Can anyone help me please?

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Dani27645

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi I'm Danielle and I was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 22 months, I'm now 24 years old and struggling with my control.

I had trials and tribulations when I was a teenager which included (among other things) a period of time lying about my BG tests on a daily basis and having about 14 different FA insulins in 5 years while at secondary school because none of them suited me.

To cut my rather long story short while I was at university I used the excuse of unsociable working hours and unpredictable timetable changes for the reason as to why my HbA1c was always high.

Now I am in the world of employment, I can no longer use these excuses as I have a steady job and a regular routine. My HbA1c at my last check was at 10.2%, and I've been told off for it.

I have done DAFNE and try my hardest to apply the principles but by far my worst problem is checking my BG on a regular basis and forgetting to inject my evening meal insulin.

Since my teenage years I have never had another person with type 1 who I could talk to let alone someone who has shared my experiences and who I could talk to and share my thoughts and worries with.

I went to a local Diabetes UK meeting the other month and nearly everyone was overy 65 and had type 2 so I didn't really feel I could approach anyone. I wil however keep attending these meetings as I need to start building a network of support somewhere and at the moment this is the best place to start. I need someone to talk to who knows where I'm coming from.

I'm sorry if this sounds like the biggest sob story but I'm begginning to get pretty down about my situation as I know the damage I am doing to my body but at the moment I can't find the way out of my rut. I know the damage I am causing myself is irreversible and I need some support to get myself sorted out.

thanks for reading. I look forward to reading any repsonses. Thanks, Danielle
 
Danielle, I'm very sorry to hear of the problems you've encountered with your diabetes. There are lots of people here who can appreciate your experiences, so you are certainly not alone any more 🙂

I don't know whether I can teach you anything, but I can certainly support your efforts to improve your diabetes control, as can many of our members, so anything that is worrying you, please let us know and we will try to use our collective knowledge to help 🙂
 
Hi Danielle and welcome to the forums.

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling at the moment. You have done a good thing by joining here though, and it shows that you are serious about improving your situation. There are quite a few young people on here who will sympathise with your situation, plus some who will have tips as to how you can move on from where you are. You are not alone any more so long as you keep talking to us.

I can't really offer much advice at the moment but one thing comes to mind. You mention that you keep forgetting your tea time injections, so maybe it would help to set a reminder on your mobile so that an alarm reminds you that it's time to do it. Just a small point but the simple things often work. XXXXX
 
hello and a big welcome from me too x have a good look round the forum and remember that no question is regarded silly here 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum Danielle 🙂 I haven't had D for very long compared to you, but I perservered with the regular testing and now it's pretty much programmed in! Would it help if you had a reminder on your phone or something? xx
 
Hi Danielle and welcome to the Forum.

The first step in solving a problem is to work out what the problem is, and you have already identified a couple. Now you need a way to solve those problems.

When you did the DAFNE course did you manage to do regular tests and remember to do your evening meal injection? If so then maybe you can ask a close friend or relative to help you by insisting you provide them with the readings etc once a week. It might help you focus on the tests.
 
Hi Danielle. Welcome. 🙂

Your story is not unique and you have done a massive thing to try and turn your bad habits into good ones. Well done on that first step (sounds like an AA meeting ! 🙄).🙂

I've had periods when I didn't test much and I couldn't tell you what my Hb was more than a couple of years ago, but last year I started testing more and more and now do at least 5 a day and sometimes up to 8 or 9, so it's never too late to get into a routine.

Alarms on phones, etc are good, as has been said for jabs. We all forget from time to time, but as long as the intention is there, you'll find a way that works for you. 🙂

Rob
 
Hi Danielle and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Hi Danielle, Welcome to the forum.

ive done the same throughout my life, skipped injections, didnt do my bs at all. i had a shock last year as i lost my sight in 1 eye.

ive had laser treatment on both eyes and an op to restore my sight.
i decided a month ago to get help. I have a great amount of help at the hosp and here.

I do my injections now but still struggle with my bs. I havent taken care with my diabetes for years and im paying for it.

Set that reminder lol. well done for taking the step to ask for advice, ive only been on here for 4 days and its been great.

Any questions, just ask as someone will be able to give usefull advice and support.

Samantha x
 
Welcome Danielle!

Well I have not had Diabetes very long and in the beggining I did quite well with checking my levels but I haven't been very good for the past month or so... I had an App on my phone that I used to record my sugar levels in and input how much insulin I was taking and it give you graphs on your sugar levels, averages and the same for your insulin intake.

