Type 1 Diabetes

This past week I recently found out that I have type one diabetes. Just another thing to add to my list. I think it's finally just starting to sink in. Not really sure where to go from here because I really don't know much about diabetes in general, so it's really a shocker. The weird thing is that I'm 21 and just getting diagnosed with it?

The place to start as it were really is with the medical community. You should speak with a certified diabetes educator, a dietician, your primary care doctor, and get under the care of an endocrinologist.

There is a lot to learn about diabetes, and that learning will pretty much go on for the rest of your life. Perhaps the best lessons will end up coming from what you end up figuring up on your own from careful observation in regards to how your body responds to everything. Food, medication, illness, stress, exercise, etc, etc, etc. The medical community can and will give you a place to start with a lot of good general information but in the end it will be up to you to both use that information and to tweak it if needed to manage your diabetes the best way for you.

Perhaps the most valuable advice I can give to you as a new diabetic is in the beginning go a bit overboard in keeping notes and records. Keep track of blood sugars, what and how much you eat and drink, exercise, how you are feeling, medications taken whether prescription or over the counter including vitamins and supplements. Review these notes yourself every few days and take them with you to all medical appointments.

The 2nd most valuable is that you should become an expert on nutrition. A lot of people will tell you to become an expert on carbs/sugars but that is only part of it and while carbs will effect blood sugars the fastest things like type of carbs, fats, fiber, calories, etc also play a role.