Struggling to get in a routine

Welcome to the forum Jamietf.



Can I ask if you've been on a carb counting course such as DAFNE?

Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately we have to have some kind of routine when you have type 1 diabetes, appreciate you work long hours and your breaks may be hit & miss but try and find a balance between work and looking after yourself better, its worth it to avoid problems further down the road.

Hi Jamietf,
I just thought I'd reply as I'm in a very similar situation to you. I'm also type1, I'm 23 and also a barmaid. I work ridiculously long hours, sometimes 12 hr shifts and not getting home until 3-4am. I've had diabetes for 14years now, and I still struggle. The most important thing (as hard as it is)!! Is to create some sort of routine. Even if I get in at 4am, I test my BG, if I'm hungry, I'll eat and take the correct amount of insulin ( if you don't carb count, I recommend you do). Another thing that had helped me greatly is changing my background insulin from Lantus to Tresiba - this allows me to be a bit more lenient at what time I take it. it can be hard working behind a bar and I used to be really embarrassed about doing my blood sugar - but now I'm lucky enough that if needs be and I'm running a bit high, I just do my insulin behind the bar. My boss is really supportive, so maybe have a chat with your manager and suggest that you can have a quick 5min break at the same time every night to maybe do your injection and grab a quick snack. Its a long process and my hba1c has been everything from 5%-12%, it's fair to say I've struggled with control, but once you put the hard work in at first, it gets easier.. I'm still learning about my own body,
14years later x

Jamietf said:

Yes I went on a hattie course I done really well but then found it hard to stay in a routine as in eating regularly and taking my insulin with work.

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Hi @Jamietf. Ive just done Hattie course. Do you live in Hartlepool/stockton area then? I live in Hartlepool

Try relying on your doctor if the family members are not understanding enough. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, as they will not be judging.
When I first got diagnosed I used to have over 10 alarms set on my phone to remind me to eat, snack, take my long-acting insulin, even for a light exercise before bed. At first they were really annoying but then I realized how much they helped me cope with everything. When I started getting used to the routine I didn't use the alarms anymore.