Not taking my insulin or bloodsugar.

Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I got diagnosed with type 1 in 2009 and most of the time it's been a living hell. For maybe a 2 years now I almost stopped taking my insulin completely, I take lantus once a day but that's pretty much it. I check my bloodsugar maybe like once a month. This last year I just didn't care at all, but I want to start taking care of myself and my diabetes, I just don't know how I'm going to get out of this. I've tried not to long ago to take my insulin and bloodsugar regularly but I just got back into this habit again. So if someone have been in this place and have some tips or just something.. And if someone answer to this and can help me.. Thank you, because I don't want to live like this anymore.

And yes I've been talking to my doctor but she didn't really know what to do or say.

And I'm really sorry for my bad English, I'm Swedish and not very good at English so.

- Julia
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hej, Julia :)

It's good that you want to change and take care of yourself better. That's a very important first step.

Why don't you take your insulin? Is it because you're afraid of having hypos? It's sad that you say your life has been hell with diabetes. Why exactly?
 
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
In the beginning it was just because I didn't want to gain weight, but last summer I just wanted to feel normal when I was hanging out with my friends and after that it was just more of a habit.
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I think you're less likely to put on weight if you balance your insulin to your food, rather than 'eating to your insulin'. So if you eat what you'd eat if you weren't diabetic, and then have just enough insulin to cover the carbs, then your weight should stabilise.

I put on approximately 14lbs when I was first diagnosed, but now I'm back to my normal weight. It can be done :)

I completely understand how horrible it must be feeling different when you're with your friends. Have you thought about an insulin pump? It's easier to press some buttons than have to do an injection with an insulin pen.

Do you know what your HbA1C is?
 
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Natalie1974

Well-Known Member
Messages
871
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I got diagnosed with type 1 in 2009 and most of the time it's been a living hell. For maybe a 2 years now I almost stopped taking my insulin completely, I take lantus once a day but that's pretty much it. I check my bloodsugar maybe like once a month. This last year I just didn't care at all, but I want to start taking care of myself and my diabetes, I just don't know how I'm going to get out of this. I've tried not to long ago to take my insulin and bloodsugar regularly but I just got back into this habit again. So if someone have been in this place and have some tips or just something.. And if someone answer to this and can help me.. Thank you, because I don't want to live like this anymore.

And yes I've been talking to my doctor but she didn't really know what to do or say.

And I'm really sorry for my bad English, I'm Swedish and not very good at English so.

- Julia

Hi @Juliaaelisabeth

You've made a great first step in the right direction...there is loads of useful information and advice here and people who can relate to your situation. I too was in a similar place to you until fairly recently...I'd given up on the whole thing...just got used to constantly bad HBA1c results and the cursory slap on the wrist from my healthcare team...every time leaving the surgery with the best of intentions but never really following it through.

However...since discovering this site I've learned so much...most especially LCHF diet which I've been following for around 10 weeks now and have so far lost 10lb's and already seen a huge improvement in my HBA1c results and more importantly...my energy levels. For me personally my motivation is seeing happy numbers when I test my BG, it really does have a huge impact on my mood and general well-being but it's also proof that taking insulin doesn't necessarily mean weight gain if you eat right. Have a read of the low carb forum, many people find this way of eating a great way of controlling their blood sugars and weight.

I will tag @daisy1 who usually sends some really useful information for new users.

Good luck...I really hope you will find the answers you need to turn this around...you will feel so much healthier and happier once you get your blood sugars under control. :)
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. You need not worry about weight gain with insulin as long as you have a sensibly low-carb diet with sensible portion sizes. If you are a T1 then I assume you are supposed to be taking both Lantus and a rapid insulin at meal-times. It's important to have both to keep the blood sugar within a reasonable range.
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
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Hi and welcome...
As you mention weight are you eating sensible meals (obviously without your bolus injections) or are you skipping eating a balanced diet too?

Are you just under GP care or can you get to see a diabetes consultant at hospital?

I think many type 1's especially ones diagnosed at young ages rebel against diabetes at some point. You are not the only T1 to do this. With most younger persons as well it does appear to be linked with fitting in with friends, fed up of being checked by their parents and not wanting to be different or because they know higher levels stop weight gain.

I am really glad that you have joined the forum and we will try to help you to get the courage to improve the way you think about diabetes.

Would you be able to do some blood tests tomorrow to let us know what your blood levels are running at?
 

