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living with diabetes

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lisad

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
hi all,
finding it hard to manage diabetes even though i was diagnosed 2 years ago. i had gestational diabetes but it didnt go after the baby. i feel down and angry as i was always active and of slim build. i hate taking insulin as i never get it right so i don't eat through the day when i'm at work to prevent hypos. vicious circle really as i am tired all the time and home life suffering even though i am only newly wed. is there anybody else like me?:confused:
 
Hi lisad

I have been type 1 for 16 years now and it has not got any easier. Sadly type 1 has not got much to do with whether you are active or slim, most T1s are underweight at diagnosis due to DKA and there are a lot of people here who do marathons and are very sporty.

This board is a good place to come for support and some people do manage to live really active full lives with diabetes. There are good education courses like DAFNE out there. Once your blood sugars are steady you will feel better. You should eat during the day. I know how scary it is to have high blood sugars and be afraid of complications but you need to eat. Is your husband supportive? It does help for loved ones to be involved and educated about diabetes. Feel free to come and vent here or ask any questions you may have.
 
I got Type 1 diabetes as a fit, active 30 year old, 13 years ago - although I wasn't pregnant. So, yes, it is frustrating when people assume that all adults who get diabetes are fat and lazy.
When you say "home life is suffering", I assume that means with your baby and its father / your partner?
I found the most useful thing was getting the appropriate insulin regime for me - I had to ask to change from bimodal to basal bolus (and still have no idea how anyone thought it was right for me!) and some carb counting guidance from dieticians, some 8 years after diagnosis, although I'd worked out a lot for myself by then. I still haven't got on a DAFNE course (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating), but think that is the thing to ask for - or at the very least, an appointment with a dietician.
However, it must be tough, working, with a toddler, and still relatively newly diagnosed - there are plenty of parents who will speak from personal experience about the challenges of toddlers, even without diabetes!
 
Not eating will also put you in a bad mood(!) - and may also inadvertantly raise your blood sugars as you are not giving your body any food/insulin it will release glucose from your liver. It sounds as though you may have a problem with giving yourself the right amount of insulin. It varies for everyone - but I suggest you buy the Collins Gem to Carbohydrate Counting (?3.99 and fits in your handbag!) so you get an idea of how many carbs you are eating and adjust your insulin according to how much you are eating. Most people with Type 1 diabetes start off with 1 unit of insulin to 10 g of carbs to get an idea and then take it fom there - some people may only need 1 unit per 12g or 1 unit per 8g of carbs. I do not do mine that accurately - but it works for me - but then I have been carb counting for 35 years! I do go through stages of over injecting too - none of us are perfect - but please try not to get annoyed as you have it now and it doesn't go away! You just have to get the better of it! Good luck and keep posting! We are all here to help!
 
Hiya Lisa, can symphathise, have been there, its bad enough coping with baby, work, and life in general without having to cope with diabetes on top of that! You should try and see a diabetic nurse, I have found them more helpful than consultants, and dont let yourself get too down.
 
lisad said:
hi all,
finding it hard to manage diabetes even though i was diagnosed 2 years ago. i had gestational diabetes but it didnt go after the baby. i feel down and angry as i was always active and of slim build. i hate taking insulin as i never get it right so i don't eat through the day when i'm at work to prevent hypos. vicious circle really as i am tired all the time and home life suffering even though i am only newly wed. is there anybody else like me?:confused:
Click to expand...

Hi Lisad, it is amazing how everything happens at once. I was 46 when diagnosed and then lots of major things happened in my life and it was difficult to cope. Things are still difficult sometimes, but we adopted an adorable little boy so I look on the bright side and enjoy my time with my family.

When I find things are tough I come here or a I find a friend to talk to.

Enjoy your time with baby. You are not alone, and everyone here is very supportive. With the vast ammount of experience on these boards, there is sure to be an asnwer from someone.

I hope you feel more re assured with the replies so far and are feeling happier.
 
