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Tips to stay healthy with Type 1 diabetes


I got the impression they didn't want to worry my little head with it. I do not react very well to that sort of treatment. Since then I have worked out that their idea of 15 grams per unit is a bit low especially starting from above 8. I can count and I have access to a spreadsheet program.
 
I believe that everyone has strong opinions.could be about health, exercise, the best way to invest money, how to tread lightly on the earth and the rest. It's good that we all don't agree. I'm sorry that doing exercise is not on for you at the moment. I'm not a great exercise fan but I do the stuff in the chair and do lots of squiggling, even little bits help.... dancing in the kitchen, swishing in the bathroom... and running like s**t up and down stairs. I'm 8months in T1D and I do remember how I used to be able to sit down to a meal without having to prepare. It sucks now!!!! AND I do remember BUT I'd rather be able to inject and live and have fun. Yeah, I agree @NoKindOfSusie that it's different. I reckon we've just got one chance of making our lives magic so you, me and all the others on the forum can either just say everything is c**p and we've got a rubbish life and that it all stinks. OR, as I like to think, there are so many things to experience, so much to do and learn and read that having a label of T1D is not going to stop us and certainly not me. Age does not come into how we feel about what we've got, it's a challenge and I'm certainly going to kick the s**t out of this. Tell you what @NoKindOfSusie, it's not much fun having diabetes and can do your brain in or fight the f*****

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NoKindOfSusie said:
And no I am not going to start eating chocolate cookies as I value my toes and my eyesight.
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I value my eyesight, my toes, my kidneys, ... my life.
For this reason, I have learnt how to eat chocolate cookies whilst taking my insulin so that my BG does not spend hours high and risk my life.
With the Libre, you have the tools to work this out for yourself.
Having diabetes should not mean giving up what you like. You just need to work out how to do it for yourself ... and want to do it.
Perhaps as well as sorting out exercise, you can discuss how you can expand your diet at a future appointment.
 
Whoever made the policy decision to scare the s*** out of newly diagnosed T1s by showing what happens if bs aren’t kept between 4 and 7 all the time has a lot to answer for! The DSN I saw last month mentioned that it’s now part of the message given to the newbies and was surprised by the vehemence of my response.
Complications arise, I believe, either if bs are allowed to run high unchecked or if there are underlying medical problems other than T1.
It’s undoubtedly true that most of us operate at our best if our bs are as close to ‘normal’ as possible and we’re not having frequent hypos, and with the tools we now have we can achieve this and eat chocolate biscuits too.
@Scott-C is the best advocate I’ve encountered on this site for running healthy bs and eating what you fancy. Maybe you’ve read some of his posts @NoKindOfSusie?
Maybe you’ve also read some of the posts from those of us who’ve lived with T1 for 30 to 60 years and have actually lived, not just existed?
 
Fairygodmother said:
with the tools we now have we can achieve this and eat chocolate biscuits too.
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YOU may be able to do that. I'm not telling anyone else what to do.

The answer may be that I am just an idiot in which case OK I am an idiot.
 
NoKindOfSusie said:
YOU may be able to do that. I'm not telling anyone else what to do.

The answer may be that I am just an idiot in which case OK I am an idiot.
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You're not an idiot at all. As a T2 I don't eat cookies. As a T1 you have the choice whether to have one or not. If you are happy not to, then that's fine, however if you want to have them that's fine too as long as you work out your insulin needs accordingly. I haven't read that many of your posts but it seems to me a lot of people are telling you how you should feel. People often do that to me too 'You shouldn't be this ill with a cold' etc. Well I am, that's just how things are with me.
 
When doing my DAFNE course, one person in the group brought up the amount of people sat in clinic in wheelchairs/with limbs missing/grossly overweight/eye problems etc, each time they attended. She was understandably worried.
The DNS answer....it is the same people there all the time, they attend for clinic care every week. They are all type 2 patients who have disregarded their diagnosis and carried on in the same way they always have. There was not one type 1 or pro active type 2 amongst them. Food for thought!!

Not saying it doesn’t happen, but with the tools at our service in this modern age, and vigilance (but enjoyment of food also) it should be a lesser problem. As I’ve said before, I believe it is about moderation. There is not enough time evidence yet for totally low carb. It is still in it’s infancy. As the papers said today there is a rise in bowel cancer from eating too much meat. The results will be beyond my lifetime but the outcome of LCHF will eventually show through. It may be positive it may not.
I will continue with a healthy, lowish carb, balanced diet. And enjoy myself to my upmost.
In that regard I have just enjoyed my favourite once every so often naughty. A chocolate eclair! 20 carbs, about 3 units for me at lunchtime. 4 hours later my Libre is still steady as she goes. This is a piece of kit that allows me to monitor my insulin needs to the nth degree. I bet a non diabetic person, having eating an eclair and wearing a Libre would not be showing the straight line I have now. They do not have my advantage of an insulin pen and are just reliant on their body.
 
becca59 said:
When doing my DAFNE course, one person in the group brought up the amount of people sat in clinic in wheelchairs/with limbs missing/grossly overweight/eye problems etc, each time they attended. She was understandably worried.
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I'm glad you said that not me.
 
 
@NoKindOfSusie, This is the part of @becca59’s post you chose to ignore.

Why?
 
Fairygodmother said:
@NoKindOfSusie, This is the part of @becca59’s post you chose to ignore.

Why?
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How do you know what I ignored?

I posted the part that really hits me in the bottom of my stomach every time I walk into that place and see a waiting room full of, er, how can I say this nicely, cautionary tales? I don't think that the staff really need to try to scare people, the company does that. This is not the first time I've said this, I've said this to people in private too.
 
I can see why you’re frightened: the visual often makes a stronger impression than the written, and if you’ve not met any of us then it’d be easy to think we were lying.
The casualties of diabetes are probably more likely to be in a hospital waiting room than those who are living successfully with T1. Do you know if the poor people you’ve seen there are T1 or T2?
I doubt that you’ll believe that it’s possible to have a long and cheerful, complication-free life with T1 so I’m not going to say any more except that I hope you prove yourself wrong.
 
I don't think anyone's lying. I think some people might be mistaken, forgetful, speaking beyond their experience, trying to be nice, or assuming that their experiences will play out for everyone.
 
I decided about 10 months into diagnosis that I could either be dragged down into a non existent lifestyle by being subservient to my type 1 or I could kick its **** and show it that I want to live a long and healthy life AND to live my life as fully as possible, so chose the latter option. It all boils down to having a positive attitude. Hence why so many type 1's talk about control, either you control it or it controls you.
 
Several years ago, probably 25 I went to see my doctors for an unrelated to diabetes problem and as I was about to leave he said anything else I can help you with, I said well actually I am feeling a bit knackered after doing the most trivial of things like cutting the grass hoovering etc it's probably nothing . He took a blood sample to send to the hospital, A few days later I was called to the surgery and he told me that I had an under active thyroid which was probably the cause of the tiredness. I've been taking Levothyroxine ever since and the tiredness never returned. I think sometimes problems can creep up so slowly you don't even realise there is a problem and just put it down to getting older maybe, i'me glad that one was sorted out for me and will say after 43 yrs being type 1 more often than not I feel good and hope you will too soon.
 
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