An offer of support.

There's a whole gang of us here:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/type-1stars-r-us.150597/

You'd be more than welcome to come and have a cuppa and maybe stay to supper

Hello welcome aboard the ship! We are always here if you need to rant, I’m all eyes.

Hello @Noodle Jon and welcome to the site

There's a definite link between depression and diabetes, whether it's the shock of diagnosis or 'burn out' from the daily management, even fluctuating glucose levels can affect mood, it's a lot to manage, I've had my own share of 'black dog' days too, but remembering depression is temporary and finding a release such as meditation or exercise, or even doing an enjoyable activity like painting, writing, it all helps.

More importantly it's good to talk, so being around others who know how it feels, so hope to see more posts from you soon

Hi @Noodle Jon ,

Welcome to the forum.

Someone usually does "get it" on here. I've been fortunate to work with other diabetics with what I do over the years.

Feel free to chat & support.. Nice to have you with us!

Noodle Jon said:

Yeah I’ve recently started to go to the gym and stuff which has helped. I’m literally the only type 1 diabetic I know in real life so no one gets it. It’s great that this forum exists.

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It can be a lonely existence in real life as I only know of t1's through other people so no one around I chat too regularly. I sometimes bump into one say at a festival as they are wearing the Libre, they must think I'm a lunatic as I'm always up for a chat about it and probably come across as a little enthusiastic !!

Noodle Jon said:

Yeah I’ve recently started to go to the gym and stuff which has helped. I’m literally the only type 1 diabetic I know in real life so no one gets it. It’s great that this forum exists.

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Welcome to the forum same for me I don’t know any other type 1s in real life.

Knikki said:

Hello @Noodle Jon been T1 for more than 50years and never met another one in the wild only T1's I know are here on the forum

Welcome to the forum

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At the age of 8 I did feel like the only D in the village.

The first one I met in the "wild" (apart from the relative "captivity" of an endo session waiting room.) when I was 10? A guy in his early/mid 20s at a local fete. (From memory he seemed happy with a nice lady on his arm.)
Work positions put me where I caught colleagues having a sly meter test at work stations.
Then was the odd T1 at a Jap import van forum meet, asking if anyone had fridge space on a conversion for the insulin.. (Actually there were some helpful non D members on that forum too.)

Then I was in two separate bands each with their own T1 bass player.

To be fair, we all have our way of dealing with it... It's always good to talk & banter.

The thing is that unless we are overt about being T1 no one realises. I know a few now but only by accident- one person spotted me fundraising online and came up to me a fete to say she was T1 as well - we had known each other for years, just not ever tested / injected in each otjer’s presence.

Feeling down is extra tough when you have to find the motivation and energy to keep going, keep on top of the levels and manage life in general.

Hello! I don’t know any in the wild either, so it’s fab to have T1 friends here.

Hi @Noodle Jon
Unusually, I knew another person with type 1 diabetes when I was first diagnosed but it didn’t help.
I was diagnosed in my 30s and was working in IT at the time. The Quality Manager also had diabetes.We have very different personalities. For example, she manages her BG by eating exactly the same breakfast and lunch every single day. I don’t have the same breakfast two days in a row. So talking to her made me feel that spontaneity and fun was over.
Since then I have learnt there are different ways to manage diabetes and spontaneity is still possible.

Until finding the forum and specifically finding the type 1 stars are us thread that @WuTwo referenced, I felt like there was no one else who understood me and my diabetes. But the crowd on that thread are brilliant. They are funny, they are friendly, they are helpful, and they made me realise, even though they are all different to me, they understand me and my diabetes.

Sorry to hear about your depression. I have lived very close to others with depression. What I learnt from them was that their depression was not temporary. It was always there. A bit like diabetes, sometimes it doesn’t affect much if you manage it. But other times it can remind you it is still there.
I am not writing this to scare you. I am writing it so you can be aware. If you have a bad day, you have not failed. You have just had a bad day. You have got over days like that before and you can get over them again.

