type 1 need to sort myself out :(

[princesskyra]

Okay guys I'm type 1 got diagnosed Jan 2012 age 30....I took my insulin for the first 5 months after being diagnosed and haven't really taken it since I know I really do need to sort myself out and start taking it again but I'm just so scared I always get abcesses that always means a stint in hospital for me and my health is really not very good I'm tired a lot but I dont sleep and I'm always thirsty...but I'm scared to death about putting weight on I used to be 17 stone and after a lot of hard work through diet and exercise I lost the weight then got diagnosed as type 1 diabetic which ment a two Stone weight gain within a couple of month that's when I decided to stop taking my insulin and after more diet and exercise to get the weight back off I am now 9 stone and happy......but I can't carry on the way I am

Does anyone else struggle with their diabetes?

 

[noblehead]

You really do need to start taking your insulin otherwise you will get seriously ill, a condition called DKA can be life threatening and come come on quite quickly in the absence of insulin or lack of it.

I would get help and discuss your concerns with your diabetes team and they can help you overcome this fear of injecting and putting on weight.

 

[Daibell]

It is so important to keep the carbs down with diabetes to avoid high blood sugar and weight gain. Insulin by itself doesn't cause weight gain but with too many carbs it enables the body to convert the excess carbs to stored fat. Diet is generally more important than exercise but both are important. Set yourself a daily limit to your carbs; many stay below 150gm/day.

 

[princesskyra]

I know I need to sort it out and can't carry on the way I am I don't have a doctors at the min but I'm going to register with one on sat and make an appointment to see someone

 

[princesskyra]

Thing is when I got diagnosed I had no support from the diabetic team at all they discharged me from hospital after keeping me in for a week armed with a load of stuff and was left to get on with it my self I should have had a diabetic nurse come and see me every day but that didn't happen I didn't have a clue what to do all they said to do was inject 4 times a day 10 units! My sugars used to drop so low it was making me ill

 

[noblehead]

I know I need to sort it out and can't carry on the way I am I don't have a doctors at the min but I'm going to register with one on sat and make an appointment to see someone

When you do ask for a referral over to the hospital diabetes clinic for the care of your diabetes, there they are more specialised in dealing with type 1 diabetes and the problems that you are experiencing.

 

[Adele99]

When first diagnosed nearly 40 years ago my weight wasn't much over 8 stone which was underweight. Once I'd been sorted out with the correct amount of insulin and carbs etc, my weight went up to 9 stone 4 , size 10/12 and stayed there until into my 50s when both hormones and reduced activity caused me to put on another few pounds.

The point I'm trying to make is, taking insulin won't make you fat or put on weight if you get the balance right. Only eating more calories than your body requires for your lifestyle will do that.

Hopefully the diabetic clinic will be able to help you gain the knowledge to adjust your insulin and dietary intake to keep your weight balanced. Please don't use not taking insulin as a weight loss or maintenance solution, as the potential damage from raised blood sugars is totally horrendous, and can develop fairly rapidly over a short few years if you continue the way you are. Would be really sad if at 40 which is a great age to be, you're slim but so damaged you can't enjoy what can be a great stage in your life.

Hope you get some help and get sorted. Let us know how you get on.

 

[LucySW]

It is so important to keep the carbs down with diabetes to avoid high blood sugar and weight gain. Insulin by itself doesn't cause weight gain but with too many carbs it enables the body to convert the excess carbs to stored fat. Diet is generally more important than exercise but both are important. Set yourself a daily limit to your carbs; many stay below 150gm/day.

Yes, it's not insulin itself that makes people put on weight: it's insulin plus eating too many carbs. As Daibell says, the insulin means that you can use (ie, lay down as fat) the BS your diet is feeding you. So if you are eating a lot of carbs, you'll put on the weight. But LCHF plus insulin shouldn't have that result. Check with others, but as far as I can see, it's perfectly possible to be thin and take insulin.

The Dr Bernstein book is excellent: Dr Bernstein's Diabetic Solution.

