Type 1 Struggling

[Daisyhelen1979]

Have been type 1 diabetic for over thirty years have I lovely husband and three beautiful kids but lately really struggling with my diabetes have been having many lows (hypos) for a few years since having my third child n 2017 and it’s affecting me really badly mentally and emotionally and suffering really bad with depression sorry for the depressing post but I feel no one understands because they haven’t got diabetes and also have low b12 levels and low folate levels so completely drained do get treatment for my low b12 injections every 3 months but I feel so so low

 

[urbanracer]

Hi @Daisyhelen1979

Have you spoken to your endo' or DSN about the hypo's?

What's your insulin regime?

 

[EllieM]

I can't help with your depression, other to suggest that you seek help from your doctor, but I can completely empathise with you on the hypos. I've been T1 for 51 years, and start to lose hypo awareness whenever I have too many of them. The last time I had a bad hypo I nearly lost my driving license and was afraid to be home alone. (My husband had to fly to UK for his mother's funeral and we ended up getting our son to stay for a few days while he was gone.)

At that point my team suggested I aim to keep my bgs between 6 and 12 for a while, and that restored my awareness (though it's not as good as it was when I was younger), and I accepted that I wasn't safely going to be able to aim for an hba1c much less than 50. (Not that I've achieved that very often , but it's nice to have something to aspire to.)

However, technology is a wonderful thing. I now self fund a dexcom, and hypo fear is a thing of the past, as it warns me when my levels go less than 4.4, so I have time to raise them. I don't know what the prescribing rules are where you live, but if you are in a country that hands out cgms to T1s then I'd strongly recommend that you push your team to give you one. (You can pay for a lot of continuous glucose monitoring with the cost of just a couple of emergency hypo hospital admissions.)

But as @urbanracer said, you should talk to your diabetic team about the hypos and your insulin regime.

Good luck.

 

[Daisyhelen1979]

I can't help with your depression, other to suggest that you seek help from your doctor, but I can completely empathise with you on the hypos. I've been T1 for 51 years, and start to lose hypo awareness whenever I have too many of them. The last time I had a bad hypo I nearly lost my driving license and was afraid to be home alone. (My husband had to fly to UK for his mother's funeral and we ended up getting our son to stay for a few days while he was gone.)

At that point my team suggested I aim to keep my bgs between 6 and 12 for a while, and that restored my awareness (though it's not as good as it was when I was younger), and I accepted that I wasn't safely going to be able to aim for an hba1c much less than 50. (Not that I've achieved that very often , but it's nice to have something to aspire to.)

However, technology is a wonderful thing. I now self fund a dexcom, and hypo fear is a thing of the past, as it warns me when my levels go less than 4.4, so I have time to raise them. I don't know what the prescribing rules are where you live, but if you are in a country that hands out cgms to T1s then I'd strongly recommend that you push your team to give you one. (You can pay for a lot of continuous glucose monitoring with the cost of just a couple of emergency hypo hospital admissions.)

But as @urbanracer said, you should talk to your diabetic team about the hypos and your insulin regime.

Good luck.

Thanks for replying I suffer really bad with hypo awareness and have my diabetic nurse phone me every week but it’s never ending unfortunately

 

[EllieM]

Thanks for replying I suffer really bad with hypo awareness and have my diabetic nurse phone me every week but it’s never ending unfortunately

Have you got access to a libre or dexcom? (Or other cgm, I know some pumps have them.)

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welome,

I'm a type 2 so no useful advice. In relation to your depression I second @EllieM 's suggestion to see your doctor. Mental health is so important and as a mother it can be easy to put your mental health behind the needs/wants of the rest of the family.

Having said that it does sound like you are having a tough time. There are many here who will completely empathise with what you are going through.

Take are of yourself.

 

[Daisyhelen1979]

Have you got access to a libre or dexcom? (Or other cgm, I know some pumps have them.)

Hi yeah I have the libre 2 thanks

 

[Daisyhelen1979]

Hello and welome,

I'm a type 2 so no useful advice. In relation to your depression I second @EllieM 's suggestion to see your doctor. Mental health is so important and as a mother it can be easy to put your mental health behind the needs/wants of the rest of the family.

Having said that it does sound like you are having a tough time. There are many here who will completely empathise with what you are going through.

Take are of yourself.

Thanks for replying ️