Help and advice needed

meechster2000

Newbie
Messages
3
Hi folks

I've been type 1 for 37 of my 38 years and I've recently gone to my GP (I've only been with them a couple of years) and asked for a referral to the diabetic specialist and also to look at pump therapy.

I'm self employed...about 5 weeks ago I gave myself a kick up the backside and started really looking after myself, 7 blood tests a day, regular meals, snacks and so on. I felt pretty good, my readings were getting better, I was exercising, dropping weight etc...you're wondering why I need help?! Then work got cranked up about ten gears; I have a tough physical job, it's my company, all the stress, organisation lands on my shoulders and as it hit this mad phase I stop sleeping, I crave sugar, I crave caffeine and I don't really know what to do...how do I keep my energy levels up and be able to work 12 days on the go for 12 to 16 hour days. The rubbish that I've eaten is terrible, the weight goes back on (which makes me incredibly unhappy when i'm battling to lose a load) and my sugar levels are obviously swinging like a yoyo.

Changing the job is the obvious answer but that's not going to happen!

The GP has suggested I need education (I'm guessing something like the DAFNE thing) but is there anything obvious that springs to anyone's mind....some great high energy snack that's going to help me without making the sugar levels go mad like the packets of Jaffa Cakes I neck?

In the meantime I'm trying to get motivated to get back on the 7 blood tests, getting the food scales out and the trainers back on in the evening..,

Michelle x
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
tomorrow Uk time the T1 guys will be online to help
I don't think the sugar hits are doing you any good, low gi from now on. You are 40, you can't keep up like when you were a 20yr old.
are you eating enough fat..fat is a good source of energy too. It bypasses your BG system except for 10% I was told here.
also fat doesn't have to make you fat,
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

do a course as soon as you can and read as much as you can on carb counting, healthy fat,
 
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noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
Try snacking to get the extra calories and eat things like nuts, seeds and Babybel cheeses between meals, personally I still need to inject for snacks were but you may find that you don't, the only of knowing is by trying and monitoring your bg levels afterwards.

The DAFNE course that your gp has suggested is a great motivator to get going again as your in a group of type 1's who are in a similar situation to yourself, there is an on-line version of DAFNE that you could use in the mean time but it's still worth doing the course, the only problem is DAFNE requires you to attend Mon-Fri which may be difficult for yourself and your busy work schedule, anyway here's the on-line version of the carb counting course:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

Just also be aware that if your continually stressed by your job and not sleeping well this will in turn lead to higer bg levels, so you might need to compensate by increasing your insulin doses.
 

AndyS

Well-Known Member
Messages
784
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey Michelle,

You never mentioned what insulin regimen you are currently on. Are you on a basal/bolus system or are you taking a mixed insulin?
If you are on basal/bolus then I can highly recommend looking at the BDEC course noblehead linked to above. If you can get away from work to do the DAFNE course then it is well worth it.

The thing I have found is you need to understand a few key factors for you (since we are all different):
  • How much does 1 unit of fast acting insulin drop your blood sugar (be aware that for some of us this can change with time of day, season, stress levels etc etc.. you still need to get a rough handle on it)
  • What does 10g of carbs raise your blood sugar by
  • What are your ratios at each meal (this kind of ties in with what I was saying in the first point)
  • What does 30 minutes of your "typical" activity and 30 minutes of your "crazy" activity do to your blood glucose.. again.. just to mess with us this can sometimes be a delayed reaction.
With the above 4 points you can then make some pretty good informed decisions though be aware that you need to keep REALLY good logs of everything. Activity, food intake, insulin intake etc. You need to be brutally honest with yourself about this too and more importantly.. you must take the time to sit down and actually look at your logs to try and spot the patterns. See where you are having highs and lows at similar times of the day and then use that to make the changes to your fast acting and slow acting insulin.

It is not a trivial thing and does take some work and effort initially but once you get the hang of it and you get on top of things you will find that you can make most of the adjustments more or less on the fly as you live your life.

All the best and hope you manage to find your way.

/A
 

corbettc

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi folks

I've been type 1 for 37 of my 38 years and I've recently gone to my GP (I've only been with them a couple of years) and asked for a referral to the diabetic specialist and also to look at pump therapy.

I'm self employed...about 5 weeks ago I gave myself a kick up the backside and started really looking after myself, 7 blood tests a day, regular meals, snacks and so on. I felt pretty good, my readings were getting better, I was exercising, dropping weight etc...you're wondering why I need help?! Then work got cranked up about ten gears; I have a tough physical job, it's my company, all the stress, organisation lands on my shoulders and as it hit this mad phase I stop sleeping, I crave sugar, I crave caffeine and I don't really know what to do...how do I keep my energy levels up and be able to work 12 days on the go for 12 to 16 hour days. The rubbish that I've eaten is terrible, the weight goes back on (which makes me incredibly unhappy when i'm battling to lose a load) and my sugar levels are obviously swinging like a yoyo.

Changing the job is the obvious answer but that's not going to happen!

The GP has suggested I need education (I'm guessing something like the DAFNE thing) but is there anything obvious that springs to anyone's mind....some great high energy snack that's going to help me without making the sugar levels go mad like the packets of Jaffa Cakes I neck?

In the meantime I'm trying to get motivated to get back on the 7 blood tests, getting the food scales out and the trainers back on in the evening..,

Michelle x
Education is really something that I found useful. I went on the BERTIE course and it really was an eye opener. Basically you get help and advice with establishing your ratio, which for example May be 1:1. This means 1 unit of insulin for every 10g of carbs. My readings and overall control have improved beyond my expectations. I've been type 1 for 22years and have diabetic retinopathy, which is stable. Just wish I had this kind of education available 10 years ago. Anyway good luck and don't too hard on yourself.