New to this site, lots of questions.....

I'm no stranger to this "chronic health condition" known as type1 Diabetes.

I was diagnosed at 10 years old. I'm now 17.

This is the 1st time I have come across a site like this. I would love to talk to some other type 1's around my age.

My 1st question:
"free foods" foods under 7 carbs, what are some favorites?? I seem to get "the munchies" in the afternoon, and sometimes the night (I'm a night owl) and it seems like there are only a few....

2nd question:
2 daily injections vs. pump
What do you like/dislike about both of them. I have just been doing 2 daily injections since I was dx'ed but would like to look into a pump.

3rd:
snacking.... what do you do when you get "the munchies"?
I try to grab some popcorn, since it is "free food" under 7 carbs. but sometimes, popcorn gets old.

4th:
SS disability. my mom wants to apply me for what they called a "adult child benefit" which is basically disability on a parents work record, because I was dx'ed before age 22. Has anyone ever done this?
I have never heard about it.

5th:
college & diabetes.... I don't even know where to begin there. I am planning on attending a University in fall '13.

6th:
working & diabetes. how do you manage?


Sorry if this is wayy to many questions. My family has a history of both type's but everyone else I know of (grandma was 1 of 13 kids, really big extended family && I probably only know about 1/4 of them) is type2.

 

Hi there, welcome! Most of your questions were directed to other teens/young adults with T1 so I hope you don't mind if a parent of a teen answers too.

The first advice I'd give you is to see about another insulin regimen, specifically I'd look into multiple daily injections vs 2 shots per day. On MDI you inject for whatever you eat, whenever you eat, similar to how a pump works in that you count carbs for food eaten, have a ratio of insulin to carbs, and give yourself a shot just before you eat. 2 shots per day is very limiting and going MDI would answer most of your free food questions. Free foods are not really needed if you have insulin available as a ratio anytime of day and you just eat!

Favorite free foods do play a role though, when he's high but hungry is when it's most needed. Pepperoni and lunch meats are probably his favorites, we have summer sausage he likes a lot. He likes sugar free jello with some cool whip, olives are always easy, cheese isn't a favorite of his but would be mine!

We're doing the college application thing now you, so I have more questions than answers for that one, sorry. Same with work.

Pumping and CGM are both awesome options and I would definitely encourage you to look into it. With pumping you can eat when you want and simply bolus without an injection, your insulin is always with you, and the biggest advantage I think is the ability to customize your basal insulin to your needs. My son needs double basal at 5a as he does at 5p for example, so pumping allows you to do that easily. Same with sick days, etc. Just gives you more ability to customize to your needs.

CGM is another technology to look into if you have not.

Glad you found this place, hope you stick around, I think the experience of young adults like yourself really adds a lot to our knowledge and understanding.

 

I am thankful for any advice!

Good luck on your college applications.

I have been wondering about an insulin pump a lot lately, especially with turning 18 in a year, but I haven't really gotten any info on it.

My endo hasn't talked about switching me, and so far I haven't brought it up.

 

See above. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

 

Hope this helps, PM if you just feel like talking

Ps. there are a lot of diabetes facebook groups, and they tend to get more traffic. here are some links
http://www.facebook.com/groups/188876127864212/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/342692255765851/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/406691139394432/

 

Here's my response.

 

1. I inject for everything unless my blood sugar is low. Only exceptions are 0 calorie no sweetener things (my blood sugar rises from most artificial sweetners) and sunflowers with the shells. The shells slow me down in eating them enough that it doesn't really raise my bg.

2. I do about six shots per day. I think the biggest advantage of the pump is the basal bolus kind of thinking that it introduced, and I do that with shots. I think the pump is extra money, and I have no need for it, so why get it? I also have some skin issues and don't want adhesives; when I wore I-Ports, I saw my highest blood sugars. I do wear a CGM, and I recently switched to using a jet injector for my Regular.
When I was dx the ped endo said I could do NPH and only take two or three shots per day, but would have to eat on schedule everyday, or I could do Lantus, with up to six shots per day, and no schedule. To me it was a no brainer because I was a college student, really really hungry all the time (I gained 15 pounds the month I was diagnosed) and I thought it would be better to do a lot of shots to get used to them as fast as possible.
My eating and injecting habits have changed a bit with CGM, because I'm more focused on not eating when bg is high or rising.

