PLEASE HELP!

[robbiecriss]

Son, 22 just diagnosed with type 1 five days ago. Taking long term 30 units in the morning and fast acting 6, 10, 12 units at meals respectively. Numbers fluctuating between 300 and one time yesterday it even went as low as 56. He is getting very frustrated not getting things stable. Any ideas? He is in great athletic shape, needs to gain weight and wants to get it all stable so he can return to his university and graduate in 6 weeks. VERY frustrating! PLEASE HELP!

[klrva]

Would start out by just trying to stay calm and eat low carb food initially ; the hospital throws this crash course at you about carb counting ; what 22 year old wants to think about carb counting??? the big issue is so much bigger than this .  it will soon be something that he instinctively can estimate and knows what foods will satisfy him at the time and how much insulin he needs.  It is a mind boggling experience.  But I would recommend know ing that carbs cause spikes, start out low carb and see how he does ; add carbs slowly and see how they affect his sugar level.  just eat healthy / good food / many things don't cause much of a rise in sugar at all.  it is the insulin that is causing the drop to 56 . eat complex carbs that are slow to digest so they won't spike his blood sugar quickly ; some good ones lima beans,  eat lots of vegetables , can eat eggs and cheese and not worry about insulin really.. It is a trial and error effort at best .  It is a pain to deal with initially but will become more routine .  the goal is always to keep blood sugar as close to normal as possible.  if I had it to do over again, I would do as I am telling you.  My son diagnosed at 16.  Also , check out vitamins and supplements that can help diabetics.  vitamin d3 for one for sure every day and magnesium and zinc.

[speak1]

I was the same age and place in college as your son when I was diagnosed with Type 1 as well. It does take time, learning, life adjustments, and lots of support as others have posted when your life changes so suddenly and unexpectedly. The best thing I ever did to get and keep my diabetes under better control was to switch from multiple daily injections to an insulin pump. A pump is not for everyone and takes a lot of commitment, but it is the closest thing to a functioning pancreas the medical community has developed. It is certainly worth the time to research and talk to your son's endocrinologist and diabetes educator about. I would love to hear how your son is doing.

[gamester21]

i was gotmilkman they removed my acct cause they suck...lol

[gotmilkman]

and also, if he is taking other meds like prednisone or something it can raise sugar levels or lower them drastically, you will find what works for you,

[gotmilkman]

Same thin happened to me, diet is big thing though it really sux, i was 56 to 400, i drink coke zero and watch sugar, when it goes that low he may be taking too much try 20 units and if it goes that low eat, oj maybe a candybar, 56 is dangerously low and you can die or go into shock, now i drink coke zero, use splenda watch sugars and I dont even feel like I need insulins anymore just by controlling my diet my levels seem good, dont forget the scale your endocrinologist should have gave you one, meaning check his sugar before a meal, if its below a number or above you may take 4-12 units more or less, and yea a week isnt enough, and it fn ***** i'm sorry he's going through that, i was urinating blood clots at one point and had kidney issues, thats how i found out i had it, feel free to msg me, i have been there

[Lotty1986]

Hi there, does he carb count? That is really essential to getting things as close to constant as possible. I would also suggest testing every hour or so in the early days so he can see when things are dropping or going through the roof!

[BPetree]

Like Super Sally said your just starting this and it can't be fixed in a week, your son needs and educator to work with him, these people are life savers and the first month your gonna have to not "freak out" over highs and lows. As long as they aren't crazy highs and lows. Your gonna have to learn to count carbs and figure out how much insulin he needs at each meal, you said he is athletic does he still work out? Working out can help bring those numbers down. when are your sons numbers the highest? And when did he hit 56? My guess is he is real high in the morning and is trying to fight that number and between lunch and dinner he gets "low"

[Super_sally888]

Hello,

you are only 5 days in.  So you and he are going to have a very steep learning curve.  It will get better.

He is going to need to learn how to best adjust and manage his insulin dosing.  It does take time.  5 days is so early in the process.

Does he have a diabetes educator working with him / someone to guide him.

He is going to need to do some testing on how to adjust his insulin.

1. Basal testing.  This will let his get his long acting insulin dose optimized.
2. Bolus testing.  This means he will match the amount of insulin he used to the amount of carbs and protein he eats.

I highly recommend the following books:-

1. Diabetes solutions by Dr. Richard Bernstein.  Dr. Bernstein also has a u-tube lecture series (search for Bernstein Diabetes University).  He can learn heaps.
2. Think like a pancreas.
3. Using Insulin.

I also highly recommend he joins and becomes active in the online patient to patient support communities.  This is one.