Hi,all
Im diagnosed as diabetes type I since 8 years ( Iwas 13 years old when diagnoses with it).
at first I made itas achallenge for me so Istudied hard and went to medical college now Im in 5th stage in college ..bet nowadays Ifeel depressed and my diabetic not controlled and I have the feeling that the pt with diabetes are different from other so I msad all day andcry and hate myself so please anyone help me ..
 
Hi Flowertear!

I have a son aged 10 just diagnosed with type1. I can only guess how you are feeling - but you have done amazingly well going to medical college - so why are you sad? Other people on here will tell you that it doesnt matter if your diabetes hasnt been controlled well in the past - start tomorrow looking after yourself- if you do you may start to feel happier - if your levels are all over the place then you will feel depressed anyway - so if you can - try to eat well and check your levels then it will help i am sure. Keep posting on here and you will get as much help as you need - you dont need to feel alone! Bev x
 
Hi Flowertear,

I'm sorry to hear about how you feel. We all get like this from time to time. Myself included. Living with diabetes is a challenge, there is no denying that. I would say that you've taken a big step by putting your feelings out into the open on these boards. It takes a brave person to seek help as you have. I find that it is best to talk this sort of thing through. If you want you can chat to me over MSN (raybans1990@hotmail.com) feel free to add me. As far as managment of diabetes goes, we all have bad times. There is no way of escaping that. However, they do come to an end, trust me on that one. I definitely understand where you are coming from when you say that you hate yourself. I find that there are times where I think "well why didn't I do that? It could have saved me so much trouble." You will have times like these but it is far better not to dwell on them. Pick yourself up somehow and move on.
The people on these boards are always willing to help by listening and talking. Do not be afraid. Youve have made the first and hardest step of putting your feelings out into the open by asking for help. It takes someone very brave to ask for help. You've done really well to ask for it. We will do our best to help you.

Tom H
 
hi Flowertear

I'd totally agree with Bev and Tom's advice, I reckon most of us have felt as you do at sometime or another, and it can become a vicious cycle, feeling upset by it all will send your levels haywire, then bad levels make you feel even worse. As Bev said, try not to dwell on what has gone wrong previously, start afresh and celebrate when things go well, trying not to worry too much on when they did. Maybe buy yourself a book on diabetes or get yourself on a self-management course to give yourself that boost to restart and take small steps with it.
Do let us know if we can help in anyway.
 
Flowertear, can I ask where you are based? Some of the terms you use don't sound like UK. You're very welcome here, but advice will be UK / NHS based. If you're looking for internation support, and enjoy going into mountains, then try Mountains for Active Diabetics / MAD http://diabetic.friendsinhighplaces.org
But, please remember these feelings of frustration when you meet patients with chronic health problems, not just diabetes, as a qualified doctor.
 
flowertear said:
Hi,all
Im diagnosed as diabetes type I since 8 years ( Iwas 13 years old when diagnoses with it).
at first I made itas achallenge for me so Istudied hard and went to medical college now Im in 5th stage in college ..bet nowadays Ifeel depressed and my diabetic not controlled and I have the feeling that the pt with diabetes are different from other so I msad all day andcry and hate myself so please anyone help me ..
Click to expand...

Hi flowertear

I think you should get some help. The first thing to do is try and control your blood sugars. A few years ago I had similar problems and when I got my blood sugars under control I did feel better.

Medical school is difficult and if you need counselling or support you need to tell the college. Maybe some time out would help? You could take a few weeks to focus on your diabetes and get it under control with the supervision of your doctor or nurse, and not think of other things like college or exams, since stress like that will make your blood sugars worse.

Do you have friends or family to support you? Do they know how you are feeling?
 
Hi all 🙂
Im very greatful for you thats what everyone with diabetes need areal friend who understands and know feeling of each other and get help so Im very glad for your help thanks alot.🙂🙂 I will get your advices ..(I m Iraqi girl and live in IRAQ..)
 
Flowertear, welcome again to the boards - sorry, I only know a few words of Arabic - and not many other users of these boards could understand.

One other place that might be able to help is http://student.bmj.com/ British Medical Journal Student magazine online. In fact, there's a report of an internship in Iraq on the front page now.
 
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