Low mood

[LittleSunflower]

Hello all, hope you’re all keeping well and diabetes isn’t giving you too much hassle.

I’ve attended DAFNE, been put on a waiting list for an insulin pump but I’ve noticed my mood is terribly low when I have a moment to think about diabetes fully.
My hba1c is not great and my sugars have been running high for about a year now. I can definitely feel the difference compared to when my sugars were in range.
I’ve had CBT for hypo anxiety which helped at the time but now I just feel completely fed up and frustrated with having to make diabetes related decisions every single day.
I am trying my best to get my sugars under control but it can be difficult as every day is different.
Any advice?
I keep crying :-(

Thanks.

 

[Inka]

You’re not alone @LittleSunflower Type1 is relentless and it can be exhausting having to think about it all the time. I’ve read different figures for how many extra decisions we have to make a day, but it’s somewhere between 180 and 380!

My advice is to be kind to yourself and keep things simple. Eat the same/similar breakfast and lunch each day so you don’t have to think or count carbs. As for the hypo anxiety, make sure you set your Low alarm around 5. Knowing you’ll be alerted in good time helps a lot. On the Libre I set mine to 5.6.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Totally agree with all that @Inka has said. You certainly aren't alone.

I would just add that our D is a changing phenomenon - sometimes just different tomorrow and back to the more expected the next day. But also sometimes just progressively changing so that bolus ratios alter AND basal behaviour alters. I think if your basal isn't giving you a "best fit" then you are chasing a moving target with trying to make your bolus work well. It is worth reviewing your basal periodically because I believe it's an essential foundation to managing one's D. I also find making a quite small change with my basal produces a noticeable improvement overall.

There is a very recent thread titled basal and bolus, with a link to a My Sugar guide for basal testing. Hopefully attached:

Post in thread 'Basal and Bolus'

Sep 4, 2024

Stupid question I am sure but does your basal insulin affect how your bolus insulin works throughout the day with meals etc. Think my body is going through one of those "changes" again lol!

I always find if my basal's out of whack, it throws everything else out. Too little basal, and your bolus is doing two jobs, bringing your levels down or trying to keep you steady when it’s also trying to match the carbs. Too much basal, and some of the carbs you bolused for will be dealt with by the excess basal.
Always worth doing a basal check, to try and find out what’s going on, before you...

• Robin