Hello all, just wanted to say hi as I'm new. I've had diabetes for 19 years, many of those years spent in denial and avoiding it. I've recently been given the libre 2 which has scared me as I now fully realise how dangerous I've been with my diabetes control. Also started to have some left sided numbness and pain so I'm pretty scared. Just looking to be around people that can hopefully inspire me to accept my diagnosis finally.
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Hi everyone
- Thread starter micheller
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Windy
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi Micheller, welcome to the forum. I'm a T2, so can't offer any insight into T1 (sorry). Can I encourage you to phone your GP and make an appointment about the left side numbness and pain please?
I sense that you're beating yourself up about your previous management of your T1, prior to getting the libre2. I want you to be kind to yourself, you've taken the step to join the forum and get support from your T1 peers, beating yourself up about the past isn't going to help and will bring you down.
The thing is, diabetes is fickle and changable, particularly if you're T1 and having to be your own pancreas. What would help you be less scared? Is there advice or strategies other T1s could share that would help you? Do you mind me asking if you're on injections or a pump, and what sort of insulin(s) you have?
But be kind to yourself, Sarah
I sense that you're beating yourself up about your previous management of your T1, prior to getting the libre2. I want you to be kind to yourself, you've taken the step to join the forum and get support from your T1 peers, beating yourself up about the past isn't going to help and will bring you down.
The thing is, diabetes is fickle and changable, particularly if you're T1 and having to be your own pancreas. What would help you be less scared? Is there advice or strategies other T1s could share that would help you? Do you mind me asking if you're on injections or a pump, and what sort of insulin(s) you have?
But be kind to yourself, Sarah
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @micheller . I am glad that you have found us.
Sorry to hear that you have started to get some loss of sensation on one side. The Libre is a real eye opener, and helped me to work out some strategies to reduce the size of the post meal spikes that I saw.
the things that had the greatest impact on my management were
- timing of my bolus: I now bolus some time before each meal and this varies during the day.
- specific foods that I found were very spikey for me.
Changing these had a big impact on the time in range for me.
Perhaps identify one thing to change at a time. Tap into the wealth of experience on here and just keep asking any questions that arise. Nothing is considered silly on here.
Sorry to hear that you have started to get some loss of sensation on one side. The Libre is a real eye opener, and helped me to work out some strategies to reduce the size of the post meal spikes that I saw.
the things that had the greatest impact on my management were
- timing of my bolus: I now bolus some time before each meal and this varies during the day.
- specific foods that I found were very spikey for me.
Changing these had a big impact on the time in range for me.
Perhaps identify one thing to change at a time. Tap into the wealth of experience on here and just keep asking any questions that arise. Nothing is considered silly on here.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
So, you have only recently observed you've probably been a bit daft in the past. OK, nobody's perfect and if anyone says they are - they're lying!
The important thing is what you are going to do from now on, not what you did or didn't do in the past. You can't change having T1, it's all an accident of our births, and we ourselves had nob all input into that!
Give us an idea of what you find hard to cope with, and we'll all try and help with. Have you done a DAFNE course or similar, to teach you how to match your mealtime insulin best to whatever you're about to eat?
The important thing is what you are going to do from now on, not what you did or didn't do in the past. You can't change having T1, it's all an accident of our births, and we ourselves had nob all input into that!
Give us an idea of what you find hard to cope with, and we'll all try and help with. Have you done a DAFNE course or similar, to teach you how to match your mealtime insulin best to whatever you're about to eat?
Thanks everyone for being so welcoming, it means a lot. I've made a GP appointment for tomorrow so hopefully will get a bit of clarity about what's happening maybe I'm just being a bit dramatic and it'll be nothing to worry about
I did a DAFNE course about 17 years ago now which helped a lot although I do still have a bad habit of guesstimating too much insulin.
I think the main thing that's scaring me is there's just so much I think I need to change to get this under control. I definitely need to change my diet as I get big spikes in blood sugar. I need to exercise more but then that causes knock on effects with my blood sugar. Even trying to get on top of my blood sugar on a daily basis is difficult! Moan moan moan haha. I'm just overwhelmed so don't do any of it. Anyway I'm glad to be here I think I'll find some great advice and it's inspiring to see others overcome problems.
Many thanks again
I did a DAFNE course about 17 years ago now which helped a lot although I do still have a bad habit of guesstimating too much insulin.
I think the main thing that's scaring me is there's just so much I think I need to change to get this under control. I definitely need to change my diet as I get big spikes in blood sugar. I need to exercise more but then that causes knock on effects with my blood sugar. Even trying to get on top of my blood sugar on a daily basis is difficult! Moan moan moan haha. I'm just overwhelmed so don't do any of it. Anyway I'm glad to be here I think I'll find some great advice and it's inspiring to see others overcome problems.
