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Hello! I'm Veronica and I'm supporting a 21 year-old girl who has diabetes

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Veronica@swansea

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She is struggling with her injections - to the point that she's not doing them each day - as they have become so painful - even though she varies the sites. Has been offered pump, but feels it would be too intrusive. Does anyone have any advice about managing this? Thanks so much
 
Wow, I feel your (and her) pain, my daughter was Type 1 from 11 months old, (31 now) so I know the hardship they go through, my daughter went through a similar thing at about 17/18. the doc put it down to rebelling against it, does she have a consultant or diabetic nurse she can get advice from?
 
Hi and welcome Veronica - no advise from me I am afraid as I know nowt! Just wanted to welcome you. :D
 
Alan.tnh said:
Wow, I feel your (and her) pain, my daughter was Type 1 from 11 months old, (31 now) so I know the hardship they go through, my daughter went through a similar thing at about 17/18. the doc put it down to rebelling against it, does she have a consultant or diabetic nurse she can get advice from?
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Hi Alan. I'm her case-worker in university, so I'm not sure. Have advised her to talk to her GP and share her difficulties honestly with him. All the best, Ronnie
 
Veronica@swansea said:
She is struggling with her injections - to the point that she's not doing them each day - as they have become so painful - even though she varies the sites. Has been offered pump, but feels it would be too intrusive. Does anyone have any advice about managing this? Thanks so much
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Hi Veronica, welcome to the forum 🙂 Has she been diagnosed long? What needles is she using? There are different sizes and grades, so it's possible she might find an alternative that suits her better. What insulin is she on?

I don't use a pump personally, but her worries about them being too intrusive would be certainly challenged by nearly every person I have encountered here who has one - after a few days you forget that they are there 🙂 I'd suggest having a read of the INPUT website - http://www.inputdiabetes.org.uk/ - which will give you and her a much better insight into pumps and their pros and cons 🙂 I believe it's also possible to try one out for a few days (using saline, instead of insulin - just to get to grips with how it feels to be wearing one), so could be worth a try 🙂
 
As you mention she's been offered an insulin pump, that must mean she has or has had some contct with a diabetes clinic. Most clinics can also offer psychological support, so it would be worth encouraging her to ask about that. But ultimately, it's down to her, as an adult.
 
Veronica@swansea said:
She is struggling with her injections - to the point that she's not doing them each day - as they have become so painful - even though she varies the sites. Has been offered pump, but feels it would be too intrusive. Does anyone have any advice about managing this? Thanks so much
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Hi Ronnie and welcome to the forum. If your friend is not injecting her insulin, she is putting herself at serious risk - in the short term she could develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a life threatening condition caused by insulin deficiency. In the longer term, she is risking her eyesight, kidneys and circulatory system. I'm sure she knows this, but wasn't sure if you knew yourself? If she is type 1, she should be under the care of a hospital consultant (GPs have no expertise in managing type 1), and you could encourage her to speak to her diabetes nurse specialist at the hospital. She may need psychological support (there is a much higher incidence of depression among people with type 1 than among the general population), or her difficulties may be due to using needles which are too long. If she is using 8mm needles or longer, she could try 4 or 5mm needles.

Re the pump, my son (15) absolutely loves his, and has never worried about image. Far from being intrusive, it's just so handy to have insulin available at the push of a button, and has made his life so much more flexible. A good place for her to find out more about the different pumps is INPUT: http://www.inputdiabetes.org.uk
 
Hi Veronica

Welcome to the forum.
As Nrtherner said, there are different length needles available. I switched from 8mm to 4mm and ended up with far fewer bruises and a lot less pain.

Having said that I am now on a pump. It makes life so much more flexible. It does require some effort at the start but the pump team take people step by step.

The student might find it good to look at Type1Uncut (there is a link to this on the DUK website, and I am not sure how to get that into this message). These are you tube (I think) videos made by students for students about coping with T1 when moving away from home. They are brilliant and address many issues in an amusing but informative way.
 
Hi Ronnie,like lynn-i know nothing about pumps but hello to forum
 
Veronica@swansea said:
She is struggling with her injections - to the point that she's not doing them each day - as they have become so painful - even though she varies the sites. Has been offered pump, but feels it would be too intrusive. Does anyone have any advice about managing this? Thanks so much
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Welcome Veronica. Pls tell her that pumps are the way forward !. They are the best up to now. A couple of pushes of buttons & job done when they are "Tuned" to you. Realy realy good luck from someone in his 49.7yrs of being T1
 
The others have all raised good points - there are a variety of needle lengths available in the first instance. It might also be a good idea to review her injection technique as this can make a big difference, and also to review the insulin she's using. Some insulins sting more than others and it might be a simple swap of insulin type might do the job.
 
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