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Hi

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I'm really new to this. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2003 aged 24. I have tried all medications and I've been on insulin now for about 7 years. I'm not really over weight and I've never had much pain from diabetes so I've never really complied with my medication. At the moment I take insulin 2-4 times a week though I know it should be twice daily. My sugars are usually high, between 19 and HI on the monitor. I am Married with 2 young kids but can't motivate myself to take the medication. I know I need to now, I have a number of health conditions due to the diabetes and get grumpy quite a bit but I can't get my head in gear.

Can you think of anything I could try to get on track please?

Luke
 
Hi @LukeIthink - how about me asking you if you want to be around to see your kids grow up? How about I tell you with blood glucose like that you won't. Or that you wouldn't be as grumpy as you are if you started treating your diabetes properly and therefore didn't have such ridiculously high BG?

Nobody can force you to do it. YOU have to WANT to.
 
The motivation for me would be that my daughters and grandchildren have a grandmother and my children would not end up being my carer when they should be enjoying their own lives. I lost both parents as a teenager and it grieves me that they did not live to see my children make a success of their lives, I assume that would be what you want for your kids for their father to see them grow up, get married and have kids of their own. You may not see that if you don't take your condition seriously.
 
It sounds a little stupid but I think a part of it may be a form of self harm. Like I don't feel I should make it, I don't feel I deserve all that. I need to focus on how that would affect others though. I think I know that but I need to voice it and need to keep reminding myself. Thank you Leading lights and trophywench for your comments.
 
LukeIthink said:
It sounds a little stupid but I think a part of it may be a form of self harm. Like I don't feel I should make it, I don't feel I deserve all that....
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I've come across more than a few people with the same condition, usually junkies and alcoholics, but I also had an ex-girlfriend, a trust fund babe, who, with a life most people could only dream about, was constantly complaining: "I am so unlucky, I am so unhappy". She would seek sympathy from total total strangers and sacrifice everything for a kind word. Consequently, she was a real a danger to herself and placed under court-ordered protection.

What really helped her was having goals, (getting out from under the conservatorship,) and living a life of her choosing rather than the one chosen by her family. However, once her family, who had practically disowned her, realised that she was getting her life together, they decided to step in with "Oh she's okay now, we know what is best for her. We will take it from here." This, of course, resulted in her almost immediate hospitalisation.

After a few years of her see-sawing between me, her family and hospital, I had had enough and gave her a choice: She was either with me, in which case our relationship would be formalised with the courts by me being named as the "responsible person", (her Doctors and Conservator were fine with this by the way,) or she was with her family.

Unfortunately, making truly erroneous assumptions about the nature of our financial relationship, which, to their credit, the girlfriend, Conservator and the Doctor all tried to correct, her family was convinced I was bluffing and browbeat her into staying with her father and sister as the "responsible persons". I wasn't: Before I met her I had a great life. The only thing I ever got out of the relationship was the grief and frustration of dealing with the arrogance of her family.

LukeIthink said:
.... I need to focus on how that would affect others though....
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Noting that you have a young family, focusing on how your actions affect others is a good first start, but you also need to address the underlying cause of your dissatisfaction. In my ex-girlfriends case, there were a number of reasons, a very dominate, competitive younger sister combined with the conflict between her desire to lead a bohemian lifestyle and her parents desire for her to have a respectable career being the most immediately obvious, but having a sociopath for a father didn't help either.

Only you know what is at the root of your dissatisfaction, Once you can be honest with yourself about this, you and your wife together can then work on the solution.
 
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LukeIthink said:
I'm really new to this. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2003 aged 24. I have tried all medications and I've been on insulin now for about 7 years. I'm not really over weight and I've never had much pain from diabetes so I've never really complied with my medication. At the moment I take insulin 2-4 times a week though I know it should be twice daily. My sugars are usually high, between 19 and HI on the monitor. I am Married with 2 young kids but can't motivate myself to take the medication. I know I need to now, I have a number of health conditions due to the diabetes and get grumpy quite a bit but I can't get my head in gear.

Can you think of anything I could try to get on track please?

Luke
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Sorry to hear that you’re struggling @LukeIthink You completely underestimate yourself if you think you’re not worth looking after. You’re unique. The only one of you in the whole world and I’m sure you have plenty to offer. Harming yourself by not looking after your diabetes is indirectly harming your family. Think how much more energy you’d have to look after your children. Also think what advice you’d give them if they were unlucky enough to develop a chronic health condition. You can set them a good example - not just regarding health, but how to overcome difficulties in life.

Start with small steps. What insulin do you take? Grit your teeth and take it every day. Do what works for you - set an alarm, count the times you inject as you should and reward yourself. Anything that helps. I also suggest you speak to your GP for support - and, of course, post here. We understand what a drag diabetes is.
 
Hey @LukeIthink welcome to the forum! If there is anything you would like to ask, please feel free to respond! We are happy to help in whatever way we can 🙂
 
LukeIthink said:
It sounds a little stupid but I think a part of it may be a form of self harm. Like I don't feel I should make it, I don't feel I deserve all that. I need to focus on how that would affect others though. I think I know that but I need to voice it and need to keep reminding myself. Thank you Leading lights and trophywench for your comments.
Click to expand...

Firstly, thanks for being open and honest with us @LukeIthink

Coming clean like that isn’t easy, and it feels like something you have been thinking about, and wrestling with for a while. Knowing something is not right about your situation, being able to see the negative outcomes you and those you love are experiencing, but somehow not seeming to be able to make a start to improve things.

Diabetes is associated with negative impacts on mental health, and high BG levels can physiologically trigger low mood and the grumpiness you mention (along with the feelings of frustration or even ‘failure’).

Have you ever mentioned how you feel to your GP? I wonder if you might be able to access some support (counselling, CBT, social prescribing, medication) that might help your mood?

You clearly love your family and kids, and you can see the impact, and potential future impact, of the way diabetes is bearing down on you.

It feels like you were diagnosed not overweight, and at a fairly young age of only 24. Was the possibility of T1 or LADA investigated?

I wonder if it might be easier for you to engage with a more flexible insulin system MDI or Basal:Bolus - more injections per day, but more flexibility and often better outcomes - more ability to actually get your levels to behave.

But as a start, setting SMART goals (specific measurable achievable relevant timely) would be a great start.

Eg take your morning dose every day for a week.

Hang in there buddy. We are rooting for you.
 
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