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Staying positive

misswhiplash said:
I think I'm probably a natural optimist, so maybe am not best placed to answer this, but generally, if things happen, they happen - it wouldn't occur to me to beat myself up over high blood sugars (or whatever) - I just do what I need to do and get on. I'm lucky to have lots of other things going on in my life, which mean that I pretty much have just to suck it up and get on with stuff :)
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Good for you... My approach also:)


Diagnosed 13/4/16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

6/6/16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 112/68, BPM 66, 11st 11lbs, waist 30".

Regime: 20g LCHF, run 1 mile daily, weekly fasting.
 
My life has hit an all time low. I live with a disgusting pig who bad mouths me and others who live here on the net. It really effects my sugars. However after reading this thread its cheered me up and I'm going to take on board some of the ideas/ thoughts you guys and ladies posted about. Really good thread, thanks. A.
 
abyss01 said:
My life has hit an all time low. I live with a disgusting pig who bad mouths me and others who live here on the net. It really effects my sugars. However after reading this thread its cheered me up and I'm going to take on board some of the ideas/ thoughts you guys and ladies posted about. Really good thread, thanks. A.
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When things are really bad the only way is up - stay positive hun ;)
 
I wonder if I've correctly interpreted the divine being(DB)'s sense of humor.
Since I am genetically pre-disposed to Type 1 Diabetes, I could have been hit at age 2 when i started crawling around and making acquaintances of germs and viruses.
DB decided, when i was age 11, to introduce me to a novel at the library, detailing the life of a girl of the same age who lives with type 1. i think he was going haha, look, i'm sparing you. look back one day and be grateful.
then 2 weeks before i was diagnosed, i was talking to my B about diabetes. I asked, "hey, isn't it bad for diabetics to have too much sugar? why did i read about a girl who had to eat chocolate to resuscitate herself?" DB must have gone, aha, you've forgotten!
.... and decided to remind me in such a way that i'll never forget, and to graciously hint that I should be grateful for the last 36 years, or rather, since when i was 11, when the thought first crossed his mind.
 
Hey All, I've been a member on here for a while but to date have never posted but reading this very interesting thread I thought I'd share my experience with diabetes, apologies for the length of it!

I was diagnosed T1 about 4 years ago now when I was 26 and it may sound strange but after the diagnosis I kind of thought of myself as being lucky; I'd been quite ill for a while, lost nearly 3 stone, went to the docs for a blood test and on the follow up appointment was rushed to hospital with early stage ketoacidosis.

Not lucky in the sense that I'd been diagnosed with an illness but lucky that if I had to have any illness it was one that I could pretty much control the majority of the time.

I've always had the attitude that 'it really could be so much worse' which I think has helped me to accept it and to not ever let it take over my life and to get me down.

Perhaps I'm lucky in that I'm a fairly positive person but I do pretty much live a normal life, sure I have to test 5 times a day, my finger tips and backside are like a pin cushion and I have to inject everytime I eat anything with the remotest amount of carbs or sugar in but I do just think how much worse it could be!

I realise that I'm probably lucky in having a generally positive outlook but i was wondering if anyone else ever felt that way; not lucky in the usual sense but fortunate that their illness is generally under their own control? (apart from of course those darn random high readings, random low blood sugars where you would quite literally eat the entire contents of your kitchen cupboards, having to carry dextrose or Lucozade everywhere you go and of course constantly being told by people that you can't eat cake or sweets!)
 
Everyone I've met so far diagnosed with type 1 has been a positive person. I'm starting to wonder if it is an illness that only goes for positive people. Hmm hmm.


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Juicyj said:
I read through so many posts on how people manage with type 1, getting better control and staying positive without letting it get you down and I know many struggle greatly with the endless process of testing, injecting, self management etc. I myself have found over the past week that my levels have hit the teens and it's left me tired, drained and deflated, I am blaming the cold weather as i've checked every other option such as infection, illness, stress, hormones and none are to blame. We all know deep down what we should be doing but sometimes it's easy to fall off the tightrope and it's getting the strength, inspiration to get back on it.

So I decided to write a thread and see how others manage to stay positive, do you have a mantra, song, process, piece of inspiration you can share ?
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hi.been diabetic for 10 years.just found out what carbs are!been constantly told you cant have sugar but you must have sugar!!!!!!
just on a DAFNE course now.doing carb counts.im a house husband.hardly get time to look after myself as we have a 20 month old.you must stay positive and focused.control youre diabetes.dont let it control you.easier said than done!try to eat small portions.try carb counting.that helps a lot as you can adjust youre insulin and keep youre sugars to a reasonable level.ive seen so many stories of people on here who have reversed their diabetes.hows that for inspiration.sorry about grammer and stuff!great post.thank you
 
It's always tricky when you have a condition like ours, i look at the positives to when i was first diagnosed back in 1999 and how treatment, education, information and the general awareness has changed. I think it's fantastic that alongside things like Cancer etc conditions like ours have had alot more attention thanks to things like social media and allow people to communicate with others and not feel so alone...
'Where there is hope there is life'
 
Hey @Hazza1989 Yes you're absolutely right about social media - fortunately we can connect with others who understand what it's like. I've said it a few times but the ability to communicate on a forum in real time is also a huge advantage, when i was diagnosed so many thoughts went through my mind, finding a place to share them without prejudice or criticism helps alot. It's a comfort to know you're not alone ;)
 
My Mantra
Failure.
Don't fear failure.