Look I'm not a psychologist and not claiming to be either, there are many forms of depression and my post was a general opinion based on my experience of dealing with depression, at the time I was in a very dark place and if someone had shone a torch into my hole to say this won't be forever then it would of given me hope, sorry both you and Helen feel it necessary to pick me up on this but having dealt with an incredibly difficult period of my life without any support from anyone then my posts and are simply to shine a torch if someone is in a dark place to give them hope.

Hi @Noodle Jon and welcome to the forum. Another long termer her, just the 48 years for me!! My nephew is type 1 and I have met a few in the garage I work in AND also had a small meet up a few weeks ago and met @Mel dCP and 3 other type 1's. Now that was an interesting meet up as we went to watch the "diabetic comedian" Ed Gamble .

Knikki said:

@Juicyj It was not ago at you, like you I have in the past been in some VERY dark places ones which I have no wish to go back to and no way was I trying to be little what you were going through and I am glad that you have found your way out.

However for many people depression, is unfortunately, not a temporary thing.

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I think many of us have visited depression and it's dark place and I for one, battle to stop from becoming 'a permanent visitor' it's a an awful condition

Hi everyone

This is my first posting so please be gentle as today is also my 21 year anniversary of being diagnosed with Type 1.

I've had the year from hell diabetes wise and am not really sure where to turn or what to do for the best. I've always suffered with depression and my recent experiences are making it slightly worse.

I had a bout of DKA in March after using what turned out to be a cracked cartridge of Levemir for a number of days but I didn't actually discover the reason for this until I was out of hospital and realised it myself. I was kept in for 4 days with drips in both arms after projectile vomiting on the way to work and then finding out my keytones were sky high. I've never been a "good" diabetic and thought DAFNE was the answer to my prayers as I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I knew what to inject. So I was basically a carb and chocolate fiend eating all the wrong things in a constant cycle of highs and lows. I've always viewed my diabetes as a curse and the worst thing that could ever happen to a needlephobe and felt the need to "punish" myself through eating and a very tough exercise regime. Being in hospital gave me so much time to think and strangely enough, I lost my sweet tooth and was determined to eat all the right things and start taking better care of myself. My levels actually started to behave although my hypos increased substantially. I started going back to the gym 3 times a week taking things slowly as I felt so weak and eating a bit more to help compensate and thought I was doing so well until I had a diabetic seizure in the night. I'd tested before bed and my level was 7.9 so I thought I was fine to go to sleep. I remember waking up and not being able to control my arms and legs and knowing I needed to do something but not quite sure what. I was lying there with my arms and legs thrashing about soaking wet with sweat and couldn't get my glucose tablets and needed to call my husband who was asleep next door for help. I was only then I realised I couldn't speak although I knew what I wanted to say. I managed to moan and cry out thinking I was saying his name and my husband finally came in and after seeing me was panic stricken. He applied glucose gel to my gums and tried to give me coke but I couldn't swallow. He was asking me if I wanted an ambulance and I thought I was nodding but I was shaking my head but luckily he called them and they arrived around 15 mins later. They were asking my husband if it was my usual speech pattern as I sounded like and honestly thought, I'd suffered a stroke and was so ashamed I couldn't even speak let alone answer their questions. They stayed with me for 2.5 hours giving me more and more glucose gel until I could swallow, speak and eat again. But this experience has terrified me so much as I felt I was "locked in" and it's the only time in 21 years I haven't been able to treat a hypo myself and I know that if I'd been home alone I would've died. This happened 2 weeks ago and since then I've kept my levels up and reduced by background insulin but I still feel really headachey, tired and slightly scarred by it all . I'm hoping to get the Libre meter in July and don't know whether I should get a Hypo watch to wear when I'm asleep as I'm so terrified of this happening again.

@Bean75
You’ve had an awful experience, thanks for opening up and sharing.
It is common to want to run higher after bad hypos. It does sound like a CGM may help you move on from the fear if you can afford one. The current Libre does not alarm on its own.