I have type 1 diabetes and I was diagnosed last month. I was wondering?

Question

My specialist sayd that there is sometimes a "honeymoon" period with diabetes. He explained that when first diagnosed it is very managable and that I should find it easy to keep my sugar under control. But because it's type 1 I will most likely end up on insulin. I am finding it very easy to control my sugar, I have stuck to a strict diet and my sugar has stayed between 5 and 6 for the last week, without meds. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this "honeymoon" period and if all type 1s end up on insulin?

Answer 1

You are NOT a Type 2!!! All of these answers are wrong, including the nurse's. The poster can be a Type 1. Many Type 1's experience what is called a "honeymoon period" for a brief time after diagnosis.

If you were diagnosed early, you will have some erratic abnormal blood sugars as your beta cells are killed off. You will also have some normal readings.

A "honeymoon" is when the patient's last few remaining beta cells get into high gear and give out one last remaining "kick".

This USUALLY happens shortly after insulin therapy is started, and can last from a few weeks to months in most people if they continue to take small amounts of insulin and remain in good control of their blood sugars. High blood sugars are toxic to beta cells.

However, ALL Type 1's will need to return to insulin as soon as those last cells are destroyed. We do not have a way to stop the autoimmunity yet.

You can ask your doctor to be part of a trial, there are many trials recruiting newly diagnosed Type 1's who still have some residual beta cell function. That would be you!

They are testing immune modulation and regenerative drugs that may be able to extend the "honeymoon" period, and possibly preserve any insulin secreting cells you still have.

Go to www.clinicaltrials.gov and search for Type 1 diabetes trials.

Good luck!

A good site for Type 1's is www.realitycheck.au.org.

Most websites and healthcare professionals know little about Type 1 unless they have special training, so this site is great if you have questions and no one to help you. Look for the "Starter Kit".

P.S. Adults can and do develop autoimmune (Type 1) diabetes. It is often called LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) in these patients.

EDIT: The role of cow's milk is unclear in Type 1. Some studies say it contributes, some have shown it does not. Gluten appears
to play a role as well in some. However, these studies are used in the context of infant feeding timing, not in adults or those already with Type 1. Apprently infants prone to Type 1 who are first given casein (cow's milk) at approximately 5 months seem to develop Type 1 diabetes less compared to infants fed sooner or later. There are other factors, such as a virus needed as well to develop it.

Healthy eating and cutting out dairy will NOT stop your Type 1 diabetes. Surprisingly, I do agree with a gluten and casein free diet for those with autoimmune diseases though. Just in case! ;)

Of course, you most definitely can try going gluten and casein free to extend your honeymoon period, but I must reinforce the idea that a) nothing has been conclusively proven and b) Even if both are implicated one day in Type 1, once Type 1 has developed, a change such as this is not going to stop it.

Please maintain good control as long as you can and see your doctor about getting into a trial.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Al most all type 1's will go through the honeymoon period. And you will end up on insulin. There is no avoided that I am sorry to say. I was diagnosed with type 1 al most 3 years ago. The best advice I can give you is take a class at the hospital, see a diabetes educator, and read books about your illness. And don't look at this as an illness just a new way of life. After 3 years and 5 shots a day thats how I feel. When your honeymoon is over (it could last a few weeks to maybe a year- mine was just a few weeks) you and your endrocholigist can talk about pump.

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

I'm a 45 year old woman and was recently diagnosed as being a borderline diabetic. My doctor prescribed some medication, but before filling it I decided to do some research on the internet which led me to the methods. After reading this ebook and applying the methods, my scepticism turned to 100% belief. I noticed that my energy levels increased significantly and I felt more rested in the morning, my symptoms started going away.

I am very happy to tell you that I have been feeling better than I have felt in years and my doctor informed me that he will be taking me off my prescriptions if I keep this up.

I recommend you use the Type 2 Diabetes Destroyer to naturally reverse your diabetes.

