5 Top Tips for Better Diabetesing

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everydayupsanddowns

everydayupsanddowns

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Just found myself absently wondering what I would say to myself if I could go back in time ‘Bill and Ted’ style and offer newly-diagnosed-me some hints and tips for better diabetes management, and a better relationship with my diabetes from future-me.

What 5 hints and tips I might offer myself.

I suspect they might change depending on which day you asked me... but here are mine for today

  1. You can do this. It will be incredibly annoying some times, often inconvenient and frequently infuriatingly fickle... but you absolutely can do this. Keep going, even when it seems impossible.
  2. Perfection isn’t possible. Sometimes you will have out of range numbers, and that is OK. Keep yourself safe, and try to stay as in range as you can for as much of the time as you can, but you aren’t in control of all the levers and switches on this machine, so don’t beat yourself up when things go a bit wobbly now and then.
  3. Check often, and write down the results. Sometimes your diabetes will seem to be completely random. But the better notes you keep about what you are doing, and how you are feeling the more likely it is you will be able to spot patterns in the apparent chaos, and see that *that unexpected result* often happens on days following *that thing*. Keep an eye on those hypos though. They’ll sneak up on you if you don’t keep a lid on them
  4. Don’t believe the hype. Some things will be stated as fact, but they won't work that way for you. Foods that are supposed to be ‘slow release’ will be like rocket fuel, and others that people say are really difficult will be reliable and straightforward for you. Tech and gadgets that people say are marvellous might help - but they might not. Only you can decide. It’s your diabetes and you will have to come to terms with it, and get to know it, perhaps even befriend it - but at the end of the day you are looking for what works for you. Be open to ideas from others. Try things and see if they help. But always check whether whatever it is works for you as an individual. Your diabetes... your rules.
  5. Connect with others. This can be a lonely journey at times. And it‘s an infuriatingly fickle and individual condition, but it can really help to connect (either virtually, or InRealActualLife face to face when that becomes possible again) with others who are treading the same path, and facing the same frustrations and challenges day to day.


What would yours be?
 
I was only diagnosed last week but joining the forum has been the best thing I've done so far. So I would certainly support point 5! The other 4 I'm still getting a grip on....although my fingers so resemble pin cushions.

I did feel very lost and alone following the diagnosis and also scared of the future. It has been very motivational connecting with you.

Somewhere I would add exercise, exercise, exercise.
 
grovesy said:
Who are Bill and Ted?
Click to expand...
Sorry @grovesy but that made me laugh. Apparently they are characters from a film or films, comedy I strongly suspect and they go back in time. I haven’t seen the film/films but I have heard them been talked about, I don’t think we’re the demographic!
 
“Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure” plus a few sequels were released late 80s/early 90s. Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Never watched any of them myself, the trailers alone indicated that the humour was far too OTT for my taste!

I presume that's who you mean anyway, I don't know another Bill and Ted 🙄
 
Me neither!
If I could go back in time, I’d still write everything down, as I did, but I'd try and interpret it better. Though I may be saying that with the hindsight of using a Libre. Memory tells me that it used to take so long to spot a pattern, with a limited number of finger pricks a day, and no idea where the outlying figures had come from, or where they were going.
 
If they were in Comedy Films then that is most probably why, I dontbknow who they are . I don't find most comedians funny, even those who are supposed to be legends.
 
It’s funny, strange not ha ha, that 11 years of being on tablets point 2 never bothered me, or any of the other points either if I’m being completely honest, probably because I just didn’t test enough: only when ill to check BS didn’t get higher than 13mmol; GP practice nurse gave me that figure when she said as long as readings are below that it’s not too bad when ill! 🙄 Not that I knew or ever asked what to do if above 13mmol but, never much above that as I recall: took an extra tablet as I was told to do when indulging in something naughty; was on Novonorm, blood sugar lowering medication, from the start! I was left pretty much on my own for 9/10 years apart from annual reviews while still on tablets!:(

But, the switchover to insulin was a BIG change & all the points became valid, to some degree, but, point 2 was particularly hard & still is! Have to fight the tendency to micro manage, particularly hard in the early years of insulin, & learnt to be a bit more relaxed, not so hard on myself, when things aren’t perfect!o_O🙄

I wasn’t given much info by my GP practice nurse about insulin & was VERY dependent on the fixed doses I was given! I learnt a lot about insulin, the different types ie. long & short acting, what they do & how they work from these forums & since joining in March 2018 have had more flexibility to change insulin doses myself when things change albeit keeping a close eye on things with more testing & JB’s to hand; couldn’t & wouldn’t have done that on my own before that!o_O🙄🙂
 
Bill and Ted have done another film! I can't wait. Keanu mmmmmmm 🙂 I likes to lust after younger men.

