J Phelan
Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi, I was diagnosed at aged 9 on New Year's Eve 1977 (doctor claimed it was a tummy bug until I went into a coma and my Father drove me to the hospital). Matters were different then - animal insulin and a very strict regime of carbohydrates every two hours. Over the years they purported that animal insulin would no longer be available and forced me to take the newly created "Human" insulin (as it was then called). Unfortunately, I believe the change to have contributed to depression when I was about 15 years old and subsequent foolish acts as a result. Despite perfect diabetic control when I was 21, I had a miscarriage for which I had no help nor counselling. I then spent most of my twenties involved in a variety of abusive situations, alcohol and drug abuse but came out the other side (albeit after three years of agoraphobia and through focusing my addictive tendencies on other matters).
In my thirties I continued to become "obsessed" by stupid things but managed to forge a sense of normality and managed to gain a good result in a degree through the Open University. Unfortunately, my propensity for alcohol has reared its ugly head over and over again and my diabetes, obviously, became more and more unmanageable resulting in a few trips to A&E where my husband could not rectify the situation. Continuing depression resulted in taking a huge insulin overdose at work - a result of which I lost my job. Three months later I had kidney failure (a situation I only know through anecdotal references) but was placed in an induced coma for 6 days and three additional weeks in hospital. Laughingly, once off the drip, I wanted to be able to do my own injections - 24 hours later the pharmacy finally provided two Flexpens (one of Novorapid and one of Levemir) but no needles for them! You can imagine my immediate reply but, to remove expletives, I asked whether I was supposed to drink them!
Over this last two years I have tried to get better but memory loss has hampered me somewhat. In addition I have found that since last Christmas my lethargy has increased to such a degree that I generally sleep for over 14 hours a day and have little interest in very much at all - if possible I avoid leaving the shambles of the house even when "self medicating" with a certain narcolepsy medication and/or alcohol. Food is an effort so am living on Weetabix drinks or protein drinks and Lucozade in order that the long acting insulin does not make me go hypo (or get DKA).
I have read a few articles about depression and diabetes (due to the highs and lows in blood sugar levels) and am interested if anyone else has had similar problems regarding this. When I refer to nasty hypos I generally assume blood sugar to be somewhere between 0.7 and 2.2 mmol.
I also wish to stress that it is entirely possible to have two separate conditions and that others who are Type 1 Diabetic should not assume that such a situation is common to all especially to those who have not abused their diabetes in such a way for forty years.
In my thirties I continued to become "obsessed" by stupid things but managed to forge a sense of normality and managed to gain a good result in a degree through the Open University. Unfortunately, my propensity for alcohol has reared its ugly head over and over again and my diabetes, obviously, became more and more unmanageable resulting in a few trips to A&E where my husband could not rectify the situation. Continuing depression resulted in taking a huge insulin overdose at work - a result of which I lost my job. Three months later I had kidney failure (a situation I only know through anecdotal references) but was placed in an induced coma for 6 days and three additional weeks in hospital. Laughingly, once off the drip, I wanted to be able to do my own injections - 24 hours later the pharmacy finally provided two Flexpens (one of Novorapid and one of Levemir) but no needles for them! You can imagine my immediate reply but, to remove expletives, I asked whether I was supposed to drink them!
Over this last two years I have tried to get better but memory loss has hampered me somewhat. In addition I have found that since last Christmas my lethargy has increased to such a degree that I generally sleep for over 14 hours a day and have little interest in very much at all - if possible I avoid leaving the shambles of the house even when "self medicating" with a certain narcolepsy medication and/or alcohol. Food is an effort so am living on Weetabix drinks or protein drinks and Lucozade in order that the long acting insulin does not make me go hypo (or get DKA).
I have read a few articles about depression and diabetes (due to the highs and lows in blood sugar levels) and am interested if anyone else has had similar problems regarding this. When I refer to nasty hypos I generally assume blood sugar to be somewhere between 0.7 and 2.2 mmol.
I also wish to stress that it is entirely possible to have two separate conditions and that others who are Type 1 Diabetic should not assume that such a situation is common to all especially to those who have not abused their diabetes in such a way for forty years.
