Anyone a Type 1 Diabetic ?

fossyant

I'm after a few tips basically.

My lad of 13 has just been diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic. Bit of a bummer to say the least, but we've got his bloods nicely level over the last week.

Hoping to get him back on his bike shortly, but anyone here a type 1, and how do you go on managing this ?

My lad has been great, he's doing all his own prick tests and injections. Not had too many tears, but we;ve had great support from the Hospital !

rubertoe

We have at least one in our club, I shall ask him.

I think he can basically do what he likes as long as he regularly stops and checks his blood and then acts accordingly.

tgotb

My elder daughter's type 1; she's 14 now, and was diagnosed at the age of 7. She skis, cycles, races cyclocross etc, with very few issues.

It all seems really daunting at first, but once you get the hang of managing it, it really doesn't limit what you can do; at the age of 13 he should be mature enough to learn to manage everything himself.

I'll drop you a PM.

cookeeemonster

I was diagnosed at the same age (many moons ago!) and my 3 year old also back in October...:(

With exercise, it's all about the blood tests and obviously making sure he's got plenty of glucose/food with him for extended rides.

For my 12.5 mile commute I make sure my sugar level is higher than normal so I don't have to stop and top up...May or May not be recommended - I'd ask to speak to a specialist who knows a bit more - but blood tests are gonna be key regardless.

It happens rarely but I'll go a bit too low while out on a ride now and again - my energy levels will fall quite dramatically. - strong headwinds can do this if not careful (happened recently) but the symptoms do vary from individual to individual.

My only 100 mile sportive was a pain because I couldn't be sure if my legs were tired/hurting because of too high blood sugar or just from the exertion...at other times my lack of energy made me think wrongly that I was too low...but generally, it's been absolutely fine.

It's been 2 years since I started cycling and my health/weight etc is so much better...and I use half the insulin I previously did!

Also I'm sure there are diabetics groups/websites that'll give you more info - the British diabetic association will be a good place to start.

Good luck he'll be fine!

fossyant

We've got a 2 hour velodrome session shortly, so that will be great introduction to test how he is doing. It's also pretty 'scientific' conditions too, so would be really useful.

Good to hear others are managing OK. All a bit of a shock as he's always been fit as a butchers dog, and never had any health issues. We'll have him back to 100% shortly. Just tired at the moment recovering from the 'high' levels he's had for last couple of months. May even take the bikes to the caravan this weekend !

bigmat

I was diagnosed around 11 years ago - mid 20s so unusually late onset I think. I've always been grateful I got a decade of hassle free drinking in beforehand - drinking and diabetes don't really go too well together so you'll need to keep an eye on that in a couple of years' time. As for now, I'm probably overall healthier than I was pre-diagnosis. Being undiagnosed type 1 is the best weight loss progremme you can imagine and I have managed to keep the weight down. Regular exercise is a great help at managing the condition, limiting the levels of insulin required etc. There are websites with loads of advice on this (runsweet?). The key is to test regularly, learn the symptoms of hypoglycaemia and how to treat it, and realise that there are very few things that it can prevent you from doing (flying aircraft, deep sea diving, arctic exploring etc).

Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific queries, although my late onset means those with diabetic kids might have more practical tips?

cookeeemonster

BigMat wrote:

I was diagnosed around 11 years ago - mid 20s so unusually late onset I think. I've always been grateful I got a decade of hassle free drinking in beforehand - drinking and diabetes don't really go too well together so you'll need to keep an eye on that in a couple of years' time. As for now, I'm probably overall healthier than I was pre-diagnosis. Being undiagnosed type 1 is the best weight loss progremme you can imagine and I have managed to keep the weight down. Regular exercise is a great help at managing the condition, limiting the levels of insulin required etc. There are websites with loads of advice on this (runsweet?). The key is to test regularly, learn the symptoms of hypoglycaemia and how to treat it, and realise that there are very few things that it can prevent you from doing (flying aircraft, deep sea diving, arctic exploring etc).

Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific queries, although my late onset means those with diabetic kids might have more practical tips?

wow didnt think it was possible to get it that late?? Also he probably wont be allowed to be an astronaut. Wasn't too happy at my dreams being smashed at the time...

Yeah I think I stumbled upon runsweet a while back, should give some good tips.

owenlars

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago at 55, the same month as my then 13 year old son got it. I have ridden about 35000 miles over the last six or seven years and found that diabetes is no problem as long as you are disciplined about it. If I have a long ride (50+ miles) I take half my normal insulin beforehand making sure that my blood/glucose is above 7 and below 14. I then take a reading about half way round and take whatever insulin is appropriate. Obviously you should eat and drink normally. I also always take glucose with me just in case. There are numerous guidance documents available about exercise and Type 1 diabetes.

The exercise helps tremendously and as everyone else has said reduces the amount of insulin you need.

The only thing I have given up is flying, not because you can't but it does become very complicated and restricting, although I believe the CAA have now reviewed the rules.

Food and drink is exactly as it has always been. You just need to measure blood and inject as required. Best advice I ever had was you rule the diabetes diabetes does not rule your life.

My now 18 year old plays football for Corinthian Casuals and leads a normal life. You just need to Instil in him the importance of measurement and injecting correctly. The main hazard for youth is when they go off to University, or wherever, they cut loose and screw up their injecting as a result of copious quantities of beer. Their mates need to know what to do in the event of hypos and your son needs to be aware of the dangers. However the important thing is to be as normal as possible and just get him into a routine. He will probably become much more relaxed about it then you.

mpdouglas

I've attended presentations by the following chap (Dr Briffa). He's a proper qualified doctor. He has quite a lot of material on managing diabetes. When I've shared it with friends/colleagues with Type 1 diabetes, they have found some useful stuff:

http://www.drbriffa.com/category/diabet ... -syndrome/

cookeeemonster

owenlars wrote:

The main hazard for youth is when they go off to University, or wherever, they cut loose and screw up their injecting as a result of copious quantities of beer. Their mates need to know what to do in the event of hypos and your son needs to be aware of the dangers.

+1000 (from experience...had way too many hypos in those days - drink and lack of blood testing really, really doesn't help matters...)

EKE_38BPM

I heard a comedian the other day say "There are two types of diabetes: one that you're born with and one thats your own fault". I would put the OP's son in the former group.

Strangely, my Mum was diagnosed with diabetes (type 2, I guess) when she was well into her 50s and fitter than ever. Even stranger, she is no longer diabetic. I didn't know that could happen

antonyfromoz

My wife has type 1 diabetes and has had it for over 30 years. She usually has very good control over her blood sugar and this has helped a lot to keep her free from any of the more common health issues that accompany this condition. Regular testing, avoiding processed carbs (at least most of the time), always have some food with you (almonds are good, as are jelly beans at times) and watching out for the hidden sugars in package foods are some of the tips I have picked up from her. I have also noticed that her blood sugar can creep up for different reasons, such as if she is dehydrated or if she has an infection of some kind, so it is good to be aware of these factors. She obviously has a huge amount of experience living with diabetes while training, travelling, studying etc and I am happy to pass on any questions to her if you want to PM me. As mentioned earlier, the runsweet website is also good for reference: http://www.runsweet.com/

team47b

We are all differently affected by exercise but remember that low glucose can occur immediately after exercise as the glucose is rapidly absorbed to top up glycogen loss and can lower blood glucose again up to 18 hours after exercise, cycling when glucose is too high can drive numbers up as well as down, avoid sprinting at the end of a ride as this adds adrenalin to the mix! To balance exercise insulin and carbs is a trial and error thing which soon becomes second nature.

Carbs in red wine raise BG, the alcohol in red wine lowers BG, but I've not finished working on this exact equation