I am the parent of a recently diagnosed (6 weeks ago) type 1 child. I am interested in hearing feedback on resources others haved used to learn more about the honeymoon phase. If you have found helpful books or web sites can you please list them for me.
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I hated the honeymoon phase to be honest with you. It felt so out of control -- not that it feels too much better now that we are out of it. There wasn't a lot of information out there -- I found our endocrinologist's office to be the best resource -- mostly the Diabetes Educator. My daughter just turned 10 and was diagnosed at the end of March. It rocked our world and I still deal with the grief every once in a while. She really just got out of the honeymoon phase about a month ago, so it lasted about 5 months. We kept thinking she was coming out because her numbers would skyrocket, but then she would have a patch of treatable lows -- very frustrating. However, the educator explained to us that there will always be something going on in her life that will make us feel like the numbers can't be controlled -- illness, excitement, other emotions, puberty, growth, etc. While this is somewhat disheartening, it did put things in perspective for us. The one thing I wished I would have checked into more is the research trials that are taking place -- they seem to be doing a lot of work around "saving" the islet cells that might still be functional during the honeymoon phase -- certainly too late for our kids, but worthwhile if it helps to find a cure down the road...
Hope everything is going ok for you with this new diagnosis. Don't be afraid to reach out for help and support!
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[quote user="jadforacure"]
I am the parent of a recently diagnosed (6 weeks ago) type 1 child. I am interested in hearing feedback on resources others haved used to learn more about the honeymoon phase. If you have found helpful books or web sites can you please list them for me.
[/quote]I haven't seen a focus book on honeymoon, really there isn't much to it except you make a little insulin. - if you are looking for a good insulin book I would suggest Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Managing/dp/1569244367/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255222960&sr=8-2
good luck
When I was first diagnosed my mom did everything she could to get us ready to treat diabetes. I went to the top childhood diabetes doctor in oregon and a one week seminar on diabetes and I'm still learning.
One thing stood out in particular and still does. The "honeymoon phase" is exactly that, a honeymoon. My child diabetic specialist's practice involved keeping his patients (children) in the honeymoon phase as long as possible. That 's the best treatment until the mechanical pancreas or cure and he wanted us all to be around when that day came along. With such a fragile disease you need every advantage you can get.
In the honeymoon phase the pancreas is still producing insulin when it needs to. Meaning, when you miss calculate food intake or insulin dosage your pancreas picks up the slack! When you leave the honeymoon phase control gets very hard sometimes it seems almost impossible. I really miss the easy honeymoon days.
The trick to staying in the honeymoon phase is keeping BG and diet in the best control possible so the insulin producing cells of the pancreas can last as long as possible.
Well, I believe that I’m on my honeymoon! Three months in! Even with a little reduction of my mealtime dosage, my numbers are consistently lower than usual. I’m not sure how to handle. I DON’T LIKE THE LOWS! I am petrified of hypo!
I tried the 18:1 ratio and that worked fine for a day. My endo said to do that or just reduce by 1 unit from my typical calculations (15:1). I still feel the numbers are too low for my liking…low 100’s and 90s. Do you think I can tweak even more??
Low 100s and 90s sound ideal to me. Literally ideal.
We were taught that a person without diabetes stays roughly between 80-120; typically closer to 80 when they wake up or haven’t eaten for at least several hours, and closer to 120 around the 90-minute mark after eating. (The ADA says people without diabetes average between 68-117, which corresponds to an A1c from 4.0-5.7.)
You might also check out this short article from UMich: scroll down to the section headed “Low blood sugar” for guidance on what generally happens around 70 (feeling tired, shaky, etc.), 40 (irritability, confusion), and 20 (unconsciousness, seizure)
We don’t consider it “low” until she’s 65, though others use 70 or higher, depending on their own physiology. What did your endo tell you should be your low end?
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@srozelle I do feel slightly shaky when I hit the low 90s, high 80’s. My endo set the target range of 100-140.
Thanks, I will check out the article.
That makes sense. If your body’s been high for awhile, it gets used to how that feels, which means having a BG in the target range feels low. As you spend more time in range, though, your body will acclimate to that, and then you probably won’t feel low until your sugar’s lower than that. Some doctors want patients to come down gradually for exactly that reason: going from pre-diagnosis BG straight to the ultimate target range BG would feel awful, so they take it in smaller steps along the way.
