Introduction - Diabetes Type 1.

As Laura, my daughter aged 15, was diagnosed with diabetes in January 2013, it was a huge shock to our entire family, especially for Laura and me. After a week in the hospital, we were thrown out into learning how to live with diabetes. For me, as a Mother, it was very anxiety-provoking, mostly because I was very afraid that Laura got an insulin shock, but also afraid that she would go too high in her blood glucose (BG) level again. The whole thing was totally unmanageable due to lack of control. I read about diabetes everywhere online, in magazines and of course in the folder that the hospital had given us. I work daily as a research technician at Novo Nordisk A/S, and at times I have been researching in diabetes, I felt that I had an advantage over most others. But from where I got the most information – besides from the hospital - were on the Danish Diabetes Association's website (www.diabetes.dk) and from http://www.novonordisk.com/diabetes_care/life_with_diabetes/default.asp and http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/recently-diagnosed/living-with-type-1-diabetes.html . Despite this help I lacked concrete ideas and tips - anything I could put into boxes and that we could abide by in daily life. I know that diabetes is very individual, but there is still much that is the same from person to person.

In the beginning Laura got almost no carbohydrates, no sugar, but not much insulin either. Not much exercise either. We turned down for everything to start afresh and thus take control of the most common foods and how they affect the blood glucose (BG). Quietly, we tried various foods, exercise and insulin doses and today Laura has a really nice long-term blood glucose (HbA1c) and we've got a good understanding of diabetes.
I've tried to put into words some of the thoughts and ideas that I was missing in the first months of 2013 - and still do sometimes, and if you can use some of them, then you have less to worry about and is closer to a good diabetes control. But be aware that not all people react the same and you must draw your own experiences.
This blog is not written to stand alone in relation to advice and guidance on diabetes. You may at any time consult your diabetes doctor or nurse, and follow their advice.

This blog is being followed by our own nurse from Herlev hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and The Diabetes Association.