Is it normal

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tcmonkey80

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Hi everyone, This is my first post and im going to use it moaning!
I have had type 1 diabetes since 2003, i have recieved good care from the clinic, and they always answer my question. The trouble is I get so fed up and sometimes i feel i cant be bothered with testing four times a day, then doing my injections 4 times a day. If i went swimming i would sink hehe.
The feelings i have towards my diabetes has got worse since i was redundant in feb.

Sorry to moan 🙂
 
tcmonkey80 said:
Hi everyone, This is my first post and im going to use it moaning!
I have had type 1 diabetes since 2003, i have recieved good care from the clinic, and they always answer my question. The trouble is I get so fed up and sometimes i feel i cant be bothered with testing four times a day, then doing my injections 4 times a day. If i went swimming i would sink hehe.
The feelings i have towards my diabetes has got worse since i was redundant in feb.

Sorry to moan 🙂
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Hi tcmonkey and welcome 🙂

I think that EVERYONE with diabetes has felt like this at some stage.

I stopped testing as much as I should have done and my HbA1c started to get higher, so I wouldn't advise it. Nobody wants to end up with any complications so it's best to try to force yourself to do it, at least in the morning so that you can correct any highs at breakfast to give you a good start to the day and then before lunch and dinner.

Do you know if your diabetes care team have a councillor? because if you are feeling down about everything it may be a good idea to speak to him/her.

How have your HbA1cs been?

Katie.
 
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your email. Im not sure what my readings have been, i know i have only had two since i have moved to Scotland and thats from nov 2007. I had one at my annual review, which was my first time meeting with the consultant, then i have had one since with my diabetic nurse. Since moving the diabetes have been all over the place no real pattern, and even when i test all the time i still dont get a pattern, i fact the only advice was to stop drinking coffee and diet coke!

I didnt know a councillor was available, however i can phone my nurse anytime i want, which is great but sometimes its notedical advice i am after.
 
I think you should ask your nurse how your results have been lately to see if you need to try harder or if you are doing well. You might also want to start making a food diary and try seeing a diabetes dietician to try to find any patterns with you glucose levels. You should also ask the nurse if they have a councillor you can see.

Do you go to a GP surgery or hospital? My GP surgery doesn't provide dieticians, councillors or specialist doctors so I go to my local hospital for a better service.

I am currently having the same problems, I can't control my blood sugars, they are all over the place. Ive never been told about caffeine affecting blood sugars by my diabetes team, but I have heard this rumour on the internet and I do consume quite a lot, so maybe I need to cut it out too!
 
hi tc monkey and weclome im sorry to hear of your redundancy. never apologise for moaning we all do it lol x
 
Thanks ladies, i do feel better already.
I will call the clinic tomorrow to find out what my levels have been for the last three months. x
 
Hi tc monkey, welcome to the site. If you need to moan you are at the right place. There are lots of people to listen and help when needed. Hope things get better for you soon.
 
katie said:
I think you should ask your nurse how your results have been lately to see if you need to try harder or if you are doing well. You might also want to start making a food diary and try seeing a diabetes dietician to try to find any patterns with you glucose levels. You should also ask the nurse if they have a councillor you can see.

Do you go to a GP surgery or hospital? My GP surgery doesn't provide dieticians, councillors or specialist doctors so I go to my local hospital for a better service.

I am currently having the same problems, I can't control my blood sugars, they are all over the place. Ive never been told about caffeine affecting blood sugars by my diabetes team, but I have heard this rumour on the internet and I do consume quite a lot, so maybe I need to cut it out too!
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I have never been told to cut out coffee, and i drink loads too 😱 and my sugars are not great either. On dafne soon so will find out about this hopefully.
 
Hi, being made redundant will affect how you feel too. Having a maon about it, diabetes, things in general helps.

Don't stop testing, it helps you be in control, you control the diabetes, it doesn't control you.

If there is a councilor attached to your diabetic care team or GP surgery talk to them too.
 
As I love my coffee and diet coke, I was a bit concerned to see in this thread that this appeared to be something else for me to avoid so did a little bit of probing and found these two stories on the beeb

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7209385.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3936333.stm

and this one on nursingtimes.net

http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-n...-diabetes-patients-blood-sugar/557568.article

Looks like very small studies and in Type 2 so, for me, I'm with the Diabetes UK spokesperson Cathy Moulton, care advisor at Diabetes UK who states

"Although this is interesting research, the study only examines a sample of 10 people for a 72-hour period, which proves very little.

"More research is needed before we ask people with diabetes to stop drinking coffee.

"The best way to control glucose levels is through healthy eating and exercise."

So there is simply not enough evidence to convince me - and my blood glucose monitoring doesn't seem to indicate a link either

Then, of course, there is the much larger, longer term study reported on the NHS websites that coffee might be protective against developing Type 2

http://www.ukmicentral.nhs.uk/headline/database/story.asp?NewsID=2891
 
Thanks vanessa.

I wonder why they only tested this with type 2s? Surely type 1's insulin resistance can be affected too?
 
I had to post this because the research took place in Bournemouth :D It's about how caffeine BENEFITS type 1s, hmmm:

Recently, researchers have shown that prolonged episodes of hypoglycemia can be missed -- especially during sleep -- if patients are only relying on warning symptoms or fingerstick blood sugar checks. Now, a simple dietary change may make a big difference.

Researchers from Bournemouth in the United Kingdom studied 19 people with long-standing type 1 diabetes. All participants were given a low-caffeine diet (less than 50 milligrams/day) for two weeks. Some also received caffeine capsules (250 milligram) two times a day while others received a placebo. Researchers say the capsules are the equivalent to the average daily caffeine intake in the United Kingdom. Blood sugars were monitored using continuous glucose-sensing technology.

Study results show caffeine reduced the duration of nighttime hypoglycemia with an average duration of 49 minutes vs. 132 minutes. Researchers say: ?Despite modern intensive treatment regimens, hypoglycemia continues to be an important problem for patients with type 1 diabetes. The suggested beneficial effects seen here may indicate a role for caffeine in reducing nocturnal hypoglycemia.?
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Katie, as I'm feeling a little bad tempered having just got back from the nightmare that was today's venture round the supermarket (did check and it is normal supermarket irritability rather than a hypo so no good blaming the diabetes this time), I'm going to suggest that perhaps (a) it was easier to round up 10 Type 2s as it is more common (b) some experts seem to take perverse pleasure in finding things I/we can't/shouldn't do and (c) a publication was needed by the researcher

If I was feeling a little more mellow, I'd be more generous in suggesting this was a preliminary study to test out an idea that might merit more rigourous and large scale investigation that would require full medical ethical approval et cetera et cetera. (Worked very closely with clinical academics at once stage in my life and had many an interesting conversation with the Chair of the local medical ethics committee)

Do you think I need a cup of coffee?

Bournemouth study interesting - wasn't picked up on by the national press tho in the same way
 
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