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Complications - feeling scared

Emmotha

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,123
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello

So part of the course I've been on they told us about complications, particularly feet / amputations. The nurse was all doom and gloom and didn't say how likely. Now I'm pretty terrified!!

I've only been diagnosed type 1 for a few months. When can complications happen and are they inevitable? What kind of timescales are we talking?

I hadn't been worried until the Doomsday lecture from the nurse! She basically made it sound like if u get foot nurothapy that you'd be dead in a few years!
 
Hi , I am type 2
But the advise to look after our, your feet and your health is the same where care and treatment and of course prevention is concerned ...
Dont to be scarred unless you have reason to , just focus on keeping as well as you can ...

I won't say to much because I am sure some more experienced people will be along to assist ....take care ..Kat
 
i,m type 2 and use a meter
if you have any worries, then ask us or if you are worried then please ring nhs direct
 
Sorry you're feeling like this, being newly diagnosed is a frightening and uncertain time but things will get easier. There's lots of us type 1s who've had it for many years and are still here and ok . I've been a type 1 since a young child, I'm now in my 40's. It's not always easy but I've put in the work and I've no complications - eyesight no problems, perfect cholesterol and blood pressure. I badly broke my leg 20+ years ago, shattered woukd probably be the best description lol, the Drs wouldn't pin or plate due to risk of infection but a year and a half in plaster it healed, it's not always doom and gloom.
 
Hi, we can't ignore diabetes but we can do a lot to prevent serious complications by taking control of it .There are several people on here that have no complications after 40 or 50 years . It was harder when they were diagnosed as they didn't have the means to test in the same way as today.
Here's a few people who have had it for 50 years+
 
Thanks all. The very first nurse I saw said that risks of complications were very small if everything remains well managed. This nurse on the course basically made it sound like we r all doomed lol. I haven't had a foot check yet, how do we get them?
 
Hey!!

I was given the doomsday gloomsday chapter n verse 30 years ago...as a T1 without internet access or anybody else to ask....

Well, they say it for your own good... However, I was told I WOULD get complications and a medal if I got to 25 years with it. I really, seriously never thought I would get to 50..

Well 30 + years on here I am... No complications and now having to buy my own medal when I get to 50 years with T1.. (Rules changed!!).

So prove them wrong... Look after yourself, enjoy your life and just keep the doomsday words in mind, but not the be all and end all in your life...

Life can still be absolutely fantastic. In all honesty I dread to think the type of person I would have been if I wasn't a T1. Honest. I think I been a lot healthier and kinder and resilient because of it.
 
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Thanks @donnellysdogs
I do count myself lucky too that all the blood meters and easy injection pens are around. Much have been much harder before all that!

Thanks for your advice
 
I think personally it was for me, not knowing any other person to give advice besides Gary Mabbutt who had also been diagnosed just prior to me. Nowadays you can check out advice, get full blood test results from GP and talk to others on forums like this.

Diabetes lives with you, not the other way round. Just keep your levels the best you can, but still enjoy life to the full.

I think a lot of advice nowadays is too friendly and touchy feely to be honest. Its actually quite refreshing to hear that you have been given the doom and gloom story...(sorry)

I've known 2 people get to 50 years, one died of just natural old age and the other is still ljving and like me, she has no complications. We are both lean and tried to balance our health and lives. The gentleman that died worked all over the world in Embassies, nothing stopped him, despite having glass syringes and boil up testing.
 
You're right, at least it will keep me on the straight and narrow

Good to know we are not doomed and can live as normal.

I was definitely going down an unhealthy path and will probably end up healthier in the long run
 
Emmotha said:
Thanks all. The very first nurse I saw said that risks of complications were very small if everything remains well managed. This nurse on the course basically made it sound like we r all doomed lol. I haven't had a foot check yet, how do we get them?
Click to expand...

