- Messages
- 5,223
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Other
Hi, just wanted to say a quick hello - I’ve been type 1 for twenty years following diagnosis at the age of 23. I’d had a nasty bout of gastric flu and my pancreas died within days of that, my consultant is pretty sure it was the cause. I took pretty good care of things until after my son was born in 2003 - post natal depression meant that self care went out of the window. Pregnancy was awful, not so much because of the stress of sugar control but because I had severe morning (noon and night) sickness. There’s a reason my (luckily perfectly healthy 7lb4oz) son is an only child! I’d been pretty much a model patient up to that point, especially when I was pregnant - my HbA1c was in the fives. I limped along after that for a bit.
Fast forward a few years and burnout kicked in on a biblical scale, culminating in two DKAs (BG >50) and several days in intensive care. That wasn’t the wake up call I needed, even encroaching numbness in my toes hasn’t spurred me into dealing with it properly. I’ve developed a deep resentment of my condition - the constant testing (which I don’t do, because my fingers are shredded and I’m tired of bleeding on my work), constant carb calculations and injecting Every. Single. Time I eat or drink.
I’ve just been given the Freestyle Libre system on a three month trial and its revolutionised my life - in that I’m actually aware of my sugar levels and fixing them. Ignorance was bliss before and my HbA1c was around 11 at the last look If I can bring it down by 2.5, I’ll be able to have it long term. Fingers crossed. I’m hoping this will be the thing that gets me taking better care of my diabetes, I have a few mental health issues that seem to scupper my executive function and looking after myself is always the first thing that goes out of the window.
In the last couple of years, my immune system has decided to react to meat, both mammal and bird; as well as cow dairy. I can still eat fish and eggs but for safety’s sake I usually eat vegan when I’m away from home as it’s the only way I can be certain there isn’t anything I’m allergic to. Of course, this makes it hard to follow a low carb lifestyle...
Anyway, that’s me.
Mel
Fast forward a few years and burnout kicked in on a biblical scale, culminating in two DKAs (BG >50) and several days in intensive care. That wasn’t the wake up call I needed, even encroaching numbness in my toes hasn’t spurred me into dealing with it properly. I’ve developed a deep resentment of my condition - the constant testing (which I don’t do, because my fingers are shredded and I’m tired of bleeding on my work), constant carb calculations and injecting Every. Single. Time I eat or drink.
I’ve just been given the Freestyle Libre system on a three month trial and its revolutionised my life - in that I’m actually aware of my sugar levels and fixing them. Ignorance was bliss before and my HbA1c was around 11 at the last look If I can bring it down by 2.5, I’ll be able to have it long term. Fingers crossed. I’m hoping this will be the thing that gets me taking better care of my diabetes, I have a few mental health issues that seem to scupper my executive function and looking after myself is always the first thing that goes out of the window.
In the last couple of years, my immune system has decided to react to meat, both mammal and bird; as well as cow dairy. I can still eat fish and eggs but for safety’s sake I usually eat vegan when I’m away from home as it’s the only way I can be certain there isn’t anything I’m allergic to. Of course, this makes it hard to follow a low carb lifestyle...
Anyway, that’s me.
Mel
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