Diabetes has taught me not to fear failure. If you fear failure you will never manage your diabetes because failure in life is inevitable. “Survival of the fittest” is what Darwin discovered but many have misinterpreted it. It is not the others who are stronger and more successful that you need to fear but life itself. Nothing will hit you harder than life and it will bring you to your knees and break you if you let it. Life never rests, it never takes a day or even a minute off and it is always looking for a chink in your armour, which is why our will to survive is so strong. It is not the strong and victorious you need to fear but those that fail and try again, that keep getting up and trying again and again. Every time life brings them down they just keep getting back up, and every time they get back up they are wiser and stronger and more determined, like steel tempered in fire, every blow makes them stronger.

Victory will defeat you.

Having perfectly controlled sugars leads to complacency. When life is easy and all things are achievable you tend to get inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, and infallibility, also known as a god complex. The problem with this is that when the path becomes rocky you stumble and don't have coping mechanisms in place to deal with this so you fall, and fall hard. You are now laying on the very hard surface of reality and have discovered it is very unforgiving. There is no justice in life, there is no scale that swings back and forth dispensing equal portions of right and wrong. Our worth in life is not determined by how well we do what we do, but how well we rise from a fall. Victory teaches us nothing, but defeat teaches humility, self-reliance and determination.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Family, friends and even trained professionals will discourage you from setting high goals and pursuing control over your life. They will have your best interests at heart and can see the distress that high and low sugars are causing you. They feel that by lowering your goals you will achieve more success, but the only real failure in life is not to fail at something, but to aim too low. Better to fail attempting an incredible thing than to succeed at an insignificant one.

How to know when you are on the right path.

With those around you discouraging you and telling you to go their way how do you know when you’re on the right path for you? My personal compass is quality of life. When I am walking the right path not only does my quality of life improve but also the quality of life for those around me. If you are succeeding due to the demise of others then your way is not the right way. And if the path you have chosen is easing the burden on others but causing you to suffer then that is also not the right way. For a lucky few the right path for them is cleared of all obstacles and there is room for themselves and those around them to reach nirvana. For the vast majority the path is steep and winding with many diversions. But remember it is not the end goal that is important here but what we experience on the way. We pass through life but once so enjoy the journey and discover the magic and mystery of the world around you. Don't be in a hurry to get to the final destination for there is much to learn along the way.
 
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My wheels came off in Feb. 2015. Not being able to take care of myself to the degree I knew I needed, work stress, family life, dog... I just imploded. I began seeing a psychologist for a short period of time who suggested Mindfulness to me (Jon-Kabat Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living, book or audio book)

Now, I am not one to embrace things that smell of incense and lotus flowers at the drop of rose pedal, but there has been serious neuroscience research on the affects of meditation on the brain. As I eased into the practice and began to cultivate the techniques (lifestyle) I became calmer, more up beat, positive, could turn a negative situation into something I could 'accept' and 'let go', etc. It is difficult to embrace meditation and it takes practice. Practice does not have to be an hour, but once can learn to be mindful in short moments of singular focus (2 to 15 minutes for example), all you need is your breath to guide you. I know it sounds like fufu dust, but there is something to it. I was able to get back to work slowly after 2 months but my recover did take at least 6 months. My high blood pressure was brought under control, my sleep was better and my overall outlook on this PITA illness was alleviated to a degree.

Now, with all that said, exercise and eating right are also a key components to managing blood glucose and I did all those things in the past, but when your brain snaps, you have to find a way back to yourself, your illness and how to live. Mindfulness gave me a path.

Last note. I am a pen user. I started using a Abbott Libre Freestyle Sensor to monitor my BG and it has given me tremendous calm and peace of mind (when it works properly). Even though the product is not perfect, it is a huge relief to not have to measure the old fashion way, which is often inconvenient and as a result, I did minimum measurement taking with meals and at bedtime. Talk with you healthcare provider to see if you can test one for 14 days. I live in Denmark and don't know how the NHS supports the use of this technology...

Life is a challenge and we have to do what we can to face the issues that frustrate us. Mindfulness helped me tremendously. The Libre Freestyle sensor is also a lifestyle improvement aid. I wish you the best.
 
I find diabetes alone does not make one go into depression. It is more adding the other stuff, like work, love life, stock market not going well that plunges one into a low.
The last time I got out of a low, I kept telling myself that I should have died at dka and everyday I live now is a day stolen, and what's the harm living another day to see what's up in the world?
If I want to end it I can end it any time so just go on for another day to see how I feel about it.
Then work and stock market etc turned for the better and I found myself all cheerful again.
 
This probably wont help, but when I was diagnosed as type 1 back in 1994, I was eating 1 big meal every 2 or 3 days, just when I felt hungry, lots of beer though. now I look at it as a positive, I'm eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper regularly every day, stopped drinking the beer, started drinking wine instead . There is no use screaming at the world "why me" it's happened yo you, get over it and use it to your advantage, free prescriptions, almost instant access to your doctor when needed, and you get your body MOT'd every 3-4 months or whenever your doctor thinks you need re-checked. All good, no downside except having to stick a needle into yourself every now and again.
 
tinyfilosofer said:
I find diabetes alone does not make one go into depression. It is more adding the other stuff, like work, love life, stock market not going well that plunges one into a low.
The last time I got out of a low, I kept telling myself that I should have died at dka and everyday I live now is a day stolen, and what's the harm living another day to see what's up in the world?
If I want to end it I can end it any time so just go on for another day to see how I feel about it.
Then work and stock market etc turned for the better and I found myself all cheerful again.
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Just remember, the "other stuff" that sends one down to depression is just stuff. It may feel like huge, heavy stuff, but it is not necessarily the most important stuff. It is a question of perspective. Changing ones' outlook, taking an opposite view from what one normally would say or think, can make the difference to accepting the other stuff for what it is, moving on and living for another day.
 
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