I did find myself nodding in agreement with every single one of them. Apart from the bit on getting free nit combs which just made me itchy.
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I’d never heard of it but Boots (who mightn’t be a nice as your local friendly pharmacist but do have a good website) tell me that it is available in some areas – you seem to need to talk to your GP who can advise on whether it is available locally http://www.boots.com/en/Pharmacy-Health/Prescription-Services/Minor-ailment-service/
That’s my new thing learned for the day, anything else is just a bonus.
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@peterchilds – Scotland does something right after all!
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Going back to @tim ‘s post#2 – you do have to tell your car insurer, but isnt it illegal for them to raise your premiums because of it? I’m sure I was told that at some point. Disability discrimination, or something.
But the chance of getting reasonable life insurance is almost nil. (If you’ve already got it, they can’t take it away, I think…)
Tip: Dont pay for increased travel insurance – there are a number of companies who specialise in people who other companies charge double for. And their prices can actually be lower…So go googling before shelling out.
Tip: redefine perfection. Perfection is not perfect blood sugars, its knowing what to do about those that are out of range. And that comes with practise (which you will get alot of).
I thought I had to apply for my certificate for free prescriptions rather than being given it – maybe I’m wrong (it was a long time ago…)
Tip: You can eat anything. Anything. ANYTHING! Ignore all those well meaing non-diabetics who tell you that you cant eat biscuits/chocolate/bananas/grapes/whatever. If you want to eat it, and you can calculate/guesstimate the carbs in it, You Can Eat It. Its your choice. -
Yes, I would second @annette‘s point that you can eat anything. No need for special diets or avoiding things – just balance the carbs versus the insulin.
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Thanks! I am lucky enough to have a Nurse Consultant (!) who tells me she is one of only 20 odd in the country, to say that she has been a godsend might not be overstating it! The GP was crap – without ever having met me had decided from the initial blood work that I was a type 2 and needed to lose weight and exercise more (I run an 8 min mile, cycle and swim regularly as well as walk three big dogs twice a day!).
Having burst out laughing at the GP and asked for a breakdown of the diagnosis I was then referred to a ‘specialist’. Oh, I was also prescribed 500mg of metformin and given a BG monitor and told ‘don’t go mad on testing yourself’.
The specialist turned out to be my NC (or DSNC) who after hearing about the symptoms, timeline and my current state as well as reviewing the results of the bloodwork immediately put me onto insulin (now been on it for a week and have had the dosage increased 50% over the last 4 days). I was told to stop the metformin, to test at least 8 times a day – and the more the better to start with as has been mentioned above, more data equals better decision making.
Am now waiting for the results of more bloodwork ‘cos they also think I might have celiac (oh the joy!). Have also now met a specialist diatician and have a follow up with the doctor in a couple of weeks.
Can’t wait to get on a DAFNE course, although have been told that I will have to wait to see if I go into a ‘honeymoon’.
So many little things to learn!
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A non-diabetic gave this saying to me from another situation, its not a tip as such but I do find the sentiment usefully applies to diabetes.
“God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference” -
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