Need to change

[Murphyton]

Hi people, can anyone give me some inspiration or advise. I have been diabetic since 1991 and have never been a "good diabetic " i have fought it and ignored it for most of that time, apart from the odd time when i try to behave and tow the line
I started to lose my eyesight and that didn't change my mindset, but now i am in constant pain in my arms and legs and the doctor has told me it is Neuropathy.
My first thought was well the damage is done now so why should i go without the sweet stuff i love when the pain is already here, but i don't know maybe i can make it better by denying myself anything nice, but then i don't drink i don't smoke all i do is have my sweet things and now i have to give them up too.
The problem with this is that the sweet stuff helps my depression, when things get on top of me something sweet helps if only for a minute.
Any suggestions PLEASE!!!

 

[Northerner]

Hi Murphyton, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time of things, but maybe by joining here it's a sign that you really want to get a grip on things. What sort of insulin regime are you on? We often find here that people who have been diagnosed a long time are not necessarily up to date with all the latest thinking and regimes, as all the healthcare professionals they encounter assume that they already know everything!.

I think the first thing you should probably do is start a food diary so you can see exactly what you are eating and drinking, and where you might be able to make substitutions, or what things are definitely out of the picture. If you can let us know a little more about how you have managed (or otherwise!) your diabetes over the years, there may be things the members here can suggest to improve things 🙂

 

[Murphyton]

I have been on insullin from pretty much the beginnining of my diagnosis, i take Novorapid 3 times a day and levermir at night plus Glucophage tablets in the evening, my doctor wanted me to increase them to the morning aswell but i couldn't tolerate them.
A food diary is a good idea although also a scary one, and i am planning to start one.

 

[Northerner]

I have been on insullin from pretty much the beginnining of my diagnosis, i take Novorapid 3 times a day and levermir at night plus Glucophage tablets in the evening, my doctor wanted me to increase them to the morning aswell but i couldn't tolerate them.
A food diary is a good idea although also a scary one, and i am planning to start one.

Do you count carbs? What sorts of levels do you get through the day? Do you get much in the way of exercise? As you mention Glucophage I'm guessing you have some insulin resistance as well - what sort of doses of insulin are you on, and do you have particular 'problem' times of day? Sorry for all the questions! 🙂

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi Murphy,
Do you carb count? If so, you should be able to mix and match ok as long as you count the carbs.
If you don't carb count then you need to learn 🙂 google bdec and ask your care team for a carb counting course.
Hope that makes sense as blood sugar 2.4 and my eyes are crossed 😱

 

[Murphyton]

I have never heard of carb counting before, is this something like the DAFNE course i applied to my diabetic team for this course and i can't get on it until May next year.
As for sugar levels to be brutally honest i only ever test when i feel unwell, because if i cut out the sugar and my levels stay up then i get really depressed and think what is the point i might as well eat the sugar and i don't have a supportive diabetic team in my area.
Exercise is difficult as i have disc problems in my lower back so i am not allowed to do high impact exercise, and if i am going any distance on foot i need my walker even though i am only 41.
I take about 22 to 24 units of insullin 3 times a day and 32 to 36 units at night depending on how much sweet stuff i have eaten.

 

[Murphyton]

Hi Murphy,
Do you carb count? If so, you should be able to mix and match ok as long as you count the carbs.
If you don't carb count then you need to learn 🙂 google bdec and ask your care team for a carb counting course.
Hope that makes sense as blood sugar 2.4 and my eyes are crossed 😱

Thankyou very much i will have a look at this site.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I have never heard of carb counting before, is this something like the DAFNE course i applied to my diabetic team for this course and i can't get on it until May next year.
As for sugar levels to be brutally honest i only ever test when i feel unwell, because if i cut out the sugar and my levels stay up then i get really depressed and think what is the point i might as well eat the sugar and i don't have a supportive diabetic team in my area.
Exercise is difficult as i have disc problems in my lower back so i am not allowed to do high impact exercise, and if i am going any distance on foot i need my walker even though i am only 41.
I take about 22 to 24 units of insullin 3 times a day and 32 to 36 units at night depending on how much sweet stuff i have eaten.