Don't take the risks! It sounds as if you're putting yourself in danger.

 

[fatgirl1965]

This sounds really horrible and harsh but.............would you rather be 11 stone and healthy or a 9 stone corpse because if you don't start taking your insulin that's how you will end up. Sorry if that sounds really blunt but I am speaking from personal experience - I had exactly the same feelings as you when I was diagnosed as a teenager. Listen to the advice of the other forum members and get help NOW, before it is too late. Please take care of yourself and let us know how you go on.

 

[Lisbet]

Register with a GP, ask for a hospital referral (maybe to a different hospital to the one that didn't give you support before), insist on a referral to attend the DAFNE course to learn about how to look after yourself (see their web site for details), and most importantly, phone the Diabetics with Eating Disorders organisation ASAP! http://www.dwed.org.uk

If you Tweet, there's a Tweet Chat for diabetics on how we relate to food issues, where you will also find lots of info and support (use the #ourD hashtag to read it afterwards if you can't 'attend'). It's on Tues 8-9pm 26 September on Twitter!

You are not alone, there are many people who feel like you do and there is help available, BUT it's up to you to ask for it and keep asking if it's not given to you - or until you find a Dr, nurse, diabetic friend or therapist who gives you the support you need. Good luck - you CAN do it and you don't need to put on weight with T1. I've never missed my insulin, but struggled with food and body image issues for years - if I can get better, so can you!!!

 

[Flowerpot]

As the others have said please register with a gp and get referred to a diabetes clinic as a priority. There is no reason to be scared, there is good help and support out there but if no one knows what problems you are facing then no one can help you. Not dealing with the situation is infinitely more scary than asking for help to get control.

It is sadly a very common thing- especially in young female type 1's- to manipulate insulin to achieve weight loss. As someone who has been down the path of skipping insulin injections, bulimia and anorexia I am living with the dire consequences. When complications hit, and they hit me in my late 20's early 30's, they are like an out of control high speed train and at that point the last thing on your mind is your weight. I was convinced being 6 stone was the answer to happiness, I got there by various means and lost the sight in both my eyes pretty soon afterwards from proliferative retinopathy. It makes me so sad to read of other people struggling to balance all the different aspects of diabetes and not getting help and support.

Ask to be referred as a priority and tell the gp/consultant what you are doing, that is the only way to start getting appropriate help. There is a healthy, happy balance to find and I hope you can find it as soon as possible rather than take the life changing and very painful route I took.Good luck with it all, do it now and take control.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Your weightloss since giving up taking the insulin will also be due to high blood levels.... Not just exercise. Sorry...

Being diagnosed does not necessarily automatically bring weightgain...It did for me, but I was barely a size 6 (in nowaday terms) and have remained at a size 10-12 pretty much since. My weight gain was because I had lost so much in the first place.

Some insulins can seem to cause some weight gain with certain people.

If you express these concerns to gp and consultant when you get one then they may consider changing your insulin.

However, for them to ascertain whether your rise in weight is from insulin they will need to see a record book with details written down of the foods you eat and the insulin you take and the exercise that you do.

Mdi record books aren't very good at giving you enough room to do this amount of recording, so it may be that you could device a spreadsheet or find one that does.

It's hard being diagnosed T1 but consequences of not caring for your diabetes can be harder to live with.

If you want to have a full, active life feeling healthy then you need to start taking your insulin. There are many, many of us that have been diagnosed 30+ years and remain complication free, but, we've had to work at looking after ourselves. I certainly haven't been an angel, so I am perfectly aware of how you feel...

 

[Juicyj]

There are 2 mindsets to look at when diagnosed with type 1.

You either become a victim to type 1 and fall into a pit of self defeat and 'why me' syndrome, not look after yourself but feel you are owed better health.

Or you take take control and ownership for the condition and start to manage yourself to better health and a better life by becoming an expert on managing type 1.

