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Do you feel that diabetes has ruined your life ?


I was diagnosed a year ago and I am 15 now and I absolutely hate it. I am the only person at school who has diabetes and it makes me feel like an outcast especially when people who don't understand diabetes, make comments and ask stupid questions. I get teased a lot just because I cant eat what "normal " people can. It has ruined my life 100%.
 
archersuz said:
Please report this teasing. Kids can be 'cruel' without realising what they are doing. You may be the only student with diabetes, but I bet there are lots with food allergies etc who also have to watch what they eat. Take care x
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thank u x
 
hichamgsm said:
In fact I sometimes i feel that diabetes has ruined my life
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You have let it take control of your life mate.

As to your question all the problems with my body have been self inflicted, this includes the COPD, AFib, and being a T2 that I have, so I would answer no.
 
Diabetes seems to exaggerate all the other faults you couldn't bothered with until you get the diagnosis. Never really bothered about diet or exercise before. I now read up on what to do about them and how to improve some aspect . I know a hell of lot more about medicine and things like calculating trends on the computer.
Its become a hobby!
 
I don't know how anyone can honestly say diabetes has improved their life. Everything, I mean everything is more complicated with it. T1D hasn't stopped me traveling, having a family and doing well at my varied career choices but diabetes has definitely had a negative impact on my life.
 
Well, here's that "normal" word again. Yesterday I gave a talk about Diabetes and Weight, where we discussed what real food really is. Many in the room were in the 40's and 50's; "we" all remembered the days pre-fast food and the low fat, low calorie mantra's, when things were more "normal". That is less diabetes and persons overweight / obesity, especially in children. At current rates those taking the mickey are likely to get many ailments due to "normal" eating, so not wishing this on them, but you now have an advantage going forward. It's good to be different.
 
I get where a couple of folks with T2 are coming from when they say it instigated big life changes and weight loss.

But yes I can't see how T1 can possibly improve life! The cost, the hypos, the limitations, the planning, the faff, the relentless injections and testing.
 
I'm with you. I still get upset and stressed about being a diabetic and losing weight. Still struggle to think what to have at each meal. I felt so down when DN told me I won't be able to bring my BG level down to none diabetic level because my diabetes is genetic. I couldn't had tried harder first few months and my level was only down to pre diabetes. I so hate it!!
 

What’s your latest HBA1C mate?

Just curious to know because your profile says you’ve reversed your diabetes.
 
Red_river_ said:
I felt so down when DN told me I won't be able to bring my BG level down to none diabetic level because my diabetes is genetic. I couldn't had tried harder first few months and my level was only down to pre diabetes. I so hate it!!
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My diabetes is probably genetic. My sister is T2 and I had gestational diabetes 20+ years ago. I have however got my BG level down to non diabetic through LCHF. So don't give up, don't take the DN's words as gospel, prove her wrong! On my DESMOND course, I said I was going to get my levels back to 'normal' and the nurse said "well, you can try". Well guess what, I've done it.
 
Diabetes T1 like ours, affects us all differently.
Now this is only my take on it, nothing scientific, no quoting studies or papers from experts.
Diabetes the " auto immune " condition, diabetes the medical condition is relatively easy to control, time consuming,yes. Inconvenient, yes. Nonetheless it can be mastered and for me maybe takes 30 to 45 mins per day.
Diabetes has a far greater power though, it lives, it grows and it craves negativity and darkness. It wants you to fear it, it wants you to make allowances for it, it wants to infiltrate the darkest corners of your mind in the darkest hours of the night, it wants you to put it first. It wants to be the leader, it wants to take the first step and have you follow. It wants to find parts of your life it can plant a seed to grow, you don't even realise it's planted the seed until it grows. Every morning it wants to fight you, it knows that you can't win the fight, because whatever you do today, no matter how well you fight, you'll still wake tomorrow a diabetic and it'll throw the gauntlet down again.
So why has it not ruined my life?
I don't fight it, I embrace it, it's the reason I overcome daily challenges, it's the reason I push and challenge myself.
I shine a light on it so it can't find that dark corner to hide in.
It does try to mess with me, catch me unawares, plant seeds of doubt but after so many years I'm wise to its ways.
If and when it f***s with me I let it know who's boss. Personally that usually involves pushing myself to physical limits.
So when I look at that time on the rowing machine or the extra set of reps on the weights or the extra half hour in the gym, it's all down to the diabetes, trying to make me weak has actually made me stronger.
When I'm running around with my grandkids playing silly games, carrying both of them home from the shops, when every muscle in my body is screaming for a rest I carry on. I carry on because it's the diabetes that wants me to stop, it doesn't like me having fun, it has no power where family especially kids are involved, it wants me to stop and fail, I have no greater reason to carry on and succeed.
I'm where I am in life and yes I'm diabetic BUT I don't have diabetes it has ME.
Hope this goes some of the way to explain how I am.
Please don't feel I'm trying to lecture or educate you, i am not. I just wanted to explain how me and diabetes exist.
 
NewTD2 said:
What’s your latest HBA1C mate?

Just curious to know because your profile says you’ve reversed your diabetes.
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My last one a couple weeks ago was 37. Given how I ate and drank in Dec/January on holiday and xmas party season I was very happy with that. I don’t currently consider myself diabetic (nor does my GP) as my BG levels are normal and no meds. My goal is to stay that way as long as possible my GP’s goal for me is forever. I am under no illusion that I can’t go back to where I was at and that is fine. I do have scope so that if I eat a burger or some pizza I seem to be OK but I don’t think, and will not try, to do it every day. Funny thing is I don’t even like a lot of that stuff now. I had pizza the other day and I prefer keto pizza now. The cheese and toppings are what tastes good not the crust!

Back to the topic. When I got diagnosed I remember feeling like so many things were over for me and it was all downhill (it didn’t help getting consulted about a redundancy then too). At the same time the rational side of me said this is going to be what I make of it. I eat to live not live to eat. It took a while for the rational side to win over the emotional side. There are a lot of things that could happen that are a hell of a lot worse than this. I made a promise to myself that I would do everything I could with no excuses for my efforts. At the time it was VERY hard. I hated telling people, I hated not knowing what to eat, I hated people asking me why I had lost so much weight. When I got my first results back it was all worth it. I have adjusted to the diet my weight is stable and I feel better than I have in long time. It was not easy but it was worth it.

So diabetes definitely changed my life but it certainly has not ruined it. Change is hard but change can be good too!
 
I forgot to mention an important point: If you learn as much as possible about diabetes quick enough you can usually avoid all those horrendous side effects before they appear .
 
For me a huge benefit. Taking control of my own health and weight has left me far healthier than I was before diagnosis (as well as a lot lighter).
I have made virtual friends with lots of great people on this and the ketogenic forum as well as a few "real" ones.
I now feel confident to disagree with HCP's when they show their ignorance (which they often do to a surprising extent).
And I now eat a lot better than I used to. All in all a positive influence on my well being... oddly!
 
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