obsessive

[Kaylz]

Before diagnosis I really struggled wit OCD (washing my hands constantly, might sound stupid but I am now wondering if it was my bodys way of trying to tell me there was something wrong with me and I wash trying to wash it away I know sounds really crazy) anyway since diagnosis that has disappeared and now my obsession has taken over as checking my bs all the time, every post breakfast and post lunch, this is more because that is when it was most likely I was hypo and as a couple of times I was only 3.9 I didn't have strong symptoms, I am now comfortable that my change in ratios has solved the hypo problem but I still get the urge to test just wondering if any of you guys have any advice on how to break the habit x

 

[SB2015]

Hi Kaylz

I was advised to only test if I was going to do something with the result, or I was about to eat or drive. I still tested a lot more than that at the start and it took me a long time to feel confident enough to reduce my testing. You are still pretty new to all of this so there is still a lot to find out.

For me i reduced my testing once I started to record as this focused on premeal, and I gradually reduced the ones in between. I also try to avoid testing within an hour of food as this can lead to stacking of corrections, even with the meal rise feature that my meter allows, but the actual rise very much depends on what I have eaten.

I am not restricted the number of test strips so I do what I feel I need to and this varies at times.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I think extreme OCD symptoms can be bad but it doesn't sound like its that bad for you...do you feel it is.....?

its not a bad thing testing after breakfast and lunch and if it keeps you away from hand washing and light switches that good....😉

 

[trophywench]

Do summat else, Mrs! - get your head stuck into a bloody good book, get a crossword book, sew/knit/crochet something, go for a walk, clean the loft out, do some housework/ironing - ANYTHING else, at 'danger' times.

No danger in me becoming obsessive about anything whatever that might require physical input from me! LOL

 

[Robin]

I think it's natural to want to test a bit more if you've just had to tweak your ratios, as you have at breakfast, just to make sure things have settled down. Maybe after a few days, do what Trophywench suggests, and get stuck into something else that'll take all your attention, and you'll find you've not given it a thought. (says me, I'm the sort of person who will check my watch every five minutes, just because I can!)

 

[Amigo]

Kaylz, OCD isn't a life choice, it's a condition but it's a condition you constantly need to fight against. It's what anxious people do to mitigate anxiety and it's no good just telling you to 'stop it!' 🙄 Sounds like the manifestation of your OCD has shifted from the hand washing to testing but I sense you're an anxious person anyway in some ways. Being afraid of hypos is a real issue but the main thing is finding balance. I sense you have a fear of losing control generally hence your anxiety about getting levels and ratios wrong.
Have you ever had treatment for the OCD? I'm thinking of something like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

 

[Kaylz]

Thanks guys, I do try to concentrate on something else but its like my brain knows when its nearly at the 2 hour mark, I'm fine if I'm out and about its just when I'm in the house, no @Amigo I've never even spoken to anyone about my OCD, it was that bad that my hands were red raw and the skin was so dry and tight, it looked like they had been badly burned at some point but thankfully they are looking much better now, my surgery is one of the worst for trying to get appointments and the receptionists fob you off as much as they can so it got to the point I wouldn't go unless I really needed to x

 

[Amigo]

Thanks guys, I do try to concentrate on something else but its like my brain knows when its nearly at the 2 hour mark, I'm fine if I'm out and about its just when I'm in the house, no @Amigo I've never even spoken to anyone about my OCD, it was that bad that my hands were red raw and the skin was so dry and tight, it looked like they had been badly burned at some point but thankfully they are looking much better now, my surgery is one of the worst for trying to get appointments and the receptionists fob you off as much as they can so it got to the point I wouldn't go unless I really needed to x

If you get like that again, you really do need to see a doctor Kaylz. Sod the receptionists! It's a real condition and causes untold distress.

 

[SB2015]

Thanks guys, I do try to concentrate on something else but its like my brain knows when its nearly at the 2 hour mark, I'm fine if I'm out and about its just when I'm in the housex

This sounds like a very good reason to get outdoors. The forecast is good for the next efw days. Is there anything you could get stuck into out of the house.

 

[Kaylz]

This sounds like a very good reason to get outdoors. The forecast is good for the next efw days. Is there anything you could get stuck into out of the house.

Not really, there are no shops where I live and the parks that used to be nice are now filled with drug takers and horrible teenagers haha, there aren't even any local groups or clubs or things to go to x

 

[stephknits]

How about some volunteering? There are loads of organisations that need help and would benefit from a conscientious person like yourself. I am busy at work, especially when teaching, so testing would be a huge hassle, apart from pre-meals.

 

[Kaylz]

I used to volunteer in the Salvation Army Charity shop but it's not the best of places to be with mould growing on the 'pen' walls, its that damp we once found a frog in ones of the pens haha so I wouldn't go back there due to the mould and that, I will have a look around and see if there is anywhere else though x

 

[sunny sanghera]

I wash my hands a lot to and now there dry and scaly so have stopped I don't like touching my iPhone after I eat anything before I wash my hands but am generally a tidy person as well as OCD at times