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Down days

kat1989

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone just need a friendly ear as no one in my family understands how im feeling as they arent going through this.
I was diagnosed september last year as type one so im still adjusting to it,but the last couple of weeks ive found the worst as my levels have been up and down and have been told my body is
honeymooning.
When will this stop as the amount of hypos i hace now are out of control.
Also hate the injecting even though i know it needs to be done i hate it and have started to find my appetite just isnt thrre anymore so getting it in the neck of family i just hate it and feel so so down i just cry when alone

Sorry for the essay
 
Hello kat 1989, sorry to hear your feeling low,i'm not surprised at what your putting up with,we none of us get a lot of sympathy even from family sometimes ( but the fantastic posters on this forum always give love and support :) i am t2 so can't advise you on your condition but there will be someone who can help i'm sure, i could suggest a very good book by dr. R bernstein diabetes explained 4 th edition , there is a large section on t1 and how to control it, remember your never far from good advice and a friendly ear ! Sending you lots of encouragement :)
 
Hi Kat,
You're not alone... every type 1 diabetic goes through these kind of phases. And that's what it is ... remember the current problems are just a phase that you can get out of. Whenever my levels start going unpredictable I first concentrate on my fasting basals. If you are coming out of your honeymoon period your basal requirements will likely change. What insulin are you on?... give a few more details here and people will be able to offer advice.

Have you spoken to your diabetic specialist nurse about things? They can give you loads of help and in my experience are very understanding (if understaffed sometimes). Also, if things really get you down, you should have access to a councillor through your diabetes team. The idea of you alone, crying, because you don't have anyone to talk to is horrible. Well done for coming on here. There's always someone here to listen.

Make use of the services the NHS offer because the people are generally very good.

PM me if you want - happy to talk more.

Stay strong,
Samx
 
Hi Kat

I am T2 so not on insulin but I have trouble keeping my glucose low unless I eat a really limited diet; can't have any of the things I really like and used to eat. Cutting back on fruit has been really hard for me as I can't have any "goodies" and I love fruit but it raises my glucose too much.. I was diagnosed last year so fairly new. Before I knew I was diabetic (have obviously been for quite a while considering my glucose/HbA1c levels at diagnosis) I used to go shopping with my sister (she is a shopaholic) and we always had morning coffee and cake, lunch and afternoon coffee/tea. Now I can't have any of the things I used to, just black coffee (have never drunk tea and fortunately always had my coffee black and no sugar) and a salad for lunch. All I get from her is "Well, my friend is diabetic, has been for years, and she eats what she wants and still has a small cake and proper lunch. You are just being paranoid. Stop making such an issue of it" and then we have the big sigh!

Lots of people don't realise what a life changer it is and you have my sympathy. Why not have a cry on the shoulder of a friend or family member who will give some support and sympathy and may talk sympathetically with you. A lot of people think it is "just one of those things; lots of people have diabetes and life goes on". They don't see the daily struggle to keep your glucose within normal limits or feel the depression of knowing that you have it for life and it is life changing.

However, I recently met man in the village who has leukaemia and has just come out of remission (for the third time) and is very poorly. It makes you realise there are a lot of worse things, many of them fatal or that cause real disability and pain. I am sure with support you will come out the other side and come to terms with it all.

Big hug.

Barbara
 
Kat, we all have down days where we can make no sense of our bg levels, but to stop the hypo's you need to reduce your insulin doses and your DSN will advise you on this.

As Sam says do have a chat with your diabetes team and don't struggle alone, they can provide all the support that you need. Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone nice to know im not alone as someyimes feel like i am,i am on the apidra during the day and lantus i was on of the night but have now moved me to mornings with that as im having hypos during my sleep without even realising.
My dsn as told me to half my units of a lunch time but keep them normal throughout the rest of meals,hopefully this will work just feel like its never ending the constant phone calls and hospital visits aswell as trying to look after a 3 year old i just feel so down and alone in this
I cry on my partner alot and my mom and as much as they try and understand how i feel they cant.
Nice to know people on here can relate
 
Have you shown your mum and partner this thread? It will help them to understand when they see that is a struggle for us all but especially T1s. Can you be referred for counselling or group therapy, talking to people who really understand would be a great help. I don't have anyone to talk to but I am a lot older than you and I have had a lot more "life experience" and having worked in labs I also a greater grasp of the ins ans outs (or should that be ups and downs) of diabetes.

