Health anxiety

Pinktongue

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I have been type 1 diabetic for 11 years now since I was almost 13, I have always been well controlled with my diabetes but have slacked a bit this year due to working shift work and so my hba1c was slightly raised, still within normal limits but raised for me, and also my cholesterol was raised which was a shock to me as I am only 24 and a normal weight but I do have a bad diet. These results have gotten me so scared that I am going to get heart disease or that my kidneys are going to fail, every night I am convinced I am dying and that my heart will just stop beating. I really need some advice on how to lower my cholesterol and get my blood sugar in check as my doctor is not helpful and doesn't understand why I want to be referred to my local hospitals diabetic clinic. I am still on 2 injections a day and want to change to carb counting. I am constantly looking on google and seeing that I am 48% more likely to have heart disease than someone without diabetes and so I think well what's the point I'm going to die young and I'm terrified. I guess I'm look for some reassurance and support. Apologies if I sound self pitying I am just having a difficult time with anxiety about this right now I really don't want to die


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himtoo

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
4,805
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
mean people , gardening , dishonest people , and war.
why can't everyone get on........
evening @Pinktongue
welcome to the forum

I am debating what to say to you -- I totally get where you are coming from as regards to anxiety over potential future complications but.............................

medicine has come on so much in the last few years and there are medicines available to assist with levels outside the norm.

I am pretty amazed as a type 1 you are not being seen by an endocrinologist at hospital for your main care.
( ask your GP for a referral )
while you are waiting for this to happen I would suggest ringing your local main hospital and asking to speak with the Diabetes specialist nurse -- you may need to wait for a call back -- explain all you have told us to her
she should help you get the ball rolling to be seen by a specialist to our condition.
 
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PseudoBob77

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
As your well controlled, with the ocassional bit of slack. I wouldn't worry to much. Mortality always springs to mind now and then, even if not diabetic we'd still ponder on it.

I was diagnosed a similar age to you, the month before my 12th birthday. Now I'm 39, no complications really. Last check was one micro aneurysm in my right eye, no other retinopathy in 28 years. I've had my phases when younger.

Yes we are more likely to die from CVD, if your well controlled and live a healthier lifestyle it might get you when you reach 80 years old. Check out the Joslin medalists who've lived with it 50-75 years, there's no perfect track record for that entire duration.

To lower your cholesterol, exercise more, eat more fruit and veg, and consume less saturated fatty foods.

Carb info is always available on almost every food packet you buy, add it up as you go through the day, use an electronic diary on your phone to track it.

You're not going to die young from it, panic over. Keep a close watch on it, gather help from the forum, change lifestyle habits, which you seem keen on and that's positive.

You'll be fine :) everyone is here to help one way or another.

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lizdeluz

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,306
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Welcome to the forum, @Pinktongue! As already said, the important thing you can do next is to make sure you get treatment and the chance to learn about diabetes via your hospital clinic. You are not being self-pitying! You are rather isolated with your diabetes and would really benefit from specialist advice. Once you get going with that, this forum will continue to provide useful info on how to manage your health. Let us know how you get on. :)
 

GrantGam

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,603
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Exercise and a healthier diet should help with the cholesterol. Just the usual rules for anyone trying to stay healthy (diabetes aside). Try and limit refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats.

You're wanting to get your BGL in check and you say that you have a bad diet. Considering you're on just two injections a day, this will leave your diet as the main cause of fluctuating BGL's when you're eating the wrong things. You should find an improvement when you cut out the bad stuff. But also, you may want to consider a basal/bolus regime where you take one or two long acting insulin injections per day and then one adjustable rapid acting dose with every meal. This allows greater flexibility in your diet and the ability to keep BGL's in check even when you're not really eating the right things...

Grant
 

isjoberg

Well-Known Member
Messages
268
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I always find a few bad days of chaotic bg or finding out results which are worse than expected always sends me into a spiral of pessimism, always ending in my acceptance that this is likely the last day of good health I have left.
BUT once I get myself out of that thought spiral I think of small changes. Dramatic changes won't stick, so you need to think of something small to change each week. Maybe replace something in your diet? Change your snacks or start a new hobby? It's an ongoing project but so much more manageable and it allows you to say to yourself that you are doing something to address the issue
 
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therower

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,922
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Yet another side effect of diabetes, the dreaded dark side. How does it manage to get a vice like grip on us the way it does. Over the years it's managed to get in my life especially at night time when I'm ready for sleep, but oh no I can't go sleep until every dark depressing though imaginable is deeply embedded in my head for the night. Year's ago it would last maybe a few weeks and would really drag me down to where it wanted me. Then it would be gone, just as quick as it came. Does it still happen? Yes it does very occasionally but I'm ready for it now and I've found that embracing it as just a thought/mind game and not anything that is definitive or is actually going to happen, I can cope and don't suffer. Instead of it being a trip to the dark side it's become more of a stroll through some shadows. You're not alone. Hopefully you'll find your own way to conquer this problem it is possible, you are much stronger than it.
 

Tylers73

Well-Known Member
Messages
223
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I am too feeling extremely low/depressed don't know if it's the diabetes or women's problems. Do have a lot going on in my life, trying to stay strong but am losing the will


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Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Unfortunately it is what it is. We can't change it. We can LIVE without it by accepting it, do what we need to do, eat what we need to eat and move forward. I know, easier said than done but dwelling on it and stressing over it only causes more issues. Let's be thankful we are alive and healthy today, look forward to tomorrow and do want we can for many more tomorrow's. Life will decide when our time is done but we CAN do something today to extend it. Take the reigns ...
 

RuthW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,158
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I have been type 1 diabetic for 11 years now since I was almost 13, I have always been well controlled with my diabetes but have slacked a bit this year due to working shift work and so my hba1c was slightly raised, still within normal limits but raised for me, and also my cholesterol was raised which was a shock to me as I am only 24 and a normal weight but I do have a bad diet. These results have gotten me so scared that I am going to get heart disease or that my kidneys are going to fail, every night I am convinced I am dying and that my heart will just stop beating. I really need some advice on how to lower my cholesterol and get my blood sugar in check as my doctor is not helpful and doesn't understand why I want to be referred to my local hospitals diabetic clinic. I am still on 2 injections a day and want to change to carb counting. I am constantly looking on google and seeing that I am 48% more likely to have heart disease than someone without diabetes and so I think well what's the point I'm going to die young and I'm terrified. I guess I'm look for some reassurance and support. Apologies if I sound self pitying I am just having a difficult time with anxiety about this right now I really don't want to die


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You are doing fine. Your results are good except for the cholesterol. At your age it is far more likely that the cholesterol rise is due to the shift work than your diet. Exposure to sunlight can lower cholesterol levels and you're probably not seeing enough of it. Maybe try to increase the time you spend outside on days off or following night shifts. Shift work is notoriously bad for health for everyone. But as a diabetic maybe you need to make an extra effort to improve your diet and exercise levels.
If it's hard to go shopping for fruit and vegetables (because of your hours) can you place an order for delivery from Iceland, for example? Frozen veg is just as good for you as fresh (and certainly better than nothing). And it's obviously much easier to cook. When I'm in the UK I always stuff my sons freezer with veg from there.
(I hope you've got a freezer, of course)
If you can make cooking and eating easier to manage, then you may be able to squash a bit of exercise into your remaining daylight hours.


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