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psychologist visit today

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Natalie123

Natalie123

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I have just got back from seeing the psychologist. Somehow, everything was going fine until she asked me how diabetes makes me feel, I ended up in tears. It was so embarrassing, I just realised that no one had ever explained things to me properly, I never had any counselling or support and no one explained how to adjust my doses or what is normal and was is not. I picked most of it up from the internet and feel a bit lost tbh.

She has got me a double appointment with the DSN to discuss everything which is good.

I think the main problem I have is finding the will to record my sugar levels, it is a combination of not wanting to look at it and not feeling like it helps as I have no one to discuss it with and I can never spot any patterns. I was wondering if you guys could help me out with this bit.... My idea was that I could post up my results every couple of days for a week or two and you can poke me when I don't. That way I would have some encouragement! I really want to sort this out now, its being getting me down so long now and is not going to help my future health. Sorry for going on a bit xxx
 
Plenty of tears to be had from diabetes so don't feel silly.

And withoug direction you're never going to feel in control. Good idea to share your results. Once you feel confident in adjsuting, you'll be more inspired to test and record.

I used to test only when feeling high or low. That was about 18 months ago. I now test between 6 and 8 times a day. All with good cause.

Rob
 
Natalie123 said:
I have just got back from seeing the psychologist. Somehow, everything was going fine until she asked me how diabetes makes me feel, I ended up in tears. It was so embarrassing, I just realised that no one had ever explained things to me properly, I never had any counselling or support and no one explained how to adjust my doses or what is normal and was is not. I picked most of it up from the internet and feel a bit lost tbh.

She has got me a double appointment with the DSN to discuss everything which is good.

I think the main problem I have is finding the will to record my sugar levels, it is a combination of not wanting to look at it and not feeling like it helps as I have no one to discuss it with and I can never spot any patterns. I was wondering if you guys could help me out with this bit.... My idea was that I could post up my results every couple of days for a week or two and you can poke me when I don't. That way I would have some encouragement! I really want to sort this out now, its being getting me down so long now and is not going to help my future health. Sorry for going on a bit xxx
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Hiya Natalie,
Yep, your thread has struck a chord with me, I started to see my DSn who actually referred me to a psychologist. It was in those sessions I realised how much I had been left on my own to 'deal' with my diabetes and the lack of support. The psychologist explained how the process of coming to terms with the illness is the same as accepting a loss. A mix of anger, denial etc. How true she was with this. She also explained about the support I have and the roles they play. My mum feels guilty and will compensate with treats but infact the opposite of what I can have (sweets, choc) and my o/h plays the parental role in caring for me and limiting things I can have or must do. I apparantly adapts to fit in with these roles.

There were many sessions where she would ask me a question and I spent the whole session blubbing in tears and reallyy letting go. It is cathartic and although I felt some of the things I get cheesed off about are trivial and sounded even moreso saying them outloud, she held no judgement. (eg - I hate having to have a bigger handbag to carry supplies everywhere with me!!!!!!!)

Go with the flow of any sessions you have with the psychologist. It is amazing how much you learn about yourself. I always used to treat myself to a MacDonalds afterwards as the sessions were tough going. Just don't forget to carb count!!!

As for the results being posted, Alan maybe able to advise on that, we can offer our thoughts(and there are some very knowledgable peeps on here) on your results but really your DSN should be the medical person to guide you through changes but then ultimately, it is your diabetes and your choice...

Good luck with it all Nat, 🙂
 
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You have already made good progress Natalie, by getting the appointments with your DSN - and don't be embarrassed about a few tears, I am sure the people we see have some appreciation of what we go through with it always at the back of our minds. I'll even admit to having a good blub myself (and remember I am a tough Yorkshireman 😉) once when talking through things with a DSN. It hit me just what it all meant and how blessed I was to have this wonderful lady talking me through how I felt.

Please go ahead and post your results 🙂 We can't give advice, as Suze says, but we can suggest what we would do with similar results or ask questions about what may have caused this high or that low. Do you have any software for your meter? A periodic downloading of the tests you have done and graphing them out can also help to spot patterns. Either way, you'll have some very useful data to show to your DSN 🙂

Good luck, we will be on your tail if you miss a day! 😉
 
Hi Natalie,

Glad to hear you're seeing a psychologist and getting some good emotional support. I have always felt there is not enough emotional support for those suffering with D (& lots of other health conditions, too). I think non-D's don't realise how wearing it can be.

Don't be embarrassed about crying - letting it all out is a good thing. I cried during every counselling session I've ever had. Now I will periodically have a bad day and break down in tears because of D. I think this is quite normal. It's a hard thing to live with, and trying to maintain good control is very draining. A good cry lets out all the upset & frustration so we can start afresh.

I can completely relate to avoiding testing/recording readings because you don't want to know. It can sometimes feel like such a mountain to climb. But every hike begins with one step. If your first few days of recorded readings aren't great, that's fine - recording them is a good start and will help you decide what changes to make. Just take your time and be kind to yourself.

Brilliant idea to post your results on here. We will most definitely give you a nudge if need be!
 
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Thanks everyone. Results so far today:
morning 4.1, 1hour later 4,9, ate a cereal bar to prevent hypo
1hr later 4.0 so ate some crisps
before lunch 5.6, 3hrs later 6.0
so i've had a day of hypo avoiding today!
 
Don't worry about the tears, see them a washing away your fears and negitives emotions...

As to your results,

Really need to have at least several days so do keep posting them..

When I was doing DAFNE, I realised that I could actually see my number patterns when they were on the acidate and project onto the wall (so several foot tall)

But I find it a lot easier to see my patterns on a computerised graphic than numbers written down
 
Hey Natalie,

I understand totally where you're coming from. I too have never had support of any kind, most of the time I didn't even know what's going on with my diabetes. Even at the best of times diabetes drags us down and it's normal to feel down about it.

