Just for fun....

[Debloubed]

I was going through my old 'notes' from my bi annual diabetic clinic appts the other day, I asked my Mum to get me all my teenage notes as I was interested to read them. I came across one from my early late teens in the days when they would do a routine BG test when you arrived at the clinic. Result? 26.2. Reason given by patient (me)? Just had my lunch (it was 4pm in the afternoon). Advice on notes? NONE!!! I had to laugh :lol:

Now, I hasten to add that my Hba1c from that visit was 7.1 and in 25 years I have never had an hba1c above 9 so I'm pretty pleased with those long term results. But if I registered a 26.2 on my meter today, I would freak out!! The Docs however? No concern at all! I know back then I would tell them what I thought they wanted to hear but it just reminds me of how much the diabetes care has improved, as well as how much my attitude to diabetes has improved :mrgreen:

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

Khaleb has also never had an hba1c above 9% but in his time he's certainly had his share of bsl's in the 20's and HI's. Not lately, I might add, but in the first year it was a constant battle.

It is probably a good thing your diabetes team didn't give you a slap on the wrist for such a high reading as you obviously didn't have figures like that for very long or very often. Khaleb has only ever once had a bsl done at clinic and that particular day he was in the 5's just before afternoon tea. Maybe you were hungry after school and it was your 'second' lunch?

 

[Debloubed]

Maybe you were hungry after school and it was your 'second' lunch?

Maybe! My point is that if I didn't use insulin in the middle of the day so even if I'd had 3 lunches that day, I wouldn't have taken in any more fast acting insulin. More recently my hba1c came back with an 'at the time' BG of 3.8 and that was when I was going through a period of unawareness. Notes on the report? None! I didn't mean I wanted them to tell me off about having a high BG but to not put any comments I felt was a bit, well, irresponsible? But then it was along time ago and we know more than we did then so hindsight is a wonderful thing, etc, etc

 

[noblehead]

Debloubed,

Not having a hba1c over 9 all those years ago is some achievement. I went off the rails when first diagnosed and would regularly get results of 10 or 11, always had a excuse to hand to explain this such as being ill or forgetting to test bg's. Hindsight is a marvelous thing, and if only I knew then what I know now, but for the last 20 years I too have always kept below 9, and the last 10 years I have been 8 or below, and fingers crossed I hope to be around 6 when I have my annual review next month.

Unlike you, I don't have any notes to look back upon, quite pleased actually because they wouldn't make very good reading, but like you my attitude and approach is somewhat different now, and this may be down to the fantastic help and support that is available today for people with diabetes. Never one to make excuses for things that have passed, but the treatment and testing equipment to hand now are far removed from what was available 25+ years ago, so this should inevitably lead to better and tighter bg's and hba1c's in long-term diabetics, what do you think?

Good post by the way Debloubed!

Nigel

 

[Debloubed]

Unlike you, I don't have any notes to look back upon, quite pleased actually because they wouldn't make very good reading, but like you my attitude and approach is somewhat different now, and this may be down to the fantastic help and support that is available today for people with diabetes. Never one to make excuses for things that have passed, but the treatment and testing equipment to hand now are far removed from what was available 25+ years ago, so this should inevitably lead to better and tighter bg's and hba1c's in long-term diabetics, what do you think?

Good post by the way Debloubed!

Nigel

honestly though? I don't know how I kept my hba1c below 10, I rarely tested and the support and knowledge from the DN team was not what it is today. It's only in the last 10 years or so that I have paid a lot of attention to my BG's and have tested regularly (I am borderline obsessive now!) Now, i'm not proud of the non-testing phase and I have said before I am one of the lucky ones to have got this far with zero complications, other than some background retinopathy which I have managed to correct.

What do I think? I think you are right! at least I hope so, I hope that newly diagnosed folks are able to keep tighter control but have the attitudes of childrens and teens haven't changed all that much?! Think about this. When we were diagnosed we didn't have much more than a brick sized meter and some sticks to wee on to test our BG's. Did that stop us testing? because it was too 'difficult'? or because we thought we were invincible?! What do you think?!

Deb

 

[noblehead]

When we were diagnosed we didn't have much more than a brick sized meter and some sticks to wee on to test our BG's. Did that stop us testing? because it was too 'difficult'? or because we thought we were invincible?! What do you think?!
Deb

I think its a combination of the two Debs, the equipment was time consuming and not very accurate (urine stix) and the 'brick meters' took for ever and a day to take a reading, but of course when we are younger we don't believe that anything can harm us, and take the attitude that we shall worry about it when we are older. That's why I say 'if only I knew then what I know now', but I am sure with maturity comes a better state of mind and a willingness to except that this condition will never go away, so it is better that we control the condition rather than the other way round.

Nigel

 

[Debloubed]

I That's why I say 'if only I knew then what I know now', but I am sure with maturity comes a better state of mind and a willingness to except that this condition will never go away, so it is better that we control the condition rather than the other way round.