Hi Emmotha, some HCP's love to spread doom and gloom for a pass time. I was diagnosed as a 4 1/2 year old child almost 50 years ago. Oddly I still remember that day. It was Easter and my parents took my Easter egg away from me and gave it to my older brother I have no complications from my diabetes and always lived life to the full.
Diabetes isn't a death sentence. I was always brought up with the attitude that diabetes doesn't kill but stupidity does. Translated that means control your diabetes to the best of your ability and you will be fine.
 


Please don't panic I've been type 1 almost 40 years have all the problems including neuropathy of feet, legs and hands but I still have all my little pinkies attached to my feet I have to be careful, and I see a chiropodist every month. Good fitting shoes are an essential.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 

1..keep your BG in range, 6-6.5% ot less if few hypos

2. take your low dose statin for vascular health for your nerves, feet and eyes
this study looked at the history of 60,000 Diabetics after av. 2.7
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(14)70173-1/abstract
retinopathy HR=0.6 [decrease of risk]
neuropathy HR=0.66
gangrene of the foot HR=0.88
diabetic nephropathy HR=0.97
[neutral..........HR=0.0 ]
diabetes HR=1·17 [increase of risk]

3, get your carbs down to where you feel comfortable 20-40% and adjust your weight by carb intake, 20% protein and top up with healthy fats/oils

4, triglyceride part of your cholesterol under 1 to have the good sized LDL



starts with T2 but wait till it gets to your stuff

5 BP around 120/80

6 take your insulin, don't go on a diabalemic binge
 
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Emmotha said:
Thank you.

What are statins?
Click to expand...
depends who you talk to, some nutters on blogs think it's a bigpharma conspiracy to make everyone sick, but they are a vascular and cholesterol drug.

ask your consultant/endo when you see him next...for vascular health it is a lower dose than for cholesterol, your nurse or GP may not know about the vascular benefit, as they are promoted on cholesterol

google : statin vascular inflammation
 
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Should I have had a cholesterol check? How do they check for it?
 
Emmotha said:
Should I have had a cholesterol check? How do they check for it?
Click to expand...
Cholesterol is checked via a blood test when you have your annual review. There are a lot od side effects from taking statins, so do check very carefully. Not to sure about this but sure I also read somewhere that females of child baring age should not be taking statins. A healthy diet is all that is needed to control your cholesterol.
A lot of scare mongering is done to make people take them. Make your own mind up and do not be pressured into making a decision.
 
Emmotha said:
Thanks all. The very first nurse I saw said that risks of complications were very small if everything remains well managed. This nurse on the course basically made it sound like we r all doomed lol. I haven't had a foot check yet, how do we get them?
Click to expand...

Your first nurse is right, provided you take good care of yourself there's no reasons why you can't live a full and active life and live to a good age.
 
Emmotha said:
Should I have had a cholesterol check? How do they check for it?
Click to expand...
as was said you should have had the cholesterol test done with your blood tests, have you got a copy/ if not ask for one.

your consultant or endocrinologist is the best person to talk to, I don't know the recommended introduction phase. I'm a 60yr old fat diabetic so I went straight on them

everyone have to make their own minds up, but the bad science nutters you will find on the net making up silly numbers, have to be discounted

http://cpr.sagepub.com/content/21/4/464.full.pdf
Results: Among 14 primary prevention trials (46,262 participants),
statin therapy increased diabetes by absolute risk of 0.5% (95% CI 0.1–1%, p¼0.012),
meanwhile reducing death by a similar extent: 0.5% (0.9 to 0.2%, p¼0.003).
In the 15 secondary prevention RCTs (37,618 participants), statins decreased death by 1.4% (2.1 to 0.7%, p<0.001).
There were no other statin-attributable symptoms,
although asymptomatic liver transaminase elevation was 0.4% more frequent with statins across all trials. Serious adverse events and withdrawals were similar in both arms.

Conclusions:
Only a small minority of symptoms reported on statins are genuinely due to the statins:
almost all would occur just as frequently on placebo.
 
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