PATRICK317

Well-Known Member
Messages
48
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
First things first. Get your A1c tested. It should be under 7, you should be seeing a endocrinologist , this person is a diabetes doctor. Trust me I have had the disease since 2000, and by not taking care of it, you will have chronic pain, or problems down the road. You should have or buy a glucometer, most insurances will cover diabetic supplies. I test 6 to 10 times a day, everyday. I mean everyday. I have had sugars up to 500 and down to 50, so having sugars between 90 and 150 are very good for me. I would also say patient education is very important. Some great books are as follows: 1. THINK LIKE A PANCREAS. PUMPIN INSULIN. BOTTOM LINE, SELF EDUCATION IS POWERFUL. I hope this was helpful. If you are not happy, see another doctor, get a second opinion.
 

PATRICK317

Well-Known Member
Messages
48
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Diet only
Also, exercise, exercise, even walking around the block will get my sugars down. Also see face book page running on insulin.
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Also, exercise, exercise, even walking around the block will get my sugars down. Also see face book page running on insulin.

Exercising in some people with levels on a consistent basis over 12.0 can cause them to go higher, higher, higher....and may contribute to DKA.

One size does not fit all diabetics.
 
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donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Juliaaelisabeth

Yes, you know or have probably been warned of complications from not lookung after disbetes levels. As Patrick has said he has problems from not controllung his.

We are real people, we aren't just doctors or nurses wanting to say things to scare you. We know that some people may get complications and they aren't nice.

I would personally prefer if you could give us a few readings and tell us more why you feel that you can't control your own care.

We are here to support and encourage you. Your englush is very good by the way!
 
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I got diagnosed when I was 12 and my mom didn't know what to do, so i wasn't aloud to leave my street without her. When I was 14 I got really depressed, started having panic attacks and anxiety, then I started to shelf harm and got bulimia. So at that point I just didn't care. At 16 I got pregnant with my son and at that time I didn't care about myself. So that's when it all started. After that I started to get bullied for my diabetes so now when I meet new people I almost hide it, I know how to take care of myself I just don't know how to get rid of this habit and start over.
 

Jaylee

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
18,215
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

I don't realy have a lot to add to the great advice above..

Though your English is very good, there are quite a few Scandinavians on this forum. Which may help with the talk in your own language?
I'll tag one in. @Scandichic & hopefully more will follow...
I forgot @Heathenlass ...!
 
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ewelina

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,354
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Start with little steps. It will take some time to get it under control but as soon as you see the benefits, you will be happy to move to new habits.You will see how much better you feel on a daily basis and how much it will improve your life. You will become more energetic, feeling healthy and generally happier. You will look better too and you will see it in the mirror :)
Try to calculate carbohydrates in your meals and take insulin accordingly. At the beginning you may want to stick to similar food so calculation wont be too difficult. Do you have cal&carbs book? it would be very useful. I believe there is an app you can get on your phone. Good luck Julia :)

p.s your English is very good!
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
I got diagnosed when I was 12 and my mom didn't know what to do, so i wasn't aloud to leave my street without her. When I was 14 I got really depressed, started having panic attacks and anxiety, then I started to shelf harm and got bulimia. So at that point I just didn't care. At 16 I got pregnant with my son and at that time I didn't care about myself. So that's when it all started. After that I started to get bullied for my diabetes so now when I meet new people I almost hide it, I know how to take care of myself I just don't know how to get rid of this habit and start over.

Hi

Well the positive thing about this is that you know how to look after yourself... So it isn't actually unlnown information.
That is good.

Do you still suffer from bulimia? A young friend of mine (not diabetic though) has been in an eating disorder place for 6 months to get the help she needed to get over the disorder that she had. The trouble is that with some people it can still lurk in the background because of other problems that actually caused the food eating disorder in the first place not being resolved. Have you had any treatment for your bulimia?

We are all behind you here..thankyou for giving an insught in to your lufe so that we can realise more about the courage you will have to gain to take the first step.

Will you do a couple blood tests a d let us know what your levels are running at on a typical day?

My friend (non diabetic) was having to be monitored constantly for low blood sugars (in the 2's) and having electrolytes etc.. I suspect though your levels are the opposite...
 

