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EmmaRitchie97

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I’m new here! Had diabetes since I was 6 and I’m now 26… been through horrendous stuff lately and find myself struggling with life in general and with my diabetes (type 1). Looking for advice and hopefully make some friends
 
Welcome @EmmaRitchie97 🙂 Sorry to hear that things have been hard for you. When life’s like that, the Type 1 becomes extra-wearing. My advice is to simplify things a bit. Stick to the same couple of breakfasts and lunches, and then you can just bolus and not have to think too much because you know the carbs. Also, if you’ve been keeping very strict control, ease your foot off the pedal a bit and slightly raise your targets. A tiny change to those can make a big difference.
 
Welcome to the forum @EmmaRitchie97

Sorry to hear things have been difficult for you recently, and that your diabetes hasn’t exactly been helping matters :(

Dealing with diabetes can be a pretty isolating experience, and it can be so helpful to connect with others who face the same struggles, irritations, and confusions every day.

We are a friendly bunch, and no one here has all the answers, we are just all bumbling through making the best of it that we can.

We had a thread a while back where people shared tips and things they wish they had discovered earlier, which may give you a few ideas?

forum.diabetes.org.uk

5 Top Tips for Better Diabetesing

Just found myself absently wondering what I would say to myself if I could go back in time ‘Bill and Ted’ style and offer newly-diagnosed-me some hints and tips for better diabetes management, and a better relationship with my diabetes from future-me. What 5 hints and tips I might offer myself...
forum.diabetes.org.uk forum.diabetes.org.uk
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

Really sorry to hear that you are going through a tough time in life and diabetes definitely adds an unwanted extra level to that which can be the last straw. Hopefully we can offer you some tips and strategies to help you cope or manage better but also important to reach out to your DSN for support if you are able.
Which insulin(s) do you use? Are you on Multiple Daily Injections or a pump?
What are you finding most challenging about your diabetes management at the moment?

Sometimes it just helps to offload how you are feeling to people who understand and empathize but there is a goldmine of practical experience and knowledge here so feel free to dig into it and ask for specific help on things that are causing you particular problems. I can't tell you how much I have learned from the wonderful people here and I really don't know how I would have managed without the forum, so I really hope you fid it equally beneficial.
 
Welcome Emma, lots of very experienced Type 1s here that I am sure will be able to give you some excellent advice.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome from me too.

Really sorry to hear that you are going through a tough time in life and diabetes definitely adds an unwanted extra level to that which can be the last straw. Hopefully we can offer you some tips and strategies to help you cope or manage better but also important to reach out to your DSN for support if you are able.
Which insulin(s) do you use? Are you on Multiple Daily Injections or a pump?
What are you finding most challenging about your diabetes management at the moment?

Sometimes it just helps to offload how you are feeling to people who understand and empathize but there is a goldmine of practical experience and knowledge here so feel free to dig into it and ask for specific help on things that are causing you particular problems. I can't tell you how much I have learned from the wonderful people here and I really don't know how I would have managed without the forum, so I really hope you fid it equally beneficial.
Click to expand...
Novorapid, on the omnipod and have been since it first came out. Just weight gain and depression affecting it.
 
EmmaRitchie97 said:
Novorapid, on the omnipod and have been since it first came out. Just weight gain and depression affecting it.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear you are battling mental health and weight gain. Is that through comfort eating?
I struggle with anxiety and had a major problem with comfort eating but since diagnosis and going low carb, I have mostly got control of the latter and as long as I stick to low carb, I don't get the cravings so it is a lot easier not to eat the stuff that makes me fat. Added to that, changing my diet has improved a number of other significant health issues, like acute migraines and gut health.
Exercise helps a lot with the mental health but it is really challenging getting yourself motivated. Setting yourself a very easily achievable small goal is key to success with it. Even if it is just 5 mins a day and then increase it to 5 mins twice a day and so on. It might just be walking up and down stairs 10 times or dancing like no one is watching :D to 5 of your favourite songs. Just something to increase your heart rate a bit and get the blood flowing and making you breath a bit deeper. I know it isn't easy, but anything that you can do is a step in the right direction.

I can't offer much help regarding the Omnipod as I am MDI. I think it is now possible to closed loop with the new Omnipod isn't it? Is that something that you have considered or know anything about? I think it just very recently was released to loop with the Dexcom G6 sensors but I could be wrong. I know Sue @SB2015 is on a closed loop system and finds it takes a lot of the mental strain out of her diabetes management, but she has a different system, not the Omnipod.

What interests/hobbies do you have? Just wondering if there is something there which perhaps you haven't done for a while that you could take up again and would provide a distraction from the difficulties you are currently facing.
 
Welcome to the forum @EmmaRitchie97 and I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that you are having. I know that when things get tough in general the diabetes is so much more difficult to manage, and stay motivated.

Are you getting help with your mental health With meds or support through counselling? It took me some time to ask for help when I needed it, but I am glad that I did so eventually. You are already using a pump which can help in many ways as we are able to get a closer match to what insulin our body needs, but the work involved with getting the settings right for you can lead to us focusing on our diabetes more. It did that for me and I experienced burnout, but came out the other side through the support from others on here as well as some professional help. At that time I found I needed to focus on just the basics and adjust my very unrealistic targets that I had set myself.

I am not familiar with the Omnipod, and whether it is possible to loop with this pump. For me I have found switching to a Hybrid Closed Loop system has removed a lot of the work from me. I still have to be attentive to her Alavert’s and alarms but find that I have periods when I can simply ignore my diabetes between meals, and it has allowed me to sleep through the night.

Keep in touch on here.
 
Something that occurred to me whilst reading Sue's great post above is that maybe having a pump break might be another strategy to consider. I think the technology id great but sometimes it can be pretty demanding in itself and going back to nuts and bolts basics of injecting for a week or so, can enable you to just tread water with your diabetes for a while and come back to the technology refreshed and appreciative. I used to find this with Libre in the first couple of years and whilst I absolutely love it and the data it provides, there were times when things were not going well, when I resented it and felt like it was spying on me and havig a week or two off from it really helped me to come back to it in a different mindset of relief and appreciation and just freshened me up when I had been feeling stale and run down by it all. Nothing had changed in reality, just m perspective. I think @Inka has occasional pump breaks and finds them helpful.
It may not be the answer for you but it's just another option to consider.
 
Yes, I do have pump breaks @EmmaRitchie97 I usually take them when I get frustrated with poor absorption or just feel like I need a break. I’ve used a pump almost 20 years and started taking breaks in the last few years. One break lasted months!

One thing I will say though is that I put a little weight on when I went back onto injections. I didn’t mind as I’m very slim anyway but if your weight is getting to you, this would be an important thing to consider. Again, it wasn’t a huge amount of weight but it was definitely the pump break.
 
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