Tired and frustrated...

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FairyNuff

FairyNuff

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Here I am, 2 weeks after my diagnosis and my blood sugar levels haven't changed at all. I dream about sweet food, the naughtiest thing I have done is put the tiniest smear of jam on my toast. Everything else is perfectly balanced, I've lost weight apart from on my bump.

Am now on about 100 units of insulin a day, I started on 12! The professionals say it's due to the pregnancy hormones... but they scared me at the diagnosis telling me the risks to the baby "but that'll be ok because your levels will come down now".

Sigh.

I have no energy, none, I go to the supermarket and that's about all I can manage per day, and I have a baby due in 10 weeks, I need to do stuff! Ah thanks for listening, I'm just crying out for a bit of sympathy lol 🙂
 
FairyNuff said:
Ah thanks for listening, I'm just crying out for a bit of sympathy lol 🙂
Click to expand...

You have it!

No advice from me though for sooooo many reasons. 😉

(e.g. I'm a bloke, I'm Type 2 and I'm not pregnant)

Andy 🙂
 
Hi fairy.

If your levels are always high, it may be that you're muscles are not getting the glucose they need due to lack of insulin in your system.

No idea how you can remedy it other than inject even more but you would think the med staff could offer a bit more support when you're newly diagnosed.

All I can offer is sympathy and hope your levels come down a bit.

Rob
 
Fairy Nuff - sympathy assured, annoyed on your behalf for lack of support from proefessionals, plus a few facts that I hope will reassure you, at least a bit:
(1) most people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes start off on low doses of insulin, which gradually rise, until blood glucose levels are under control
(2) your baby has probably only been exposed to high blood glucose levels for a short time, as your condition was probably picked up earlier because you're pregnant that it would have been if you weren't pregnant.
(3) your energy will start to improve once blood glucose levels are under control; however, all women, diabetes or not, get tired in later pregancy - sorry, just trying to be honest
(4) your insulin requirments will vary with stage of pregancy, after the birth, and with breast feeding (for however long you do so)
(5) keep asking if there is anyone with special interest in / responsibilities for diabetic pregnancy - it might be that they've been away since you were diagnosed, although someone should have explained
(6) have a look in Pregnancy section of this board for futher advice, experiences etc of currently / recently pregnant members.
 
Hey all 🙂 Thanks for the support, it really does help!

I do have to say my diabetes specialists have been very nice, sympathetic and informative. It's just the lack of progress that is getting to me. I would have hoped that the insulin would have done something by now! Saying that, my before dinner reading was 8.9, the first time it has been under 9, so maybe I should have hung on for that one! I'll try not to panic if it's back at 23 tomorrow :/

The only other option they gave me was to be re-admitted and put on a constant insulin drip until we get somewhere, but I've only just got home and got my boys back from in-laws so I'm reluctant to say the least!

I'm worried I'm becoming a diabetes bore as well, what did I talk about before this diagnosis! Does this happen to everyone? 🙂

And you're so right about that tiredness Copepod! Especially when it's number 3! x
 
Am I right in thinking you're 3rd trimester? If so, your insulin requirements will probably keep going up until you deliver the baby. During my first pregnancy by 39 weeks when Hannah arrived I was taking around 140 units a day, and that's on a pump so lower than someone using injections. If I was still on MDI I reckon I'd have been on close to 200 units a day. My 2nd successful pregnancy I was on close to 100 units a day at delivery, and that happened at just over 31 weeks gestation.

Also, I think it's natural to talk about it a lot, it's a massive change in your life and of course it's fairly all-encompassing just at the moment. Don't worry though, I go for weeks/months without mentioning it now, and that's only 26 years on... 😛:D

I hope you're getting good antenatal care from a specialist team now, and will get some growth scans etc.
 
Thanks Cate 🙂

I am 29 weeks now, do you mind if I ask about your delivery at 31 weeks, were you induced? Due to baby size? I understand if you don't want to go into details of course...

I am off for another growth scan tomorrow, they are doing it fortnightly now as she was measuring 32 weeks last time.

You made me feel a lot better about the insulin units, thank you 🙂
 
No probs 🙂

And I don't mind you asking. The early delivery wasn't linked to diabetes at all. It was a twin pregnancy, but one twin died at 26 weeks gestation due to TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome). Due to that and an infection my waters broke early, and initially they planned to manage that as long as possible with me admitted to hospital and on antibiotics etc. However, my little monkey was extended breech (standing on the cervix) so they had to whip him out there and then! He spent 5 weeks in neonatal and came home mid-March - he's nearly 7 months old now :D

Oh and also, take the growth scans with a pinch of salt - I had them with my daughter (now 3). They estimated her weight at around 8lbs at 38 weeks. She was delivered by section at 39 weeks 3 days, at 9lbs 8oz 😱 They told me afterwards that the growth scans have at least a 10% error rate (ie baby could be 10% lighter or heavier than they measure).
 
Ah yes, I did know about your twins, I just wasn't sure of the actual reason for delivery. Glad your monkey is doing so well. 🙂

Will bear that in mind about the scans and try not to panic!
 
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