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Diabetes Complications

S

Spablauw_

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hello,

I hope you all had wonderful Holidays!
I certainly did, I had lots of treats (chocolate, fatty meals etc and I still managed to keep my glucose in range for 75% of the time according to my Libre!

Now that we have to get back to our diets (at least I do) and to our normal lives I wanted to bring up this topic to know how you think about "Diabetes Complications"

I am currently 18 years old and T1 Diabetic since the age of 10, the first years of my life with Diabetes we didn't really talk about it but when I got older I started doing some research on my own.
I was like 15 years old when I was discovering all the scary complications that especially hypers could bring you.
At the time I was young (I still am) and it made me really insecure about myself and scared for the future. I wasn't really paying attention at my Diabetes when I was 15 and I was more busy being a teen living a normal live rather than going through my BG's every once in a while to see if I can improve my BG's.

This period lasted for like 2 years until I woke up and I got back managing my Diabetes again, it was like starting all over again.
I made myself a diet similar to the one I got when diagnosed, started exercising more often and the most important part: I kept track of my BG's / Activities / Insulin which helped me analyse and improve.
For the record, I haven't been completely ignoring my Diabetes for 2 years straight, My A1C have always been below 8% throughout these years and I still went to see my Endo so I did not got of track completely but I just wasn't feeling well.

The main problem was that I just couldn't accept my Diabetes and the fact I had to think about everything I do or feel or eat.
I just wanted to go to out, eat pizza's, fatty meals, play videogames all night long WITHOUT having to pay attention.
Of course all of this is possible with T1 Diabetes but it does makes it a hell of a lot more difficult and requires experience that I didn't have at the time.

Since I "got back on track" I have been blaming myself of different things, especially complications.
It's been a year now since I got the control back over my Diabetes and it's like I'm feeling worse now that my A1C is at 6,6% than I was feeling before with an A1c of 7.9%
I keep blaming myself of this period, everytime my feet are cold I think "If I didn't have all these Hypers before" or whenever I have Blurry vision the first thing I think about is Retinopathie, etc... although my eyes have been checked May 2017 and nothing is wrong

I find it very hard to find a way to live with the thought of having/getting all these scary complications and I just wanted to know how you people handle it.
I know that I shouldn't think about it that much but it's just really bothering me right now, I'm already really happy that I now have better control over my Diabetes and that I got rid of the direct symptoms of bad BG control like mood swings etc...
It's just such a shame we don't really get rewarded for achieving our target on short term, you really have to find the motivation to keep going day in day out to achieve good Diabetes control.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not depressed or any of it, I'm still enjoying life to the fullest haha but it's just these little things about Diabetes I'm really struggling with!

I would love to know how you handle this!
 
I admire the fact that you not only face reality in a way that is very hard earlier in life, but also that you have taken the initiative in this way. I was diagnosed at the age of 11 months in July 1959 and by the time I was 15, I already showed signs of kidney problems. I was nearly 21 before I started to get a grip. Bear in mind that blood glucose machines were only in hospital clinics then, strips were not on prescription, and a meter would not fit into a handbag!! You are already in a much better position because you appreciate that blood/glucose control is vital in trying to ward off complications. I cannot stress how important this is. Once I had a meter of my own, I started to recognise all the ins and outs related to high readings. For this reason, I staggered on with Type 1 with progressively declining kidney function. Had I not taken advice seriously in 1979, I doubt that I would even be here, let alone with decent eyesight, in spite of laser treatment to both eyes. The last time I had anything done to them was in 1983. In 2013 I had a kidney and pancreas transplant, thus ending regular attacks of cellulitis, gout and, most imortantly, insulin injections. I have written a book called Fifty Years of Malfunction (should really be 54) which is aimed at helping people exactly in your position. If you wish, I will gladly post you one. You are definitely on the right track. The very best of luck.
 
Spablauw_ you have done exactly what you were supposed to do, all teenagers rebel against D. With the modern insulins, delivery methods and monitoring tools I hope you will have many decades without any complications. Don't beat yourself up about it. Young bodies are very resilient.
I admire Grant and he is one of the few here whom can claim to be rid of Diabetes although he has a list of new challenges.
 
The thing is with diabetes there is always something to worry about, as far as diabetic complications go i have had or got most of them. I have had laser treatment and 5 ops on my eyes from the age of 18-21, then 3 months after i was told that i would need a kidney transplant, had ops on hands and elbow, mental health problems and cold feet. Could i have done more to stop these happening NO i was a brittle diabetic and blood control was hard but i am still here. I did not need a kidney transplant at 30, i got a pancreas and kidney transplant a month short of my 39th birthday. I change my consultant when i was 32 and wished i had done it 10 years before because this man gave me hope that i had not had for a very long time, one of the main things was he has everything planned and told me to stop worrying as that was effecting my blood sugat and that is my advice to you. You have change your ways which will give you a better chance of avoiding problems but if you look at sir Steven Redsgrave he got diabetes while still competing at the top of his sport. so if some things are to happen they will but think positive.
 
Hi Spablauw,
Like Grant, I was diagnosed before the development of blood sugar testing outside hospital labs and the first ten years of my diabetic life were probably a roller-coaster of highs and not so highs with the occasional low. The next ten years were a bit better but there were still difficulties. The advent of better insulins, greater carb knowledge and amazing tech is life changing (I seem to say this a lot).
You're still young, you've not got any warnings of impending complications and you're doing exactly the right things to have a long and healthy life. Big gentle pat on the back!
Me? I'm still here. No D related complications - yet - touch wood. No, not superstitious but putting out a bowl of porridge for the D witch tonight. And maybe a glass of prosecco and a handful of peanuts.
 
And yes, sometimes it does seem to be an endless process of testing, trying to work out what’s made it go wrong, the occasional periods of worrying that I can’t get it right, despair at not finding a professional who’s prepared to think outside the mantra. It’d be wrong to pretend that it’s all a bed of roses. However, a lot of it becomes second nature, and there are even ways to pass the time waiting in a car park for bs to become fit for driving (a good book in the glove compartment etc).
It’s all compensated for by the good times. So stick in there and try not to worry too much - just celebrate the times you get it right. It’s worth it. I hope you find, like me, that the good times are the norm and the bad times are passing blips. Feel free to rant or cry when they appear.
 
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