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Banging your head against a brick wall

HeartlessHaxisal

Member
Messages
21
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
18 years of diabetes and I’m once again at the point of wanting to bang my head against a brick wall, it always feels like I’m 10 steps behind my body.

I was put on a CGM and pump combination earlier in the year and it’s made me realise how frequently my body changes, in a week my body can require huge alterations to deal with highs and lows, and it’s a constant battle that as soon as I think I’ve got sussed goes “Nice try, here’s a curve ball.”. Then my doctor tells me my HBA1c is good but I’m having to many highs/lows....no **** Sherlock, I just told you I was having issues.

I’m on 31 units of basal (yeah, I know that’s ridiculously high), but I’m currently fighting highs. I know you guys can’t do much, but I just need to whine to people who understand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello, I wouldn’t say your insulin is too much, whatever works for you. Diabetes is indeed frustrating but you are doing everything you can and we just have to be detectives to figure out why these highs and lows are happening.
 
Hello @HeartlessHaxisal

It can be quite over whelming dealing with the amount of information a CGM can give you, I was the same when I went onto the G6, it became firstly obsessive in regards to checking it but also over whelming handling the volume of information it throws out. It's taking a step back from the detail and reviewing the bigger picture that's the trick in managing this, I am similar to you in the fact every day is different, most days no rhyme or reason, different exercise, stress, hormone reactions can all trigger different responses, some days tickety boo and others off the rails. Don't let a doctors opinion affect you either they don't live with this, throw it back at them and ask them what they would do in your shoes, that tends to stop further comments. We all spike after eating it's where you are 2-3 hours later that counts so try not to over treat the spikes and ride them out.

The point to all this is that we do our best each day, it's a difficult task yes and can be more difficult if we let it become so, try to find a balance, CGMs and pumps are there to help but shouldn't make it harder for us mentally, if it gets too much get outside and go for a walk or exercise or even talk to someone but try not to let it stress you out.
 
Hi and welcome! I know that feeling all too well, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all. That’s not a ridiculous amount of basal either, and anyway, you need what you need. The actual number is irrelevant.

What tech are you using? I’m using an omnipod and a Libre.
 
I think there are many more Type 1s where individual management is needed on a weekly and even daily basis. Myself included. I strongly resist from saying how much insulin s required to match my carbohydrates. It definitely is not static. I had an A and E doctor ask me last week how much bolus insulin I take everyday. Err however much I feel will be best.
 
How many carbs in a day do you usually eat?
 

Hi @HeartlessHaxisal it is a constant battle unfortunately but at least now we have better insulins and more tech to at least help us along our daily lives. I have been doing this for 38 years now, times were when all we had were needles the size of small javelins, no blood tests, we had to pee on a stick.Even insulins nowadys are far better.

Like you I am also on 31 Basal units a day for my pump as well as ratios of 1:4 for carbs. We are all different, if that is the amount of Basal you need so be it.

If you need to vent or scream or just need to talk come and join us on the Type 1stars R Us forum on here. very knowledgeable people who offer great advice and support as well as good place to talk about life in general
 

Hi @HeartlessHaxisal sorry to read about your problems. We are all different in the amount of Insulin we take and I too have been going through highs and lows lately, even though nothing has changed in my diet.
I am now on tablets for my back, after a hospital procedure of trigger point injections in my back. It's frustrating and annoying too. Sometimes just telling someone else, members on the forum, can help.
Take care x
 
You're brilliant so don't let your body tell you otherwise. You've done a fantastic job for sooooooooo long so your body ie pancreas, thinks it needs to show you who's boss. Well after 18 years, I think you can kick it back into line. It's good to have a moan now how a blast of a Saturday
 

I’m on the Guardian Sensor 3 with the Medtronic 640 pump which in themselves are a hassle. The sensor causes me problems regularly, the only reason I’m still on it rather than requesting to go back on the libre is that it talks to the pump and can suspend my basal if I happen to drop too low overnight.
 
I’ve not heard great things about the Medtronic sensors, is it not accurate for you? I’ve set up a DIY version with my Libre and Pod, it (as long as my basal settings are spot on) keeps my running relatively smoothly without too much input.
 

Personally I’ve found the accuracy to be pretty good, I had problems when I first started using it but having spoken to my Medtronic representative who is diabetic himself and uses the sensor I followed his advice of inserting the sensor in my arm the same way you do the libre rather than in the stomach as the manual and my diabetes nurse suggested. Accuracy went up hugely after that.

Sensors do still have a rather annoying habit of failing and not accepting calibrations. It then allows calibration after 15 minutes of this error but it rarely works after that, you should leave it about an hour. And if it does fail due to the calibration requirements for the first day if it does mess up you have to wait until the next morning to insert a new one, unless you want to be woken up in the early hours of the morning for calibration!
 

Tell me about it, it really feels like doctors think we’re some kind of machines, Christ I don’t think I’ve had two days in a week where my bolus has been the same! What do they think you eat the exact same carb quantity every day? I know some diabetics use low carb diets and are strict with themselves but jeez not all of us are.
 

Our bodies really do like making life that little bit more difficult for us, don’t they?

Oof, I hope your back feels better soon, and you’re so right. Sometimes it helps to scream into the void, even if the void doesn’t respond XD.
 

Can’t say I’m sorry I missed those days, but I’m glad treatment for it has updated so much, when I was first diagnosed it was insulin pens and the doctors telling me if I got my bloods under control well enough I would only have to blood test two times a week!

I’m already having to look at slashing my basal. Two weeks of having it and fighting highs the whole time as well, I’m now fighting lows! I just wish my body would make up its mind for a considerable amount of time!

I’ll try and join you over there sometime! I’m generally not that talkative over my diabetes, I don’t think I can offer much by way of advice or support to anyone for people so I try to stay out of the way.
 
@HeartlessHaxisel my basal dose is 8/9/10 it changes every 3 weeks or so. Am on 10 at the moment following illness. It is this fact that got me the Libre on the NHS. I had been self funding for 2 years and wouldn’t be able to constantly change like this without doing regular during the night blood basal testing. Impractical!
 
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