Solitaire71
Member
- Messages
- 6
Hello everyone. Well, where do I start? I'm type 1 diabetic, and the insulin I take is Novorapid (at breakfast, lunch and dinner) and levemir (with breakfast and at night), so that's my 5 a day (pun semi-intended). I was diagnosed when I was 18 months old, and I'm 18 now, so I've had this for nearly 17 years now
Until about the age of 14 or 15, my control was pretty much under my parents', especially my mum's jurisdiction. They did an excellent job, and I can't thank them more for it. Then I took over, and yes, the **** really hit the fan. I knew the basic facts about diabetes, granted, but because a lot of things were up to my parents, it was like I never knew how things worked properly. So, when things went wrong, I covered it up, always telling myself that at some point I would sort it out but that point never came. I got used to dealing with highs and lows when they came, but the long term was never planned. I could adjust my insulin doses in general and good success. I never had severe highs or severe lows where I couldn't help myself, but I wasn't doing anywhere near as much as I should have been
Some time, I summoned the courage to tell my parents that I had effectively been lying to everyone about my blood sugar results, making them not too perfect, but not too bad (intelligence at its worst!). So, I vowed to stop that. Unfortunately I didn't stop it, and for about another 2 years I lost my grasp on it. Then, this summer just gone, I was at a local doctor's with my father since we both had appointments about other issues. When we got back home, we found my mother sitting at the computer, going through my blood meter, and looking at my results in a mix of fear, disappointment and honest suprise. At this point, my parents confronted me, and since I had scared myself over the 2 years by looking up the health risks if you go wrong, I railed against my father, and shouted at him (something I've never done). He tried to comfort me, but I turned away and collapsed. Then we all sat down and talked about things
My mother got me a textbook on diabetes, "Type 1 diabetes: How to become an expert on your own diabetes by Dr Ragnar Hanas" (some of you guys might recognise it, it's a brilliant book for any diabetic or relative of one at any stage of their diabetes). I effectively went back to square 1, and I was like a newly diagnosed diabetic, because up to this point it was just how my life had always been. Now, I was accepting it, and getting to grips with it. I started learning why things happened, and the things that used to frustrate me do so less now because I understand them. I am still learning, and still going, but the experiences I've had and the things my parents went through treating my diabetes as a child are what will motivate me to become better at controlling this
So, here I am today, adjusting my insulin doses again to try and discover the right routine, each time giving it a week to see what patterns develop. I hope one day I will be able to help others as much as others have helped me
Until about the age of 14 or 15, my control was pretty much under my parents', especially my mum's jurisdiction. They did an excellent job, and I can't thank them more for it. Then I took over, and yes, the **** really hit the fan. I knew the basic facts about diabetes, granted, but because a lot of things were up to my parents, it was like I never knew how things worked properly. So, when things went wrong, I covered it up, always telling myself that at some point I would sort it out but that point never came. I got used to dealing with highs and lows when they came, but the long term was never planned. I could adjust my insulin doses in general and good success. I never had severe highs or severe lows where I couldn't help myself, but I wasn't doing anywhere near as much as I should have been
Some time, I summoned the courage to tell my parents that I had effectively been lying to everyone about my blood sugar results, making them not too perfect, but not too bad (intelligence at its worst!). So, I vowed to stop that. Unfortunately I didn't stop it, and for about another 2 years I lost my grasp on it. Then, this summer just gone, I was at a local doctor's with my father since we both had appointments about other issues. When we got back home, we found my mother sitting at the computer, going through my blood meter, and looking at my results in a mix of fear, disappointment and honest suprise. At this point, my parents confronted me, and since I had scared myself over the 2 years by looking up the health risks if you go wrong, I railed against my father, and shouted at him (something I've never done). He tried to comfort me, but I turned away and collapsed. Then we all sat down and talked about things
My mother got me a textbook on diabetes, "Type 1 diabetes: How to become an expert on your own diabetes by Dr Ragnar Hanas" (some of you guys might recognise it, it's a brilliant book for any diabetic or relative of one at any stage of their diabetes). I effectively went back to square 1, and I was like a newly diagnosed diabetic, because up to this point it was just how my life had always been. Now, I was accepting it, and getting to grips with it. I started learning why things happened, and the things that used to frustrate me do so less now because I understand them. I am still learning, and still going, but the experiences I've had and the things my parents went through treating my diabetes as a child are what will motivate me to become better at controlling this
So, here I am today, adjusting my insulin doses again to try and discover the right routine, each time giving it a week to see what patterns develop. I hope one day I will be able to help others as much as others have helped me
