Diabetes should do one !

One of the best posts I've read on here Kerry, well done for taking control. :thumbup:

kerrygrace said:

megzie2349 said:

Hi,

I know exactly how you feel, I have felt very down because of my diabetes and actually have put myself into DKA by ignoring my diabetes and wishing it to go away but that did not happen. I have struggled with my diabetes, a lot of it is emotional and that transfers to not maintaining myself properly. I find that putting on weight does not help my motivation either and it's a bit of a vicious cycle for me as when I feel low I go for bad food. I find it's not easy talking about how I feel as I get sick of hearing things like "I understand" as they don't understand, it's not easy at all. I'm still trying to get help with it all. Thought I should try on here to talk to others like me; saw this and thought I had to reply as I feel so very similar to you.


M x

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Hi Megzie,

I know I always hate it when people say 'I understand' (especially at clinic... GRR) but actually, I really do understand. I was diagnosed at the age of 6 (13 years ago now) so for the first few years my mum handled my diabetes. But as I started to take charge in high school and my early teens, things started going wrong. I would lie about my results and completely make them up. I would miss injections, not do blood tests unless absolutely forced to. I had an insulin pump but didn't really use it. In short, I would do the bare minimum to keep myself alive - eat when in hypo, inject some random number of insulin when I ate.

This is a tough lesson to learn - and we all have to learn it in our own way - but I just woke up one day (a month or so ago, actually) and knew I had to sort it out, because my diabetes is MINE, and it is my responsibility. No more running away from it, because the tough truth is - if you ignore it, it still exists. The doctors have been warning me about complications if I didn't take control but I finally have. I test 4 times a day, carb count, inject at every meal and try to eat 90-120g of carb a day. My HBA1c is not good - 14.8 when it was done 6 weeks ago - but you know what, I bet my next one will be a lot better.

So many doctors overlook the emotional effects of having diabetes - they think if they support you by helping you with all the physical stuff that will be enough. But it isn't. Having diabetes is a rough ride sometimes. But again - your diabetes is YOURS, Megzie. Own it! Don't let it control you, control it. Having a positive mindset (though it's SO hard to achieve) will do you wonders. I've found once I sorted out the emotional side, the physical stuff has become a lot easier.

What got me through it most of all was my faith in God - going to church and having a place to scream about the injustice of it all helps me so much. And I know that no matter what happens to me in the future I'm safe because God loves me. But we're not all the same - find the place that makes you feel better

Sorry for rambling. I hope any of this was helpful to anyone who might have read it. Please give me tips on lowering HBA1c too, anyone!!
Kerry x

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Kerry - you are not rambling at all .

Such an HONEST and open post explains a 'lot' in your few words and sentences .
It is an amazing story and very inspiring post .
Am sure it will inspire and encourage many other members as it 'has' done with me ! :clap:
Thank you for sharing this with us all .

Anna .

Hi I just wanted to say that some of the posts I have read on here are truly amazing and inspirational.

It is hard and the emotional side,( especially a younger person, teenager) can prove so very, very difficult and challenging.

I went to my local chemist yesterday to collect my prescription items, on the counter is a JDFR box, hoping for a cure and it said that the very young child called ***** , will have 25,000,00 injections and 65,000,00 finger pricks by the age of 18. Obviously it will vary from person to person, but It does make you sit up and think and this young child could live until her 80's or more.

I'm full of admiration for you all :clap: 'What lies behind us and what lies before us, is nothing compared to what lies within us'.

Take care all and look after yourselves

Best wishes RRB x

. It's always there in the background and, like you, the dreaded diabetes thoughts are running through my mind. High, low, ketones, is cannula still in

It sounds like you have a reaction to G/M Insulin like I had in 1980 ,classic symptoms, I had 20 yrs. trouble free diabetes up to that point on Bovine Insulin . I would suggest a trial on Animal Insulin for a few months to see if helps , but you will have to be very resolute and prepared for a fight because Novo own the UK diabetes service they are in denial of any problems .

This is why I like this forum. Although I rarely post, I find it very reassuring to be able to read and hear posts - like the OP's and other writers, who kindly offer their own insight into having type 1 - which tell me 'I'm not alone'. I'm 32 (chronologically at least, but maybe not mentally) and was diagnosed at the age of 12, on xmas eve (which wasn't all bad as the hospital I was in provided presents to child patients). However, after two decades, I am absolutely exhausted by the daily demands that living with diabetes entails. The unpredictability of how your body will react to a given situation - despite all your best efforts to calculate with algorithms that a supercomputer would be proud of - makes regulating blood sugar within tight parameters, all the time, impossible. Yet, there seems to be a myth in the community at large, and perhaps even within this forum, that controlling blood sugar is a simple equation, which involves only balancing insulin and food. We all know it's more complicated than that. Life gets in the way. And life is complicated.

