What’s your hardest struggle with diabetes?

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dear Mr Pot,
Thank you for comments, noted therein. In case there may be misunderstanding, may I enquire as an example,

"if you from South Africa, yet are resident in England time of your A1C the result diagnoses you in England as Diabetes 2, such decision you have to respect and accept for the fact you are residing in England at the time, yet, if you fly home to South Africa, or even continuing residing in England, the same A1C test in your home country views and diagnoses you Pre diabetes rather than Diabetes 2, what would your reaction be in such a situation? just a question no more or less for curiosity.

wishing you a nice day.
I was told I was pre-diabetic with an HbA1c of 41 but a badly conducted OGTT did not confirm it and so I took no notice. Some years later a routine blood test gave me an HbA1c of 53 so by that time I was diabetic. So to answer your question, like anyone I would probably rather be diagnosed pre-diabetic but with the knowledge I now have, if I were to go back in time it would have been better if they had said I was diabetic. My BG would have been the same but I would have done something about it.
As has been said before the HbA1c is not very accurate as @Bluetit1802 would confirm. At diagnosis a reading of say 55 is definitely diabetic and a reading of say 30 is definitely not diabetic, but readings in the low 40's are a warning whether they are officially pre-diabetic or not.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
PN is better . Pathetic Nurse

I can't say I've ever met a PN in my diabetes life, although I did once have the misfortune to be in a medical assessment unit years ago with a female version of Attila the Hun. My diabetes nurse, who I have seen for over 4 years, has been nothing but lovely, supportive, helpful, pleasant, and very knowledgeable.
 

flexi06

Well-Known Member
Messages
373
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My hardest struggle is the blooming exercise- I can’t abide it, added to the fact that I now have to do it FOREVER. How ghastly- I’m essentially quite a lazy person and always absolutely exhausted but still have to be active, bluerghhhh
 

mountaintom

Well-Known Member
Messages
574
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Would love to see the people complaining about their healthcare on day 1 of their diagnosis WITH NOBODY HELPING THEM.
 
Messages
18,448
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies, Liars, Trolls and dishonest cruel people
[QUOTE="mountaintom, post: 1792730, member: 468050"]Would love to see the people complaining about their healthcare on day 1 of their diagnosis WITH NOBODY HELPING THEM.[/QUOTE]

I was in hospital, so that did help................. :)
 

MrsGruffy

Well-Known Member
Messages
147
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My "joke" answer is that I can't afford a personal chef like Oprah :(
My real struggle is with denial and acceptance ( I still have this mindset that once I get this under control, life can go back to normal). I really hate that this is the new normal. I hope that my attitude improves. I feel deprived and resentful right now.. and there's a teeny weeny inner voice saying "Is all this change really worth it?" Of course, logical, sensible me knows it is. It's quite depressing really.
 

briped

Well-Known Member
Messages
947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Well, if you check my sig you'll see that it's probably staying disciplined and out of denial for the rest of my natural. That and just once in a while not reading posts on this forum :)
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
My hardest struggle is the blooming exercise- I can’t abide it, added to the fact that I now have to do it FOREVER. How ghastly- I’m essentially quite a lazy person and always absolutely exhausted but still have to be active, bluerghhhh

I’ve embraced my inner lazy person and just don’t do any ;)

My exercise ..... walking the dog, shopping, and any housework or gardening I can't avoid. I still lost all my excess weight and normalised my blood sugars. I find it very over rated. ;)
 

Grumpy ole thing

Well-Known Member
Messages
290
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
discovering you cant actually turn the stairs round, or move the roof...
Hmmmm @Mel dCP and @Bluetit1802 these are my kinda replies..... there’s hope for me yet then.

