Stupid Question time....

Erin85 said:

I know this is a stupid question before I even type this, but here goes...

Having had (what seems like) 2 honeymoon periods, I now don't want to go back onto my insulin injections. I had been doing really well, and was happy with my injections, my BG levels (the majority of the time, minus the hypo's) and had gotten my head round the whole 'my pancreas is a bit rubbish' thing. But now am really reluctant to use insulin again. I have been doing a lot of exercise and avoiding carbs to try to get away with it. So the question is...is there really any way to avoid insulin...? I already know the answer...

Click to expand...

Just curious... what is the reason you're reluctant to use insulin again?

Erin85 said:

Do you know, I'm not even sure! I was still testing, but I guess it just felt like a break, not worrying about what food to eat, effects of food, if I'm too low to drive, hypo's. I feel like a child digging my heels in - if I dig my heels in hard enough, my body will honeymoon forever? I know I need to get a grip (and after high bg levels the last few days, I have injected with every meal today), but....I just don't want to 'diabetes' anymore I change my mind... Sorry for the rant x

Click to expand...

I can totally understand you not wanting to diabetes anymore, and it's ok to rant... rant as much as you need to, it can really help.

In my 4 years with T2 I have ignored it for periods of time (obviously it's a completely different story with T2 because the effects are much slower). I think we all feel this way sometimes. Have you seen the diabetes burnout thread?

Here's the goods news, your honeymoon can go on for months, however the bad news is that it will give up at some point, I thought the same when I was honeymooning, that if I took care and watched my blood glucose levels that it would go on indefinitely, I think mine lasted just under a year but with me taking small doses of basal and bolus to maintain good control. Sadly with type1 there is no life without insulin, but at least the honeymoon helps you to adapts to testing, injecting etc.

Hiya, I don't really have anything to add in terms of an answer to your question, just an "I know how you feel". I've never been completely off insulin but I was managing for a few weeks on just a small dose of basal which, combined with very few carbs and lots of exercise, kept everything under control. When I had to start taking my bolus again and increasing my basal 1) it felt like I was failing somehow and 2) like you said, it was such a nuisance having to worry about hypos etc again. I hope that it starts getting easier for you soon

I think if you can keep active and keep a low carb diet on the go then you can avoid big doses anyway.........

you will need to keep injecting your basal dose though as that insulin deals with glucose that will always be in the blood stream regardless of food....

the most important thing for any diabetic is to keep your blood sugar levels in target, for me, this will be achieved by any means necessary....lol.....a mind set that has developed over many years to be honest.....you'll get there....ha ha...

I do get the honeymoon period thing but to me it's the realisation period, that it finally dawns on you that unless you do something about what ails you, then it's going to get worse in the future.
It's a lifestyle change, you either make the choice to feel better or feel **** for ever!

Low carb and this forum along with my consultant, changed my life dramatically and probably saved my life, because without it, I would be in a hell of a mess or dead, it was getting that bad!

It really wasn't a choice, a no brainer! Logical!

Once that has sunk in, the rest will follow!

It's a great feeling, when you're in control and you feel 'normal(ish) again.

I can really add much but I understand. I'm 15 years into having d and I get those times of remembering what it was like without it. At the same time I struggle to think of life without it sounds odd I know but it's made a big part of who I am but not all me at the same time. I feel it's like art sometimes we need time to stand back from it to see where to go with it whilst at the same time popping the paints etc away to make sure we are safe. Difficult balance because sometimes I know I feel forget putting away I just want me duvet and then I just remember it's ok once it's away duvet time! But that's me hope that makes sense and not ranting on there hugs

For me, I accepted it long ago, but I don't accept feeling lousy. I have found over the years that the key to accepting it is not to go by the route where I am just "not ill", but to seek actual well-being.

I mean there are degrees of health. Health is a continuum, and as a diabetic it is perfectly possible for you to be closer to the end that says "Ultimate Well Being" than someone who does not have diabetes and may actually have many advantages.

So, if for example you define well being as having an enjoyable creative aspect, then you need to look after your health enough to do that creative thing. Your health management is then instrumental, not a goal in itself, and for me that makes it easier (less judgmental?). Also, I find that outdoor activities and sports give me a massive sense of well being, so I make an effort to learn to control my diabetes while doing those things. That's a real win-win. Plus, good food and a social life is important for me. So, I have no "forbidden foods". I cook whatever I want to eat. I buy whatever I want to eat. I eat what other people prepare for me. But I learn how to manage what I eat with insulin and exercise. I have a friend who always cooks great vegetable dishes and makes salads when I visit, but she also dishes up some great carb-heavy stuff. I bolus for it, and I walk home (forty minutes').

Yesterday, I went to a restaurant with a friend. There I chose a low-carb meal (and bolused for protein), tasted her dessert, and walked home (20 minutes). There was nothing odd or difficult about my behavior and my friends' behavior to me, so my diabetes doesn't throw up social barriers, which I think can be a problem for young and newly diagnosed diabetics.

At the end of that, after 48 years, I am healthy and happy and cheerful. I have a great sense of well being, in other words!

I honestly think that the key is to make diabetes a consideration in pursuing your own well being, but not the whole story. Keep it in its place.