Advice Please

[janine19]

I wa diagnosed type 1 just before xmas. Im not coping well. I feel so alone. my family are tryin to help but they dont understand how i feel. me and my boyfriend keep arguin cos my mood is all over.

i wa so active and happy up until couple of months ago when i started to become unwell. 4 trips to doctor later and they finally found out what was wrong! i feel so angry and frustrated. maybe if they'd actually tested me in first place i wouldnt have become so poorly and had t be rushed into hospital!

I had a hypo other day after some exercise now im too frightnened to do anythin.

saw my nurse last week she wasnt much help. she made me feel like i was lyin about not eatin choc or havin alcohol over xmas. told me its always high over xmas cos we over indulge. she really wasnt listenin to me.

Does everyone feel like this at first?

 

[aymes]

Everyone feels different when first diagnosed but I'd say what your describing is fairly typical. It's a lot to come to terms with. I'm sure we can all sympathise with family and friends trying to help but not really understanding.

It is a cliche but it really does get better in time. Initially it seems like so much is changing and things won't be the same but with time you do find it all becomes second nature and fits in with your daily life.

I can deifnatley sympathise with being frightened to do anything for fear of going hypo. I found that I had to work through it slowly, for example wih exercise just doing ten mins one day, then 20 and building it up until I was back to what I was doing before. If you're nervous keep testing regularly, for me the barrier was coming to terms with the idea that mild hypos are normal, and can be treated fairly easily, I guess initially it was fear of the unknown.

I was diagnosed at age 21 about 4 years ago, i really struggled at first but now lead a really active life and manage my diabetes well most of the time. and do feel free to ask or private message me if I can help at all. And do read through the posts on this board both to answer questions and for reassurance.

 

[Caroline]

We are all different, so we all react differently to news we are diabetic. I was backwards and forwards to my doctor for ages with all the classic symptoms and all he could tell me to do was go on a diet.

Where I work, tha management and HR section are pretty caring and we have health awareness days arranged for us, so I went along and talked to people and had tests done. I followed their advice and took the sheet of results to my GP who finally agreed to arrange for tests. Even then he didn't tell me properly, it was the pharmacist who said as a dibetic you're entitled to free prescriptions.

It took over a year for my GP to arrange tests, and I only found out because I went to the health awareness day at work. That was nearly 3 years ago. It took me a while to get used to the idea as I was diagnosed just before Easter 2006. There is still lots ot learn, but withthe help of forums like this I am getting there.

I have mood swings too, people tell me I am being grumpy then leave me alone for a while. We are getting there. Keep your chin up and take each day as it comes.

 

[Copepod]

sources of support

Hi Janine

It's tough for family and freinds to know how to respond, but I'm less forgiving when medics get it wrong / don't ask the person with the condition the right questions. I was diagnosed Type 1 in 1996, aged 30 years and it took me some time to get the right support from medics - in fact advice came via an Australian student midwife and her pharmacist mother, and a retired Northern Ireland consultant physician, not from the hospital I actually attended.

Depending on your choice of sports, in addition to this website, you might find these useful:

MAD (Mountains for Active Diabetics - informal international group, non / competitive outdoor activities) http://diabetic.friendsinhighplaces.org/

Runsweet (UK based sports & diabetes website, covering a wide range of sports, from mere mortals to Olympic medal winners) http://www.runsweet.com/

My main activities are cycling, orienteering, adventure racing, kayaking, mountain walking etc - if you do any of these or if you don't, then please PM me.

 

[Emmal31]

Hi Janine,

I like you was rushed to hospital very unwell I had lost two stone amongst the other classic signs of diabetes. When I was told I had type 1 diabetes I couldn't believe it I didn't even know that there were two types just type 2 because that's always publisised. I cried for hours and the nurses kept saying cheer up it'll get better and it will become second nature to you. I've had it almost a year now it's not quite second nature but it's slowly getting there! I thought when I was first diagnosed that i'd never be able to eat normal again but i was so wrong, I've almost completely gone back to what I was eating before hand.

