Re: New here! Need some advise of people who have diabetes!!
Hi Lillilaura
My GP was a gp that specialised in diabetes, but he still did not have the knwledge that my consultants do at my hospital. Don't get me wrong he is a great GP, but when he was limiting the supplies of my strips...for a type 1, it did make me think 'how good is he' and I got told by my OHP at work to get the referral to hospital asap as they specialise in diabetes everyday, all day and their knowledge was more...
This was true for me....last year when I had trouble with my driving, thankfully I had registered with the hospital and was under their care...I was put on to a pump within 3 weeks and haven't looked back. I get exceptional care really compared to others, and am really pleased that I am under them.......When I went to pump therapy...my GP who is the diabetes gp for my surgery had never seen a pump...and didn't know anything about them....so does not discuss my diabetes with me at all. They still do my bloods and help me enormously with my fibromyalgia...which because he no longer cares for my diabetes-he has been brilliant with the time he has given to me for my fibro....
Pump....I wish I had it 25 years ago. On my worst days which are very rare now I can go up to 10.....I have had a couple higher either recenty due to a set falure and to eating a sausage roll!!! You do need to be good with monitoring and foods initially, but to me it is worth it.
On MDI I could not stop the rises in my levels in the mornings which always happened an hour after I got up. I came to accept this, because no matter what I did nothing stopped them. Yes, I could take a correction by waking at 4am each morning, or when I got up...but it was a complete pain in the bottom. Now, no more I am at a consistent level and I don't have to worry or bother....
Lows still occur-but are rarer and fixable....i.e living in Wales, we don't often get hot weather...and the first time last year it caught me out, and I am still waiting for any hot weather to come back, but I have a separate basal regime set up ready for it....or I can use a temporary basal......so I have choices to manage myself.......
Eating is so much easier....and more flexible in many ways, but tighter management in other ways....
Personally I wouldn't hand the pump back....the extra work involved initially is more of an effort, and I had fantastic help from somebody here...
If I was your age, (as I was being on MDI) I would not hesitate to swop to a pump.....but you would not get one from your gp....they are totally managed by consultants at hospitals I believe.
Sorry I haven't answered about ketones and insulin, or doing something wrong...just that even after 10 months on the pump, because I couldn't manage splitting my doses and getting good results...I don't really feel from my experience that what I would say would be of any use.....I am sure others will be along that are better than me and have managed it successfully.
I do hope that you are feeling better soon...