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Type 1 - I hate this disease

But interesting that @Jaylee got his glucometer in the late 80s, amd pretty sure I got mine a few years earlier. The rollout must have varied throughout the country.
Yep, after leaving school & giving it a few years working, I took the decision to further my education. So I was off to college in Surrey. (Living the student life in “digs?”)
Because of my “lifestyle” change I was put on MDI & given a meter.

The meter was so civilised. The early pee tests were a “traffic” light” chemical reaction in a test tube that only registered anything above 10mmol?? I say traffic light. You went from blue though shades of green to brown..
Stay out of the orange….

Then the pee strips were less defined, that was like matching pastel shade Dulux paint charts on the side of the drum the strips came in… But at least I didn’t have to pee in a cup.

Found a pic! 10 of water 5 drops of pee? Then drop the tab… & watch it fizzzzzzzz.

You_Doodle_2023-11-14T08_49_37Z.jpeg
 
Yep, after leaving school & giving it a few years working, I took the decision to further my education. So I was off to college in Surrey. (Living the student life in “digs?”)
Because of my “lifestyle” change I was put on MDI & given a meter.

The meter was so civilised. The early pee tests were a “traffic” light” chemical reaction in a test tube that only registered anything above 10mmol?? I say traffic light. You went from blue though shades of green to brown..
Stay out of the orange….

Then the pee strips were less defined, that was like matching pastel shade Dulux paint charts on the side of the drum the strips came in… But at least I didn’t have to pee in a cup.

Found a pic! 10 of water 5 drops of pee? Then drop the tab… & watch it fizzzzzzzz.

View attachment 64280
I remember that! I really hated cleaning and drying the test tube....
 
Does anyone else feel like when they are talking about diabetes to someone who doesn't have it just not satisfying enough?
I feel the only people who know how I feel are people who have it.
This disease gets me down so much it's bloody exhausting managing it at times and sometimes I just wanna throw my meter out the window and forget I have it. Does anyone else feel like this at times? Sorry for the rant but it winds me up!
I was diagnosed as type 2 in 2018, I latched onto it and got my life in order, lost weight and became obsessed with having good management.
Then in April 2022 I was taken to hospital with good blood sugars but massively unwell. DKA had got me, turns out I’m type 1.5 and I’m still producing a bit of insulin.
I feel your pain, I try to get on with things, panick when I’m going low, panick when I’m going high, when I’m out for a meal I go into toilets to inject while everyone just cracks on with their meal.
Feel like something so simple as eating is just a task in itself, it’s not weighed so how much shall I take, I guess, then hypo. Don’t have enough then go high, it is a constant everyday thing that can make you feel so burnt out.
Just know you aren’t alone, everyone on here is wonderful and understanding,and no matter what the problem or issue is, someone will respond.
if you want a rant lass, go ahead, it’s better to let out them emotions than keep them in. I’m 42 years old and diagnosed at 41, I don’t mind being diabetic, I would just enjoy life a bit better if I didn’t have hypos. Those are the only things that get me at pure rage. My anxiety makes me not inject enough insulin because of them.
I’m ocd so eat the same things 98% of the time because I know how much I need.
We all have or have had the thoughts you are thinking. Sometimes it’s better to let it out to people who do understand and have been in your situation.sending hugs and positivity to you x
 
Hi @CATHYJAY and welcome to the forum. Wow, that's a long time to be Type 2.
I'm not sure if that was long ago enough for the dietary advice for Type 2 to be good, or if it was nearly all rubbish like it is now. The idea of eating lots of whole grains and fruit (both of which raise blood glucose) is just crazy, isn't it.

Thank goodness both in this and in the other major Diabetes forum in the UK, we are now coming to our senses, going Low Carb and getting our Type 2 into remission.
I was told at the time to eat carbs, pasta, rice, potatoes, I was told to replace snacks with fruit. My blood sugar has gotten worse since Covid, I was CEV and stuck @ home 24/7 for 2 and a half years not able to go anywhere. Because I didn't have a garden. I don't think this has helped. Thank you for your understanding.
 
when I’m out for a meal I go into toilets to inject while everyone just cracks on with their meal.
Agree - please don't do it in the loo, it's the most unhygienic place you could possibly do it, when I was injecting I could hold a conversation, inject under the table and no one would know, it can easily be done discretely.
 
