Hey all! I was on tudiabetes awhile ago but now I am back!!! I have done a lot this summer… I graduated from high school in June and was a counselor at diabetes Campanella went on vacation… Now it’s just about September and I am lost. I babysit as needed for a job and absolutely love it! I baby sit 5 kids with special needs and it is the best job in the world. The thing is I want to go to college but I need a year… I have some other health issues and will be feeling less than “good” for the next month or so… I want to be a nurse so bad but I don’t think that’s an option at this point… I have ruled out being a nurse for awhile. I love working with children with special needs but I need to build a pathway… Along this pathway a BIG HUGE need is diabetes support. I am really struggling with my diabetes right now and I need to find emotional support. I have battled this darn beast for almost 16 years. I have other health issues which love to mess with my bg. At one point I had an A1c of 6.5 but now I am up to 8.2 which is horrible for me. I like to see 7.xxx but with my other health conditions it has been terribly difficult.
To manage my diabetes I:
Test at least 8 times a day
Wear a dexcom G4
I wear an insulin pump
Change infusion set daily
Constantly am prepared for lows with all kinds of treatment and more…
I try so hard but I am not seeing the results I want. I want to have the feeling of hearing “Gabriella your A1c is 6.5 well done!” From my doctor. I am meeting with a new doctor next week and can’t wait to see my A1c. It’s about an hour away but I am excited and nervous… I hate going through this and I wish I had more people in my life who “get it”
Please respond with any advice you can possibly think of!!!
I've posted a couple discussions about my own struggles on dealing with the whole package of T1 and the difficulties I've faced; the best advice I've gotten from this community is don't beat yourself up!
We're gonna be stuck with this for a long time; there will be good A1Cs and not so good A1Cs. Trying your best, constantly improving, and never settling for less than you feel appropriate is a good place to start. So just take a breather friend, de-stress for a moment, and put your warrior armor on for the next round of battle!
As far as your list of what you do, it seems pretty solid and similar to my routine. Do you have an endo/pcp/educator who you trust that you can talk to about lowering your A1C/managing your diabetes? Personally, I know I would rather have a doctor who I can trust and takes their time getting to know me, than a brilliant doctor. I do have one question though, why the daily infusion set change? I've read a few things that suggest the day you change your infusion set your BG can be potentially higher due to "shock" from the needle entry. There's not too much I have personally read to back this up, but its a thought. I know I was recommended to change my site every three days (but I go to 4 days :P)
I know it can be so frustrating to try so hard and not see the results; that seems to be the curse of this disorder. Keep in mind that stress affects all aspects of the body negatively! Try taking a few hours a day to just accept your BG, whatever it may be (of course correct, but just try not to worry after that). Celebrate the good numbers too! You accomplished something even our own pancreases couldn't do :P
Also, how many carbs do you eat a day on average? I've recently cut down my carbs from 180 to 110 and I have seen some major results concerning my BG. Just some food for thought :)
Also, is community college or part time enrollment an option for your schooling? Most schools have a disability statement that will accommodate people with special health needs. I know it might be a blow to the ego, but I've taken advantage of this service and it has proven quite helpful. Generally just working towards your dream may aid in any mental stress that could be messing with your blood sugars.
I know these are all really general comments and most concern the concept of de-stressing. I hope this has helped though :) If you need someone to vent to, I'm always around. Good luck :)
Do you know what your A1C will be? My meter/ CGM averages are usually a pretty good indicator so that's not a huge surprise. If you want to fix things, what are you doing to fix them? I have a hard time waiting around for the doctor and usually just figure things out myself. Every now and then, it doesn't work out but, on many occasions, it's fine and I can make progress without them. Maybe do a couple more tests? I find about a dozen will "cover" most of the day.
Thank you so much for the replys. I definitely think I need to de-stress. I change my infusion set daily because it hurts too much to have it in for more than 24 hours. Sometimes I can get two days if I have a really comfy site. My body rejects a lot of things and so my old doctor said change your set daily or go enjoy multiple injections… Your choice.
I am hoping my new doctor wil take the time to get to know me and really accept who I am and not judge me for everything… I hope it works out. I expect he will be better than the old one!!! I am going to meet my new endo on Thursday!!!
Good luck with finding a new endo; just never settle. Keep going until you find one that will advocate and work with you! I'd ask about different infusion site options too. That has to be really annoying having to change that every day! What type are you currently using?
