Hi I've been a diabetic for nearly 30 years and I am struggling alot at the minute. I just can't seem to get my head around the fact that I cannot eat rubbish! I hadn't been to the diabetic clinic for a few years and went back at the beginning of this week, my HBA1C was 9.1, my diabetic nurse told me all the complications that will set in if I don't get this down. I just can't seem to be consistent with my eating! I am trying really hard and my bloods have been good this week but if I get upset or something annoys me I just want to go and eat chocolate! I am only 38 years old and have a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children and I want to be around to see them grow up! Has anyone got any tips on how I can stay on track and get this HBA1C down? xx
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Very high HBA1C
- Thread starter nonnie851
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Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Nonnie, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about the HbA1c, but well done on getting motivated to improve things! It's never too late to learn and you may find that a lot of the more recently diagnosed people here have had access to information that everyone treating you assumes you already know. I've seen lots of people have 'lightbulb' moments and really managed to improve their levels, so I hope that with help and support you can achieve this too 🙂
What insulin regime are you on? Have you ever been on a carb counting course, such as DAFNE? It sounds like you have already identified the chief factor in your problems with control - your comfort or binge eating. I'd suggest as a starting point you begin a food diary and also record your pre-meal and one and two hour post meal levels so that you can get a better picture of how things are. Although you are not new to diabetes, I'd also recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas - it is a tremendously useful reference guide to Type 1 (of all ages, don't be misled by the title, I'm 52!). Just browsing through it may give you some ideas of things you can try or ask your nurse or consultant about.
What sorts of things do you normally eat? A lot of people follow the GI or GL diet principles - eating food that releases glucose slowly and steadily instead of causing potentially harmful spikes - The GL Diet for Dummies is a useful introduction.
Please ask us any questions you may have, nothing is considered 'silly', so whatever it is - ask! 🙂 I look forward to hearing more from you!
What insulin regime are you on? Have you ever been on a carb counting course, such as DAFNE? It sounds like you have already identified the chief factor in your problems with control - your comfort or binge eating. I'd suggest as a starting point you begin a food diary and also record your pre-meal and one and two hour post meal levels so that you can get a better picture of how things are. Although you are not new to diabetes, I'd also recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas - it is a tremendously useful reference guide to Type 1 (of all ages, don't be misled by the title, I'm 52!). Just browsing through it may give you some ideas of things you can try or ask your nurse or consultant about.
What sorts of things do you normally eat? A lot of people follow the GI or GL diet principles - eating food that releases glucose slowly and steadily instead of causing potentially harmful spikes - The GL Diet for Dummies is a useful introduction.
Please ask us any questions you may have, nothing is considered 'silly', so whatever it is - ask! 🙂 I look forward to hearing more from you!
Robster65
Senior Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi nonnie. Welcome. 🙂
I'm afraid I can't think of any magic spell that will make chocolate less appealing, but it sounds like you may benefit from talking about the way you respond to, and cope with, stressfull or emotional situations.
Could you ask your GP about some form of counselling or maybe your husband could help you if you work on it together. There are some good books about coping skills that you could maybe try ?
Is there any aspect of diabetes that you're not too sure about that we can try to bring you up to date on ? Sometimes, understanding the issues better can give you more power to argue against your 'demons' and resist temptation.🙂
Rob
I'm afraid I can't think of any magic spell that will make chocolate less appealing, but it sounds like you may benefit from talking about the way you respond to, and cope with, stressfull or emotional situations.
Could you ask your GP about some form of counselling or maybe your husband could help you if you work on it together. There are some good books about coping skills that you could maybe try ?
Is there any aspect of diabetes that you're not too sure about that we can try to bring you up to date on ? Sometimes, understanding the issues better can give you more power to argue against your 'demons' and resist temptation.🙂
Rob
Copepod
Much missed Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome Nonnie.
As you've identified, your problem seems to be comfort eating, without the necessary insulin to prevent blood sugar rise. If you use basal bolus or MDI (multiple daily insulin) regime, you can match carbohydrate intake with short acting insulin.
If there's no DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) course, which covers carbohydrate counting and much more, near you, or a long waiting list, there's an online course here: http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
As you've identified, your problem seems to be comfort eating, without the necessary insulin to prevent blood sugar rise. If you use basal bolus or MDI (multiple daily insulin) regime, you can match carbohydrate intake with short acting insulin.
