Type 1 Diabetes Treatment

How to treat type 1 diabetes

Treatment can help you live a full and active life with diabetes. Diabetes treatment aims to control your blood glucose levels, prevent diabetes complications and protect your health.

However, good diabetes treatment should be holistic, supporting your physical and emotional health and general wellbeing. Living with a chronic condition can be stressful. Your diabetes team can help you become the expert in managing your own health so that you can control your diabetes instead of letting it control you.

Type 1 diabetes treatment

When you have type 1 diabetes, your body cannot produce insulin. You will need to take replacement insulin to enable your cells to use glucose energy to live and work.

You can’t take insulin by mouth because the stomach breaks it down before it can work. Instead, you need to inject it into the layer of fat beneath your skin. You can inject insulin with a fine needle and insulin syringe, but people usually use an insulin pen or an insulin pump because they’re more manageable and discreet.

Insulin injections for type 1 diabetes

Insulin pens are sleek, pen-shaped devices. You load them with insulin, so they’re ready to use. You can inject quickly, easily and discreetly. There are many different insulin formulations, which act rapidly or more gradually to control your blood sugars throughout the day. You will usually need a mixture of different insulins to control your blood sugars effectively.

Basal or background insulin works all day. You inject it once or twice a day to provide a relatively steady supply of insulin. Fast-acting insulins work rapidly and should be injected just before or after meals.

Insulin pumps and type 1 diabetes

Insulin pumps are portable electronic devices that deliver a steady stream of insulin into your body twenty-four hours a day. Insulin pumps administer fast-acting insulin.

The pump dispenses a basal level of insulin around the clock. You can add a bolus of extra insulin with meals to balance the carbohydrates in your food without having to inject yourself.

Insulin pumps more closely match the pattern of your body’s natural insulin release. The right pump can offer greater flexibility around mealtimes and exercise, improve diabetes control, and prevent night-time hypos which can be a problem with longer-acting insulin formulations.

Glucose monitoring for type 1 diabetes

Blood sugar monitoring is key to staying healthy and preventing long term complications. To manage your diabetes well, you need to know your glucose levels and understand how they respond to food, exercise, illness, and stress.

There are several ways of monitoring your sugar levels. These include:

  • Finger-prick testing: The most straightforward method involves pricking your finger to get a blood droplet, then using a small hand-held device to measure the blood glucose at that time. If you have type 1 diabetes, you should check at least four times a day
  • Flash glucose monitoring: Flash glucose monitors like the FreeStyle Libre system assess your glucose levels day and night, without finger pricks.  A sensor scans, measures, and stores glucose readings automatically. It connects to a smartphone APP so that you can see your results and monitor changes and patterns
  • Continuous glucose monitors (CGM): Implanted monitors measure your blood glucose levels every few minutes, around the clock. They give detailed information about your blood sugars, even when you are asleep. Some have alarms to alert you if your glucose is going too high or too low
  • HbA1c: You should have regular HbA1c blood checks. It reflects your average blood glucose over the previous 2-3 months

Support Plans

Peace of Mind Plan

Continuous monitoring of your glucose readings by an expert team
Stay alert of any trends or issues that arise in your readings
Together with your diabetes specialist nurse, agree an action plan if a serious issue arises

Breathe easy knowing that you’ll also have access to a specialist to clear up any confusion or doubt that you may experience.

Second Opinion

A 30-minute consultation with an experienced Diabetes specialist consultant including a review of your medical history and clinical treatment.
Expert analysis of CGM and blood tests previously performed by your GP or hospital diabetes team.
Individual care-plan and recommendations for treatment, depending on the results of the review.

Expert second opinions in the comfort of your home to help you improve your diabetes control and safeguard your health.

Diabetes Introduction

A 30-minute consultation with an experienced diabetes specialist nurse.
A professional assessment of your diabetes status.
This includes an HbA1C test, which provides a picture of your average blood glucose over the previous few months.

The Diabetes Introduction package is for people who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and those who are worried about their risk of developing the condition.

Consultant Comprehensive Review

A 30-minute consultation with a leading Diabetes specialist consultant
Pathology tests including HbA1C, cholesterol and lipids, full blood count and analysis of liver, kidney and thyroid function.
Bespoke care plan to improve your diabetes management.

The Comprehensive Consultant Review is our in-depth consultation. It provides a more comprehensive assessment of your diabetes and general health.

Diabetes Weight Management

You will be supervised throughout by a leading Diabetes consultant specialising in weight management including at least one consultation
You will be provided with appropriate advanced weight loss control medication at least a 4 week programme
Bespoke plan to improve your diabetes weight management and support throughout the programme from your dedicated Health Coach to encourage you and answer any questions

The London Diabetes Centre provides a range of remote weight management plans so you can access the support you need to reach your health goals, wherever you live.

Risk Assessment

A 30-minute consultation with a DSN or diabetes dietitian
Diabetes risk questionnaire
Height, weight, blood pressure, HbA1c blood test and Body Composition Analysis

Our plan is designed for patients who have not been diagnosed with diabetes who want to check their current health status and understand if they are at risk of developing diabetes.

Second Opinion

A 45-minute diabetes consultant consultation with written report
A 60-minute diabetes dietitian or DSN appointment
Height, weight, blood pressure, HbA1c blood test and glucose test

Our plan is designed for recently diagnosed patients who are unsure about their diagnosis and need a second opinion or need help deciding on their care plan.

Protocol

A 45-minute diabetes consultant consultation with written report
A 60-minute diabetes dietitian or DSN appointment
Height, Weight & Blood Pressure, HBA1c, Blood Glucose, Urine Alb/Cr and other tests

This Gold Standard in diabetes assessment will cover most people’s fundamental requirements for diabetes care.

Premuim

45 minute consultation with Diabetes Consultant to discuss the results and provide a written report
Advanced Lipoprotein Analysis
An OCT - Optical coherence tomography, Ankle and Toe Brachial Index and DEXA scan

This premium plan includes an in depth assessment of your diabetes status and also your wider health risks concerning cholesterol and metabolic health

SmartWeight™

Free Introductory Session - Discuss your treatment options and explore the clinic before committing
Regular access to a health coach mentor to support the weight loss
DEXA body scan, personalised health report, metabolic rate calculation & a review with Pharmacist

Designed and managed by an expert team with over 30 years of experience in the field, our bespoke consultant-led approach combines diet, medically supervised weight loss drugs and healthy lifestyle advice so that you can achieve effective results that last.

Looking to speak with a member of our team?

Carol Willis

Carol Willis - Diabetes Clinic Facilitator

If you couldn’t find what you were looking for today, feel free to give us a call at 0800 048 3330 and ask Carol and her team. Alternatively, just fill in this form and someone will get in touch with you promptly. By using this form, you are consenting to the storage and handling of the data contained in the form by our team.