24 hours 7 days a week. That's what this condition takes from me mentally. I'm lucky, I have good support networks, without which I would be lost. But please, please, please, some time off to live life without thinking through the **** consequences of how my actions will affect my bloody blood sugar would be an absolute godsend. I do not have an 'average' blood sugar as my GP occasionally asks me whenever I, rarely, attend his office for a non-diabetes related issue. I work as a social worker, and as much as I dislike myself for having to admit this, diabetes interferes with my ability to function and concentrate on my job 100%. For instance, if I am faced with a highly volatile situation, which is unpleasant (much of social work is sadly), and I'm encountered with a hostile family (a frequent event), this will often create an adrenaline response in my body, which, as you know causes a resistance to insulin. As a consequence, my blood sugar rises. As my blood sugar rises, my ability to cognitively function and be 'at my best' is reduced. This is hugely frustrating. I then have to spend several hours waiting for a correction bolus to take effect before I can operate at an optimum level again. But life continues to go on. Meetings, reports, and angry families will not wait until my blood sugar is back to 'normal'. Aarrrrrgghhhh! And we all know how devastating low blood sugars can be, and the impact that has on our cognitive ability.

People underestimate the impact that an autoimmune diabetes condition can have on a person's mental health. We are more than an HBA1C number, which seems to be the overriding result that everybody is interested in. I have to confess that I've always been lucky and received great care from my diabetes team; although I only see them once a year. However the reality is that my consultant, or my DSN, NEVER ask me anything about my home environment, what I do for a living, and whether I have any stresses in my life, which are impacting on my management of my blood sugar. And if the professionals can't make the connection, it is entirely unrealistic to expect the lay public to have any understanding of how difficult day-to-day living can be. A bad blood sugar result early in the morning - whether caused by DP, stress, or a rebound from a low during the middle of the night - can put me on a downer before I've even considered my options for breakfast and will set my mood for the rest of the morning. Sigh, I better stop ranting there. I do feel better after a good rant though. Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity to say what I've learned from diabetes, and how I feel I've grown into a more compassionate and learned individual than I otherwise would have been without my diagnosis at some point in the future. I have empathy for you all. Please, keep telling your stories. I may not contribute often, but just hearing your insights on diabetes helps me immensely. Thank you.

Thank you everyone for being so kind!

Craig81 - you're right. Diabetes is not easy but it does make us more compassionate as people. Partly why I'm following my dreams of becoming a nurse!

GUESS WHAT?! When I last posted my HBA1C was horrific - at around 14.8 (138 I think) that was around 6 weeks ago. I just went to hospital clinic and had another one done. After 6 weeks of hard graft - my HBA1C has dropped down to 9 (75!) I'm so chuffed!!

I'm like most of you Type 1s. I have quite good control of my diabetes but wouldn't it be a lovely Christmas present to have a week off from it. Not having to look at a restaurant menu and working out which food to choose before you inject


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Kerry - congratulations on lowering your hba1c !!!

As others have said, it's reassuring to hear that you're [meaning me] not the only one who finds this condition incredibly frustrating at times.

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Craig81 - that was an amazing post, glad this thread has kicked off again as otherwise I wouldn't of read that, I definitely agree about the ability to perform my job at my best, I'm in and out of meetings most days so always high on adrenaline which then takes until the evening to bring down, if I have a low then I'm generally knocked side ways for 3-4 hours. It's always the first thing I think about in any given situation, what are my BG levels doing..

Kerrygrace - keep up the good work that's brilliant news.

Sadly despite all the support we get it still boils down to us to be the best at self managing this condition.

On the plus side I too have become more compassionate towards others and I always try to look out for those in need, it's made me realise that despite appearances we all need to be kind to each other. :thumbup:

I feel all over the place mist of the time but I am doing this crazy exercise inanity and it's lifted energy. That's the problem I can't keep going at this mad pace 3 weeks left already thinking what will I do then. I seem to be getting OCD about things. Like exercise. Placing my food in straight lines checking door locked it's doing my head in. Is this diabetes or me being on re road to some kind if melt down.


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kerrygrace said:

Thank you everyone for being so kind!

Craig81 - you're right. Diabetes is not easy but it does make us more compassionate as people. Partly why I'm following my dreams of becoming a nurse!

GUESS WHAT?! When I last posted my HBA1C was horrific - at around 14.8 (138 I think) that was around 6 weeks ago. I just went to hospital clinic and had another one done. After 6 weeks of hard graft - my HBA1C has dropped down to 9 (75!) I'm so chuffed!!

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Congratulations on the big drop in your BS kerrygrace, no wonder you are chuffed, and deservedly so :clap:

All the best RRB x