Hi Ophelia,
Don't worry about not understanding the "diabetic lingo" it's good that you're starting to get exposed to it, as it will be beneficial to know it. I'll specifically address your questions and explain the language later. For now, since you are worried about the state of your health I would strongly suggest the following:
1. See the Drs. whose care you are under and honestly discuss your situation.
2. Put aside your concern about worrying your family.
3. The most important issue is taking proper care of yourself.- Your Drs. are your best bet in the short term to getting you on the proper course
I would urge you strongly to communicate with them. T1 is nothing to mess around with and proper communication with your Drs. and family is essential, espcially at your young age.
So that is my basic "Macro/General" advice. Onto some specifics:
- What country do you live in? I'm not familiar with the mmol/L numbers. In the US we have a different system, so I don't know if your numbers are problamatic.
- Have you checked out the ADA board I linked in my first post? I would go there right away. You will get a ton of, sensitive and intelligent advice on how best to proceed.
Terms/language definitions:
-I:C ratio = Insulin to carb ratio. You have to establish this, so you know how much insulin to take for your meals
-Basal, is the "long acting insulin and amount of "Lantus" you are taking
-MDI= multiple daily injections, meaning the system you are on of taking
Lantus for your basline, or basal needs, and novolog, or "rapid" for your meals.
You need to understand what these two insulins do, when to take them and how much to take.
You start by establishing your "basal" or Lantus amount. Right underneath this thread, there is a thread called " Basal Testing: Get your Basal Amt. Set Correctly" with complete instructions on how to "basal" test. Print out these instructions and take them to your Dr. to discuss how to do the basal test and discuss all the language I'm defining here.
-Correction ratio= how much "Novo rapid" to take if your blood sugars are high 2-3 hours after eating, or high in general. You are "correcting" your blood sugar, this is why it's called a "correction ratio".
-MDI ( multiple daily injections-what you are doing now ) or pump is a personal preference. Stay with MDI until you fully learn all that I'm talking about. Pumps require more knowledge and skill to master. You really need to know what you are doing to be on a pump. Again, I would urge you to discuss all this with your Drs. If your Drs. don't know what I'm talking about, you might want to find more knowledgeable Drs. I don't know what's available in the country you live in.
-CDE= "certified diabetic educator" this is a US classification/term for nurses who are specificaly trained in diabetes care.
a1c= is a test that most feel is the best indication of how you are managing your blood sugar levels. This test should be done every 3 months.
Let's not overload you with any more at the moment. The GAD antibody tests, yearly tests we can get to later.
The most important thing is to start you on the path to educating yourself of all the components needed for your care. It's seems like a lot at first, but it becomes easy knowing all you have to do after learning about it initially.
I learned from the two books I mentioned in my first post.
So, write me back and let me know:
- What you understand and what you don't.
- When you can see your Drs?
- What country you live in?
- If you've gone to the ADA forum and posted your issues?
- If your Drs. and you understatnd MDI, Basal testing and amounts, I:C and Correction ratios. These are the basics.
Not to worry, you'll get all this down. We just need to get you to the right educational and healthcare sources.
Best,
Josh