I've been recording my readings quite religously recently, I just posted about it on my blog a couple of days ago! Have a look and it might inspire you 🙂 I feel it's definately helped me get on top of things.
 
Hi Natalie,

I'm another one who can understand just where you are coming from. I've never had anyone to discuss my worries or results with either. As I'm Type 2 my docs and nurse have never told how to test or what to do with the readings. I learned from a friend who sadly is no longer with us. I was also reduced to tears when I finally felt someone was listening to me earlier this year.

I'm so glad you're getting some help now and I look forward to seeing you post your results and hearing how you benefit from your appointments. Take care. XXXXX
 
Sounds like the visit to the psychologist was productive. I'm sure he/she has seen all this kind of thing before.

I know exactly what you mean about the support and having things explained. My doctor is an idiot and all he is good for is writing prescriptions or if you make a fuss referring you to someone else...
 
Todays update. I was 4.9 last night so had a peice of toast, woke up on 15.1 - possibly a hypo? 😱
After breakfast and a correction dose I came down to 7.3 and then 5.1 before lunch but have since shot up to 15.9 (nothing to do with the yummy white baguette I had for lunch of course!!)
 
hi natalie

could be a hypo, but more likely not enough levemir or the levemir running out depending on when you inject.

A slice of toast could be too much carb to top up at night. DO you normally rise or fall if your BGs are at a safer level before bed, eg. 6 or 7 ?

rob
 
Mornings seem to be my problem, yesterday I was 6.4 when i woke up and dropped to 4.1 before I eat, other times I rise quickly after I wake up. If I go to bed on 6 or 7 I sometimes wake up normal (4-7) other times as high as 13 or 15 and sometimes I wake up low in the night. I have tried setting an alarm over night but have not yet caught a hypo
 
I found that it depended a lot on what I had for tea. Some food combinations are so low GI that their effect can last for hours into the night. Other foods spike quickly and the bolus overshoots the carbs, causing a hypo before bed or possibly in the early hours.

If you inject your basal in the morning, it may run out during the night. You will then need to split it.

If your basal is too low, you may find that you're topping it up with bolus without realising. If it's too high, it may be causing the hypos.

ROb
 
I inject both morning and evening, 12 units of levemir in the morning and 32 at night. I think I will write things down for a few days and then see if I can spot anthing. The annoying thing is that as soon as I think I have solved the problem I start waking up in the high teens again, I spend more time trying to sort it than it being sorted out if that makes any sense!! i guess it doesn't help that I never used to have it written down!
 
Natalie123 said:
I inject both morning and evening, 12 units of levemir in the morning and 32 at night. I think I will write things down for a few days and then see if I can spot anthing. The annoying thing is that as soon as I think I have solved the problem I start waking up in the high teens again, I spend more time trying to sort it than it being sorted out if that makes any sense!! i guess it doesn't help that I never used to have it written down!
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I'm wondering if the split of your levemir isn't quite right - perhaps too much at night and too little in the morning. I would suspect that the high night dose is sending you low, but not necessarily hypo, sometimes causing a rebound and sometimes not (which may be dependent on things like previous day's activity levels, how well you slept etc.). The fact that you are sometimes dropping low after breakfast would also suggest a surfeit of basal. Just a hunch! Although I don't split my lantus and I am more insulin-resistant in the mornings, I don't think I would need approaching 3 times as much for one half of the day as I would the other half. Hope that makes sense - certainly something to discuss with your DSN. 🙂
 
Wowzer. That is a large dose compared to the mornings.

What Northerner says makes sense. You'll need to write down your food intake with times, test before and at 2 hours and your bolus dose and timings, as well as any exercise. That covers the most obvious variables but should be enough to find any patterns.

If you can be really really strict with the notes (buy a special notepad and pen... it helps you to remember!), we'll be only to happy to try and help you to make adjustments if needed or at least suggestions for you to take to your DSN (the safer option).🙂

So many of us have had similar issues and it's only solved by note taking and analysis.

Rob
 
Yeah, I always thought it was a bit odd too, although I was actually thinking about dropping the morning one to 11 because I need to snack mid afternoon to avoid a hypo and I think the basal should keep me constant? My current diary only has space for sugar level readings, not food and exercise, but it would be better to write it all down, although finding a way to write it all down concisely is a bit overwhelming! I am going for an afternoon carb counting course this afternoon, do you think it is something the dietician could help me with? Oh, and I woke up at 18.2 this morning 😱 I need to get this sorted, those sort of reading terrify me!
 
Natalie123 said:
Yeah, I always thought it was a bit odd too, although I was actually thinking about dropping the morning one to 11 because I need to snack mid afternoon to avoid a hypo and I think the basal should keep me constant? My current diary only has space for sugar level readings, not food and exercise, but it would be better to write it all down, although finding a way to write it all down concisely is a bit overwhelming! I am going for an afternoon carb counting course this afternoon, do you think it is something the dietician could help me with? Oh, and I woke up at 18.2 this morning 😱 I need to get this sorted, those sort of reading terrify me!
Click to expand...

Natalie, I think it would be very worthwhile asking for the use of a CGMS (Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) for a week or so - this would be ideal for spotting your patterns, because they are very confusing at the moment and a few tests a day may make it very difficult to determine what adjustments you need to make.
 
Yep, I was supposed to get one, then they changed their mind, and because my hba1c was 6.9 at the time (not anymore I bet!) then decided I didn't need one. It frustrates me that if you try really hard you don't get any help but if I had not tried and it was still above 7 I might have had more luck! I am now thinking about going private to get one although really expensive :( ggrr! I will plead with my DSN at the next visit although it is not until Sept 8th
 
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