Hi everyone am 30 and been type 1 diabetic past 11 years I've never been good with it always been scared of it and it controls me always have my sugars high am starting to see the damage I've done I just can't take it anymore I really need help can't seem to get anywhere with doctors hospitals etc I know I have to do this myself but the fear I have over hypos is so bad any help is greatly appreciated
Really need some help
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Hypos, hypos, I so hate them.
Do you live alone or with partner/family/friends? Let them help you.
If you're working with colleagues, tell them what to watch for re hypos.
Do you have hypo awareness? If you don't you should lobby for a continuous glucose monitor (libre can be converted to one) so as to get warnings when you start to run low.
Hypos are scary but most people with awareness wake at night if they have one, and notice during the day. Also, your liver will generally rescue you if you go too low, by pumping out sugar, though I'd hate to count on this if I accidentally gave myself my bolus instead of my basal or if I was blind drunk (liver processes alcohol first). I'm not saying no one ever dies from a hypo (and it certainly is a strong possibility if you have one behind the wheel of a car) but most T1s learn to live with regular mild ones.
So, I guess the question is, are you afraid of hypos because of personal experience or because you dislike the idea? If the latter, they may be a lot more manageable than you think. If the former, it may be time to leverage some technology and/or get help from family/friends/colleagues.
Good luck.
Do you live alone or with partner/family/friends? Let them help you.
If you're working with colleagues, tell them what to watch for re hypos.
Do you have hypo awareness? If you don't you should lobby for a continuous glucose monitor (libre can be converted to one) so as to get warnings when you start to run low.
Hypos are scary but most people with awareness wake at night if they have one, and notice during the day. Also, your liver will generally rescue you if you go too low, by pumping out sugar, though I'd hate to count on this if I accidentally gave myself my bolus instead of my basal or if I was blind drunk (liver processes alcohol first). I'm not saying no one ever dies from a hypo (and it certainly is a strong possibility if you have one behind the wheel of a car) but most T1s learn to live with regular mild ones.
So, I guess the question is, are you afraid of hypos because of personal experience or because you dislike the idea? If the latter, they may be a lot more manageable than you think. If the former, it may be time to leverage some technology and/or get help from family/friends/colleagues.
Good luck.
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Hello @Muggymagpie
Welcome to the forum
It is best to speak to your team and discuss your hypos fear with them as they could support you with education and a libre which will help you to see what’s going on and help avert from going low.
I too hate hypos but know they go hand in hand with living with t1, so can bear them, however my fear with t1 is complications as I don’t want t1 to affect my quality of life so this fear drives my control to stay within range as much as possible, having a fear can be a great motivation to manage your t1 but of course it if it’s hypos then you need help from your team as it’s vital you get help to overcome this.
Welcome to the forum
It is best to speak to your team and discuss your hypos fear with them as they could support you with education and a libre which will help you to see what’s going on and help avert from going low.
I too hate hypos but know they go hand in hand with living with t1, so can bear them, however my fear with t1 is complications as I don’t want t1 to affect my quality of life so this fear drives my control to stay within range as much as possible, having a fear can be a great motivation to manage your t1 but of course it if it’s hypos then you need help from your team as it’s vital you get help to overcome this.
Thanks I do have a libre but when I asked for contentious monitoring I was basically told no my team is not great rang them 5 times now saying I desperately need more help and still nothing I do still have awareness but for me now I've built it into a fear if you like so soon as I see them say under 9 I'll drink lucozade then there back up there sometimes over 20 so then am treating that am always chasing them and because am never sat still that doesn't help I just put it on the back burner but over the past ten years I've done alot of damage to my body and I regret the way I've handled my control but now's the time to change
Let me try again...!
If your levels are dropping from 20+ to 9, then you will probably feel like you are having a hypo! I think the first thing to do is get it in a good range, nice and slowly and then keep testing, testing, testing! to try and keep it there as much as possible and for as long as possible, then hopefully your ‘highs’ will make you feel off, instead of feeling like the norm.
You really could do with some continuous monitoring! Could you try your GP. Perhaps tell them the issues you are having and possibly move to a different Diabetic Consultant...
another thing to remember is that stress and worry will increase your levels. Although trying to remove this from your life is much easier said than done! Good luck, and don’t give up!!
If your levels are dropping from 20+ to 9, then you will probably feel like you are having a hypo! I think the first thing to do is get it in a good range, nice and slowly and then keep testing, testing, testing! to try and keep it there as much as possible and for as long as possible, then hopefully your ‘highs’ will make you feel off, instead of feeling like the norm.
You really could do with some continuous monitoring! Could you try your GP. Perhaps tell them the issues you are having and possibly move to a different Diabetic Consultant...
another thing to remember is that stress and worry will increase your levels. Although trying to remove this from your life is much easier said than done! Good luck, and don’t give up!!
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Could be wrong about this, but I thought a libre could be converted into a cgm by adding a transmitter, eg using the miaomiao? Then it can send warnings to @Muggymagpie 's phone once he gets below, say 5 or above say 9.....
I agree that he is going to get a lot of false hypos at the beginning while he gets used to normal levels, as strictly speaking even 9 is out of range (though personally I just aim to keep under 10 as I risk losing hypo awareness if I keep my levels too low).
So, as Eddie suggested, maybe try to edge your levels down slowly, so your body resets its "normal"and starts giving you hypo feelings at 4 (non diabetics go down to less than that with feelings of hunger but no loss of rationality or function). If you fear is psychological, maybe stay with a friend who can monitor you while you edge down to normal?
Good luck.
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Hi @Muggymagpie ,
Welcome to the forum.
I'm guessing you're used to the high BG prolonged scores & when you do drop, (below 9.) this brings on anxiety.
Basically, you've built up a "tolerance" to the high levels.
The good news is you use a libre. & @EllieM is quite correct, it can be set up with a Miaomiao as a CGM.
Getting used to stable healthy BG perameters may take a little time. It's not always a good idea to go at it like a bull at a gate.
Decompress.? Try maintaining it around the level you are personally comfortable with at the lower end. Make that the new "normal." Then step it down from there?
Welcome to the forum.
I'm guessing you're used to the high BG prolonged scores & when you do drop, (below 9.) this brings on anxiety.
Basically, you've built up a "tolerance" to the high levels.
The good news is you use a libre. & @EllieM is quite correct, it can be set up with a Miaomiao as a CGM.
Getting used to stable healthy BG perameters may take a little time. It's not always a good idea to go at it like a bull at a gate.
Decompress.? Try maintaining it around the level you are personally comfortable with at the lower end. Make that the new "normal." Then step it down from there?
Everyone is right here. If you can gradually bring your glucose levels down you can change how your body reacts to high bg levels. I test 4 times daily before each meal and bed time. To help you though it might be better to do additional testing around 2hrs after eating and injecting your bolus to make sure you are injecting the right amount of bolus for the amount of carbs you are ingesting. The other alternatives are relearning to carb count for what you are eating or to discuss with your diabetes team about the possibility of being placed onto an insulin pump to hopefully gain better control.
Hope that helps!
Hope that helps!
