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Job dilemma

annapanna93

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
Location
Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with Type 1 last week and still learning about everything.

I was due to start a summer job next month, and I am unsure now about whether or not I should do it. It's a high energy job that would require me being on my feet all day, running around, moving a lot, leading trips and expeditions.

I am 23 and, bar the diabetes, fit and healthy. My worry is just that I won't know enough about my diabetes that I will be able to handle long, energetic days.

Any advice on whether or not I should still do the job?

Thank you in advance!
Anna
 
I say still go for it! I was diagnosed in December last year and I work in a lab where I am on my feet a lot, plus I walk 2.5 miles to work and back.

My advice would to take this time between now and you start to get used to what it feels like to have a hypo, get in a regular pattern of checking your BG to understand your normal ups and downs so you are able (as far as you possibly can) predict when you might go high or might go low etc so you can decide what you can and cant do in terms of exercise and also get used to injecting!

Good luck, its a pain and you will have plenty of ups and downs but you'll get used to it all quickly
 
Absolutely go for it. But be prepared and carry all your kit all the time, insulin, test kit, hypo treatments. Plan in regular checks when active.
 
Thank you for your replies!
I can't make my mind up. The thing is, I'm out of the UK right now visiting my boyfriend who lives in Brazil. I was diagnosed here so will have to have all my appointments and intros again when I get home. And I only have three days between landing back and starting my job which is 6 days a week. I'm worried the turn around is too quick and I don't want to do something that's going to affect my health when I'm still learning.
 
Hi @annapanna93,

I agree with all the above comments - there's no reason diabetes should stop you from having a normal life - it just requires a little active management. In an ideal world, you'd have perhaps a few months to firstly get used to how your body responds to insulin, food, exercise, stress, illness etc - so that you'd have a base from which to adjust your dosage for the activity your summer job will require.

Even though you're in Brazil, there's still time before you start your summer job to get a good idea of these things - I'd recommend keeping a diary of your food, insulin and sugar levels (I'd test quite frequently to get good data). For the first 7-10 days or so, perhaps don't do any activity that's out of the ordinary for you - and just keep the diary under review to look for any patterns and trends there may be. Then, for the second week, try to incorporate some activity that mirrors what you'd be doing in the summer job (i.e. lot's of walking/moving). Build up the activity slowly each day, so by the time you start the job, you'll have a much better idea as to how your body responds.

Generally speaking, if you'll be moving a lot, just bear in mind this could lower your sugars fairly significantly - so you'll probably need less insulin. Always keep something sweet with you (I use Lucozade and Glucogels) - and importantly, just make sure that everyone you work with knows you're diabetic, and can recognise the signs of a hypo. You may be surprised at quite how supportive the people around you will be. I also have a red medical alert bracelet, which I'd suggest is a great idea (mine doesn't look too stylish, but I'm sure you can get better ones!

One final thing - if possible, some sort of CGM may be a good idea for you, at least while you're getting used to things; there are a few options out there; I've been type 1 for about 15 years, and I wish I'd known about CGM earlier. Has anyone discussed this with you yet?

I'm new to this forum myself, and have discovered how supportive and friendly everyone is - it's just good to know that others are going through the same thing as you. Stay strong, manage the diabetes with logic and intelligence - and you'll be more than fine.
 
Your employer should allow time for appointments and so on.
Read Think like a Pancreas which offers great advice.
A freestyle Libre (flash cgm) could help with monitoring.

Ultimately you have to feel comfortable with whichever decision you make. So if you need to wait a few months you could ask the employer if they would take you later?
 
Hi @annapanna93,

I would definitely go for it, but as others have said make sure you keep hypo stuff with you, test as much as you can, and tell people that you are diabetic - its nothing to be ashamed of, and it can sometimes be hard to tell if you are having a hypo or just having a bad day (even after 25 years with diabetes so dont worry!)

I don't think having diabetes should hold anyone back. I am 27, and last year I moved to Costa Rica for a 2 year job. I am a volcanologist, so I spend most of my time hiking up volcanoes to install equipment, or just simply to have a look! Any new job is going to affect your diabetes, whether it is active or not. The nerves and stress of it are bound to affect your sugars. So as long as you recognise this, and test accordingly, why the hell shouldn't you do the job you want!? I will tell you now, I have been diabetic a long time, and coming here and starting this job has sent me right back to square one with my diabetes. I have hypos at weird times and I often wake up with a high blood sugar. But thats ok, I am managing. What I am trying to say is that diabetic for 10 days or 10 years, everything will affect your sugars (heat, sleep, stress, everything!) but as long as you know that, carry your supplies, test and inject there is absolutely no reason that diabetes should hold you back!

Definitely discuss your diabetes with your employer: that you might need a little extra time sometimes (due to hypos) or that you may need time off for appointments. I have never met an employer who is not accomodating. And you may find that someone else at the company has diabetes too (it is not that rare!) This is a scary time, but you will find a lot of support if you look and ask. I joined a local support group which I find really useful simply to have other people going through similar things to me, but also for advice and contacts.

Having been diabetic for a long time I am happy to answer any questions you may have, or if you simply want to chat or vent then let me know! This is a continuous learning curve, but I promise it will get easier!