Does anyone else feel like when they are talking about diabetes to someone who doesn't have it just not satisfying enough?

I feel the only people who know how I feel are people who have it.

This disease gets me down so much it's bloody exhausting managing it at times and sometimes I just wanna throw my meter out the window and forget I have it. Does anyone else feel like this at times? Sorry for the rant but it winds me up!
 
Agree with much of what you say. This disease/condition can get you down. Would suggest you think about a Freestyle Libre system, or similar to make life much easier. Instead of 5-10 lancets in your fingers daily just one sensor every 14 days. Then you can keep your meter for emergency backup. My $0.02 worth
 
I know how you feel. I hate this disease too.

I’ve been type 1 for 9 years, yet there is no history of type 1 diabetes in my family and up until 1 year ago, I didn’t know any other type 1’s at all. It can feel isolating because people are pretty ignorant when it comes to diabetes. The amount of times people will say “you don’t have to inject yourself though do you?” - Yes, if I want to continue living.

The thing that annoys me the most is when you have a hypo and take a sip of lucozade and then the person with you is like ‘are you ok now?’…like it’s supposed to be INSTANT.

…yeah generally just annoying.
 
I hate it too. I've only had T1 a year and a half. I'm 22. I couldn't be more fed up with it. I can't talk to many people about it and the people I can talk to can't understand fully because they don't have it and they don't really know what to say. I feel like everyone see's me differently now because of it. I feel like I don't fit in. Managing it is ok but the one thing that makes it easier to manage is having the freestyle libre and because I only earn minimum wage I find it hard to put the money aside for my sensors so I don't really have a life. What life I do have is all revolved about diabetes. Being diagnosed recently makes it harder for me because I just want to be back to my old self again. That's all I've ever wanted :/

Rant over.

As a type 1, you should be able to get the Libre 2 on the NHS, no questions asked. There is no reason for you to have to pay for it. Make sure you get what you deserve and are entitled to.
 
I think I've just learnt to sigh and ignore these people over the years , I've lost count of the silly things people have said , did you eat to many sweets when you were young , oh you must have lost a lot of weight then , have you had some toes cut off then cos you know you have to look after your feat with that , what sort do you have cos you know there are two types one where you mustn't eat sugar and one where have to eat a lot of sugar , really I didn't know that ,oh give me strength !
 
As a type 1, you should be able to get the Libre 2 on the NHS, no questions asked. There is no reason for you to have to pay for it. Make sure you get what you deserve and are entitled to.
Thankfully things have changed between 2017, when the post you reacted to was posted. and now!
In 2017 hardly anyone got a CGM on the NHS.
 
I was told l was diabetic in 2007 type 2, then was taking Metformin, l ended up not taking them as the doctors said my levels where great, l slowly through the years lost weight, drinking far to much water, using the toilet much more often, l eat badly and drank to much thinking l fine as the doctors told me, till it came to the point that l lost to much weight l looked like a drug addicted, people would talk to me, l lost friends, l was very ill indeed, l went to the hospital in December 2022 to ask for help, to then be told to go home? 3 days to Christmas, l laid in bed with my wife and kids down stairs as l wanted to be there for them for Christmas morning, but l was far to sick, went into DKA, ambulance came and took me to hospital, they said to my wife hope for the worst, l was rushed into ICU, there they plugged me into the machine that gave me my life back, insulin, and other meds that saved my life, they had to feed the drugs through my neck veins, l was very poorly, Key-tones through the roof, forgetting what was going on, not talking properly or making sense. Now on the right medication, l am so thankful to be alive. So l don’t have time to feel down about diabetes, and made my way back to recovery, after the DKA I found out on the hospital ward l had a blood clot in the back of my left lung, Covid, which triggered the DKA, the ambulance man said he thought l was a gonna, l kept my strength for my disabled son, knowing one day again l will be there for him to get him to school each day, loving, and taking care of his needs. Don’t let diabetes get you down, we must all be very thankful these medicines are out there for all of us. Matt Rogers
 
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