It took me months to come to terms with it I felt like someone had died (strange I know) the worst thing was that I felt so alone no one I knew had it and there wasn't any family history of it either and also I felt so angry all the time like why did I get it i've always been quite healthy i wasn't overweight etc. What has helped me lots is this site things I never knew about or was unsure about I now know.I only found this site a couple of months ago I only wished I had found it last january when I was struggling.

If you ever need advice you'll more than likely find it on here from all the helpful people. Just remember your really not alone and also I'm here as well if you feel like messaging me privately, to talk about anything u like. hope I helped a little xxx

 

[vince13]

I am still stunned after my diagnosis last October and can so relate to your feelings of anger (why me ?/why Not I guess) and when I told my diabetic surgery nurse that I felt as if I was in mourning for my old life, she looked at me as if I was mad.......felt like it too.

I have learnt such a lot from this site and from others who are living with diabetes (whether living to the full or just coping). I just wanted to say you are not alone and also thank you to all who have helped me so far on here.

 

[WorzelGummidge]

Aw Janine I hope you start to feel better soon. I don't think anybody finds it easy to be diagnosed with diabetes. I coped so well for the first year or so then went into complete meltdown and rebelled against diabetes for several years. I think you're better off feeling like this now than having a delayed reaction like I did, mine had built up over a long period of denial whereas you're facing your fears from the start. I felt very alone for a long time, but since meeting other diabetics on a DAFNE course and finding this board I feel much less isolated. It's a bit like grief, it consumes you for a while but it WILL get better in time. We're all here for support, you never have to feel alone for all the time you have access to the internet - and that goes for everybody on this board. 🙂

 

[lorrie]

you will never be alone again now you have found this site.i felt exactly the same when i was diagnosed family and friends tryed really hard but i was just nasty to them and all i wanted to do was scream and cry and make it go away.but it will get better honest once you have all the right information and start getting control you will start doing the things you enjoy.you will become more confident you will need help along the way but we are all here and you can just rant and rave or ask anthing some one will have the answer or know where to find it

 

[emma1972]

Hi Janine

I totally sympathise with you. I was diagnosed a month ago and now on basal/bolus regime.
Family and friends do their best and are well intentioned but they dont have it so they cannot possibly understand fully. If I get missed out again when the biscuits are handed out I will scream.

I used to be very active but not just now. Once it is sussed everything will be fine but you cannot walk before you can run. I have taken a month (and I started producing my own insulin for a couple o weeks which messed it all up) to stabilise my sugars which are mainly between 5-8mmol although i do had the odd blip from time to time.
Once you get your sugars stable for normal life you can start with the more complicated stuff and learn to adapt your intake to suit. I havent got to this part yet but I know that when the time is right I will get advice on how to start exercising and what to change to facilitate this without going hypo. I had a hypo just going round the supermarket at first but I check my sugar and if its less than 6 have a wee digestive biscuit and off I go seems to work. If you get symptoms of hypo then its easy to correct. I always carry dextrose tabs and three of them do the trick. Those minature cans of full sugar coke are perfect too.
I am starting to manage ok and the clouds are lifting. Good luck and don't worry too much its easy to become obsessed with it all.

 

[sofaraway]

Welcome to the site, I hope that you find it a positive expereince. I have definatly found that over the years talking to others with diabetes really helps. having that understanding, being able to rant etc. to people who really 'get it' is invaluable.

I had a diff icult time when first diagnosed my family didn't talk about it at all and nothing really changed. I had to kinda struggle through my feelings alone, so i know it can be hard. I hope you don't have to go it alone though. Hospital clinics should have a psychologist that you can see. Maybe it would be helpful to talk things through with them, you could ask your nurse if they have one.

having high/low blood sugars also makes you feel rubbish emotionally aswell. When i went through a period of very high blood sugars a couple of years ago I just wanted to sleep and felt very depressed, once my blood suagrs got back under control I felt like I had some energy again.

hope you start to feel better again soon

 

[janine19]

Thanku to everyone who has replied. Its really made me feel better, i dont feel alone now. Im so glad ive found this site.