Santa treated me to a fit bit, insulin:carbs ratios behave better when I get the steps in, so...dancing in the kitchen, racing the trolleys in Asda, shopping for h o u r s ..they're all steps, I can get in a couple of hundred just drying my hair :happy:
 
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flexi06

Well-Known Member
Messages
373
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Santa treated me to a fit bit, insulin:carbs ratios behave better when I get the steps in, so...dancing in the kitchen, racing the trolleys in Asda, shopping for h o u r s ..they're all steps, I can get in a couple of hundred just drying my hair :happy:

Yes my Fitbit has been life changing- although before I was diagnosed I thought I needed a hobby- now diabetes is my hobby, tracking what I eat, sleep, how many steps etc lol
 
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LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,238
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Hardest struggle is all around weight loss.

I've given up a lot of my Earthly pleasures such as homemade bread and homemade chips and I eat a fraction of what I used to eat but my weight seems stuck around the 12 stone 2 pounds level.
I am reasonably active and eat LCHF (with a few lapses) but I would have to starve myself to get down to my target weight of 11 stone 7 pounds (what I weighed in my late teens).

I would love to run, but my legs and especially my feet are just not up to it any more.

I enjoy cycling, but various dodgy calculations suggest that I would have to cycle for 2.5 to 3.5 hours just to burn off a pound of fat.

I've recently had foot problems (probably strained tendons on top of my left foot) which stopped me walking, and my knees are fairly knackered.

So exercise is complicated.

I find that I cannot give up booze long term as it is a relaxant and rounds off a pretty good day into a really great day. Beer is both my friend and my enemy.

Associated with this, I find it hard not to be critical (and possibly a little envious) of all those who are carrying a lot of excess weight. I tell myself that they may have IR and not be able to help themselves. However if I could weigh a couple of stone more and not have to compromise my lifestyle in any way I suspect that I might take it.
 
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rab5

Well-Known Member
Messages
842
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
My Diabetic nurse
Would love to see the people complaining about their healthcare on day 1 of their diagnosis WITH NOBODY HELPING THEM.

No one from the nhs has helped me since diagnoses. I was refused an appointment with my doctor until I did the DESMOND course what a complete waste of a day that was.
 

rab5

Well-Known Member
Messages
842
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
My Diabetic nurse
Hardest struggle is all around weight loss.

I've given up a lot of my Earthly pleasures such as homemade bread and homemade chips and I eat a fraction of what I used to eat but my weight seems stuck around the 12 stone 2 pounds level.
I am reasonably active and eat LCHF (with a few lapses) but I would have to starve myself to get down to my target weight of 11 stone 7 pounds (what I weighed in my late teens).

I would love to run, but my legs and especially my feet are just not up to it any more.

I enjoy cycling, but various dodgy calculations suggest that I would have to cycle for 2.5 to 3.5 hours just to burn off a pound of fat.

I've recently had foot problems (probably strained tendons on top of my left foot) which stopped me walking, and my knees are fairly knackered.

So exercise is complicated.

I find that I cannot give up booze long term as it is a relaxant and rounds off a pretty good day into a really great day. Beer is both my friend and my enemy.

Associated with this, I find it hard not to be critical (and possibly a little envious) of all those who are carrying a lot of excess weight. I tell myself that they may have IR and not be able to help themselves. However if I could weigh a couple of stone more and not have to compromise my lifestyle in any way I suspect that I might take it.

Excercise v diet

Excercise will not shift fat!

Diet will
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,238
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Excercise v diet

Excercise will not shift fat!

Diet will

However exercise can reduce Insulin Resistance and improve overall BG control.
 

mountaintom

Well-Known Member
Messages
574
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
No one from the nhs has helped me since diagnoses. I was refused an appointment with my doctor until I did the DESMOND course what a complete waste of a day that was.

Did you diagnose yourself?
 

flexi06

Well-Known Member
Messages
373
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
No one from the nhs has helped me since diagnoses. I was refused an appointment with my doctor until I did the DESMOND course what a complete waste of a day that was.

@rab5. My story was similar- I had weeks of struggle and self research ( so glad I found these pages) the nhs is shocking with diabetes but finally appointments started and I went on an X-Pert course - I highly recommend it- I had already discovered a lot of stuff myself but the( 6 week) course gave me details and reasons why and more medical insight. Some people on the course had done Desmond and were similarly disparaging as you.