Hi all !

[Calumgracie]

Hello , my name is calum and I'm 17 years old.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 6. Recently iv been having a lot of bother with my diabetes , my control has been teriable. My HB1C on December 2009 was 14.7 , iv now got it down to 8.2. About November last year I started showing signs of "Diabets eye disease" . I get counselling related to my diabetes every 2 weeks. I really struggle with my diabetes , im on the insulin regime where I inject every time I eat and have a long acting insulin injection when I wake up and before bed. My family friends and girlfriend all help me when I get down or upset with my diabetes (which I do very often!) but I understand that they dont really now how I feel or what I'm going through , which is why I decided to join here and hopefully find ways to help me and hopefully I will help others.

I didn't quite know what to put so sorry if iv rambled on a bit :lol:

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Calum

Just a quick posting to say that there is great support here. You aren't the first (or the last) to go through high hba1c's at some point...and you are certainly among friends here that totally understand how it feels with family and friends not knowing exactly how you feel....

Is there anything specific that you think that friends/family don't understand?? Can we help with this???

Hope that you feel able to post back how you are feeling, and what you are finding difficult.....we are all hee to help.....and give support...

 

[Osidge]

Hi Calum

Welcome to the forum. Members here have had a lot of different journeys through diabetes and are a fount of knowledge. I hope that you can find here pointers to the solution of your diabetes issues.

Regards

Doug

 

[Calumgracie]

@donnellysdogs i just feel that people dont know or realize that its more than just injections and blood test , it can also have quite an affect on you mentally and emotionally as well , and how sometimes it can all be to much with everything else i have going on like school , exams and what not. my family i guess do kinda now how im feeling since im around them most of the time but even then they think that its always on my mind 100% of the time , and how i shouldnt be able to forget about injections because i do them every day. i might not be the best at looking after myself but i can honestly say that its quite easy to forget about an injection i dont know how others feel but if im busy doing something else it can quite easily escape my mind.

 

[Margi]

Welcome home, Callumgracie. I can't find a hug smiley on here so 'HUGS'!

I know what the mental health side of things is like. I have had diabetes since I was 17 - that's 36 years, so you can do the maths - and I know it's not only the diabetes that has affected my brainworks, but it is a big contributor.

You say you are getting lots of help from the medics, but are they directly addressing your mental health? Depression is very common with diabetes and is a very physical illness. If the electronics in your brain are not quite firing in the right ways, which is often caused by stress etc, then sometimes you need something to sort that out before any amount of counselling or positive thinking has a chance to work. It sounds to me as if depression could be part of the problem: of course I can't diagnose anything, I'm no doctor and all the rest, but has your doctor discussed such things with you? If you are forgetting injections and generally not being so good at controlling things, getting your mood a bit better might help a lot.

Keep in touch, there is so much help and understanding support in these pages. Try to keep smiling.

 

[Calumgracie]

Welcome home, Callumgracie. I can't find a hug smiley on here so 'HUGS'!

Keep in touch, there is so much help and understanding support in these pages. Try to keep smiling.

Those two lines put a huge smile on my face

I was first put to the councillor by my diabetes team because they felt I was in denial about my diabetes , that was about 2 years ago now. I don't think my mental health is giving much cause for concern from there point of view. Personally I would say I go through phase's of being down , I guess you could call it depression , and I'll just keep my self to myself and stay in my room all day and listen to music and play my guitars and usually come through after a couple of days.

Im glad I found this website , starting to feel a bit happier about my self already

 

[Energize]

Hi Calumgracie

Just wanted to say 'Hi'. I'm sorry to hear you are struggling at the moment. I can relate to that. I'm struggling too, seems to be par for the course at the moment, eh?

I have to say, that unless you have experienced 'it', it's very difficult for someone to understand all the implications, emotions etc that are involved. I hope you are finding your family and friends are trying to understand what you are struggling with, and why. I suppose it will help them to understand if you can explain how you are feeling but, that in itself, can be so difficult, especially if you are depressed. It's certainly more than a balancing act of meds and food.

I hope you soon pick up and can feel more positive about stuff. When you do, let me know how you did it, eh? :wink:

Take care and let us know how you get on...

 

[Calumgracie]

Hey energize

It is indeed , the fact as well that I hate talking about my diabetes doesent help matters either!

I'll keep you updated

 

[daisy1]

Hi Calum and welcome to the forum You have really done a good thing in joining this forum. There are so many people who understand what you are going through as they can remember it themselves. And there are people of your own age too who are going through the same things now. Have a look at the Diabetes Youth Club also as there are some people about your age who have been posting on there recently. Hope you enjoy yourself here and find the help you need.

 

[ClaireG 06]

Hi Callum
There are a lot of people here here who will understand how you feel. I think most of us have felt like you do at some point. It is hard explaning to people just how much of an impact diabetes has on our lives but again we are not always thinking about it 24/7.

Any questions etc you think of please just ask. There is nearly always someone who can give you an answer or who is going through or feeling the same way

 

[Calumgracie]

Thanks guys , I'll check out theyouth club section finally feels good to talk to other diabetics haven't spoke to anyone who's diabetic other than my diabetes consultant.

