Can't take much more

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Curlynurse

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Type 2
I'm so so stressed, my hba1c is 129, it looks like I'm going to have to go on insulin, will I still be able to drive and work, I have really bad oral thrush at the moment and my mouth is burning so badly, I'm scared I'm going to get organ failure and did, I'm sat in my car crying my eyes out, don't know what to do
 
@Curlynurse In the words of the Hitchhikers Gide to the Galaxy - Don't Panic.
Let us know a bit about yourself and the diagnosis and I am sure you'll get good advice.
You'll most likely get me advising to go low carb - but only because it worked so well for me, as an ordinary type 2 needing no medication.
 
@Curlynurse - please don't get worked up about having to go onto insulin (or whatever) and driving; I've been doing both for 19 years without any major problem! It does require some readjustment of lifestyle, and you have to be careful in following the DVLA guidelines.
"Don't Panic" is good advice. Further advice is that you learn as much as you can about your diabetes, and become your own expert - it can be a largely self-managed condition. I would sing "Things... can only get Better", but that would be a form of cruel and unusual punishment...!
 
Curlynurse said:
I'm so so stressed, my hba1c is 129, it looks like I'm going to have to go on insulin, will I still be able to drive and work, I have really bad oral thrush at the moment and my mouth is burning so badly, I'm scared I'm going to get organ failure and did, I'm sat in my car crying my eyes out, don't know what to do
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Sorry to hear how stressed you are by your HbA1c result. As @Drummer says, if you could share some information about how you've been managing your T2 it will help people understand your circumstances and advise accordingly. It's difficult to know what to say if we know nothing about you.
 
Thanks for replies, I'm 52, been a diabetic about 10 years, I'm on Metformin, glicazide and ozempic tablets, as I can't get the jabs x I'm so overwhelmed and still in denial, my diet isn't the best, I work full time as a nurse, and should know better, but I'm petrified
 
I'd already had Type 1 diabetes therefore daily insulin for well over 10 years when I started to learn to drive, passed my test and thereafter drove up to 60,000 miles a year for some years whilst still at work. Needing insulin is just a fact of life and unless you're an HGV or something larger still driver, unlikely to affect most people's lives very much, as long as you stay within all the rules.
 
Curlynurse said:
I'm so so stressed, my hba1c is 129, it looks like I'm going to have to go on insulin, will I still be able to drive and work, I have really bad oral thrush at the moment and my mouth is burning so badly, I'm scared I'm going to get organ failure and did, I'm sat in my car crying my eyes out, don't know what to do
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Bless you, you must be very scared. I know it won't feel like it yet but once on insulin your sugars will come right down and you will start to feel so much better. I've been injecting for 40 years, the needles have got sooo much smaller. You took the first step, which was going to the doctors so be proud of yourself for that, really well done x the thrush will also soon be gone. Try not to worry (easy to say I know) about everything at once, break it down and deal with one issue at a time. You let it out and have a good cry, it's better than bottling it up. Don't drive until you feel safe enough to do it and also well done for reaching out, it took me 40 years! There are many people here who will empathise, as I do, so keep reaching out, take in each bit of information at your own pace and know that you're not on your own, take care x
 
Staying in denial and not helping yourself is the biggest way of ensuring you get every ruddy diabetes complication you've ever heard of plus some you probably haven't. Me mother told me when I was little that God usually helps those who try to help themselves a bit quicker than those that don't - and you know what, so do other people and other things. Plus - not one of us on this forum has never needed help with their diabetes management!
 
So sorry to hear of your worries CN and you have made a great first step in posting your concerns here and you have already received some informed support and advice.
My Hba1c was 125 when first diagnosed 9 months ago and had to go on insulin straightaway which I did.
I drive about 800-1000 miles a week so was concerned about how my condition may affect that ability so for the few weeks I did not drive to try and stabilise the diabetes.
Once this was achieved and learned more about how to manage my diabetes I have found it makes little impact in terms of affecting my life apart from the obvious modifications that is required but I find that a small price to pay in terms of better BG control and the prevention of complications.
Tell me more about why specifically you are worried about having to go on an insulin regime and we may be better able to deal with your worries and try and get them in a better perspective.
VBW
 
Hi. It's very important to sort out the diet and that normally means going low carb. Having insulin when you may have some excess weight and hence insulin resistance may not help by much as with T2 you may already have too much insulin in the body.
 
Wendal said:
So sorry to hear of your worries CN and you have made a great first step in posting your concerns here and you have already received some informed support and advice.
My Hba1c was 125 when first diagnosed 9 months ago and had to go on insulin straightaway which I did.
I drive about 800-1000 miles a week so was concerned about how my condition may affect that ability so for the few weeks I did not drive to try and stabilise the diabetes.
Once this was achieved and learned more about how to manage my diabetes I have found it makes little impact in terms of affecting my life apart from the obvious modifications that is required but I find that a small price to pay in terms of better BG control and the prevention of complications.
Tell me more about why specifically you are worried about having to go on an insulin regime and we may be better able to deal with your worries and try and get them in a better perspective.
VBW
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I think I'm worried about having a hypo, I've only had one, and literally thought I was going to die, I was on my own and so very scared, plus the sigma of being a "fat diabetic on insulin", the whole thing makes me feel so uncomfortable and uneasy
 
Curlynurse said:
I think I'm worried about having a hypo, I've only had one, and literally thought I was going to die, I was on my own and so very scared, plus the sigma of being a "fat diabetic on insulin", the whole thing makes me feel so uncomfortable and uneasy
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Hypos are designed to be scary. They are the body going into Emergency Mode and screaming at you.

