Hello, I'm looking for some help/guidance

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pearsonajp

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I am Type 1 and was diagnosed in June 08.
I am 30 years of age so compared to most of you I am late starter.

I used to perfectly fit and healthy then in early 2008 I started to get the classics symptoms. I was constantly thirsty, tired and I had lost 2 stone in 2 months. At first I put it down to the extra training I was doing in the gym but after a trip to the doc's I soon realised it wasn't.

When I was first diagnosed I was admitted to hospital for 4 days while they got my blood sugars under control and since then up until recently I have always been in control.

Just recently my whole mood and respect for my condition has changed and I need to get out of the bad routine I am in. I feel my doctor and health care professional do not understand and I struggle to talk to family and friends for the same reason.

No one really understands the way I feel. Most people see it as a weakness but I am not weak I just need guidance.

Regards

AJP
 
Hi AJP, welcome to the forum 🙂 We're very similar - I was also diagnosed in June 2008, due to run a marathon that week although I had lost quite a bit of weight and, with hindsight, had some pretty obvious symptoms which I had dismissed. I was also a 'late starter' at 49!

What insulin regime are you on? Have you been on a diabetes education course, such as DAFNE? I don't think it's unusual at all for things to slip after a period of doing well with things, it's a feature common to many chronic conditions and can happen for many reasons. Either the sheer drudgery of it all, denial, complacency, depression or just plain 'burnout'. It soes help to be able to speak to others who 'get it', and you'll find plenty of us here, so glad that you have found us 🙂

You are most certainly not weak. Diabetes is a condition that makes demands on us but it shouldn't stop us doing anything, and the very fact that you have managed well for the past 5 years shows how strong and focused you have been. It can be very isolating though, and that is the very reason this forum was establsihed, to try and ease that isolation. Here are people who are at various stages with their diabetes - some have had it decades, some just days and there are all sorts of different types and idiosyncrasies so you no longer feel out of place, whatever your own particular quirks might be 🙂

Please feel free to join in wherever you wish. It's not all about diabetes, we wre all just normal people who happen to have something in common. I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
 
I am on Novamix 30 - 2 Injections a day.
I am sure the course I went on was called Dellia that was a few years ago. I don't think a refresher on a course like that would help.

Just not sure what my next step is to get back on track!
 
pearsonajp said:
I am on Novamix 30 - 2 Injections a day.
I am sure the course I went on was called Dellia that was a few years ago. I don't think a refresher on a course like that would help.

Just not sure what my next step is to get back on track!
Click to expand...

Well, one thing I would suggest would be a change of insulin regime, unless you find that 2 injections a day suits your lifestyle. Most people these days use a regime called basal/bolus or MDI (Multiple Daily Injections). This consists of using a slow-acting insulin, such as lantus or levemir, once or twice a day, and a fast acting insulin, like novorapid, each time you eat. Although this means more injections it is much more flexible than two injections. You can eat what you want, when you want, and if you don't want to eat then you can happily skip a meal - you just don't inject. With mixed insulin you always have to eat sufficient carbs to 'cover' the insulin injected, and you also have to eat at times suited to the insulin's peaks and troughs - so you are 'eating to the insulin' rather than eating according to your wishes.

This can make a big difference to how you feel about your diabetes as you are more in control. You also vary the doses with reasonable precision to match the carbs in the food you wish to eat, so if you decide you want an extra muffin you can 🙂 Have you ever considered this regime?

Something else you might find helpful is the book Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Ignore the 'children and young people' bit - it's an excellent book for Type 1s of any age (even an oldie like me!). It covers everything and may contain a lot of information you didn't know and may find useful.

I think that, often, if people seem to be doing OK, then their team will just leave them to it and not keep them up to date with new thinking, which means many people miss out. I think it would definitely be worth asking your DSN or consultant about MDI.

Are you testing regularly? If not, why not start by testing first thing in the morning and adding it to our Group thread at:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=20148
 
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Welcome to the forum pearsonajp 🙂
 
Welcome! You're not a late starter, I was diagnosed when I was 48; I'm 63 now

Once the novelty and initial enthusiasm of treating yourself has worn off it's quite common to have a sort of slump and become really fed up and tired of the whole business
No - one knows why but depression is very common in people who have diabetes, so try not to worry too much ( yes, I know it's easy to say) and take some comfort from the fact that you are not the only person to feel like you do

A common feature of diabetes is to have swings from being quite positive and determined to keep on top of sugar control, diet and so on, to just feeling absolutely fed up and not bothered about looking after yourself

I'm just coming out of such an episode myself, one of the reasons I joined this forum recently. You've made a good start, feel free to ask any questions you want and you'll get lots of support and encouragement

Here's how I deal with my black moods

I look on my diabetic control as a job that has to be done whether I like it or not, but a job that I will do well

I develop a kind of detachment and tell myself what to do, almost like I was instructing someone else - now test your blood, now write the result in the book, now put a new needle on the pen. And so on. One step, and one day at a time

then I make the effort to go out and do something i like, and meet people; the mood passes fairly soon after that.
A local pub has bands on at the weekend - good old blues & rock & roll, always a good standby!

I tell myself that I'm a grown man, i'm fairly intelligent(!) with several hobbies and interests, and basically healthy, as long as i look after my diabetes, so stop feeling so damn sorry for myself!

well, perhaps not a very coherent reply, but i hope it helps
 
Welcome! You're not a late starter, I was diagnosed when I was 48; I'm 63 now

Once the novelty and initial enthusiasm of treating yourself has worn off it's quite common to have a sort of slump and become really fed up and tired of the whole business
No - one knows why but depression is very common in people who have diabetes, so try not to worry too much ( yes, I know it's easy to say) and take some comfort from the fact that you are not the only person to feel like you do

A common feature of diabetes is to have swings from being quite positive and determined to keep on top of sugar control, diet and so on, to just feeling absolutely fed up and not bothered about looking after yourself

I'm just coming out of such an episode myself, one of the reasons I joined this forum recently. You've made a good start, feel free to ask any questions you want and you'll get lots of support and encouragement

Here's how I deal with my black moods

I look on my diabetic control as a job that has to be done whether I like it or not, but a job that I will do well

I develop a kind of detachment and tell myself what to do, almost like I was instructing someone else - now test your blood, now write the result in the book, now put a new needle on the pen. And so on. One step, and one day at a time

then I make the effort to go out and do something i like, and meet people; the mood passes fairly soon after that.
A local pub has bands on at the weekend - good old blues & rock & roll, always a good standby!

I tell myself that I'm a grown man, i'm fairly intelligent(!) with several hobbies and interests, and basically healthy, as long as i look after my diabetes, so stop feeling so damn sorry for myself!

well, perhaps not a very coherent reply, but i hope it helps
 
I know what you mean...

Our stories are very similar. I was diagnosed at forty, and was a fit person before diagnosis. The toughest thing for me has been the emotional impact. And it's really hard to find medical professionals who understand. My husband's very supportive (even through my angry phase!), but can't completely appreciate what I'm going through.

However, you've come to the right place.🙂 There's a wealth of experience to be shared and lots of people willing to give up their time to help.
I feel so much more positive since I've been using this site.
I might even recommend my endocrinologist has a look...!
 
Bloden said:
I might even recommend my endocrinologist has a look...!
Click to expand...

I think a lot of healthcare professionals are generally suspicious of internet forums, but if only they would take some time to take a look they would realise there are some very good resources available that can complement medical advice 🙂
 
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