Becky
 

I think it depends partly on what the job is but mainly on how YOU feel. All the replies here have said to go for it, but if you're uneasy about the quick turnaround time you have, then it's perfectly reasonable to not do it

Think about how you're coping now, what the job entails, etc, and then decide what's best for you
 
I'm not a type 1 but I do a few expeditions, and always have.
If you go prepared you should not have to worry.
Firstly always check you have all you need.
Secondly check it again - you can't be too careful.
Always plan for the unexpected, have emergency supplies of food, always carry a survival blanket - the sort with a fibrous and plastic cover, and cords to secure it.
Always brief your companions and have spare kits of insulin and hypo treatments to give to two of them, just in case.
It might seem over the top, but in my time I have never needed to use my emergency equipment, but other people have been glad of it.
 
I think the OP's concern is the Type 1 not general worries about expeditions, Resurgam. Basal adjustments, bolus ratios, etc are the issue.
 
It kind of sounds like they caught or diagnosed your condition early - before it had the chance to do any serious damage. I would suggest you go for it - if you fail you fail - at least you have a good reason LOL.
In my opinion learning to adapt to the day as a Type 1 is key to trying to have as "normal" a life as possible - so having said that - see it as an opportunity. Make sure you test and have an ample amount of sugar in the event that your BG levels get low.
As well you may not be the only one - I've met several people with diabetes in my workplace - you may too.

All the best!
 
Thank you all so so much for taking the time to reply, especially with such detailed and informative posts. I really appreciate it.
I am definitely going to think about everything you have all said.
I do just worry that I don't understand diabetes enough yet, and as I will have a whirlwind of appointments to attend when I get home, it might just be too soon to launch into a new, active job.
 
No problem at all - your concerns are very prudent; and whatever you decide to do, there's no end of support here!
 

Those are perfectly valid concerns The fact you're asking here shows you're concerned. If you feel it's not the right time, then don't do it.

You know what's best for you so trust your instinct
 

Hi Anna,

Welcome to the forum..!

Sounds a little like the holiday rep/guide "entertainment crew" job I had at a site on the southwest coast in the early 1990s.?
(Though, I could be totally wrong.)
Yep, they can be long hours, "full on", with surprisingly very little privacy...
With a lot of "team extra curricular R&R" thrown into the mix aswell.. Even with my 13 years? Of D experience at that time, there were some hairy moments.!

The job you have does sound like an excellent opportunity/experience too.

I wish you the best of luck regarding your decision..
 
I think you could be rushing into it a tad. You were looking for a job when you found that one, right? It's not like you're turning down being CEO of Goldman Sachs. What, that guy works for Trump!
 

Annapanna, I'm not T1, so comment on the diabetes aspects of all of this, as others are better placed than I to do that. Is your summer job in UK, or an EU country?

A couple of things I'd suggest you consider are, firstly; what is the worst thing that could happen if you take the job and it doesn't work out? If you had to give it up, would it be catastrophic? I agree it would be disappointing and frustrating, but anything else?

The other thing is, if you decide against the job, would you have an another opportunity to do the same thing another year or time? The only reason I ask that is I had the opportunity, waaaaay back, to take a gap year between school and Uni in the days before gap years really existed. At the time, I elected to get on with my education, thinking I'd do the gap year between uni and work. Of course, I never did, preferring to get some working experience. Once in work, I set my career goals and got on with it.

I did do a gap year quite some time later, but I never again had the opportunity to live out the initially proposed adventure, and have regrets about that until this day. It would have been absolutely fab.

I know that doesn't help your diabetes conundrum, but my life experience tells me if one waits until the perfect time, to do whatever we had origionally planned, life has a habit of getting in the way.

Myself? I was diagnosed with T2, which is obviously very different to T1, three weeks prior to departing on an overseas trip, well away from the NHS or an NHS standard of health care lasting 9 months. I went. My concession was to break my trip at the 4 month point to nip back to the UK for a quick review. By then I was doing fine, but the review effectively, in terms of flights etc cost me four figures. That was my compromise.
 
annapanna93 said:
I do just worry that I don't understand diabetes enough yet, and as I will have a whirlwind of appointments to attend when I get home, it might just be too soon to launch into a new, active job.
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Leading trips and expeditions is quite a responsibility and I understand your concerns, so if you don't think you could cope then it probably is best that you decline the job, your young and ambitious so I'm sure the job opportunity will arise again.

Stick around the forum for help, support and advice @annapanna93 and have a safe journey back to the UK.
 


Thank you for replying and sharing your story!

My job is in the south of the UK, and I live in the North. It's a temporary summer role working with children, and is the field I would eventually like to get into so I was really looking forward to it and being able to boost my CV a little. Financially, it would be quite a big loss but I am trying to focus on the fact that my health is more important right now.

It's an opportunity that arises each summer so I would have the chance to do it again, if they'd let me of course. So I wouldn't miss out on it forever, just this one summer. I just hate letting people down when they've believed in me and trusted me with responsibility.
 
annapanna93 said:
My job is in the south of the UK, and I live in the North. It's a temporary summer role working with children,
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If your employers ask you to wear a dungaree attired pink elephant costume? Don't. Is my advice!
 
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