What do you dislike most about diabetes? Is there anything you like?

[eddie1968]

I've got my spontaneity back lol ! Just hate the very sore bumboils you get now and again when your BGs tend to go up. I think diabetes gives you more empathy and actually makes you a better human being all round so it has it's positives.

 

[Robinredbreast]

I hate almost everything about my diabetes the only thing I like about it is that it ruined my life but then fixed for me by letting me meet the perfect women 8 years later .... who now will be my wife this time next yeah

That is wonderful, so happy for you both

 

[Robinredbreast]

I hate almost everything about my diabetes the only thing I like about it is that it ruined my life but then fixed for me by letting me meet the perfect women 8 years later .... who now will be my wife this time next yeah

That's what I would like, but a man. What I am finding difficult, is probably plucking up the courage to say something ( I have type 1 diabetes) to someone. I have said I have Coeliac disease.

 

[nmr1991]

Dislike: High blood sugar overtime causes invisible damage to my organs which would be too late to treat.
Like: Hypo's allow me to concentrate more.

 

[Fayefaye1429]

Dislike before I was diagnosed I did a lot of intense sport. I understand a lot of people still do with diabetes but I just cant. 20 minutes and then it's a nightmare for hours but I'll do my 20 because I love it. Sounds odd but I have spent many night in bed crying because I want to do my one to two hours exercise a day and I can't do over 15 years I accept what I can get. The doctors have been trying to help me for some time so who knows.

Likes: I knew something was missing. I felt terrible for a while and being diagnosed meant I could live life without feeling like it was ending. I learnt a lot about myself throughout my whole journey too and will no doubt continue to

 

[Atalay]

I hate not being able to lose weight in a regular rate! I have to fight my body for about 4 weeks to lose 5 lbs !

 

[BevW]

I think mostly I dislike the spontaneity of a lunch when we go out for the day, can't just buy a pasty and cake in greggs or a sandwich, now I'm wary of what I eat, sounds quite petty really but those are the types of things you tend to miss. I dislike the way my life seems to revolve around food, what to eat?, how many carbs I've had?, how many left?, if I eat this will I send my glucose up? will I sleep cos I've had too many?
On the good side though now I dont grab a pasty and cake lol.

 

[olala]

My biggest yes is losing a lot of weight. I always thought I'd need a magical something to do this and then after to keep the healthy lifestyle. Before I was diagnosed I lost over 20kg and now, after 8 months I still haven't gained anything.
Second yes is re-discovery of sports, especially since I lost weight and without too much concern for knees or hearth I could just start exercising. I was always an active one, but for last few years I got to do nothing but long walks. Now I'm going to the gym, run, even work out a bit at home. It is a major change also for the amount of endorphins.
When I got sick I was surrounded by my friends (my family lives far away) and I understood what "a friend in need is a friend indeed" mean.
I also learned a lot about myself, not only about me as a person with diabetes, but about how I react to stress, how I cope with it, what are the things in life I care most, what makes me happy.
And last but very much not least: Now I understand what is happening with me. I had so many symptoms and I was constantly tired and sometimes in pain and it was the all unknown and I hate being left without information. And now I know! It is a great relief.

Downsides - first loneliness and being a responsible adult in this all, in the end of the day, it's me counting, observing myself, making decisions and being self-disciplined and wise. I want to be a stupid free spirit again sometimes and totally @Eldorado I would do this diabetics holiday business! I think you have found an interesting niche.
Additionally to that diabetes with all this everyday decision making makes me often think why do I do that, I mean why I keep myself alive. I have tendencies to depression and mental health issues a bit and being faced with this question over and over again doesn't help.

Practical issue: pricking - I look forward to any method that allows to measure BG as often as I want/need and without giving the sacrifice of blood.

Still not knowing totally which type I am and the fact that finding a good doctor is hard, that makes it hard too. It's a fight with health care system in any country I guess.

And all the medical consequences, neuropathy the most. I'm genuinely scared of them.

 

[fleurtess]

there is nothing I like about being diabetic, it is an insidious condition that can if you let it control your life. I refuse to allow that to happen. I take my kit and if I feel like eating a little chocolate cake with a cup of Latte I do, injecting is not a problem for me but does sometimes seem to affect other people. My answer to them is get a life

 

[fleurtess]

I hate almost everything about my diabetes the only thing I like about it is that it ruined my life but then fixed for me by letting me meet the perfect women 8 years later .... who now will be my wife this time next yeah

Many congratulations and many happy years ahead for you both

 

[Eldorado]

Interesting post, Olala. Thank you. Sounds as if you are managing really well. Sometimes something happens to make us realise how important our friends are and that is a good thing. All we can do is 'keep on keeping on'. That is something else to add to the list of dislikes! Re your comment about BG testing, have you heard of the Freestyle Libre? I think that's the right name. Might be worth checking out. It's a tad pricy tho and not available on the NHS. Yet.

 

[olala]

Re your comment about BG testing, have you heard of the Libre Freestyle? I think that's the right name. Might be worth checking out. It's a tad pricy tho.