3. I inject Regular. Although officially it takes 45 minutes to work, in my experience while I was injecting it via syringe it took about 15 minutes to lower my bg, and on the jet injector it's almost an instantaneous drop. So I inject and eat, if I get the munchies. The hard part is keeping track of how much I'm eating- I inject for a certain amount eat, and then if I'm still hungry I either wait or inject more.

4. I have heard of this (one of my social worker aunts brought it up) and I'm not doing it. I would have a pretty decent chance of qualifying because I have a number of complex medical issues as well as Asperger Syndrome, but I am not willing to go on disability. I am working, for one thing.

5. I was a sophomore in college when I was diagnosed (yes I started college at 16). I registered with the office of students with disabilities, so when I had a professor with a no eating policy, I'd tell him or her that I was diabetic and would be eating if I went low, and if they said they needed the OSD to confirm that, then I'd ask the OSD to talk to that professor, which they would do for me. I also got excused from a science lab involving eating candy (I might have been able to figure out how to manage it but it really didn't seem worth it to try).
Because my vision was problematic and unstable for two months after I was diagnosed, I received temporary low vision accomodations for the fall quarter following my diagnosis.

6. I was hired for my first payroll type of job exactly one month before I was diagnosed with diabetes, and I missed work for two of my jobs while I was in the hospital. I discussed it with my bosses and they were understanding. I currently hold two part time jobs. One of them is the sort of job where I'm working in a facility on a roughly 9-5 schedule and my boss is around a lot of that time (that's the job I got one month before dx). I mostly treat hypos as I go if needed and occasionally I ask for an early lunch. On a handful of occasions when a hypo has really wiped me out and been resistant to treatment, I sign out early.
My other job is more of a contract kind of thing; I go around to various schools and work at each school for about 2 hours at a time. I generally aim for slighly higher bgs during that time. My boss knows I'm diabetic, but that doesn't really matter 'cause he's not there during that time. I try to avoid having to deal with hypos while working with kids, but sometimes it happens. We all live.
I have also done overnight babysitting for a single mom with a traveling job, and it was a little rough because I kept getting severe middle of the night lows while I was there. I spent a lot of nights with very little sleep.
I also have done a lot of tutoring- that's like teaching, except less stressful.
I got my degree to teach and I did student teaching. That was not a good experience and diabetes was a small part.

 

My son is almost 19 and was dx'd at 3 years old. He did NPH and a short acting for a few years, then was on Lantus and Humlog until he was 12 when he received the pump. I agree with previous posters that a big improvement to your care is to get off of NPH (novalin) and on to Lantus only with Novalog. This is more like what you pancreas would do if healthy. You count carbs, but eat what you wish (within reason).

Eggs, cheese, meat of any kind are low carbs. A small amount of popcorn isn't much. Sugar free jello with whipping cream.

The pump is the way to go at college. The convenience factor cannot be beat and is much easier to manage diabetes with a pump. If you can't get a pump, get off the Novalin to just Lantus and Novalog and give and extra shot for your munchies.

If on a pump, the munchies are not a problem, you just give insulin for the food eaten.

You could check into this, but I have never heard of anyone with diabetes getting this benefit.

College is just life not at home. You can get some accommodations -- like extended time for tests at some institutions.

My son isn't at that point yet. I assume, he would carry on pretty much as he is now.

 

I'm 20 and Type I on the Medtronic Paradigm Pump...

I'm no stranger to this "chronic health condition" known as type1 Diabetes.

I was diagnosed at 10 years old. I'm now 17.

This is the 1st time I have come across a site like this. I would love to talk to some other type 1's around my age.

My 1st question:
"free foods" foods under 7 carbs, what are some favorites?? I seem to get "the munchies" in the afternoon, and sometimes the night (I'm a night owl) and it seems like there are only a few....

Get onto the insulin pump or switch to a multiple daily injection routine. Talk to your doctor first obviously. I have been diabetic for only 9 years but I have since learned many many things about the 'trade.' Protein and fats are 'free foods,' so indulge on some beef or chicken whenever (but remember they do have a minuscule amount of carbs ~0-10 depending. I am also a night owl and since being on the pump for two years it has helped tremendously. I will talk more about the pump on your next question.

