I’ve had diabetes for about eight years now. I’m completely terrible at controlling my diabetes. Every year something gets worse and worse.
For about a year my mom wasn’t taking me to the doctor because shes “too busy…” and just recently i just went and found out bad news… My A1C had went down from 11.5 to 10.4… that was the only good news… but they found out that i have been spilling both protein and micro blood in my urine… my doctor says he thinks its “stones” because i have all the symptoms. I get terrible migraines to the point where i don’t even wanna open my eyes, terrible pains in my lower back and pains in my tummy like under my belly button. i went for all kinds of tests but they haven’t found anything yet. I’m scared and my doctor has just been telling me to take it easy and rest a lot. only bad thing about that is I’m a Dance Major at MHSA and I love too dance! So I don’t know what i would do if i can’t dance anymore because I’ve been in dance classes since i was two and a half… I’m really scared about whats ahead of me. I’m not ready for this. I hope there’s nothing seriously wrong with me…
I hardly have enough energy to do anything because i feel so tired and sick, even when my blood sugar is in range.
I test myself before every meal, before exercise and whenever i’m not feeling good.
Lately its been so hard. I hate taking insulin and I feel like just giving up. I feel like its already “too late” to change my ways because i think i’m already having complications.
Hi, how do you feel when you dance/exercise? do you feel tired?
How many times do you test a day?
Do you test before each meal? before each exercise?
I hardly have enough energy to do anything because i feel so tired and sick, even when my blood sugar is in range.
I test myself before every meal, before exercise and whenever i’m not feeling good.
Lately its been so hard. I hate taking insulin and I feel like just giving up. I feel like its already “too late” to change my ways because i think i’m already having complications.
dont qive up. it’s hard too chanqe you’re ways but you can do it!
It is never too late.
Your complication are not such a big of a deal at your age. But you need to get in control now.
You will start to feel better shortly after being in control. Being in control means sustaining your blood sugar in range. Now what is in range for you? for me in range is 100-100. I know that gives me no room for error but that way I stay on it like crazy and I make that my number one priority.
If you don’t take control of your health, everything else in life won’t matter.
So keep testing, 6 to 10 times per day. Do you have insurance? Make sure you have an Endo visit every 3 months until you are in control, then every 6 months is sufficient.
Are you on shots? using the pens? or on a pump?
Don’t give up, you are too young and all your life is ahead of you. And one day they will find something for type 1.
Stay in touch.
Lianna,
I understand you are very discouraged right now but you are young and if you do have some minor complications, it may not be too late to reverse them. Managing diabetes is a full-time job and the pay stinks…but the benefits are worth it when you can achieve good control, feel better and reverse and avoid complications. You love your dance…then do it to dance. If you are taking insulin with syringes, maybe pens would be a better choice for you…not so hard to take…if you are using pens…maybe an insulin pump and CGMS would help you achieve your goal of better control so you could feel good enough to dance. But please never give up. Keep dancing!
Well a doctor once told me (when I was your age) that I would learn to take care of myself, when I got tired of being sick and tired. He was right, when I got tired of being sick and tired i started to take care of myself. It is hard, but if you are as you describe, I suggest you may be tired of being sick and tired. There is noting any of us can tell you. You have a terrible adult disease. Like me, you have to understand that this is not something you can outrun. Young people your age are really not old enough to understand the impact of all the complications, I know I did not. But here is the deal, you don’t get a chance for a do over. Unlike most things in your young world, no one has the responsibility to look after you, except you.
I hope you get back on track, and you can do it. Whatever damage is down (if any) is done. You cant undo it. But I have nureopathy in my feet, hands and back. I have retinopathy, and I have seen first hand what kidney disease, and open sores look like. Can you prevent it? Well we know one thing, if you do not get back on track, you will likely have a rough go of it. We also know the other side, I suggest you asses your path and ask yourself the simple question,
Are you tired of being sick and tired? If so, its tiem to do something about it.
Rick
Hang in there! There are many reformed diabetics on this site. I’ve reformed a number of times (I was a very good 4-year-old diabetic, a teenager in denial, a shining-star pregnant woman, a too-busy-to-test-right-now mom, and now I’m still learning, still living).
Just a note: Your 1 percent drop in A1C is a great accomplishment.
People would cheer a 7.5 to 6.4 because that’s in recommended range. They may not cheer 10.4. But we should applaud the efforts that resulted in that drop. Acknowledging all the little steps (some forward, some back, just like a beautiful piece of choreography) and each progression it takes to achieve tight control is highly important–it helps you build on the success.
Mary Tyler Moore was a dancer - diabetic. There have been some mighty good athletes who’ve been diabetic! Athletes TAKE CONTROL! YOU grab the phone book and get to an Endocrinologist (call them up and find out if there are some diabetes educators on staff who can help you REALLY TAKE CONTROL!)
I’m hearing you say you’re testing, but THEN what? There’s a bunch of ways you can TAKE CONTROL and specialized people can HELP you. You’re ready for HELP!!
