Type 1

[Laurenbrown1]

Hi i was dignosed with type 1 on the 7th January 2008. Ive always found it rather difficult to come to terms with the fact im diabetic. Constantly feel like an outsider. Im looking for a friend that i can speak to about my diabetes that will have an understanding.

 

[Engineer88]

Morning Lauren, think we all knows how that feels! if you have any questions this is a fantasic place to ask we are all a friendly bunch

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Morning Lauren, think we all knows how that feels! if you have any questions this is a fantasic place to ask we are all a friendly bunch

thank you i need some help/tips on remembering to test my blood sugar levels, ive tried setting reminders on my phone but i just switch them off and then forget to do it. im lucky ive i test my bloods once a week

 

[Engineer88]

ok what about trying to test your blood before one meal every day for a week, you could post each day on here if you want? see how that goes and maybe you could build it up over a few weeks?

I used to have some serious problems doing injections and testing so understand its hard.

Also have you heard of 'mysugr' its quite a good app. you could put things in there and see if you could 'tame your D monster!'

 

[Laurenbrown1]

ok what about trying to test your blood before one meal every day for a week, you could post each day on here if you want? see how that goes and maybe you could build it up over a few weeks?

I used to have some serious problems doing injections and testing so understand its hard.

Also have you heard of 'mysugr' its quite a good app. you could put things in there and see if you could 'tame your D monster!'

ill try that thanks, ill download that app and give it a shot too hopefully i can get into the habbit of just testing

 

[Engineer88]

Dont try and do it all at once but yeah reminders can be very helpful

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Dont try and do it all at once but yeah reminders can be very helpful

thank you

 

[Juicyj]

Heya @Laurenbrown1 I think we all experience lots of things after diagnosis, such as loneliness, depression, feeling scared and also denial. It's a good starting point posting here and asking for help, its quite isolating having to work this out on your own

Getting some help would a good start, can you speak to your team about getting some support ?

Ideally testing before each mealtime is advisable so you know what your levels are, if you need to take a correction and how much insulin to take for your food, it will be second nature if you can do this.

There's always someone on here for support so feel free to let us know if you need some help

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Heya @Laurenbrown1 I think we all experience lots of things after diagnosis, such as loneliness, depression, feeling scared and also denial. It's a good starting point posting here and asking for help, its quite isolating having to work this out on your own

Getting some help would a good start, can you speak to your team about getting some support ?

Ideally testing before each mealtime is advisable so you know what your levels are, if you need to take a correction and how much insulin to take for your food, it will be second nature if you can do this.

There's always someone on here for support so feel free to let us know if you need some help

ive asked for help and been on courses. ive even seen a diabetes phycologist. i dont have an issue with my injections its just my blood sugars. i hate doing them, its like i shut it out of my head. ive got into a habbit of just taking random doses of insulin and not doung blood tests, thats where the problem starts as im not getting enough insulin. ive been in hospital that many times ive ran out of fingers to count on and iknow its affecting me in the long run. im just struggling to get into a habbit of testing

 

[mist]

Set an alarm to let you know it's time to test! It's a pain in the butt but it's gotta be done chick!

Hang in there, you'll be fine..

 

[Juicyj]

Sorry to hear that, big hug x Is there any reason why you don't like doing your blood sugars and would you consider wearing the libre sensor which sits on your arm for 14 days and you can then scan the sensor to know what your BG levels are like ?

I can tell you want to change this pattern of behaviour, it's not going to go away though so it's the type of situation of just saying to yourself that you owe it to yourself to do this, nobody deserves this condition but we all have to do what we need to do to stay well and keep in control.

There are ways around this so have some faith

 

[Engineer88]

ive asked for help and been on courses. ive even seen a diabetes phycologist. i dont have an issue with my injections its just my blood sugars. i hate doing them, its like i shut it out of my head. ive got into a habbit of just taking random doses of insulin and not doung blood tests, thats where the problem starts as im not getting enough insulin. ive been in hospital that many times ive ran out of fingers to count on and iknow its affecting me in the long run. im just struggling to get into a habbit of testing

Could you consider the Libre? obviously though thats got money implications but what I find is having an idea of what my bg is before I have to put my hand on my meter takes away a lot of the stress of doing the test.