1) Stop eating you fat git.
2) Stop talking about dieting and being healthy just do it.
3) Stop buying Slimming Magazine, it's a waste of money.
4) Do buy Prof Yudkin's book, I'm so sorry I didn't now.
5) Stop thinking you are going to die of a heart attack at any minute, you'll live till at least your late sixties but then find out you've done yourself in by constant pigging out and you will look the biggest fool after driving family daft all these decades spouting off about nutrition and being healthy. Pot / kettle.
 
My top five would be
  1. Remember that Perfection is Impossible. I tried to follow the ‘instruction’ from my DSN “just stay between 4 and 7”. There was no mention that this was impossible and it led to my setting totally unrealistic targets. At least at that time there was no Libre to show how wobbly things were in between meals. Even then getting all pre meal readings was impossible.
  2. Just do the best that you can. There is tech available, we can see patterns in results, but with all the factors that effect our levels we will never stay spot on all the time. The only thing each of us can do is do the best we can and remember not to be hard on ourselves.
  3. Link up with others with D. I didn’t know anyone else with T1 as an adult when I was diagnosed, apart from one student that I taught. It was great to find this forum and be able to ask questions, get tips, and keep up to date on recent tech. Also good to have a laugh at it all with others who get it.
  4. Identify what helps you with managing your levels, such as recording and reviewing results, and use those strategies when you can.
  5. Ask for help. I used to assume that my OH could mind read. Now I just explain when I need help. This is easier as he understands much of it now. It is great when hypo not having to explain at all. The glass of juice on the table is enough of a clue. He knows the difference between a 2. Something, and a 3. Something and whether I want him to hang around.
 
My Top 5:

1) You can do everything right and still get out of range numbers and it’s not your fault
2) Don’t put yourself down - you can still do lots with your life. You’re not ‘sick’ or ‘weak’ or ‘rubbish’.
3) Don’t hate certain foods or carbs or anything - enjoy your meals.
4) Be your own expert - learn as much as you can about Type 1 and your body
5) You’re not alone
 
For the Bill and Ted uninitiated

From memory and probably massively out of order...

Slacker California valley teens dream of being rock stars with their band Wild Stallyns (despite being completely unable to play any instruments) and document their attempts on their homespun cable TV channel (the film was made before Youtube).

One of their fathers is fed up with their lack of achievement and threatens to ship Ted off to a military academy unless they pass their high school year by not getting an F in their final presentation - thus separating the friends and splitting the band.

A time traveller arrives from the future in a time-machine-phone-box and explains that they MUST ace the final project because in the future their band has created music of such sublime beauty and awesomeness that all of humanities problems have melted away. World peace etc etc.

So they set off on adventure to gather major figures from history and deliver their final history presentation. Mishaps ensue. Disaster looms.

At one point they meet future versions of themselves who give what appear to be cryptic instructions, but as the narrative loops back around you see the conversation from the perspective of the future Bill and Ted, “You know Bill, that made much more sense this time around”.

I suspect you can guess as to whether their journey is ultimately successful.

Be excellent to each other.
 
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Younger self talking to would be

1. Fear not, advancements in treatment soon around corner, gone will be pee tests & glass syringes with gigantic needles replaced by bg meters & insulin pens, old slow animal insulin replaced with quicker fasting ones, not so much waiting around to eat.

2. Soon be able to eat normal again & enjoy food, wont always have to weigh portions & guesstimation will come easier. Also gone will be Pils lager replaced by proper draft beer.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff, highs & lows will come so don't be downhearted, just do best you can & get on with life.

4. Keep appointments & don't be afraid to ask questions & reach out for advice, diabetes need not be a lonely journey.

5. Get fitter, great tool for body & mind.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Just found myself absently wondering what I would say to myself if I could go back in time ‘Bill and Ted’ style and offer newly-diagnosed-me some hints and tips for better diabetes management, and a better relationship with my diabetes from future-me.

What 5 hints and tips I might offer myself.