Be aware that if your levels have been running high for a while you can get full-on hypo symptoms when your BG is still in a healthy range, but just lower than your body is used to. Always check with a BG meter. Carry one with you so you don’t have to guess. 🙂

Some tips if your meter shows you below 4.0:
  1. Always ALWAYS carry hypo treatment with you everywhere. No exceptions. Glucose tablets, high glucose / low fat sweets like jelly babies or skittles, mini cans of full sugar original recipe Coke (the only full sugar soft drink that still has a decent amount of sugar in it for hypo treatment).
  2. Treat a hypo immediately. Do not wait, or be polite, or ‘just finish this”. This is a medical emergency.
  3. Take 15g of fast acting carbs and sit still for 15 minutes. Then recheck with a fingerstick meter
  4. Retreat with another 15g of fast carbs if still below 4.0 at 15 minutes.
  5. Consider following-up with 10-15g of slower acting carbs to help prevent a second dip. An apple, a digestive biscuit, one slice of medium wholemeal / seedy toast
  6. Try to resist the urge to EAT ALL THE THINGS while you are below 4.0. Your body will be desperate for energy and will trigger hunger, flashing lights and screaming alarms. Stick to 15/15
Then… try to work out why it happened, and how to avoid it in the future 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Hypos are designed to be scary. They are the body going into Emergency Mode and screaming at you.

Be aware that if your levels have been running high for a while you can get full-on hypo symptoms when your BG is still in a healthy range, but just lower than your body is used to. Always check with a BG meter. Carry one with you so you don’t have to guess. 🙂

Some tips if your meter shows you below 4.0:
  1. Always ALWAYS carry hypo treatment with you everywhere. No exceptions. Glucose tablets, high glucose / low fat sweets like jelly babies or skittles, mini cans of full sugar original recipe Coke (the only full sugar soft drink that still has a decent amount of sugar in it for hypo treatment).
  2. Treat a hypo immediately. Do not wait, or be polite, or ‘just finish this”. This is a medical emergency.
  3. Take 15g of fast acting carbs and sit still for 15 minutes. Then recheck with a fingerstick meter
  4. Retreat with another 15g of fast carbs if still below 4.0 at 15 minutes.
  5. Consider following-up with 10-15g of slower acting carbs to help prevent a second dip. An apple, a digestive biscuit, one slice of medium wholemeal / seedy toast
  6. Try to resist the urge to EAT ALL THE THINGS while you are below 4.0. Your body will be desperate for energy and will trigger hunger, flashing lights and screaming alarms. Stick to 15/15
Then… try to work out why it happened, and how to avoid it in the future 🙂
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This is SUCH a good post. It should be pinned somewhere as super helpful for people new to hypos/insulin
 
Curlynurse said:
I think I'm worried about having a hypo, I've only had one, and literally thought I was going to die, I was on my own and so very scared, plus the sigma of being a "fat diabetic on insulin", the whole thing makes me feel so uncomfortable and uneasy
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CN I work in a pharmaceutical setting dealing with both insulin and non insulin medications so fully appreciate having a clinical hypo as opposed to simply being below 3.9 is probably the biggest anxiety/ worry of any diabetic.
Everyday has done an excellent post in response.
In terms of any stigma of being a diabetic then personally I would not worry about any negative association as firstly as those individuals are not worthy of being listened too and secondly the only thing that is important is how you feel and how it affects you and thirdly the fear of what others may or may not think is often far greater than what the reality is.
I have found that generally other people are not in the least bit interested in what is happening outside of their own lives except in a curious or positive way and if they do express negative sentiment towards others it says more about how they feel about their own lives.
Best wishes to you and others and sure that in time you will get more confident in managing your diabetes and that will help with any anxieties you may face in living as normal a life as possible.
 
Welcome @Curlynurse There is plenty of helpful advice in the posts above in particular the one from @everydayupsanddowns which contains his 6 suggested TIPS.
I'd print or write them down and carry them with me as a reference.

I've been T1 from first diagnoses back in 1983. My job required me to drive a car daily and fly around the world on occasions, all achieved without too much difficulty. I too have a very similar list of TIPS which I have memorised plus I cannot stress enough how important it is to carry some quick carbs with you at all time.
I would add one more TIP to the 6 list above:
7. Make those you work with aware you are diabetic.

I've been retired 15 years now and due to following my diabetic nurses directions I've kept good control.
Take care, be strong, you can do it.
 
@everydayupsanddowns list is very useful.
I find it frustrating to have to stop for 15 minutes. I have been known to try to walk more slowly when hypo rather than stop. NOT a good idea. Just stop and sit.

I find that having had a fair few hypos over the years if I stick to the rules (as per list from @everydayupsanddowns ) I recover quickly and feel fine. Others around me seem to be more worried than me.
 
mark king said:
I would add one more TIP to the 6 list above:
7. Make those you work with aware you are diabetic.
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That’s a really good one Mark. Plus let friends and acquaintances know what to do and how they can help. Even if that’s just telling you to sit still!
 
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