It could be a few weeks of having that could kick start you into good habits

 

[azure]

ive asked for help and been on courses. ive even seen a diabetes phycologist. i dont have an issue with my injections its just my blood sugars. i hate doing them, its like i shut it out of my head. ive got into a habbit of just taking random doses of insulin and not doung blood tests, thats where the problem starts as im not getting enough insulin. ive been in hospital that many times ive ran out of fingers to count on and iknow its affecting me in the long run. im just struggling to get into a habbit of testing

I used to dread blood tests when I was first diagnosed. They hurt and they were messy and I hated them a lot! What helped me was getting a fantastic adjustable finger pricker. It sounds a stupid, trivial thing but it helped so much because I was in control of the test and the lancet.

If the problem is that you're scared of getting 'bad' results, remember that if your blood sugar is high not testing won't change that. It'll still be high and still potentially cause you issues. If you test, you can deal with that high and reduce its effect - both the physical effect AND the psychological effect. You spot it, you deal with it, you beat it

Testing is a habit. I do it without really thinking about it. Once you get into a routine, it can become nothing and lose its power over you.

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Sorry to hear that, big hug x Is there any reason why you don't like doing your blood sugars and would you consider wearing the libre sensor which sits on your arm for 14 days and you can then scan the sensor to know what your BG levels are like ?

I can tell you want to change this pattern of behaviour, it's not going to go away though so it's the type of situation of just saying to yourself that you owe it to yourself to do this, nobody deserves this condition but we all have to do what we need to do to stay well and keep in control.

There are ways around this so have some faith

when i was dignosed i was only 9, still pretty young, the doctor that i seen that day had slit my finger with a bit sewing needle and it scared me, my mum did make a complaint about it but its always been an issuse.

i got a free trial of the sensor and it was great! i loved it and i actually felt normal for once, i was always checking when i got the chance to try it, unfortunetly for me i cant afford £50 every two weeks for the sensor. i still have the meter so if it is provided by the nhs one day then i really hope to get it again

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Set an alarm to let you know it's time to test! It's a pain in the butt but it's gotta be done chick!

Hang in there, you'll be fine..

ive set alarms but i just turn them off and forget about it, i used to rely on my mum to remind me but as im not living at home anymore she cant, thank you

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Could you consider the Libre? obviously though thats got money implications but what I find is having an idea of what my bg is before I have to put my hand on my meter takes away a lot of the stress of doing the test.

It could be a few weeks of having that could kick start you into good habits

i had a free trial of the libre sensor, it was great but its too much money for me at the moment as i only work two days a week and dont have a great income

 

[Laurenbrown1]

i hate doing it so i push it to the back of my mind, i want to get into a habbit of doing blood tests im just struggling to get out the habbit of not doung them, i hate getting bad readings, it makes me feel like im failing myself

I used to dread blood tests when I was first diagnosed. They hurt and they were messy and I hated them a lot! What helped me was getting a fantastic adjustable finger pricker. It sounds a stupid, trivial thing but it helped so much because I was in control of the test and the lancet.

If the problem is that you're scared of getting 'bad' results, remember that if your blood sugar is high not testing won't change that. It'll still be high and still potentially cause you issues. If you test, you can deal with that high and reduce its effect - both the physical effect AND the psychological effect. You spot it, you deal with it, you beat it

Testing is a habit. I do it without really thinking about it. Once you get into a routine, it can become nothing and lose its power over you.

 

[Engineer88]

i had a free trial of the libre sensor, it was great but its too much money for me at the moment as i only work two days a week and dont have a great income

Have you spoken to your team to see if they can get some more for you? or get it funded?

 

[azure]

i hate doing it so i push it to the back of my mind, i want to get into a habbit of doing blood tests im just struggling to get out the habbit of not doung them, i hate getting bad readings, it makes me feel like im failing myself

No, you're not failing Don't ever let a high reading make you feel bad about yourself. Type 1 is hard. If you spot the high and deal with it, then that's what's important

For me, I link tests with food and planning. So, I get up, think about the day ahead and test my BS. Then before I eat, I think about the carbs in what I'm having, test my BS and do my bolus. I link the test and injection with food - just something I have to do before a meal. If you don't forget to inject then perhaps you could link your test to that?

If you're subconsciously 'making excuses' not to,test, then link testing with taking control of your life and beating the diabetes back down where it belongs. Test for yourself - never for your doctors or anyone else.

 

[Laurenbrown1]

Have you spoken to your team to see if they can get some more for you? or get it funded?

they cant get it for me nor can they get funding, ive already asked, i was gutted