Thanks @Eldorado! I heard about Libre Freestyle, but for me it's expensive and I heard it's not too precise when BG is changing fast. But frankly, I feel like soon I'll get annoyed enough not to care about any disadvantage. Plus it looks so bionic

 

[Bethanee]

Every time something bad happens, throughout my entire life my mum has always told me 'something good comes out of everything bad'. It's hard to believe but it really is true. It might not be something big but there's always something. I wish everybody was brought up believing that, there would be so much less negativity in the world. It's sad how many people don't feel that they've gained anything through diabetes

 

[Soo49]

As an older newly diagnosed T2, I thought "This is ok, I can cope with it, it's not gunna stop me"! And more or less it hasn't BUT, the tiredness oh the tiredness gets me. I never seem to have enough energy. Is this normal? Along with the sporadic (forgive me, I don't know hoe else to explain this) bowel explosions which I think is the SR metformin, these are the two things that really "get" to me. The toning down of the alcohol intake, the watchfulness over the food and the rest of it IS cope able but always being aware of where the next toilet is, is destroying my social and day-to-day life. I now understand people with IBS a lot clearer if that's a positive. Don't like moaning BUT.......!

 

[hollyslot]

Following on from the 'would you take a cure' thread, I started thinking what are the things I dislike most about being diabetic?
Number 1 has to be the lack of spontaneity. It's just impossible to do almost anything without first considering 'what state am I in? Should I do a test first?' Definitely with driving and probably with almost everything else.
I'm used, after 35 long gruelling years of it, to the finger pricking and injections. That doesn't bother me although I still can't watch anyone else being given an injection. But what does make me cross about diabetes is that it's so sneaky. It can do much of its damage undetected. Working away on the quiet in the background causing mayhem.
Last but not least (and I've shortened my list considerably) is that I just know one day could be exactly like the previous ie I could eat exactly the same as yesterday and do exactly the same exercise, feel the same blah blah. But guess what? Would my BG tests be the same? No they wouldn't. So we never, ever ever just get a break from the watchfulness.
Is there anything I like? Ooooh I'd need a nano-frazzle to think about that.... Nope!

me too, the spontaneity problem is really annoying, and i often feel like i'm annoying others too (eg when im out i tend to go low/high from walking around or not eating enough or underinjecting at a restaurant, and don't feel as good as when i have a day to myself. i also think it's an issue for me personally at work as i work as a waitress where im on my feet and go low every day when im there! im slightly (well more than slightly) ashamed of my diabetes!

 

[hollyslot]

Every time something bad happens, throughout my entire life my mum has always told me 'something good comes out of everything bad'. It's hard to believe but it really is true. It might not be something big but there's always something. I wish everybody was brought up believing that, there would be so much less negativity in the world. It's sad how many people don't feel that they've gained anything through diabetes

i think what i've gained from diabetes, (i've had it since i was 4 so can't remember life without it) is that i have empathy and understanding for people with illnesses that can disrupt their lives. eg i will never feel annoyed by anyone showing symptoms of their illness/make fun of anyone with a disabililty or illness because i know what its like to have one!

 

[margaret1971]

i hate the way doctors treat you as if you can't understand anything and break everything down as if you are five again! I have been diagnosed longer than some of them have been qualified . I don't need to see a dietician I know what to eat and when I also know I eat differently know.and that I can have cake and biscuits and chocolate I just need to think about when and how much . Its a condition I have ,not an illness, illnesses are curable !

 

[smc4761]

I have been diabetic since 1981 and like just about everyone else, I hate the lack of spontaneity. If we go for a day out its like a military excecise, planning everything, always planning for the worst case scenario, eg, traffic jams, trains breaking down, makng sure i have enough carbohydrate.

When i became diabetic, I also lost my job a job i had always wanted to do, so that made me hate diabetes for a long time. Even now if I wanted a new job I think i always have to consider the what if option, eg would i be able to get easy access to carbohyrate.

I particulary hate the low sugars especially the "ghost low sugars" that i get. By that I mean I think i may have a low sugar and can almost convince myself that my sugars are low, yet when i check these can be normal or even high. its all in my mind.

Paying extra for insurance for being diabetic

No days are the same, I can eat the same things do the same routine, one day I can be low, the next high the next normal and yet evertthing I have done is the same.

The only thing i like and I use the term loosely, is that it has mde me more aware of the amount of sugars in food that are totally unnecessary and hs made me more concious of what i eat

 

[Gezzabelle]

Hate the not being able to eat what I want to and having to 'think' all the time..... but love the fact it woke me up to the amount of junk and empty carbs/sugar I was eating and as a result I have shed all the flab I have been trying to for years. Hate the fears that lurk in the back of my mind and the moments when it all gets a bit too much and I get down and depressed knowing it isn't going to change....it's for life ....and that's a long time .....On a positive.....I just got into a pair of jeans that haven't fit me for 10 years .....kept them in the vain hope that one day they would fit me again and they dooooooo

 

[Fayefaye1429]

Hate the not being able to eat what I want to and having to 'think' all the time..... but love the fact it woke me up to the amount of junk and empty carbs/sugar I was eating and as a result I have shed all the flab I have been trying to for years. Hate the fears that lurk in the back of my mind and the moments when it all gets a bit too much and I get down and depressed knowing it isn't going to change....it's for life ....and that's a long time .....On a positive.....I just got into a pair of jeans that haven't fit me for 10 years .....kept them in the vain hope that one day they would fit me again and they dooooooo

Well done on your weight lost!!! I love getting into old things well use to lol