If there's no DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) course, which covers carbohydrate counting and much more, near you, or a long waiting list, there's an online course here: http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi Nonnie
Sorry to hear you are struggling
The emotional aspect of wrestling with this condition day-in day-out shouldn't be underestimated.
How 'possible' do you feel it is to take control? I only ask because I had a sudden 'lightbulb' moment last year where I realised that if I was honest I had always resented the target levels I had been given. Had always felt that I was doing as much as could be done, and that anyone who thought I could do better just had no idea.
In short I had never really 'owned' my own target range. It didn't feel like I could meet it, and to ask me to felt 'unfair'.
But several things made a big difference:
It took a while, but my A1c has rarely looked better.
Good luck with your own efforts to get better control. Keep asking questions and let us know how you are getting on
M
Sorry to hear you are struggling
The emotional aspect of wrestling with this condition day-in day-out shouldn't be underestimated.
How 'possible' do you feel it is to take control? I only ask because I had a sudden 'lightbulb' moment last year where I realised that if I was honest I had always resented the target levels I had been given. Had always felt that I was doing as much as could be done, and that anyone who thought I could do better just had no idea.
In short I had never really 'owned' my own target range. It didn't feel like I could meet it, and to ask me to felt 'unfair'.
But several things made a big difference:
- I began to test more frequently and write EVERYTHING down.
- This made patterns easier to spot, and where things just seemed bonkers, it meant I could come on forums like this and say 'Ehhhhhhhhhh?!? What happened here..?'
- I picked the brains of the collective online diabetic brain and found out all sorts of things I had never really understood before
- I revised my targets, then tightened them, then revised, then tightened. Trying not to beat myself up when I got it wrong
- I made small steps trying to solve one problem at a time. Breaking it into chunks made it seem more manageable
It took a while, but my A1c has rarely looked better.
Good luck with your own efforts to get better control. Keep asking questions and let us know how you are getting on
M
novorapidboi26
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome from me................
with the right education you will discover that you can eat what you want, when you want with good control of blood sugar..............obviously eating fatty foods brings other problems, but you can still keep your blood sugar stable if you get to grips with carbs, insulin and absorption.........
to make you feel better, maybe, before I attended the DAFNE course, I was on a mixed, twice a day insulin and my HbA1c was 11.8..........😱
with the right education you will discover that you can eat what you want, when you want with good control of blood sugar..............obviously eating fatty foods brings other problems, but you can still keep your blood sugar stable if you get to grips with carbs, insulin and absorption.........
to make you feel better, maybe, before I attended the DAFNE course, I was on a mixed, twice a day insulin and my HbA1c was 11.8..........😱
Thank you all so much for making me feel so welcome and its nice to feel as if people genuinely care. I use novorapid insulin 3 times a day and then at night I use Lantus solostar. I am doing well but have been up the last 2 nights with hypos and I have difficulty controlling my eating when I wake which then results in high blood sugar in the morning. My diabetic nurse is enquiring about the DAFNE course for me as she also thought it would be good for me to attend. Thanks again for your warm welcome and I shall keep you all posted on how i'm doing! xx
Hi Nonnie,
I have found over many years (heading towards 50 years a diabetic)that whilst diet, insulin and exercise are all important worry and stress can have an even bigger influence. Personally I find a small amount of healthy stress lowers my BG's but unhealthy stress sends them soaring. Unhealthy stress is really awkward to deal with as you can do everything by the book and find your BG up in the teens. I find this demotivates me and makes it worse. Over recent years I have been as low as 6.1 but peaked at 10.2 when problems with ageing parents and at work got to me. Even if your life seems stress free it is worth taking a step back to ensure it really is. Sadly daily medication and constantly thinking about what you eat adds to it!
All the best,
Stephen
I have found over many years (heading towards 50 years a diabetic)that whilst diet, insulin and exercise are all important worry and stress can have an even bigger influence. Personally I find a small amount of healthy stress lowers my BG's but unhealthy stress sends them soaring. Unhealthy stress is really awkward to deal with as you can do everything by the book and find your BG up in the teens. I find this demotivates me and makes it worse. Over recent years I have been as low as 6.1 but peaked at 10.2 when problems with ageing parents and at work got to me. Even if your life seems stress free it is worth taking a step back to ensure it really is. Sadly daily medication and constantly thinking about what you eat adds to it!
All the best,
Stephen
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