Type 1 diabetes, not to be confused with the more common type 2, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas which means it can no longer make any insulin.
Currently, it’s not clear what causes type 1 diabetes, however, people who have a family history have a slightly increased risk.
The condition is more common in children than in adults but people can be diagnosed at any, however, you’re more likely to be diagnosed under the age of 40.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old and remember distinctly some of the symptoms I experienced in the weeks leading up to my diagnosis.
Unlike other diseases, including type 2 diabetes, symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop very quickly and can quickly progress until a person is seriously unwell.
The main symptoms of type 1 diabetes include feeling tired, losing weight, feeling irritable, blurred vision and increased thirst and hunger.
As a child, I had always been on the thinner side so it wasn’t immediately obvious that I had lost any weight until I was diagnosed and admitted to hospital.
Being somewhat of an active child who went to gymnastics classes and was always running around the garden, yawning and feeling tired was also the norm.
However, the one symptom that stood out looking back was how often I was urinating and how much water I was drinking.
Every night, there would be glasses left on the side in the kitchen where I had gotten up in the night for a glass of water. I was also getting up multiple times in the night to use the loo.
Insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, helps the body use sugar for energy so when your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, the sugar builds up in the blood.
With the sugar having nowhere to go, the kidneys have to absorb and filter out the sugar with some of it passing out of the body through urine. Some fluids also get taken from your body’s tissues which then leaves you feeling thirsty.
After a few weeks of worsening symptoms, it became obvious that something was wrong with my body. I started to feel unwell and a quick flick through a medical encyclopaedia made us suspect I likely had type 1 diabetes.
A GP appointment and a random blood sugar test confirmed my family’s worst fears – I had type 1 diabetes and would have to inject myself with insulin for the rest of my life.
A person without diabetes will have a blood sugar reading of between 4 and 6 mmol/L and should be less than 8 mmol/L after food.
On diagnosis, my blood glucose level was 27 mmol/L which is considered as hyperglycemia, or simply a ‘high blood sugar’ reading.
The following days were a blur. I was admitted to my local hospital for a few days for tests and monitoring and a medication and diet plan was put in place.
Learning to inject myself with insulin, give myself blood tests, change needles and replace insulin cartridges was daunting but I was determined to manage the condition myself from day one rather than rely on my family.
In the beginning, I struggled with hypoglycaemia, also known as ‘hypos’ or ‘low blood sugar’. Some of the symptoms include feeling hungry, shaky hands, sweating, confusion, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness.
Low blood sugars can be caused by taking too much insulin, exercising too much and missing meals. As a kid who loved sports and exercise, finding a balance was difficult so I had scheduled snacks throughout the day to ensure my blood sugars didn’t drop.
Almost 20 years later, managing the condition has become a lot easier. The introduction of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to the NHS has been life-changing and has seen my blood sugar control stabilise.
The small device sticks to the skin and measures blood sugar levels continuously throughout the day and night, allowing me to spot trends.
I inject myself with insulin around 10 times a day and have learned to spot the symptoms of low and high blood sugars.
What are the most obvious symptoms of type 1 diabetes?
The four main symptoms of type 1 diabetes are known as the ‘4Ts’. If you spot these symptoms in yourself, your child or anyone you know, see a GP immediately.
The 4Ts:
- Toilet – urinating more often, especially at night.
- Thirsty – constant thirst that feels unquenchable.
- Tired – feeling fatigued and having no energy.
- Thinner – losing weight without trying or being thinner than usual.
What are the long-term effects of type 1 diabetes?
Having consistently high blood sugar can increase the likelihood of developing long-term complications and other health problems.
Some of the complications include:
- Heart disease
- Vision problems
- Nerve damage
- Kidney problems
- Circulation problems
- Foot problems
- Gum disease
