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Confused :/

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Mia4554

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Hi, my name is mia and I was diagnosed 16 years ago when I was 7. I've never used a forum or anything before but I'm feeling quite confused lately and I'm not sure what to do! Basically I've always been ok about diabetes and been happy with hba1c's of around 7 (sorry cant ever remember the new measurements!) but the last few have been around 9 and I feel out of control! I think that the constant highs i seem to be having are affecting my mood and making me feel generally unwell but the doc I see only suggests antidepressants. I don't feel like I'm depressed though just a little fed up and I think the levels changed because of my change from studying dance at uni (always active) to working and less active. I feel like she won't help me look at anything else unless I 'agree' that I'm depressed or something. Sorry for the rambling! Any advice would be very gratefully received. Thanks. :)
 
Hello Mia

When you say that your bg levels are high, are you injecting more insulin at your meal times to bring them down? I am presuming that you are using a background insulin like Lantus or Levemir and using a bolus insulin for your meals.
 
Hi thanks for the reply.
Yep I correct at almost every meal atm! When I started losing control I raised my lantus and then my morning levels went over 20 most days. So I dropped it back down again which sometimes helps the morning levels but still wake high sometimes. It's really frustrating because if I sit at home all afternoon on a day off I can get really good levels but at work and when I'm out doing things my levels just seem to go really high sometimes. Which seems to be the wrong way round!! Another nurse I've seen is helping me to get a pump soon so hopefully that should help but I'm worried that if the doc is right and I should be on antidepressants then I might still not be able to get control on the pump. But I just don't think I am depressed and surely I would think I was if I was?! (Sorry I feel silly even asking all this!)
 
Mia4554 said:
Hi thanks for the reply.
Yep I correct at almost every meal atm! When I started losing control I raised my lantus and then my morning levels went over 20 most days. So I dropped it back down again which sometimes helps the morning levels but still wake high sometimes. It's really frustrating because if I sit at home all afternoon on a day off I can get really good levels but at work and when I'm out doing things my levels just seem to go really high sometimes. Which seems to be the wrong way round!! Another nurse I've seen is helping me to get a pump soon so hopefully that should help but I'm worried that if the doc is right and I should be on antidepressants then I might still not be able to get control on the pump. But I just don't think I am depressed and surely I would think I was if I was?! (Sorry I feel silly even asking all this!)
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What I would suggest to you Mia is that you test your bg levels every 2.5hrs to see just how high you are going.

Do you know anything about insulin to carb ratios and carb counting. Lots of people using basal insulins usually do better to split them and so that there is sufficient background insulin going around the 24hrs.

Probably what you suffering with is anxiety over your bg levels and not depression although of course I'm not a doctor and cant see you in person to decide. Some anti depressants do make bg levels go up anyway and that's not you want.
 
Mia4554 said:
Hi, my name is mia and I was diagnosed 16 years ago when I was 7. I've never used a forum or anything before but I'm feeling quite confused lately and I'm not sure what to do! Basically I've always been ok about diabetes and been happy with hba1c's of around 7 (sorry cant ever remember the new measurements!) but the last few have been around 9 and I feel out of control! I think that the constant highs i seem to be having are affecting my mood and making me feel generally unwell but the doc I see only suggests antidepressants. I don't feel like I'm depressed though just a little fed up and I think the levels changed because of my change from studying dance at uni (always active) to working and less active. I feel like she won't help me look at anything else unless I 'agree' that I'm depressed or something. Sorry for the rambling! Any advice would be very gratefully received. Thanks. :)
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Hi Mia

If you really don't want anti-depressant then just say no. Sometimes we can get a bit down with diabetes, being type 1 and the constant injections, finger pricking, problems with injection sites etc it can take it's toll on you,phyiscally and mentally.

If you are now less active, then have you tried increasing your mealtime insulin dose by 2 units, it coild help. Or make an appointment to see your DSN for some much needed advice and support. Mia you aren't rambling at all, but don't be too hard on yourself, I'm sure you will get there and then that will make you feel a little more positive about the future. Take care.

Good luck and best wishes RRB
 
Thankyou very much for the replies. I will give both the testing every 2.5 hours and increasing each meal dose by a couple. I have tried splitting my lantus before but i tended to forget one of them :/ might give it another go though! have done a carb counting course and we changed by ratios several times but my levels just don't seem to follow much of a pattern so I'm still trying to work on them. I did wonder if insulin delivery might have some involvement as my stomach, arms and legs are all very bruised and lumpy but I'm hoping the pump should help this.
Thanks again, it's really nice to talk to people who have personal experience of diabetes!
 
Hi Mia,

I understand your sentiment about affecting your mood - I have been having some real issues with high bloods and low mood, the doctor was great at explaining what this was down to - which was swinging high and low all the time, however no treatment was given, so have just bumbled on. However recently i've been eating less carbs and also no pasta/breads/sweets/sugar etc so not been having the usual spikes after mealtimes and it's actually improved my mood a huge amount, when I go back to eating old carbs then I get the same problem again so it's definately worth looking at what type of carbs you are eating and if necessary reduce the carbs and replace with green veg/more protein, nuts, I havent reduced my daily bolus doses by much. It's worth it to start feeling more human again.

Good luck :thumbup:
 
Hi juicyj,
I'm sorry to hear you've struggled with this too, but its great to hear you've found some improvement! I will definitely give it a try. Do you have any suggestions for breakfast? I usually eat sultana bran (which I love) but it isn't really in line with low carb I don't imagine!
 
Hi Mia - it definately works, I can't vouch for anyone else but for me it's been an improvement. I certainly don't feel so down about everything now, so it's worth having a go just to see for a couple of weeks.

For breakfast I try to alternate a bit, so some mornings have porridge, nice slow steady carb release this one, try it with artificial sweetner or flavour with cinnamon - and other mornings I cut carbs altogether and have an egg omelette with courgette and feta cheese - this is a good protein filling alternative. I wouldnt eat bran flakes with raisins as this would increase BG quite quickly and therefore the spike is higher - also I try to take my Novorapid about 20 mins before eating porridge so it's already in my system before the food hits my stomach, again reduces the spike.

Let me know how you get on - but hope this helps x
 
Mia4554 said:
my levels just don't seem to follow much of a pattern so I'm still trying to work on them. I did wonder if insulin delivery might have some involvement as my stomach, arms and legs are all very bruised and lumpy but I'm hoping the pump should help this.
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I think you might well be onto something there. If you've got lumps that can really mess with the way the insulin's absorbed, especially where you've injected large doses (eg background insulin). That could be behind the fact that you can't see a pattern. So the pump may well solve the problem, partly coz it does a steady drip-drip instead of big deposits of insulin, and partly because you just reduce the amount of injecting. I hope it works for you. Fingers x'd.
 
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