Many of the older "diabetics" are only classed as diabetic because the "normal" range has been lowered and they have just been given advice on diet, exercise etc. One of the ladies of my age, when she heard I was diabetic said "Oh, we all are, it is just the new range". Well, for her it was but for me it isn't, my glucose was nearly three times the upper limit of the old range and my HbA1c was twice what it should be.
 
They try and understand,and never thougt of showing them this but i may start to so that sort of get an idea of what we all go through and the struggles we suffer through this just grateful of this forum and support from fellow tp1s who can relate to everything we all go through
 

I definately feel this way, we can be the best diabetic in the entire world bare none and it;s doesn't make a difference, we still wake up and start all over again the next day. It's depressing to say the least, and very lonely sometimes.

You are not alone though, there is support and forums like these are a good place to recieve it. Chin up, the honeymoon is a cure and a blessing. While you're honeymooning you won't have to worry about DKA as much since the presence of any insulin, even in tiny amounts inhibits it.
 
How long can the honeymooning last for?? Hate having the hypos though takes me ages to feel right again after one of them.
 
kat1989 said:
How long can the honeymooning last for?? Hate having the hypos though takes me ages to feel right again after one of them.
Click to expand...
The honeymoon period can last anything from a few months to years. Hopefully it is over quickly for you. Although you will be using a lot less insulin at the moment than you will end up taking, things can get a bit more on the predictable side.
I remember you had posts in the past saying that you were having down days and finding it difficult.
Please make sure you keep in touch through the forum to help you through these issues. I'm sure many members, including my self, wouldn't have any issue with helping you.
 



Hopefully doesnt last for long then as much as its good im not uing so muvh insulin its the downside.to the hypos im having.
Just feel eith everything else i have going on in my life i just get so fed up and especially when it comes to injecting that sometimes i could easily avoid food to avoid the injections
 
I know where your coming from.
Over Christmas when everyone was tucking in to their food and I'm busy counting the carbs on my plate, it really hit me that there really is no break from this. Even though this was my third diabetic Christmas I hadn't been so strict with my carb counting previously and making sure I bolused pre-meal.
I remember you said before that you had a toddler also, I know that this can also complicate things further.
 


As much as having a toddler complicates things hes also my rock and keeps me going when i have a bad day, and yeah christmas was hard as being my first one as diabetic,i hate the carb counting anf sometimes feel like im doing it wrong if im not 100 percent concentrating which is hard with a toddler.
Just hate it sometimes and could easily break down but dont want to look weak and stupid in front of everyone:'(
 
They can keep you going.
My little boy will always read my numbers out from my meter for me now. You can imagine my shock the day he said "a 1 and a 6"!! Luckily it was 6.1 and not 1.6! He also likes to watch me do set changes but did ask me yesterday if I was putting the water in next. It must just end up being normal to them as he asked where his Mum's pump was one day.
It is difficult for us all at times but more so at the stage your at @kat1989
 
Aww bless,yeah i can imagine minr is only 3 and im still at the stage where i hate him seeing me do it so i put him in front as i do.it in kitchen,think as he gets older i can explain it better to him,but been told ill have a dafne course soon and then be fitted with the pump so hopefully by the time this all happens hell be abit older and wont have to see it all,when does it seem to get easier??
 
Yeah mine is 3 also.
The DAFNE course will help you alot and make things significantly easier.
 
Hopefully they will put me through soon then so i can really get my head around everything and settled in better with more understanding of the diabetes.
Just trying to plan a weddding whilst in between hospital visits etc feels like im in a whirlwind lol
 
Hi Kat, I've been a type 1 for almost 6 years now and still times when I have to reduce my meal(bolus)insulin as I need less insulin. This can last for 4 days then I have to increase my insulin ratios. as a newbie you've probably been told to do 2 hour testing. You can do if you wish BUT NEVER do any corrections based on the 2 hour test. In my early days, with work/activities etc, this action caused me many hypos and I was given the WRONG info on how to deal with the hypo problem by my DSN. Insulin reacts differently in each of us and having done DAFNE in Sept 2013 I found out that 4 hour testing is better as in most of us the insulin is still working between 2-4 hours. Don't know if you carb count or on fixed amounts of insulin just remember that the amount of insulin you've been told to use will only work if you're eating the right amount of carbs for the amount of insulin that you're injecting. ASK about going on a DAFNE course. It got me sorted and gave me the knowledge to manage myself better than my ex DSN and consultant . Keep a food diary showing what you're eating with the carb amounts, test before and at least 4 hours after each meal unless feeling unwell. This way you can quickly see a pattern on your BSs against the insulin being injected. Also activities can lower your BSs quite quickly. Good Luck.
 
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