 

[anna29]

Hi callumgracie, Welcome to us all here.
Diabetes never sleeps nor ever takes a holiday! It's with us 24/7.
If its not the regime that keeps us prisoner, its the symptoms! so yep I DO know exactly what you mean and feel too.
We can never get a day off or away from it, its not that we mean to forget to inject etc its just us trying to have a bit of time out extra to do other things, from it or busy just living life!
Then the awareness of not sticking to the plan/regime gives way to guilt and feeling of failure? Then in turn its downward spiral to impacting feelings.
It isnt easy, and your only young too. Hard to be young and have a sense of freedom from it all.
Luckily you do have some great support from your girlfriend and family, its easier to try and break things down into smaller bits.
Makes things more copable and manageable this way. [its how I have to do things]
Its easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. Best to do things bit by bit, step by step etc...
Then when you look back you do find you have achieved a lot and made great progress too!
Also to take time out for yourself is as important, love the fact you love music U2 [me too!] and strumming happily on your guitar. This is a great outlet just for you to have!
I hardly come across other diabetics where I live, but am sure there are ones living close.
Only meet them up at the clinics when I go, it can get lonely living with diabetes so I do understand. As it is totally, an individual journey.
Hope this helps?
Anna.x
Just had to add this in- adore U2's stuck in a moment can't get out of, ballad hit.

 

[Calumgracie]

yeh it does help a lot just to hear that im not alone i think that one of the ways to cope is to find something to take your mind off it , just hope that when im going to uni or collage ill still be able to have a bit of time to myself :lol:

another great song by U2 that covers a similar theme is " Sometimes You Cant Make It On Your Own" :wink: both songs are my " Sad " songs that i listen to when im down and they usually pick me up a bit and get me going again

 

[leggott]

Hi and welcome to the site. I don't have diabetes but my husband does along with 2 of my children.

I know exactly what you mean about people not understanding. I've lost count of the number of times that people have said' oh your poor children having all those injections'. Well, the injections are the easy part it's trying to get the blood levels right that is constant and that's what gets you down. But, I guess it's like anything else, unless you have it or deal with it then you wouldn't really understand.

I think that finding people in a similar situation to yourself is always helpful. Getting advice or just letting off steam with people who know what you go through is so beneficial and helps you realise that you are not alone. This forum is a godsend and there are always people around to offer advice, guidance or simply a shoulder to cry on.

Have you thought about pumping? My son has the'Omnipod which is tubeless and he doesn't really notice he is wearing it. Pumps can be hard work at the start, but for us it has made the management side much easier and certainly less stressful. It might be worth speaking to your DSN about getting one, it's not going to take away your diabetes, but hopefully help in making your daily life easier.

I love U2 too, although I'm a few years older than you and I remember seeing them a while back at Wembly Stadium I won't tell you the year!!!!!

 

[Calumgracie]

iv thought about pupmping , my diabetes team advised me against it ( Probably because it would cost the NHS a load of money!) im thinking about querying about it next time im at the hospital but ill no doubt get the same answer

haha i would try and guess the year but i think ill just leave it i saw them when they came to glasgow in 2009 in my mum and dad and fell in love with them

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Calum

U2 are fantastic....

I think friends and family do find diabetes hard to understand...some people are OTT-asking 'can you have that?' or worse still...'you can't have that!!' and they really do not appreciate that you can forget to have an injection....or in my case 'forget I had my injection'.....and this does make things harder for the person with diabetes.

Personally I think you may well find things easier when you go to uni or college etc...as you will be treated more as an adult...rather than a child.....and please don't ever forget...that you will always be a child to your parents.....I'm in my 40's....and my Mum still sees me as her little girl and constantly trying to look after me because of my diabetes...despite having left home when I was 15!!!! Parents will always worry about their children. I know that my mum does more for me than she does for my borthers, because of my diabetes and other illness and my brothers haven't got any illness.

You may well find a pump very good, but you will need to show to your DSN that you will be able to manage it....

 

[Gappy]

I'm type 2 so don't know about pumps etc, but I know about U2! did you see the Glastonbury performance on tv? They also recently repeated the bbc roof top gig too. With my mind problems I always turn the negative thoughts to anget which I use against what is upsetting me, so if it's diabetes I'll fight against it by ensuring I beat it with good control and exercise-not U2 but PIL (a Johnny Rotten group) once sang "anger is an energy" and use it positively it is.

 

[sugar2]

Hey callum, welcome.

I understand that itis easy to forget to inject..and I also know that people find that hard to believe. I was teh same at 17. Even now, many years later, I have to proactively remember to test my blood and take my shot. I am lucky ebough to have a pump now, but the principal is the same. Over the years, it does get easier..but thatis of little help in teh here and now I know.

For me, what helped, was trying to force myself to remember..and if I forgot..try and sort it as soon as possibel, rather than saying, arr, s*d it, I have ruined todays readings now, might as well not bother! I tried to concentrate on what I could do now, and the future, rather than teh fact that I was running late for school, and just grabbed something on the way out of the door.

Actually, coming on this forum helps in some ways...it kind of ake syou think about it.

I never miss an injection/shot now, and test religiously, but I do remember what it was like being 17...sigh, so long ago. Most things were better then, but my diabetes was not one of those things!

 

[Ria84]

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