I would agree to the alarm!! I'm fine with my meal time injections but I always used to forget my long lasting one at night! so i set an alarm for 21:00 everyday and as soon as it goes off I know I need to inject.

I'm also new on this forum but everyone has been lovely so as they say feel free to ask anything, nothing is considered "Silly" You are not alone on here! 🙂

Here if you need to chat!
 
Hi Danni

Don't dwell on the past purely because you can't change this part, only your future..

At the moment it all seems it's an enormous task to achieve, but it is doable...

Set yourself small goals to achieve, small steps cover greater distances in the long run..

When I was in your position this first bit was probably the hardest because not only are you trying to establish a routine so it all becomes automatic, but at first you are often faced with constant reminders that control isn't great. And it can take some courage to take the BG. but if you don't test you won't know what to do to improve the result.. But keep chipping away at it then you find as the figures improves the more it becomes a automatic routine..

Biggest problem is building a picture around our BG data with food diaries, and what we were doing or feeling at the time, all important information to ascertain what changes or adjustments we might need to make.. And if you are like me, noting this down in a note book/monitoring diary is going to be lax, due to several reason, remember book/pen, faffing about actually getting it all out to make the notes..

I over came this with the Lifescan Ultra smart, which enabled me with a couple presses of buttons when taking my BG, flag health status, exercise and enter carbs eaten and injection taken.. So take a look at the newer meters such as the Accu-chek Expert

But now daily management is automatic and feels a very natural part of my daily routine..

But it doesn't happen over night, it does take time and yep you are likely to fall of the rails once in a while, but when you do just draw a line under it and start again. You may find that once you've gone so far that you may not or even struggle to achieve more improvement due to the limitations of insulin delivery of Pens/injections.. So an insulin pump may be a better option for you..

DAFNE is a very good course, but I would suggest that you invest in Using Insulin by John Walsh as this will give you more indepth information of the basal/bolus regime, how to do various tests to work out control etc...

And of cause, the motley crew here, we are more than willing to provide general support, storm walling idea's from our store of techniques and what works for us etc. As well as explaining those little mysteries of medical lingo or other questions that one might term as 'silly' but we want to know the answer to. (no question is ever silly if you don't know the answer though)

P.S

My starting point was an HbA1c of 14%, got it down to just over 7% but didn't have the stability I needed so I fought for a pump and started pumping almost 4 years ago.. Now the kidney damage I did sustain has totally been reversed and over halfed my HbA1c.. And been kicked off the eye specialist list🙂
 
Welcome to the forum. Get stuck in, there are loads of people here ready and willing to help.

Andy 🙂
 
Hi Danielle.
I've been in pretty much the same situation as you. I was diagnosed when I was 6, I am now 19.
As a child my diabetes was never controlled, so then throughout my teenage years I started developing a lot of health issues which really messed up my education. I was severely depressed and never took my novorapid (I'm on DAFNE) and never did my BGs.
A couple of years ago I was told that I'm starting to get some problems with my kidneys, and it was only this, along with meeting my lovely supportive fiance, that actually gave me the kick up the backside to actually start testing and injecting, and I started coming out the other side of this really dark place I had got myself into. Now I'm looking for a job, and even though I've relapsed a bit - my hba1c got down to 8.3, my last was 9 - I'm now getting on the right track.

It might seem like a massively daunting challenge, but I can tell you from experience that it can be done 🙂

I found writing a note to myself on the fridge/cupboard helped me to start taking my insulin, because I'd see it before I ate.

Well done on taking the first step and getting help 🙂 I haven't been on this forum long, but I know you'll get all the support you need 🙂
 
Welcome Dani

While there's nothing wrong with over 65s type 2s, I can understand why you have little in common with them. Life's different in employment, compared to studying or retirement, as you know. So, hope you'll find support here - I'm older than you, but not too much and working, although in 4 different contracts, so my life is not so predictable!

As others have already said, the past is been and gone, so concentrate on the future. Lots of greta practical tips from Ellie & Immy, in particular about remembering to test & recording blood glucose levels, so you can act on them, and remembering insulin.

Anyway, a new start can begin whenever you want. 🙂
 
Hi Danielle , Has the pump ever been mentioned ? I got diabetes when i was 10 (now 41 ) and have always had poor control then 17 months ago i done a DAFNE course followed by being put on the pump my HBa1c has gone from double figures to 6.7 🙂 , might be worth a chat with your diabetic specialist nurse .
 
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