I was diagnosed at age 40 and wallowed in a pit for probably about a year, then I read up, signed up here, went to DAFNE, got Dr Bernsteins book and decided I didn't want to lose my sight or my health and wanted to stay healthy for as long as possible - i've been fat and slim and to be honest I am half way, not overweight but not at my target weight either, does that bother me, well 20 years ago maybe now it certainly doesn't - size is all in your mind not everyone else's, you won't become obese but carrying on without insulin is doing your body untold damage, you can take control and go low carb so low insulin doses, it's really called common sense which everyone should be doing not just type 1's. I eat less than 80g carb a day and manage fine, I don't put on weight and I exercise now - something I didn't use to do, but now I know how exercise affects my condition I can do high intensity exercise classes fine.

You don't get a second chance at life, this is it, don't put off tomorrow what you can start doing today which is taking control and not letting type 1 rule your life.

We're all here to support but you've got to make the decision to stop being a victim and taking control we can only support you.

Good luck

 

[Juicyj]

Also please don't feel alone in how you feel - here's a website that shares stories of type 1 diabetics and the hurdles they have overcome - it's quite inspirational to read these stories:

http://thediabetessite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/dbs/stories/dbsStories

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hello you have gotten over the first hurdle by at least admitting you need to sort your self out. There may be a few obstacles along the way, but you must start to take your type 1 diabetes seriously or the consequences could be life threatening.
You have had some great positive replies from members and this is such a good forum to get support, help and advice from and also a good ole moan. It can be so hard at times, many have gone through very similar thoughts and feelings as well.

Please take good care and be good to your self. I'm sure you can do it, just give diabetes a kick up the derriere from time to time as YOU'RE in charge. Good luck.

ps I was diagnosed at 31,

RRB

 

[donnellysdogs]

Thing is when I got diagnosed I had no support from the diabetic team at all they discharged me from hospital after keeping me in for a week armed with a load of stuff and was left to get on with it my self I should have had a diabetic nurse come and see me every day but that didn't happen I didn't have a clue what to do all they said to do was inject 4 times a day 10 units! My sugars used to drop so low it was making me ill

This needs to be explained to your new GP. You need to ask about a dafne course and to ask for an urgent refferal to a different hospital.

However, weight gain is largely due to what you eat unless it is due to a thyroid problem. You need to be able to balance your carb intake with your insulin and your calories...

You do need to say to your new GP that you need help and want to work with them to improve your health and wellbeing..

 

[dtennant9]

Much like the other responses you need to contact your GP/Diabetes team urgently to get this sorted.
You have recognised that you need to do something about though which is a great first step.

 

[princesskyra]

Thanks everyone...I'm at the docs tomorrow to discuss getting me better!! I'll let you all know how I get on tomorrow...does anyone know of any diabetes books I could read and also low carb books too? Thanks

 

[noblehead]

Thanks everyone...I'm at the docs tomorrow to discuss getting me better!! I'll let you all know how I get on tomorrow...does anyone know of any diabetes books I could read and also low carb books too? Thanks

By far the best book to read on type 1 diabetes is Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner, not sure about books on low-carb diets but some people say that Dr Bernsteins book Diabetes Solution is a good read.

 

[Deleted member 83869]

Okay guys I'm type 1 got diagnosed Jan 2012 age 30....I took my insulin for the first 5 months after being diagnosed and haven't really taken it since I know I really do need to sort myself out and start taking it again but I'm just so scared I always get abcesses that always means a stint in hospital for me and my health is really not very good I'm tired a lot but I dont sleep and I'm always thirsty...but I'm scared to death about putting weight on I used to be 17 stone and after a lot of hard work through diet and exercise I lost the weight then got diagnosed as type 1 diabetic which ment a two Stone weight gain within a couple of month that's when I decided to stop taking my insulin and after more diet and exercise to get the weight back off I am now 9 stone and happy......but I can't carry on the way I am

Does anyone else struggle with their diabetes?

Sorry to sound harsh but how are you still alive? Are you testing?

Isn't this known as diabulimia guys???

but yes get to to your GP etc before it is too late! You can do it! x