I suspect they might change depending on which day you asked me... but here are mine for today

  1. You can do this. It will be incredibly annoying some times, often inconvenient and frequently infuriatingly fickle... but you absolutely can do this. Keep going, even when it seems impossible.
  2. Perfection isn’t possible. Sometimes you will have out of range numbers, and that is OK. Keep yourself safe, and try to stay as in range as you can for as much of the time as you can, but you aren’t in control of all the levers and switches on this machine, so don’t beat yourself up when things go a bit wobbly now and then.
  3. Check often, and write down the results. Sometimes your diabetes will seem to be completely random. But the better notes you keep about what you are doing, and how you are feeling the more likely it is you will be able to spot patterns in the apparent chaos, and see that *that unexpected result* often happens on days following *that thing*. Keep an eye on those hypos though. They’ll sneak up on you if you don’t keep a lid on them
  4. Don’t believe the hype. Some things will be stated as fact, but they won't work that way for you. Foods that are supposed to be ‘slow release’ will be like rocket fuel, and others that people say are really difficult will be reliable and straightforward for you. Tech and gadgets that people say are marvellous might help - but they might not. Only you can decide. It’s your diabetes and you will have to come to terms with it, and get to know it, perhaps even befriend it - but at the end of the day you are looking for what works for you. Be open to ideas from others. Try things and see if they help. But always check whether whatever it is works for you as an individual. Your diabetes... your rules.
  5. Connect with others. This can be a lonely journey at times. And it‘s an infuriatingly fickle and individual condition, but it can really help to connect (either virtually, or InRealActualLife face to face when that becomes possible again) with others who are treading the same path, and facing the same frustrations and challenges day to day.


What would yours be?
Click to expand...
Mike, only one thing for me that i'd tell my younger self, but this only comes with age/wisdom, so i'm not sure i'd of listened anyway.

1. Don't try to hide that you are diabetic. Be open about it (I don't mean advertise it though), don't go to the toilet to inject your insulin, take it wherever you are, it doesn't matter if other people see.

Looking back, I don't know why I was so concerned with what others think...I think it was due to social conditioning, younger people can be particularly judgemental and critical.
 
Amity Island said:
1. Don't try to hide that you are diabetic. Be open about it (I don't mean advertise it though), don't go to the toilet to inject your insulin, take it wherever you are, it doesn't matter if other people see.
Click to expand...

Completely agree!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Just found myself absently wondering what I would say to myself if I could go back in time ‘Bill and Ted’ style and offer newly-diagnosed-me some hints and tips for better diabetes management, and a better relationship with my diabetes from future-me.

What 5 hints and tips I might offer myself.

I suspect they might change depending on which day you asked me... but here are mine for today

  1. You can do this. It will be incredibly annoying some times, often inconvenient and frequently infuriatingly fickle... but you absolutely can do this. Keep going, even when it seems impossible.
  2. Perfection isn’t possible. Sometimes you will have out of range numbers, and that is OK. Keep yourself safe, and try to stay as in range as you can for as much of the time as you can, but you aren’t in control of all the levers and switches on this machine, so don’t beat yourself up when things go a bit wobbly now and then.
  3. Check often, and write down the results. Sometimes your diabetes will seem to be completely random. But the better notes you keep about what you are doing, and how you are feeling the more likely it is you will be able to spot patterns in the apparent chaos, and see that *that unexpected result* often happens on days following *that thing*. Keep an eye on those hypos though. They’ll sneak up on you if you don’t keep a lid on them
  4. Don’t believe the hype. Some things will be stated as fact, but they won't work that way for you. Foods that are supposed to be ‘slow release’ will be like rocket fuel, and others that people say are really difficult will be reliable and straightforward for you. Tech and gadgets that people say are marvellous might help - but they might not. Only you can decide. It’s your diabetes and you will have to come to terms with it, and get to know it, perhaps even befriend it - but at the end of the day you are looking for what works for you. Be open to ideas from others. Try things and see if they help. But always check whether whatever it is works for you as an individual. Your diabetes... your rules.
  5. Connect with others. This can be a lonely journey at times. And it‘s an infuriatingly fickle and individual condition, but it can really help to connect (either virtually, or InRealActualLife face to face when that becomes possible again) with others who are treading the same path, and facing the same frustrations and challenges day to day.


What would yours be?
Click to expand...
Mine would be join this group immediately, I’ve had 18 months feeling isolated, odd and I competent. Now I just need to get to grips with technology-I am incompetent at that!!
 
i was given two tips when I was diagnosed which, for me, were the best advice.
  • My DSN told me “Type 1 diabetes should not stop you doing what you want.” I have lived by this since diagnosis. I have travelled, exercised, eaten, careered, socialised where, how, what, when and why I have wanted. Sometimes it requires a bit more effort than before I was diagnosed but Type 1 has not stopped me in any way.
  • I colleague with Type 1 advised me to force myself to have my first hypo in a controlled way. I am not convinced a HCP would agree to this. However, it was good for me to experience the scariest thing about injecting insulin with someone I trust in an environment I could control. I then knew hypos were manageable and less scary.
 
Great advice all round. I would add:

You're in charge! You have to take responsibility for your own health and don't expect a set of instructions that will inevitably work for your body.
 
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