Also do a little research project with yourself, keeping a record of what foods do to your blood sugar. I’m guessing they’ll help you find other foods and a diet that will help you stay at 95-110, not up there in the 170s. It will take a bit of working out, but then you can make two columns, things you CAN eat and things you CANNOT eat.
This is my 8th anniversary, too! Best wishes.
hi, Lianna, welcome here. It’s never too late to make improvements in your care. I’d suggest taking baby steps forward. Like Leona said, keeping a log is a good place to start. I myself use a big pad of paper, so I have plenty of room to write test results, boluses, what I was eating, exercise, and anything else I want like moods, stress, or sleep depravation. Then when I go to the doctor he can see trends better. Set yourself a goal, say, testing so many times a day, and when you do it, reward yourself, it can be a small reward, like new earrings or a new dance item. We’re not going to let you give up! Please let us know how you are doing, we won’t blame or shame you here, no matter what, we want to help.
Don’t give up, Lianna.
I can’t begin to tell you of the stories of folks in the community that have been able to bring down their A1C from higher values to the 6-7 range.
You can do it: one day at a time. When you feel like giving up, watch this video:
Hi Lianna.So sorry to hear about your complications and completely understand your frustrations. That’s what we are all here for! I am a dancer myself, but I am too paranoid to go back to class yet because i’m so scared of going too low! Also, it is never to late to change your ways! Chin up girl!
I was diagnosed at age 10 and had a really rough few years in college. You’re going to be okay - you just have to reclaim your control. I was a busy student and didn’t test enough or accepted all my out of range numbers as part of life. With an A1c that high, your blood sugars have to be awful, hon - and maybe when you’re not looking (like after meals). What range do you allow yourself to run in? Are you trying to correct to a target range at all or are you taking insulin more haphazardly? I strongly suggest you see what your 1-hour post-meal blood sugars are for a while - they’re the ones that truly spike your A1c.
I had kidney stones from age 20-25 and don’t anymore (now 29). I was told I’d lose my eyes several times due to retinopathy I was developing in college. I regained control and my eyes are lovely today with no discernible damage. But the secret to everything is like Rick said - you have to be tired of feeling sick and tired. You have to see that there’s only one way to reverse the complications. You need to rethink your testing targets, your insulin dosages (and perhaps your types or therapies of insulin - pump for instance), and your diet. You need to see what you can do to reduce spikes that occur after meals or during stressful times. You may need to increase your basal (long-acting) insulin, too.
I’m so sorry your going through all this! But don’t give up! Have you been to a gastrologist? I would keep going to a Doctor until they find something! If the Doctor your seeing now doesn’t help you continue on to the next one! You know your body and you know it’s not well! Please take care!!
Lianna, it’s ok to feel FED UP! Every diabetic has some really bad, low feeling days. Sometimes it just plain sucks, this disease and all the responsibility, but you know there are always good days too! Don’t feel that it’s “too late” to change your ways. You are the one in control of that. You are dancing, and that is very athletic. You have seen some improvement in your A1C and that’s great. I don’t mean to give the “back in my day” speech but when I was diagnosed thirty years ago we didn’t even have the ability to keep track of our blood sugar levels (only urine tests) and there were no A1C tests yet either. Oh, and one injection a day (can you imagine how we functioned with that huge amount of insulin in us in the first few hours after the shot – I can’t believe it now.) But there are many of us diabetics who are still going strong; I have great eyes and kidneys so far. You can take control and keep complications from happening, and remember, the doctors feel they have to scare us to keep us “in control” but I feel that sometimes that can cripple us too because if something goes wrong we feel like a failure, and I think you’re feeling some of that right now. Your body is willing to heal. I hope your tests tell you what is causing so much pain. Please feel better. You are on your way!
There are many groups that will help I mean Really HELP YOU. First call you local town board of health and ask for whom in the community can help you… CALL. Call your local Lions Club and ask for them to look into getting you help. If they act stupied tell them a You know THEY CAN HELP YOU. Lions can get you free testing supplies and rides to appts. Second. call you doctor and tell him/her what is going on Talk to him/her asap. I understand your depressed and I undersand being sick sucks… I am in bed four days a months and my doctors sucked also. I got other doctors and went after the local health people, Lions, doctors and hospital to get help. YOU have to fight for this. You sound wonderful and smart lady. Many groups can - will help you. American Diabetes through you community can help you… Please reply and let me know if this helped. PS www. Lionsinternational.com call them if you local lions do not help you. email me also I will get on them to help you… LOL Lion Marcia
my range is 100-130.
i’m on both the lantus pen and the humolog pen.
i used to take novolog but i can’t anymore cuz the insurance I’ve got now doesn’t cover it anymore…
I’m not gonna give up and I’m gonna change my ways. i realized it would help out a lot in the long run.
I’ve tried to get on a pump but at the diabetic clinic they told me i can’t get one until my A1C is in the 7 percent and it hasn’t been that low since i was like 12 and im 17 now… my last A1C was 10.4 though… so i did make a little progress, but still not enough.
Thank you.
I understand exactly what yer saying. it made perfect sense to me. as soon as i get under control then it wouldn’t be so hard… but actually getting under control… is hard work.