If your team that cr*p then ask for a transfer elsewhere.
As for waiting to go on a DAFNE course do it yourself. as I said google bdec. It the same thing on line.
Unless you help yourself no one else will 😛
Sort out your basal first. which means skipping meals and doing plenty of testing.
Look in the pump section as there's a sticky for basal testing. People injecting as well as pumpers can use it.
Once your basal is right you have the start to better control.
There are a couple of books you can buy from amazon.. think like a pancreas and also using insulin. Both these will give you a good understanding on how to use your insulin correctly.
No food is out of bounds just common sense has to be used regarding the quantity and quality. 🙂

 

[Doc_Brown]

Hello mate. Welcome to the forum from a fellow newbie. 🙂

I hear your woes on the depression front. I understand the crutch of comfort eating. We all have our vices. All I can offer is what I've found helpful, which recently has been zenhabits -- this has given lots of people inspiration on how to change habits, one small step at a time.

Like Northener said, just by getting on this forum you are already taking a step in the right direction. All you have to do now is keep putting one foot in front of the other... 😉

 

[Jimbo]

I understand exactly what you are talking about and experiencing, although I am type 2, I have been in serious denial for over a year. Like you I don't drink or smoke , my only vice was the sweet stuff, I became as addicted to it as a junkie is to their "fix".
I got a major kick up the derrier in the shape of my Doc putting me on metformin and giving me a royal bollocking about my numbers being too high. The thing that turned me round and made me try and do my best and get my act together was reading another members post on here titled "love your diabetes" by queenbee01.
This lady could have been writing about me, and my need for and use as an emotional crutch, the bad habit of comfort eating. It touched me in a way I had not thought possible, I was not alone, someone understood exactly what the problem was. I spoke with her and received a lot of help and support, not just from her either I might add, the people on here are wonderful, they can and will help with emotional support and an abundance of information, to point you in the right direction. Do not be shy or afraid to ask for help, it WILL be forthcoming.
I hope you find the self belief that I did that it can be done. It won't be easy but you can help yourself live a more comfortable and pleasant life without the nasty side effects of this terrible disease, the help is here you just have to ask. Make your anger at diabetes work for you not against you.

 

[becky_boo]

Hi there, I am sorry to hear you have had such a hard time of it. Im not going to comment on the diabetes side of things because I am still new to this =) but depression? Oh yes my sister has had it bad for well over 13 years, and I have also suffered with anxiety.

It is a VERY hard rut to get yourself out of, Its hard I know and i understand the feeling of whats the point but you CAN do it!

Have you thought about creating a `dream bored'? Get a bit of card bored and get images of things that inspire you and that you wont from your life and put it somewhere where you will see it every day, do the same with post it notes with positive sayings and positive things about you. Stick them on the bathroom mirror, your bed side, places you cant escape them!
I know what its like when you are feeling down and the idea of doing anything just makes you worse! But there are simple things you can do. Swimming is low intensity and is grate!! Yoga is also brilliant. I find just taking the time, to sit in a quite room, no noise no tv nothing and just close my eyes and breath, slowly and take that time to go over everything that bothers me.

Its not an easy step, but it is a step in the right direction, taking control will in turn make you feel better. The saying that helps me is "one step at a time" and i live by that. You can get so run down by everything around you but dont. stop.
Take each thing as it comes, dont think what might happen in the future, leave that till then. Think about today and what you need to do now. If you have a bad day; oh well there is always tomorrow. Dont get bogged down by it all!!


Good luck with everything you do, I hope I have helped. I duno about the sweet thing, Maybe if you just have one day each week where you can give in to it? Easy out the sweets gradually over time? As long as you are getting it lower over time its good. Then you dont have to go cold turkey?

Hope i have helped.
Bekki