Many thanks again
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome from me too.
Firstly I think most of us Type1s on the forum would not seek any advice from a GP about our diabetes. They have very little understanding of the complexities and subtleties of impersonating a pancreas, so the best you can aim for from your GP is a referral to a specialist diabetes clinic under the care of a consultant if you are not under the clinic's care at the moment although if you have Libre on prescription then I would expect that it was authorised by a consultant.... If you are self funding the Libre then that is another reason to get a referral and push to get it prescribed. I would also perhaps ask for a DAFNE refresher. Spending a week in the classroom with a DSN who can oversee your levels on a daily basis for a week can really help to pinpoint issues and help you resolve them. It is also really beneficial just to spend time with other Type 1s and learn from each other and feel more "normal".
Can you tell us which insulins you are using and what problems the Libre is highlighting?
Have you discussed your loss of sensation with your doctor or consultant? I am sure I have read somewhere that diabetic neuropathy tends to be bilateral, so if it is only on one side perhaps it is something else.... but I may be wrong on that. It is still important to improve your diabetes control though even if it isn't neuropathy this time and I hope that you will find it as massively beneficial to be part of this online community because there is more experience and knowledge shared here than most diabetes clinicians will experience in a lifetime. It really is a goldmine. I have learned so much since my diagnosis 3 years ago and it really helps me mentally to be part of this community as well as practically with tips and tricks to improve my BG management. I hope you find it equally beneficial.
Firstly I think most of us Type1s on the forum would not seek any advice from a GP about our diabetes. They have very little understanding of the complexities and subtleties of impersonating a pancreas, so the best you can aim for from your GP is a referral to a specialist diabetes clinic under the care of a consultant if you are not under the clinic's care at the moment although if you have Libre on prescription then I would expect that it was authorised by a consultant.... If you are self funding the Libre then that is another reason to get a referral and push to get it prescribed. I would also perhaps ask for a DAFNE refresher. Spending a week in the classroom with a DSN who can oversee your levels on a daily basis for a week can really help to pinpoint issues and help you resolve them. It is also really beneficial just to spend time with other Type 1s and learn from each other and feel more "normal".
Can you tell us which insulins you are using and what problems the Libre is highlighting?
Have you discussed your loss of sensation with your doctor or consultant? I am sure I have read somewhere that diabetic neuropathy tends to be bilateral, so if it is only on one side perhaps it is something else.... but I may be wrong on that. It is still important to improve your diabetes control though even if it isn't neuropathy this time and I hope that you will find it as massively beneficial to be part of this online community because there is more experience and knowledge shared here than most diabetes clinicians will experience in a lifetime. It really is a goldmine. I have learned so much since my diagnosis 3 years ago and it really helps me mentally to be part of this community as well as practically with tips and tricks to improve my BG management. I hope you find it equally beneficial.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @micheller
Great that you have found us.
There are loads of us here who have drifted along with their diabetes management for years, before suddenly having a moment of clarity that things needed looking at afresh.
And you are absolutely right, it can feel a bit overwhelming to know where to start.
But joining here, being able to ask questions, share frustrations, and gain the benefit of others’ experiences is a brilliant start.
Sounds like you’ve had some good support and training in the past about intensive insulin therapy, but that perhaps one or two ‘manual overrides’ have crept in which aren’t always helpful?
Do you think it would be helpful to begin keeping notes of your meals/doses/corrections and the BG outcomes for a week or two?
Just to give you the chance to spot some patterns among the chaos.
It might also be helpful to try to soften your thinking about your numbers during the information-gathering phase. Perhaps just let some levels be as they are without trying to instantly fix them. Then wait to see what has happened when the insulin on board has run its course over 4-5 hours.
Great that you have found us.
There are loads of us here who have drifted along with their diabetes management for years, before suddenly having a moment of clarity that things needed looking at afresh.
And you are absolutely right, it can feel a bit overwhelming to know where to start.
But joining here, being able to ask questions, share frustrations, and gain the benefit of others’ experiences is a brilliant start.
Sounds like you’ve had some good support and training in the past about intensive insulin therapy, but that perhaps one or two ‘manual overrides’ have crept in which aren’t always helpful?
Do you think it would be helpful to begin keeping notes of your meals/doses/corrections and the BG outcomes for a week or two?
Just to give you the chance to spot some patterns among the chaos.
It might also be helpful to try to soften your thinking about your numbers during the information-gathering phase. Perhaps just let some levels be as they are without trying to instantly fix them. Then wait to see what has happened when the insulin on board has run its course over 4-5 hours.
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