Type 1 Diabetes

[Sunshine_1]

Hi, hope you don't mind me joining. I am Type 2 Diabetic but was Insulin from the day I walked in to Diabetic ante-natal last time, and I know I will be this time.

I can barely get my blood sugars out of double figures. I am eating all the right things, but they are flying high whenever I eat and I am feeling like everything I eat or drink is damaging my baby....I actually can't wait for Clinic tomorrow!

I think this dreadful disease causes similar problems for us all though during pregnancy, whether it's Type 1, Type 2 or Gestational...it's all injections and blood sugar tests and hypos.

 

[HellBunny]

Welcome Sunshine


Just been refused test strips yesterday and insulin. i have one pen of insulin left but no strips, just used my last one tonight and my BS is 15.1. How am i meant to go on without strips? I can't get an out of hours appt as they refuse to see me

 

[HellBunny]

Looks like i'l be hogging this thread for a while lol!

Managed to get an emergency appointment last night for insulin and test strips, my levels were high but got them down. I feel guilty for doing my baby harm i just wish this was easier, i've got my basal ok but mealtimes are a nightmare, i just dread eating because of the rubbish readings.

 

[Sunshine_1]

How come you couldn't get strips HellBunny? That's terrible care by your GP. I will admit, I stock piled strips a little when I wasn't pregnant, My daughter uses the same strips, so they wouldn't have gone to waste, and it means if I want to take my blood readings six times a day now I can.

I went to Diabetes ante-natal clinic and got given Insulin straight away, my levels are now lower, not perfect by far, but lower, and I am having to up my Insulin levels every three days until they are within range, I wish I had the freedom that my daughter has (and probably many of you do too) to alter Insulin to whatever the blood sugar readings are, but they have me on a same amount whatever regime.

 

[HellBunny]

How come you couldn't get strips HellBunny? That's terrible care by your GP. I will admit, I stock piled strips a little when I wasn't pregnant, My daughter uses the same strips, so they wouldn't have gone to waste, and it means if I want to take my blood readings six times a day now I can.

I went to Diabetes ante-natal clinic and got given Insulin straight away, my levels are now lower, not perfect by far, but lower, and I am having to up my Insulin levels every three days until they are within range, I wish I had the freedom that my daughter has (and probably many of you do too) to alter Insulin to whatever the blood sugar readings are, but they have me on a same amount whatever regime.

I'm sure theres a law about it but im going to write a complaint, he said about lack of funds which really isn't my problem, diabetes and pregnancy should equal priority, so sodd the lack of funds i want a healthy baby! Going seeing my diabetes nurse tomorrow about it.

Which insulin are you on? I'm on Levemir (background) and Novorapid with meals, its silly as they also told me (4 units with meals whatever you eat) which is wrong, i sort of carb count and inject around 1 unit per 10g carbs, insulin resistance hasn't started yet but it will be fun and games when it does! I was on around 24 units per meal last pregnancy lol, loads of hypos too!

How are your readings? Mine have been ok today but i did have an 8.4 earlier, better than double figures the other day though x

 

[Sunshine_1]

I am on Levimir and Novorapid too, but am already on 8 units with meals (well going up to 8 today) and 12 of Levimir, and at the moment haven't had a reading in range , by the end of this pregnancy I expect to be taking a Insulin pen per meal (not quite but it feels like it as I'm only six weeks gone)

I had the same problem when I was pregnant last year, it doesn't really matter what I ate or drank my Insulin resistance was just getting worse and I was needing more and more, I couldn't keep up with it. This time, as soon as I was pregnant, my body went bezerk, I was wondering before I got my BFP why my blood sugars were quite as bad as they were, because even given that it was Christmas, they were TERRIBLE.

6.8 on waking this morning though, which I was well chuffed with, only 0.8 out of range

 

[Claire123]

Hi ladies, sorry I haven't time to read your posts in detail and offer advice right now but just wanted to add a bit of positivity. My perfect baby girl arrived 10/1/13 having been diabetic for 15 years now with crap control! I had convinced myself I would never be a mummy but the minute i found out i was pregnant I made sure I did my best. And dont worry, we all get high readings, but as long as they aren't running high over a period of days it wont do any harm. Every morning throughout my pregnancy my sugars would spike after breakfast to about 14 no matter how much insulin I took. And i often had random high readings. Anyway, my baby has 5 fingers and 5 toes and although a big baba (9lb 14oz) she is perfect. Good luck!! X

 

[HellBunny]

Claire123 thats so great to hear, i think we all need positive stories to keep us going! How were her sugars at birth?

Sunshine thats great you are managing your morning readings, i think the fasting/background readings are most important as with mealtimes at least if the readings go down soon after thats better than them constantly high, but its not always so easy sadly

My birth stories are quite different, i was originally diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my first at 25 weeks, which went away or so we believe, then when i got pregnant with my second (not long after) i requested a GTT at 6 weeks as i'd been thirsty and feeling rubbish for weeks. It came back 9mmol fasting, so they did antibody tests to check i wasn't underlying type 1, because i was only 20years old and around 7 stone, so they didn't think it was GD or type 2. So it was type 1 but slow onset (i was still making lots of my own insulin)
I ended up on insulin within a few days, and managed to keep all my meal readings on targest except a few 8's, but they was pleased anyway and my second baby was 7 lb 1oz (small for a diabetes baby!) my first baby was 8lb 6oz.

Anyway i went off insulin when baby was born, only to develop chickenpox 7 weeks after birth, that completely screwed up my pancreas lol, and i went to hospital my sugars were 26.6mmol despite not eating for 3 days. So i had a mini honeymoon period after my second was born until the chickenpox bug. Ive been on insulin since july but only small amounts, either im sensitive to it or i'm still making abit of my own. Currently on 10 units of levemir (was on 4units before pregnancy) and 3-4 units of novorapid.


Sorry thats a life story, usually type 1 is sudden onset bam straight on insulin as soon as diagnosis, with me the onset was over a couple of years (i guess the pregnancies speeded things up?!)

Reading wise i'm ok today, 4.9 this morning (lowest in ages) and 5.4 after breakfast even though i treated myself to a daime chocolate bar!

 

[katieboo]

Hi Ladies, Havn't posted for a while. How's every1 doing ?
I'm gonna be 31 weeks tomorrow so not long to go now, just hoping I can go longer with this pregnancy than my last (34 weeks).

 

[Claire123]

HellBunny - her blood sugars were perfect at birth! X

 

[katieboo]

Claire123 CONGRATULATIONS

 

[HellBunny]

Aww thats great news, glad to hear it hun x

 

[HellBunny]

Levels are off the past few days, tripled my insulin but i think its because of the cold i have had an appt at the hosp today with the diabetes team and they just said to keep testing and correct when high. This is my third baby and far the hardest pregnancy and i'm only 10 weeks things seemed so easy last time round

 

[katieboo]

Hi HellBunny, Were you diabetic with your other 2 pregnancys aswell ?

 

[HellBunny]

Katieboo, they thought i had gestational diabetes with my first baby, but because i had a low BMI they tested for type 1 antibodies, which came back positive, i had a longish honeymoon period so in my case is was quite slow onset type 1 diabetes x