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Terrified of Highs and Lows

D

diagnosedat30

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I have been diagnosed with Type1 Diabetes for almost 2.5 years. I was diagnosed at 31 which is unusual. I am coping okay. I did better at first (HBA1C was 6.0), but this year I am now at the 7.4 mark. I think that is also a wide average as I frequently suffer hypos and highs. My original specialist was brilliant and really helped. I even moved house and stayed at his hospital. He has now retired and his replacement is not great. Also I have no nurse support as the crack in the NHS is that you only get that in your district. I tried the hospital in my district and that was worse. Was left waiting an hour and they couldnt find my bloods.

I am also noticing that I am getting a little depressed and in a panic about dying from a hypo. I had one yesterday at 2.8 and couldnt ingest the sugar to get me back on track. I vomited coca cola. The sugar tablets also took ages to go down. I would love some advice about stating on track mentally with this. Its bad enough having diabetes without depression as well.

I also have a stressful life in general when it comes to family which I notice gives me more highs and lows... has anyone noticed this?
 
I don't know about panic attacks and depression with diabetes; but it is common. Why not speak to your GP about it? There is no shame in seeking help if you are suffering.

As to getting better control I think that could help you mentally in and of itself; you need to read as much as possible about the condition; here is a good place to start. I would also recommend the Think Like A Pancreas book (keeping in mind that the author is American and so it's not directly pitched at this market) and the Blood Sugars 101 book by Jenny Ruhl. Once you have your head around them I'd read the Richard Bernstein 'Diabetes Solution' which I personally found to be the most helpful book on controlling diabetes that I've read.

If you are scared of highs and lows it kind of implies that you don't have a handle on your insulin and how it works exactly? The Think Like A Pancreas book will help with that. Perhaps you are not on a basal/bolus multiple daily injection regime? But that is probably the best way to get stable blood sugars. To do that you need to be able to know how much insulin to take for the amount of carbohydrate you eat and also how long the insulin lasts. I've also found that the FreeStyle InsuLinx meter is very helpful as it is able to calculate doses for you based on your insulin/carb ratios and how much you are eating; maybe have a word with your GP about changing your meter to that?

Also ask to go on a DAFNE course; speak to your GP/Hospital about it.

You can control this but you need to have as much knowledge as possible to do so.

Best

Dillinger
 
There's not much more I can add to what Dillinger has already said about reading, learning and inquiring about a carb counting course such as DAFNE, never be afraid to ask for help from your gp regarding how you feel and the depression, help is out there but you do need to ask for it first and there's no reason whatsoever to suffer alone.

Good luck!
 
Other than the great advice already given is to consider low carbing. Low carbing means low amounts of insulin, which means smaller mistakes. I haven't been in the 2s since I started it. The hypos I have now are very mild ones in the upper 3s and I've gone from a few a week to a few a month. Same with highs.
 
I agree with you Sam. Hypos now are mild and easier to treat. Also much less common. I had an absolute phobia of hypos for a long long time. The advice given here to read and learn all you can is worth listening to.

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Agree with Sam and Thurdercat. I stick to no more than 50 grams of carbs at supper and far less for breakfast and lunch, meaning that my insulin to cover food has reduced and so have the hypos. I still have a fear of them and I am waiting for some cognative behavioural councelling arranged via my GP which should help me cope with situations better. I do have a good handle on my diabetes but I still find that, because it's very unpredicable at times, the lows (and the highs over 13/14) make me panic even though I've proved to myself hundreds of times that glucose/insulin adjustments will bring me up or down (depending if I'm low or high). So it may be a good idea if you spoke to your GP about such councelling as it may help? All the best. :thumbup:
 
Also it's pretty rare for anyone to die of a hypo. I can't find any record 0f one in Britain, but I came across a record in Canada of someone who died because they had a hypo and crashed the car.
Hana
 
The media has a big part to play in the notion of dying frpm a hypo. Its am easy bit of drama. Read an article in the paper a week or so ago about a very brave little boy of 5 who, along with his mother, has diabetes. She had a severe hypo and he gave her Glucose etc before ringing his grandmother. A little hero. But the headline read "Boy of 5 Saves Mother's Life" . What he did was incredible for one so young but the fact that her chances of dying were infinitesimal didn't stand in the way of a good headline.

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