Natalie1974

Well-Known Member
Messages
871
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I got diagnosed when I was 12 and my mom didn't know what to do, so i wasn't aloud to leave my street without her. When I was 14 I got really depressed, started having panic attacks and anxiety, then I started to shelf harm and got bulimia. So at that point I just didn't care. At 16 I got pregnant with my son and at that time I didn't care about myself. So that's when it all started. After that I started to get bullied for my diabetes so now when I meet new people I almost hide it, I know how to take care of myself I just don't know how to get rid of this habit and start over.

You poor thing...sounds like you've had a bit of a rough time of it.

Bad habits are notoriously hard to break...but the key to turning anything around is baby steps. Smokers wanting to give up will often reduce their cigarettes slowly until they feel ready to quit...it's much the same thing. Perhaps start with testing your blood sugars once a day...at whatever time of day suits you best...slowly build it up over a few days/weeks so that you have a better picture of where your blood sugars are at and you can inject accordingly. As you say...you know how to do it...it's just getting yourself back into the habit. Perhaps have a go at a low carb diet if you are concerned about weight gain, you can tweak your diet at a later date...but first you need to know where your BG is at so you can get it back under control.

There is plenty of help, support and advice on this site and if you need any support...just ask...generally speaking everyone is more than willing to help and support a fellow diabetic. There is a great thread called 'Scream'...if things get to much...if you want to let off steam...just go have a good rant...it really does make you feel better.

Best foot forward...you can do this...you've come through a lot worse by the sounds of it.:)
 
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Scandichic

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,708
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Michael Gove and his insane educational? policies!
Hi, I got diagnosed with type 1 in 2009 and most of the time it's been a living hell. For maybe a 2 years now I almost stopped taking my insulin completely, I take lantus once a day but that's pretty much it. I check my bloodsugar maybe like once a month. This last year I just didn't care at all, but I want to start taking care of myself and my diabetes, I just don't know how I'm going to get out of this. I've tried not to long ago to take my insulin and bloodsugar regularly but I just got back into this habit again. So if someone have been in this place and have some tips or just something.. And if someone answer to this and can help me.. Thank you, because I don't want to live like this anymore.

And yes I've been talking to my doctor but she didn't really know what to do or say.

And I'm really sorry for my bad English, I'm Swedish and not very good at English so.

- Julia
Hej! Förlåt att jag inte har svarat tidigare! Vi har precis flyttat hus! Jag är engelska men pratar svenska. Har du tänkt äta LCHF? Det kan du göra även om du är typ 1 - jag är typ 2. Maten smakar god också! Kolla på
http://www.lchfrecept.com
Jag rekommenderar att du läsa

http://www.kostdoktorn.se

Läkaren heter Andreas Eenfeldt. Jag mailade honom när jag fick höra att jag hade diabetes och han var mycket snäll.
Hoppas att detta hjälpa till!
Stor kram!
Scandixx
 
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azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I got diagnosed when I was 12 and my mom didn't know what to do, so i wasn't aloud to leave my street without her. When I was 14 I got really depressed, started having panic attacks and anxiety, then I started to shelf harm and got bulimia. So at that point I just didn't care. At 16 I got pregnant with my son and at that time I didn't care about myself. So that's when it all started. After that I started to get bullied for my diabetes so now when I meet new people I almost hide it, I know how to take care of myself I just don't know how to get rid of this habit and start over.

I had an eating disorder, which I was recovering from just when I got diabetes. It made the diabetes much harder to deal with mentally. It felt like a punishment.

Have you ever spoken to a professional person like a psychologist or a counsellor about how difficult things have been for you? It sounds like you've had some very hard and very miserable times in your life, and sometimes talking them through can help. You're obviously a strong person to survive those things though - don't forget that.

As others have said, take little steps with your diabetes. If you're currently not having any fast acting insulin injections before your meals, could you start having one before, say, breakfast? That way you could try to get your morning blood sugar levels sorted out. Or would it be easier for you to start first with doing blood tests? Perhaps you could do a certain number of blood tests a day to see where your levels are?

Which of those things would you find easiest?

Do you have any good friends you trust who can help you?
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@Juliaaelisabeth

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

To help you to get control again, reading this information we give to new members could help. The sections on diet and carbs are particularly important although you may know some of the rest. Ask more questions and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Or... Hopefully you will understand I say this totally with humour and laughter... "We'll all fly to you, come and live with you and support you!!"

We all are hoping that we can help you through the difficulties that you are experiencing and are 100% here for you....

Hope so much that you will realise that we all wish you well and want to help you....
 
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