Nigel

Amen to that! I think I offended a youngster on here a while ago as I commented that her not testing was a bit risky even though I understood where she was coming from and she said she was offended and my post was condescending! I also related to that though as when you are young you think you know it all! As my Dad say it's only when you get older you know you know it all :wink: :lol:

 

[Lucie75]

I remember going to the clinic with my mum when I was a teenager and the consultant told my mum to just 'let her be a teenager'. In other words, don't worry too much about the bg results. Like you I didn't really test and everyday I'd buy a huge chocolate bar from the school canteen and eat it without any thought. Was I rebelling? I don't think so, I just didn't THINK about the impact. But then my hba1c never went above 8. something so I can't complain. By the way how did you get to have your notes? I'd love to have mine. If I stood on my NHS file I'd be 3 foot taller! :lol: :lol:

 

[Debloubed]

ha ha, me too! My 'file' at the hospital is HUGE!! When I say my notes I mean the copies of the letters they sent me over the years as a follow up to my appt. Back in the day, we would have the hba1c blood taken at the actual appt until some bright spark realised that it would be better to have the blood results ready for the appt itself :wink: so, I have copies of all the letters since I moved out of my parents but Mum has copies of all the letters from when I lived at home

When I was 15/16 I used to get £1 lunch money every day and I used to buy 10 Marlboro lights from the corner shop plus a Mr Kiplings apple pie. Brainless :wink:

 

[Lucie75]

When I was 15/16 I used to get £1 lunch money every day and I used to buy 10 Marlboro lights from the corner shop plus a Mr Kiplings apple pie. Brainless :wink:

Naughty girl!!! Toffee crisp always did for me......everyday. :shock:

 

[Debloubed]

When I was 15/16 I used to get £1 lunch money every day and I used to buy 10 Marlboro lights from the corner shop plus a Mr Kiplings apple pie. Brainless :wink:

Naughty girl!!! Toffee crisp always did for me......everyday. :shock:

I am quite literally amazed we made it past out teens, let alone our 20's!! :shock: :?

 

[badmedisin]

Apple pie and Marlboros - the lunch of champions!
At least you kept some sort of notes! I have no letters or notes from when I was a kid because I didn't really care and my dad & stepmother were not really 'involved' parents. I never tested and used to make up some normal looking results in my book if I had an appointment. I didn't test because it hurt and because I had no concept of how serious diabetes was. I'm not sure children have the capacity to think about long term future consequences! I'm 31 now so obviously I worry about what will I be like when I'm 40, etc. But asking me when I was 10 to think about being 20 would have been totally outside my comprehension. Being 30 was something that just couldn't possibly happen!
If I could talk to the 10 year old me, I'd probably give myself a slap! I'd tell myself to do blood tests cos sore fingers are better than retinopathy. I would also tell myself that deliberately inducing a hypo so I could eat chocolate was neither big nor clever!
But I would still pretend to be hypo to get out of playing hockey...

 

[Debloubed]

If I could talk to the 10 year old me, I'd probably give myself a slap!

me too! slap myself I mean, not you

 

[mindii]

Hi Guys
just read through you'r post and was really giggling to myself (albeit sitting alone on the couch :lol: ) I too can relate to all you have said - at ten (my mum was 30) i thought she was ancient and I would never get to THAT age - wel here I am ! How i got here I do not know amazed but really grateful that I have no complications brought on by my own stupidity!! Think that hindsight is a wonderful thing but learning curves and all that!! :roll:

 

[Lucie75]

I would also tell myself that deliberately inducing a hypo so I could eat chocolate was neither big nor clever!
But I would still pretend to be hypo to get out of playing hockey...

Oh how I relate to that. Inducing hypos to have chocolate was something I did a lot of, and thought I was clever too. How relieved am I that others did this too!!!!! I also faked hypos to get out of anything I didn't want to do. I think I only ever went swimming with the school about 3 times - the other weeks I was hypo 'again'. Did my teachers really fall for it or did they 'know'? Mmmm...... :roll:

 

[Debloubed]

I would also tell myself that deliberately inducing a hypo so I could eat chocolate was neither big nor clever!
But I would still pretend to be hypo to get out of playing hockey...

Oh how I relate to that. Inducing hypos to have chocolate was something I did a lot of, and thought I was clever too. How relieved am I that others did this too!!!!! I also faked hypos to get out of anything I didn't want to do. I think I only ever went swimming with the school about 3 times - the other weeks I was hypo 'again'. Did my teachers really fall for it or did they 'know'? Mmmm...... :roll:

I think that just proves that in general, people don't know enough about type 1 Diabetes! ok, so fair enough if you don't know anyone who has it, why would you want to know but as a rule, teachers etc just don't have the time or the access to the info they need. Have to say I never used a hypo as an excuse to get out of anything, I was daft on the complete opposite side instead, I didn't tell anyone when I was hypo and I would wait and wait and wait until I could treat it in secret! how sensible of me :wink: honestly, the more I read the more I am amazed how we have lasted this long people!! :lol: Nice to have a giggle about it though, we've felt the pressure and come out on the other (sensible!) side so we are entitled to have a retrospective giggle at our own expense :wink: