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Type 1: In denial? Starting from scratch

LauraR88

LauraR88

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I have been diagnosed with T1 since I was 17, I was gravely ill when I found out I had T1 as I was DKA and 2 hours away from dying. I was absolutely gutted when I found out I had Diabetes as I am petrified of needles. I mean, there is only one nurse that I can have do my bloods as I make everyone else and myself nervous!

Anyway, when I was diagnosed I lived in Newcastle. I wasn't given very much support, was shown how to do my injections and then was more or less told I was to eat carbs! That's as good as it got. I've now been in Scotland for 9 years and I have had some good support from my team here, I cant fault my Diabetic Nurse! However, I can't help but think I have been in denial for all these years as I have never done anything about carb counting, I have gone to as little appts that I could get away with and just plodded along. I am now 28, and after reading some good few topics on here, results not being that great and being told that I have some early changes in my right eye I want to gain better control, I want to go back to the basics and learn everything there is in order to gain better control.


My bloods most definitely need some working on, especially if I want children! And I have explored the option of a pump on my most recent appt with my DN (even after saying for years to her that I would never have one or even consider it!) but she has advised that in order for me to be signed off for a pump I have to be able to carb count, do a lantus check over night, keep a food diary, cut down on carbs and attend all appts. I just feel so overwhelmed with all this. If I test my blood and its not what it should be or too high I get really disheartened and don't want to record it so back in to denial almost. It's such a vicious circle!
 
Welcome to the crazy train!

Your in the right place to help get better control ;)

p.s Your hair is awesome! Where can I get that colour? :D
 
Get on a DAFNE course, this will open your eyes honestly......

And in Scotland at least, unless there are any special circumstances, you wont get a pump without first having completed DAFNE....
 
Hey!
I was in a very similar position to you a couple of years (maybe 5/6 years) ago. You made the first step, admitting you need to change. You might need to take baby steps to change, these may well lead to leaps :)

Do you know how to count carbs? as in can you look at a packet and work out if you eat half how many that would be? thats a very first step, or it was for me :)
 
Haha thanks, it's just a filter Mist

Novorapidboi26 I was fully expecting her to say this, however I got told I'd have to see my dietician, no mention of the course to my surprise

Slip, I have seen a lot of people mention this book and already had it on my list to purchase thank you

Engineer88, I know very little about carb counting, I'm going off the whole 1:1 regime at the moment.
 
LauraR88 said:
I am now 28, and after reading some good few topics on here, results not being that great and being told that I have some early changes in my right eye I want to gain better control, I want to go back to the basics and learn everything there is in order to gain better control.
Click to expand...

Having been told you have background retinopathy its a good time to start taking control of your diabetes @LauraR88 , have a look at the following website which has some great information and advice on diabetic retinopathy (pay particular attention to what it says about controlling bg, bp and cholesterol levels):

http://www.diabeticretinopathy.org.uk/back_diabetic_retinopathy.html

LauraR88 said:
My bloods most definitely need some working on, especially if I want children! And I have explored the option of a pump on my most recent appt with my DN (even after saying for years to her that I would never have one or even consider it!) but she has advised that in order for me to be signed off for a pump I have to be able to carb count,
Click to expand...

Sometimes a carb counting course such as DAFNE is a prerequisite before moving to a pump, but some pump users on the forum have said they didn't have to do the course pre-pump but they had to demonstrate that they had good carb counting skills, there's an on-line carb counting course that you could register with which should give you the foundations on which to build on:

http://www.bertieonline.org.uk/

Good luck and best wishes.
 
Good for you for wanting to take control. There's a really good online course called Bertie http://www.bertieonline.org.uk which is free and like an updated Dafne. Good luck with it all wish you well with it
 
I knew there was an online 'course' but couldn't remember what it was called so went off and googled, by the time I got page here these 2 beat me to it, huuummmffff! :wacky:
 
Aw wow! Thanks guys all your help is really appreciated. I really do want to get control of my diabetes and not the other way round! Enough of sticking my head in the sand. If there's anything else you think I should know then please feel free to tell me, any help at all really is appreciated. Thank you.
 
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