I am new on here

[amanda1983]

Hi,
I am Amanda and thought I would register on here as I have been reading and looking at some of the forums and thought it may help to talk to others with diabetes.
I have Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 18 (now 27). I started doing 2 insulin injections a day (as I was still producing a tiny bit of Insulin)...a honeymoon period I think its called!
The two injections worked well at the start but soon after didnt really work that well due to me not snacking mid morning/afternoon and supper. I just didnt want to snack as often as it needed so I promised my consultant that I would go onto 4 Insulin injections once I left University and settled in a full time job. I guess I didnt want to think it was taking over my life while studying.

I am now on 4 Insulin injections and my readings are very up and down which really stresses me out. The past year I have been struggling very much due to a lot of upset and stress. When I go through a hard time my diabetes seems to go at the bottom of the list and I dont look after it as I should. I show my emotions too much I guess and sometimes feel that I dont care about it as I should when going through a tough time.

After a visit to my consultant in December 2010 I am now seeing a dietician to do Carbohydrate Counting. I have just done over 1 week of sticking to the carb counting and adjusting my insulin dose according to what I eat to see if this helps. My blood sugar readings still are very up and down. I sometimes have hypos and then for a whole day after my blood sugars are very high. I take it quite personally and so get stressed out when it is all over the place. I work so hard to keep them under control, test my blood sugar before each meal/2 hours, 4 hours after a meal (my fingers are very sore)!!, so when I see they are very up and down it makes me think what is the point. I have a couple of days when my blood sugar is very good and brilliant readings but others are from one end of the scale to the other.

I look forward to reading more forums on here.

Amanda. :!:

 

[viviennem]

Hi Amanda, and welcome!

I'm a Type 2 so can't really help you much - but there are lots of really informed, experienced and helpful people on here who will be along soon to give you some support.

You've come to the right place!

Viv

 

[daisy1]

Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum Like Viv, I am also a type 2 and don't know too much about type 1 diabetes. However there are lots of people who are type 1 who are members and it's only a matter of time until one turns up. In the meantime, have a good read around on issues that interest you. There is a very good search engine which will help you. Enjoy...

This general advice might interest you - it is aimed at newly diagnosed diabetics but it would help you to understand the forum's points of view on various aspects of diabetes. There is information in here which might help you to control your BG levels better. I expect there will be things you already know but I hope you find it useful anyway.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS.
Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.

 

[Snodger]

Hi,
I take it quite personally and so get stressed out when it is all over the place. I work so hard to keep them under control, test my blood sugar before each meal/2 hours, 4 hours after a meal (my fingers are very sore)!!, so when I see they are very up and down it makes me think what is the point. I have a couple of days when my blood sugar is very good and brilliant readings but others are from one end of the scale to the other.

Hi Amanda,
I'm t1 and totally relate to what you are saying. it's very hard not to feel you have failed when you get a high blood sugar reading, but you HAVEN'T failed. You've just learnt something about your body, that's all. So many things affect blood sugar, including stress - if you are feeling upset it may well be messing about with your bloods. An annoying vicious circle. We are all struggling with it, you are not alone, and we all have times when it is just too bl**dy difficult to control and we can't see why.
I went through a phase some years ago of testing and testing and being scared and upset at how much my sugars were flip-flopping and I am going to say something which some people may well not agree with, but... for a while, I'd stop testing in between meals. Sometimes it actually makes things worse to be constantly correcting, going hypo, then running high again, and worrying. Think of t1 balance as being an art, not a science.

let us know how you get on and I hope you can feel good about yourself. You've been diabetic for nearly ten years already, just think of what you've already achieved; you're doing more than most people are ever even asked to do - be proud!

 

[lucybell]

Hi Amanda. I am also new to the forum. I read your message and felt so sorry for you. I know exactly how you feel. I too had terrible trouble with my readings being up and down and generally all over the place. I was on four injections a day and also correction dose. I also got really upset if I had not got things under control . At times I got really fed up and got to a stage that I did not bother at all. That only made things much worse!!! I have to say my readings got really bad when I was upset or stressed. Due to the fact that I spent a lot of time stressed about my diabetes i found myself like a hamster on a wheel. My best advice to you is to try and relax a bit about your diabetes. Do your best and record your readings so you can see a pattern. If your readings are high or all over the place take a moment and see how you are feeling ect and make a note of it. Again, you are trying to see if there is a pattern. Also bear in mind a girls best friend, Hormones!!! They to can upset your readings. Best of luck. How are you getting on with the carb counting?. I found it great i must say. I am now on a pump and the carb counting really comes into play. Jella :?

 

[amanda1983]

Hi,

Thank you for the helpful comments back. I am finding it terribly difficult, and for some reason I cannot get myself out of this rut I seem to be in. I am quite an emotional person, and been having quite a rough time with other things (life in general) which is having a knock on effect on my diabetes care.
Maybe seeing a counsellor to help control my emotions and get through the tough times (the stress etc) may help me care better for my diabetes. Has anyone else done the same?

Hopefully one day soon things will improve.

 

[Snodger]

Yes, I did see a counsellor after I'd been diagnosed about two years and was totally not coping, and it really helped, and the thing that really helped was the fact that she (the counsellor) was diabetic herself. I was just incredibly lucky. But I still think it's worth trying even if you can't find one who has the same condition. It may help you sort out which stresses are coming from which bits of your life, which bits you can change and which you just have to live with.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.