I’ve read that you can actually take conscious advantage of the phenomenon to combat “hypoglycemic unawareness,” which is what it’s called when you don’t feel your lows. No one likes the feeling, but it sure beats not knowing you’re going low until you pass out! So anyway, some people who have stopped feeling their lows deliberately run their BG higher for awhile. The idea is to get themselves used to a higher average, so that they’ll feel it when they go low again.
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@srozelle my thoughts exactly (deliberating run a bit high!). I actually drank 1/4 c of OJ at 91 and felt much better (psychologically) as it crept up.
Can you elaborate? Or send me to a site that speaks to that?
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I’m glad you felt better — psychologically counts just as much as physically in my book! 
The only reason I know about it is from reading others’ posts on this forum. I did a quick search and came up with this one, just for example:
And I bet others can elaborate, too, once they see this thread. It’s definitely been a topic of discussion off and on, though that post I linked above was the most thorough I’ve seen. (Just a note that it’s ten years old at this point, so there very well may be more recent data, which maybe others on the forum can point you to.)
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Sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you with it! I just thought it did a nice job of explaining how to regain awareness of lows, is all. 
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Passing out is a diabetic’s nightmare. Some people have hypoglycemic unawareness (that’s a mouthful!) and don’t realize they’re low or dropping; and for some the drop happens so quickly before they recognize it, they don’t have time to treat it themselves. In the other hand some people can handle very low numbers, although it’s unhealthy (I’ve been waking around appearing normal - no one noticed anything unusual - in my 40s on occasion! Dexcom Control IQ with my Tandem pump has helped immensely; and simply having a CGM with alerts gives me huge peace of mind. And Dexcom lets you share your readings if you choose, so someone could call and remind you to get a snack and talk with you while you’re waiting for your low numbers to rise - or come help if you need them to. How you manage that is up to you.
I worked with a woman many years ago who lived alone and said the only time she went low was when she had company stay over - she said she must let her guard down knowing someone else was there - otherwise she did very well. Not to dissuade you from company of course. Again we now have invaluable tools to show us where we are and how we are doing.
Learn to recognize your signs, even if you use a CGM: there’s a warmup period when you’re on your own (or using fingersticks) and it’s always wise to know how to “go old school” just in case. When I’m normal and dropping I feel it even before I get an alert so I know I need to keep an eye out to see whether I level out our not. You’re recently diagnosed so hopefully unawareness is a long way off if it ever does rear is ugly head. You want to avoid lows but if you get them learn what the signs are. The list may change over time but remember is your body doing its job by giving you a warning.
Find your preferred “recovery agent” - to carry with you. Liquids work faster than solids but find something to keep in your pocket or purse. I like Clif Bloks sport gels - I prefer the texture to glucose tabs - but packs of candy like lifesavers and Mentos work (a few will do). They’re easy to grab and quick to use until you can get something substantial and nutritious in your system. It’s natural to fear hypos but try to use this acronym:
Face
Everything
And
Respond
Also - not to be a killjoy, but since you live alone your doctor might suggest a slightly higher A1C and target numbers, perhaps especially if you do not have a CGM. The recommendation is to keep it under 7 - just how far under and what is healthy for an individual, may vary (my theory), but as a non-medical professional, from what you’ve shared it sounds like you have some wiggle room. Discuss with your doctor of course, particularly since you have concerns. Here’s a quote from All About Your A1C - it refers to Type 2 but holds true for Type 1:
Your A1C Goal
The goal for most people with diabetes is 7% or less. However, your personal goal will depend on many things such as your age and any other medical conditions. Work with your doctor to set your own individual A1C goal.
Younger people have more years with diabetes ahead, so their goal may be lower to reduce the risk of complications, unless they often have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, or a “low”). People who are older, have severe lows, or have other serious health problems may have a higher goal.
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I just applied my first G6 sensor this morning! I hope to live in a little less fear now.
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Congratulations! There’s nothing like peace of mind.
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Yep, checking it every 5 minutes LOL!!
Well, so far not impressed. My CGM is off (shows 101) and the other (poke-your-finger) shows 85 which I COULD FEEL !
There will always be a difference. Both your finger meter and your CGM have error. Your CGM doesn’t measure blood sugar, it measures interstitial fluid. IMO I’d never get too excited unless I saw a difference of over 20%. (101 x 0.2 = 20.2) and 101 (your CGM ) minus your finger test of 85 is less than 20.2. (It’s actually 16) Sorry about the math but T1 makes you use it from time to time.
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Ah, thanks, @joe
Will there be a time when I won’t have to use the finger test to compare??
I fell like I have to ALWAYS be on guard! Not a very comfortable life.
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