Answer 6

If you were Type 1 diabetic, you would be required to take insulin already. Type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin at all, and there are no medications to take for it except insulin. What you are is Type 2, which is when the body is unable to use the insulin it does produce efficiently, or in the manner it should. It is quite often controlled with diet, exercise and weight control, with medication to help. With proper management, you should not need to take insulin. If you are not producing sufficient amounts of insulin, but are still producing some, you might need supplemental insulin- but that is not the usual pattern either.
You sound very confused and upset about your diagnosis. I agree the diet is very difficult to adapt to for some at first, and the diagnosis of diabetes can be frightening. You doctor doesn't sound as if he/she is being very clear with the explainations, and you need to work with somebody who can help you. Controling diabetes is done through several things, medication being only one thing, and insulin injections being a last ditch effort. Your doctor should refer you to a dietician for a personalized diet consult and development, to encourage proper diet and weight loss if needed. You should also get regular exercise, and have a coach work with you to develop an exercise program for you to follow on a daily basis. Regular exercise often helps reduce the need for medications, since it seems to encourage the body to use the sugar and insulin properly.
I've never heard of a "honeymoon" period for a newly diagnosed diabetic. As a matter of fact, in the beginning, managing diabetes is often a challenge. People often find the new diet restrictive and hard to follow or stick to, they don't like the idea of having to lose weight or start an exercise program. Maintaining a proper blood sugar level takes time to find the right combination of medication, diet and exercise that is needed for each individual.
Although it is a challenge in the beginning, with effort on your part and working with the right people to help, you can manage your diabetes. For many people, changes in diet and exercise can even eliminate the need for the medication, and certainly insulin. If you were truly Type 1 diabetic, this would not even be the discussion. All Type 1 diabetics take insulin, because the pancreas is no longer producing any. But that condition usually occurs in childhood, not adulthood- unless something really radical has happened to you. Most adults are Type 2, where insulin is being produced, and not used correctly by the body.
So far as your diet, be very aware that you have to watch all carbohydrates. It's not the sugar in the bowl that gets you- it's the sugars you don't see or look for, in places you aren't expecting to find it. Most pre-prepared foods contain some kind of sugar, be it table sugar, fruit sugar, corn syrup solids, or other type of -ose family member. About the only thing you know is low carbohydrate is meat, and that will contain fat, which is another type of carbohydrate. When a diabetic has a problem with blood sugar levels, it usually a culprit they weren't expecting. Such as the sugar in the ketchup or salad dressing, or even in the crackers! So keep an eye on the contents labels before you eat it. Get out and get moving, walking whenever you can. Exercise revs up the metabolism and encourages the body to burn fuel more efficiently. If your doctor isn't giving you clear explainations, then push the issue. Do some research, and ask the questions directly. If you don't get good answers and the assistance you need, then change doctors. Take charge of your health, and find folks who can help you. No, diabetes does not mean a life of insulin injections. It doesn't even mean always having to follow such a restrictive diet. It's finding the balance you need, food-exercise-medication as needed, that will put you back in control. So if the doctor won't or can't help you do that, find somebody who will. Good luck, it can be done. Millions of diabetics do it every day, and you can too.

Answer 7

Usually, honeymoon comes after a period of insulin treatment.
If this is not your case then the diagnosis should be clarified (insulin and C peptide, GAD antibodies are tested).It's not so frequent to diagnose a type 1 and to be able to control it with diet from the start. Other possibility could be MODY (mature onset diabetes in young).
If the diagnosis is clear and you have type 1 you can expect this honeymoon period to last few weeks, months, reginachick explained it righ.
But, here we advise people on honeymoon to continue insulin even with mini doses of basal insulin, just to preserve what's left of their beta cell function. It's important for the future control of diabetes and for the prevention of complications.
take care

Answer 8

I believe that is true, based on what I've read. I'm a type 2, so I can't give you firsthand info. What I can tell you is, if you stay away from dairy products, continue a healthy diet, and exercise, you will probably be able to keep it under control for the rest of your life. Apparently there's a link between cow's milk consumption, the autoimmune reaction, and the resulting type 1 diabetes. Your pancreas may not be totally destroyed, just yet. Go to my diabetes info webpage and see the links under type 1 information:
http://www.geocities.com/seabulls69/Type_II_Diabetes.html

Answer 9

Shocking Truth About Diabetes Revealed : http://DiabetesTreated.com/Always

Answer 10

are you a child,? type one is ussually diagnosed in childhood and is insulin dependent right away. I would be asking your doctor a lot of questions. Type 2 is diagnosed in adulthood and can be controlled with careful diet and exercise for a very long time if your careful. continue to check your blood sugars and keep a regular record of it and what you eat to figure out what causes it to go up. if you can continue controlling it with diet and exercise good kuddos to you its better for you.