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I need support! Please

J

Jallen

Newbie
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4
Hi, I have had diabetes for 30 years, onset with my first pregnancy. I don't think I have ever had stable blood sugars. My Hb1s are always 9-10 and my BG can vary from 3 to 25. I have been lucky so far to get away with only a little laser treatment on one eye but I am scared about the future and
my constant fear is of losing my sight. I know what can happen to my body but I don't seem to be able to do anything about it. I have no will power and eat all the wrong things. I got up early this morning (my first waking thought each day is my bad control) and decided to browse Diabetes UK as I have been a member for a long time and give monthly support financially and I thought I might find some answers. On reading discussions in the forum I am hoping that you will be kind and help me to get control of my life back.
I have an envious life in that I also have a home in Spain and visit frequently but this is very bad for keeping my blood sugars stable as I have a different meal times there. In the UK I eat at 9am,
1pm and 7pm. In Spain I can eat breakfast anytime around 10am, lunch 2pm and evening meal around 9pm. Lunches tend to be long affairs and it is hard to know when to take my injection as it is usual to start with salad and the main course can come an hour later. I usually take it after eating which causes highs. My many flights also can't help.
My regime is Levemir split 26 at breakfast and 22 at bedtime, these times can vary.
Novorapid at mealtimes usually 4/6/8 but having been on a Dafne course I vary the dose (inaccurately) according to carbs. I take at least 4 blood readings a day but never write them down and then have panic when it is time to see the doctor and using the memory on my meter scribble them down in a rush. If my sugar is high at bedtime I take a corrective dose, sometimes causing a nighttime hypo. In fact I do all the things I shouldn't do and I worry constantly but still don't change my habits. I recently stopped working and feel it is time I got my life sorted out before it is too late and would be grateful for any support.
 
Hi,
Sorry you are feeling so bad about things. Actually, reading thru' your post I think you know what you need to do to improve things, but first you need to convince yourself you are worth the effort! I am sure that you are, and if you have family you are close to I'm sure they would agree and would want you to look after to yourself too. Maybe you could start by making changes slowly, say by recording your results faithfully for a week (even if they are bad!), then the next week start carb counting properly etc and gradually get things back on track that way.

Keep telling yourself (like the L'Oreal advert!) that you ARE worth it!! :D
Sue
 
Hi Jallen, welcome to the forum.
It sounds as if you do want to have good stable control but have developed some bad habits which might prove difficult to break. Can I suggest you set yourself a good achievable mid-term target and use that to motivate you to make the changes you need.
Your HbA1c is far too high and will virtually guarantee you long term problems. Make that your target. Aim to get it below 7% at your next clinic. This is perfectly achievable, but you have to want to do it. From there, once you've achieved that, you can make further improvements with the knowledge that YOU are in control.
Your blood sugar seems to swing alarmingly. That suggests you are eating the wrong things, not getting your doses right, and possibly both.
Your basal dose also sounds enormous compared to your perfectly reasonable sounding bolus doses. Only you will know these things, but we'll certainly offer advice where we can.

All the best,

fergus
 
Thank you for your replies and kind messages. I started with a positive attitude today and my results were better but because I was careful what I ate I had a hypo mid afternoon. My insulin is probably too high and I will be carefully monitoring it this week as you suggest. i do feel I am not alone which is a great help.
 
Hi Jallen
When you say you take Levemir at breakfast, does this mean if you eat breakfast later, you delay your Levemir until you eat?
If so, this won't be helping.
Levemir should be taken within 1 hour of the time it was taken yesterday (if that makes sense). So if you take it at 8am today, take it between 7 and 9 tomorrow (but near to 8am would be best). It's basal insulin and you're covering your bfast carbs separately with Novorapid so the food and Levemir don't need to coincide.
Similar with bedtime Levemir, if you normally take it at 10pm that doesn't mean you have to go to bed then. If you stay up later just make sure to still take Levemir around 10pm.

Dafne seems ideal for you, the variable meal times shouldn't be a problem. If you inject after eating it should be within 1 hour of eating. Injecting for each course when served should avoid going too high aferwards, avoid hypo if next course is delayed, plus less risk of losing count.

Writing your readings and carbs down could be a big help, easier to see a pattern. When eating out I note the restaurant name, food eaten and how many carbs estimated, so afterwards I can tell how accurate I was. Next time I eat at the same place, I'm not starting the calculations from scratch again.

Don't give up. Pre-DAFNE my HbA1c was 9, I thought I was a lost cause but now down to 6.7 and feel more "in control" than ever.
 
Hi

I dont think its very difficult to be a "victim" of this decease - my advice to you is not to eat after 8PM (whats your medication?).

If you drink - stick to redwine - its OK - stay away from whisky/coke etc. (or you can drink Vodka soda with a very tiny tip of orange juice to top it up with); - any drinks mixed with Coke is normally lethal; - first it will take you blood sugar down as its alc, but within an hour drinking it your numbers will rocket.

Its OK to stay out late at nite as long as you give yourself some days a week at home early in bed. I party 4 times per week and my readings are 5.6 on an average. If you can keep fit - do exercise 20 mins per day (buy a stepmachine in Spain and at home) and if your looking after your weight and eat vitamins every day (especially Vitamin E and Alpha Lipioc) it will support you in living a more exciting life-style - BUT - you must be hard on yourself on sugar bars and sweet drinks - none of all that (!) - some fruits per day is OK and helps you from going too low on sugar - but - eat vegs - in Spain they have superb qualities.

I eat out every day - and I just eat whats on the menu and stay away from sweets - Im now on 1 Gloucophage tablet per day (after dinner) - down from 12UNITS insulin and 3 tablets daily.....so.....its all possible with disciplin and 1 hour attention per day I would say....

Good luck and keep us posted on how your getting along....

KIM
 
I've been on the DAFNE course which I found to be very very good.... A brillient week indeed....

Some of your problems might being caused because of your basal (background) isn't right, I noticed that you're on a split dose of Levimer...

Concider the times your injecting?

Do you inject at the same time?

Are they even a even split?

Would it work better by splitting into uneven or adjusting the split ratio or adjusting the times?

It might be that becausse you are having a time shunt when you go to Spain, that your insulin senceitivity is slightly different, I Know that DAFNE does suggest that 1 unit of insulin should bering your BG down by 2-3mmol/l (unless it's above 11mmol/l then it could be different) but with me if I have 1unit of insulin it will drop me (unless above 12mmol/l) 7mmol/l.... So I'm extremely sencitive to insulin... this could be causing your high-low effect!

Have you ever thought of asking for a insulin pump?
 
Theres lots of great advice on here already and the only thing I would add is to be nice to yourself and don't beat yourself up because you're not getting it 100% right. I'm sure you can get things back on track :D

Anne-Marie
 
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