Does it ever get any easier???

[Robynberrill]

Hi,

Okay so I'm 19 years old and I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes round about this time last year. The endless hospital appointments, having to inject insulin 4 times a day and watching others eat sugary foods still get me down to this day.

I have a lot of people say to me 'Oh it's just diabetes it's not the end of the world' but to me it's something that I will have to live with everyday for the rest of my life and yes it may not be the worst thing that somebody could have but to me it's taken over my life.

I used to be so energetic and loved life and now I feel like I have to be cautious with everything. With the food I eat, with the amount of exercise I do, every day taking my blood glucose levels and then injecting insulin before I eat and before bed.

I know they are supposed to say 'Don't let diabetes control your life, you control the diabetes' but does it ever get any easier?????

 

[Shar67]

I just read your post and realised I hadn't taken my night time jab, I don't think it gets easier it become your new normal, you manage it better, you do know as a type1 you can have the odd sugary snack as long as you give yourself the right amount of insulin and only as treat now and then.
It is hard not to become down with diabetes, but you cannot change it so embrace it, be the best type1 diabetic around, educate yourself enjoy life as you say it could be worse at least we have pens and easy equipment can you imagine how bad it was pre 1970s

 

[chl0ejasmine]

Hi I'm 18 and was diagnosed 3 years ago - I know being a teenager it's particularly hard because you see all your friends stuffing themselves with junk and partying and drinking while we always have to think about what we are doing. It does get easier you find your way and you'll get through it!

 

[Juicyj]

I've been diagnosed over 3 years now and I can definately say the first year was the hardest, I had the same comments also 'it could be worse' well at the time the only thing worse was death as far as I was concerned, at least with most other illnesses there's a cure, but still it's not comparable to anything else. Quickest come back to anyone with any smart comment is to say 'you try living with it then'..

I promise it does get easier but it helps to learn as much as possible, read every publication linked to type 1, become the expert and the diabetes will become second nature. I live with routine now, something I didn't before, but at least my diabetes is more predictable with routine. Exercise, it keeps your body fit and your mind sane. Talk to others on here, try doing some charity work ? Accept you are different but embrace it, be unique, define yourself as an individual expertly managing your diabetes.

I know alot of us including me have have down moments with this but it's really about accepting it and learning to live with it, rather than fighting it. You can have more energy and love life still but is about keeping your BG balanced to keep good energy levels and finding your own rhythm, rather than craving your previous life.

 

[BeccyB]

It's not going to be easy, but it can get easier - as @Juicyj said the more you learn about your condition, not just the general info (which is great!) but how it effects you individually too, the simpler the everyday decisions about doses etc should be. And the more confident you are, the less your hospital team will need to see you too

The other thing to add is there is always hope. We can't know when the next breakthrough will come or what exactly it will be, but there WILL be something. I was diagnosed 30 years ago and the advances in knowledge and treatment in that time are phenomenal.

And remember, there will always be someone on here, or other forums/blogs etc, that will have had a similar experience. The people around you may not understand what you're going through but there are people that do and you can turn to if you want/need to x

 

[noblehead]

It does get easier because you learn how to fit diabetes into your life without it being too intrusive, life is for living and having diabetes shouldn't hold you back, look at all the successful sportsmen/women who have achieved great things despite having diabetes, remember diabetes doesn't define who we are.

 

[Robynberrill]

I know people say that it does get easier because it becomes second nature and what not. I think it's just because I'm down about it at the moment and I admit I have a negative attitude towards it thinking it's not going to get any easier.

Thanks all x

 

[noblehead]

I know people say that it does get easier because it becomes second nature and what not. I think it's just because I'm down about it at the moment and I admit I have a negative attitude towards it thinking it's not going to get any easier.

Thanks all x

When your down in the dumps everything seems much worse @Robynberrill

Join a local diabetes support group or try and get to one of the meet-ups that members on the forum arrange every few months, this is a great way of sharing your burdens with people who know what you are going through.

 

[jakejayeden]

It's a very difficult question to answer and it's all rather subjective. However my experience, I think that it slowly becomes more routined and just another part of the wake up routine. For me, I was diagnosed within childhood, so looking back, I wouldn't know any different. Sure I see other people leading lives where they don't have to test their glucose, they don't have to carb count or calculate correction doses, or not worring about eating to full blowout capacity or days where it's barely a decent meal. They don't have to carry around not only the emotional but physical baggage that comes with the disease. But to me, it's just another thing I do, almost second nature as eating, going to the toilet and doing a full sweep view check when starting a car. Sure there are days where I'll miss an injection, forget to test then wonder why my count is so severe, but it just means life got in the way. And as it goes on, you'll become more experienced and confident in being able to manage and control it better.

 

[jackvdbuk]

am i wrong here but i recently am on 4 injections and although i hate injections it allows freedom to eat what i want.. im having a huge amount of carbs and couldnt do this on two..

why are you not allowed to eat what you want? as long as you use the insulin to balance it its all good right?

 

[endocrinegremlin]

I would say yes it does get easier. The injections will become part of your life and some may blend into something you never think about but just do. You can still have all those sugary foods you see your friends having. Google their carb content and ask here about how others have balanced them. Nothing is out of bounds but yeah, drinking normal coke every day will be harder than just drinking diet. When your diabetes is going well I do think it just becomes another part of your day if you want it to be. Don't give up. Ask us anything you need.

 

[Matt J]

am i wrong here but i recently am on 4 injections and although i hate injections it allows freedom to eat what i want.. im having a huge amount of carbs and couldnt do this on two..

why are you not allowed to eat what you want? as long as you use the insulin to balance it its all good right?

Reading around this site a new T1 would get the wrong impression as all anyone seems to go on about here is a low carb high fat diet. Well for a normal weight T1 this simply isn't the case. I too have plenty of carbs and always have and manage my type 1 diabetes very well.