Hey everyone, my name is Alana, im from Northern Ireland and I'm 31 years old. I've been a type 1 diabetic for 15 years now and currently on an insulin pump along with the Freestyle libre 2 sensors. I have 2 young children so life can be a bit hectic. About 2 months ago I hit a diabetic "burn-out". I want to get better and feel better both physically and mentally hence why I became a member for Diabetes UK. I'm hoping between the learning zone and the forums I can really get back on track again.
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
-
Learn more about joining the Diabetes UK Support Forum team here: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/volunteering-opportunities-why-dont-you-join-us.112862/
My first time...
- Thread starter Lana92
- Start date
- Status
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Lana92
Sorry to hear you’ve had a patch of burnout. It is not at all uncommon, and plenty of folks here will be able to sympathise completely with what you have been through.
Great to hear you are feeling ready to try to get things back on track a little now. Have you been offered any extra support from your clinic or GP surgery? Do they know that you have been through a tricky period?
Feel free to offload here, rant, moan, wail, and of course celebrate those occasional Diabetes Genius occasions where all your guesswork spectacularly falls into place for a tricky meal / buffet / kids birthday party / [insert your food nemesis here].
Be kind to yourself and ask away with any questions. Or let us know what you are finding difficult and/or frustrating. Folks here will “get it”. 🙂
Sorry to hear you’ve had a patch of burnout. It is not at all uncommon, and plenty of folks here will be able to sympathise completely with what you have been through.
Great to hear you are feeling ready to try to get things back on track a little now. Have you been offered any extra support from your clinic or GP surgery? Do they know that you have been through a tricky period?
Feel free to offload here, rant, moan, wail, and of course celebrate those occasional Diabetes Genius occasions where all your guesswork spectacularly falls into place for a tricky meal / buffet / kids birthday party / [insert your food nemesis here].
Be kind to yourself and ask away with any questions. Or let us know what you are finding difficult and/or frustrating. Folks here will “get it”. 🙂
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome from me too.
Sorry to hear that you have hit a bit of a crisis with your diabetes management but totally understandable with 2 young children to look after. Diabetes takes up a lot of mental headspace and when you have little ones to think of first, it must be incredibly difficult to find time to focus on your own needs too..... although of course it is still important that you do so, to keep yourself healthy to be able to look after your children. I really hope that you find being here on the forum and comparing notes with others and perhaps learning some tips and tricks to make life a little easier will improve your situation. We are all different in how we approach our diabetes but hopefully some of the tactics and strategies that each of us use to manage our individual diabetes will work for you too and help you to get back on track.
Which insulin do you use and which pump? Is your pump closed loop with the Libre? If not, is that a possible option for you or perjhaps to have a different CGM prescribed that will closed lop with your pump?
Have you considered having a pump break to see if just that will help change your perspective a little. I don't have a pump but sometimes I start to feel like Libre is "the spy in the cab" and resent it, like someone is watching and judging me all the time. I know this is not the case, but sometimes your perspective gets warped and you get things get out of proportion. Anyway, when I start to feel like this, I take a break from Libre. I will confess that the first night is horrid as I always feel so vulnerable without it, but I remind myself that I managed fine without it before and I can again and sure enough I do, but after a few days, I really start to miss it and appreciate how much easier it makes my life and by a week later I am desperate to be using it again and my resentment has changed to love for how wonderful it is and how much it improves my confidence and quality of life.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say, and it doesn't just apply to relationships!! A few days or a week without Libre and I am overjoyed to have it back and all the resentment I felt towards it before is gone. Anyway, that is my experience and may or may not be something that you want to try to see if it will help you. I am sure you will get lots of other suggestions from other members.
Sorry to hear that you have hit a bit of a crisis with your diabetes management but totally understandable with 2 young children to look after. Diabetes takes up a lot of mental headspace and when you have little ones to think of first, it must be incredibly difficult to find time to focus on your own needs too..... although of course it is still important that you do so, to keep yourself healthy to be able to look after your children. I really hope that you find being here on the forum and comparing notes with others and perhaps learning some tips and tricks to make life a little easier will improve your situation. We are all different in how we approach our diabetes but hopefully some of the tactics and strategies that each of us use to manage our individual diabetes will work for you too and help you to get back on track.
Which insulin do you use and which pump? Is your pump closed loop with the Libre? If not, is that a possible option for you or perjhaps to have a different CGM prescribed that will closed lop with your pump?
Have you considered having a pump break to see if just that will help change your perspective a little. I don't have a pump but sometimes I start to feel like Libre is "the spy in the cab" and resent it, like someone is watching and judging me all the time. I know this is not the case, but sometimes your perspective gets warped and you get things get out of proportion. Anyway, when I start to feel like this, I take a break from Libre. I will confess that the first night is horrid as I always feel so vulnerable without it, but I remind myself that I managed fine without it before and I can again and sure enough I do, but after a few days, I really start to miss it and appreciate how much easier it makes my life and by a week later I am desperate to be using it again and my resentment has changed to love for how wonderful it is and how much it improves my confidence and quality of life.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say, and it doesn't just apply to relationships!! A few days or a week without Libre and I am overjoyed to have it back and all the resentment I felt towards it before is gone. Anyway, that is my experience and may or may not be something that you want to try to see if it will help you. I am sure you will get lots of other suggestions from other members.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome @Lana92 🙂 Sorry to hear you’re suffering from burnout. It’s a horrible thing. I had it recently and still do to some extent but it’s much improved. I found lowering my expectations helped. I relaxed my control ever so slightly, and that relieved some of the pressure. A small change but a big effect. I also chose easy meal options where I knew the carbs so there was no counting or worry. I took one day at a time; made sure to not dwell on ‘bad’ results; and reminded myself that I’m not alone ( this forum is great for that).
When you have young children, Type 1 is an extra nuisance and its presence can make you feel very resentful too. Remember, you can only do what you can do. Quite often I don’t get a chance to pre-bolus for my evening meal, but I no longer agonise about it. Sometimes it’s just not possible to co-ordinate everything because young children are unpredictable.
When you have young children, Type 1 is an extra nuisance and its presence can make you feel very resentful too. Remember, you can only do what you can do. Quite often I don’t get a chance to pre-bolus for my evening meal, but I no longer agonise about it. Sometimes it’s just not possible to co-ordinate everything because young children are unpredictable.
- Status