2nd question:
2 daily injections vs. pump
What do you like/dislike about both of them. I have just been doing 2 daily injections since I was dx'ed but would like to look into a pump.

Trust me when I say that the pump is far superior to your lifestyle than only 2 injections. The reason lies in the fact that you have the 'ability' to manage every aspect of everything you eat and do. Both exercising and food can be managed. The only thing slowing the user of a pump down is their willingness to put in the effort to perfection.

For me. I have had an A1C of 5.7% for the past two years and have far less lows or highs and I can say that whatever I eat or do is not really effected by the diabetes.

I do my own thing with my diabetes. I don't find that the visits with endocrinologists or doctors make a huge impact on my managing abilities. They gave me the tools to succeed- BUT THE ONUS IS ON US. Use them to make adjustments or check your health (A1C, Kidney's, Eye's). But, don't follow them blindly or willingly. Take the time to figure your own body out and you can then learn how to properly dose your insulin.

3rd:
snacking.... what do you do when you get "the munchies"?
I try to grab some popcorn, since it is "free food" under 7 carbs. but sometimes, popcorn gets old.

Snacking is perfectly normal and it may even be healthier. I don't have the time to pull up peer-reviewed journals about it but I will share with you my anecdotal experience. According to my insulin pump, I snack/eat, on average, approximately 9.9 times per day. I take only 24.0 units for basal and 35.0 units for ~244 carbs (these are my actual 31 day average from my pump). Everybody is different. Age, activity level, insulin-resistance, hormone levels, and the list goes on forever. At 85.0kg's, 178cm, and 10% body fat, these numbers are unique to me now and only now. They will change slowly over the weeks and years. But that's why the pump is so great! SNACK AWAY.

4th:
SS disability. my mom wants to apply me for what they called a "adult child benefit" which is basically disability on a parents work record, because I was dx'ed before age 22. Has anyone ever done this?
I have never heard about it.

If she wants to benefit from your diabetes (financially) that should be up to you and her together. Make sure that this won't hinder your future carrier. It may become a redflag labelling you as disabled when you are only diabetic.

5th:
college & diabetes.... I don't even know where to begin there. I am planning on attending a University in fall '13.

My advice? If you are going to drink. Stay away from Wine and coolers. You will need to learn what each beverage will do to you. My experience. Try them out a little at a time. You will learn safely and be able to avoid damage or death. My advice for starting?
1. Reduce your long acting shot (or basal rate- same **** different pile).
2. Check blood sugar frequently (alcohol makes feeling a low hard).
3. Try to drink moderately. Or drink spirits only and have lots of juice available.
4. Do not over dose on insulin when drinking! The more alcohol you have, the less insulin you will need to reduce your bloodsugar. Start with diet soda and Rhum for example at the beginnning of the night. Then, at some point when you are feeling tipsy or wasted (whatever you get to) switch to drinking regular soda + Rhum and water.
* Keep regular BG checks and juice always available. You will learn how to deal with drinking with some help from friends, family, and a little experience.

For classes, midterms, tests, exams, labs, etc. The onus is again on us to make sure we regulate doses, eat on time, and monitor BG. Do NOT BE AFRAID TO DRINK OR EAT SOMETHING IN CLASS.

Just think about the future when we have to be employed... Who will ever want to hire someone who can't manage themselves? Learn now and it will save us trouble later.


6th:
working & diabetes. how do you manage?

GET ONTO THE INSULIN PUMP NOW!
Eat or drink juice when you are low. Don't be shy or nervous. How are you ever going to be able to drive a car (if you don't aleady) if you don't know your limit (BG feelings). Just be confident and you'll be fine .


Sorry if this is wayy to many questions. My family has a history of both type's but everyone else I know of (grandma was 1 of 13 kids, really big extended family && I probably only know about 1/4 of them) is type2.

No one in my entire family is type 1 or 2 diabetic... I wish I had someone to talk with but all the diabetics I know have ended up doing drugs and wasting away. Not the path I wanted, so I stood up to the challenge. It hasn't gone away, but I have learned to manage and will happily share how I made it to 20 from 11.

A 3rd year BSc student at UVic letting you know you can do it!