Just Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes: What Comes Next

Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, and it is very treatable. You may have learned you have it from a routine blood test, or after symptoms sent you to a doctor or the emergency room. Either way you will have questions: did you cause it, what will life be like, is there a cure?

There is no cure yet, but understanding of the condition keeps growing, new technology and medicines are being developed, and researchers are making important advances. People of every age live full, healthy lives with type 1 diabetes. Managing a long-term condition takes work, but your health care team will teach you day-to-day care and the tools that make it easier.

What causes it

The cause is not fully clear, but diet and lifestyle do not cause it. It is thought to be an autoimmune response: the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, the hormone that works like a key to let blood sugar into cells for energy. A viral infection sometimes seems to set off the response. Many people with type 1 have relatives who have it too, but most do not.

Daily care

• Insulin every day, by injection or an insulin pump.
• Checking blood sugar through the day, to stay in your target range as much as possible. Your team will tell you what that range is and how to stay in it.
• Time in range is how long your blood sugar stays in that range each day. Most people with diabetes aim for 70%, or 16 to 17 hours out of 24.

Over time, high blood sugar can cause serious problems such as heart disease, vision loss and kidney failure. Learning how food, activity and other parts of your life affect your blood sugar lets you lower that risk. Steady levels help right away too: more energy, better sleep and focus, and steadier moods. If you struggle to meet your target, your doctor or diabetes educator can adjust your plan.

Highs and lows

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) needs noticing and treating at once.
• Very high blood sugar with low insulin can cause diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication that can be life-threatening and needs medical care immediately.

Your team will show you how to spot and treat both.

Learning and support

• Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES): ask your doctor for a referral. You will learn to balance insulin, food and activity, cope with the emotional side of diabetes, solve problems, handle stress and lower your risk of other health problems, and hear about the latest treatments. It helps later too, when stress or a change such as losing a job or a new health condition affects your self-care.
• Family: with their support you can feel more in control. They might come to appointments or cook healthy food with you.
• Support groups: ask your doctor or diabetes care and education specialist about groups where people share experience and tips.

Your care team

You are its most important member, because you manage diabetes every day. The rest may include a primary care doctor, an endocrinologist (a doctor for diabetes and other hormone problems), a foot doctor, an eye doctor, a dentist, a pharmacist, a nurse, a dietitian and a diabetes educator. Ask your primary care doctor for referrals, and keep regular visits so your plan stays on track.

For parents

A newly diagnosed child or teen will need help with daily care, especially at first: checking blood sugar, taking insulin and adjusting a pump. Their care team will guide you in detail. Highlights:

• An insulin pump, if insurance and money allow, can lower the risk of low blood sugar and keep levels in range. A diabetes educator will train you both.
• A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) gives readings around the clock; finger sticks twice a day are still needed to check its accuracy.
• Healthy eating and activity affect blood sugar and how your child feels; talk with them about both.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Just Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes." https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/signs-symptoms/just-diagnosed-type-1.html
• The original's two stock photographs are not reproduced here.