So, here's the deal. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 9 years old. I am now 19 going on 20 in a few months. To be honest with you all, I absolutely suck at controlling my diabetes. I definitely let it control me. Its terrible, I know.
I can't even remember a doctors appointment these past 10 years where my A1C has been in the correct range. I constantly feel like a failure every day because I can't seem to get a hold on this freakin' disease.
When I was first diagnosed, my parents pretty much took care of everything that I needed. They checked my BG for me, gave me my insulin, counted my carbs, etc. I took over the responsibilities when I got into junior high and from then on I've been doing just horrible.
I have tried so many times to get organized and really take control of this. At first, I do really really well, but then somewhere along the way I skip a BG check or forget to put give insulin and it just all unravels from there.
I guess I'm just putting this all out there because I'm sure I'm not the only one that has and is going through this struggle. And I'm wondering if anyone has advice to get me out of this huge problem that will affect my life down the road.
the best thing you can do is remember how mad you are at this very moment about your control over your diabetes. use that as your motivation. forget a shot or a BG check? don't let it unravel.. forgive yourself and move forward correctly.
you can get a handle on this diseae, it just takes time, patience and believing in yourself. it's so easy to let it control you, but don't you want to be able to say that you are stronger than it?
find your motivation and remind yourself of it every day. keep your head up!! you got this!
hey, Kelci! first of all, don't destroy yourself because of that. I know many diabetics, that have gone through the same!
now next, i have a few tips, that help me take control of my diabetes. i'm in the same age group as you, so maybe they will help you too.
my first motivation is, that this is MY health. I am the one thats responsible for MY health. you do it for NO ONE ELSE but YOU. if you know that, thats the first step towards better d management. don't let the consequences of bad d-management let overcome you, but having them in the back of your head is never bad.
then, make it a habit. habits are good in d-management, make it a habit to test your bg before meals, make it a habit to look at your food and estimate the carbs, make it a habit to bolus before you eat and evt. to give your basal. maybe you have someone who reminds you the first few weeks on that stuff. write motivational post-its everywhere in your house, mirror, front door, bed, oven, wherever you're gonna see them best. that way you're not gonna forget that fast. you can also set you reminders on your iphone. if you have concerns with people, who are looking strangely, ignore them, your diabetes belongs to you, you are not available without your special feature. maybe you even have a diabetic friend you see frequently who can motivate and remind you too!
if you have made your diabetes your best friend, you can start to improve your diabetes. you can start adjusting your basal, your patterns, etc. but thats your next step. first step is making it a habit. if i eat, there's like a pattern goin on in my head. how many carbs? bolus now? bg? and then my hand is already on the button of my pump to bolus.
if you wanna write down your bg's and your doses, there are many cool apps that are available, and make it easier and more conventional to write stuff down.
i really do hope that i could give you some advice, but more important, some MOTIVATION to do it. It is for you, your future, and the people that love you!
you can always write me, when you are struggling, i really hope that you can get over this bad thoughts, make diabetes your best friend, it makes it SO MUCH easier!!
Love, swisschocolate
I was SO where you are at the ten year mark (I'm at 23 years now). My A1c had never been under 10, I figured my diabetes must be fundamentally uncontrollable. It helped me to come on here and learn that there was a lot I thought I knew that I actually had wrong. It helped me to find a new endo just so I could feel like I had a clean slate. It helped me to research new D tech that might change the way I approached my D.
The BG check you skip can't be re-checked. So don't dwell on it. Check next time and adjust. Check and adjust. It helped me to leave meters all over my home/car/office. I made a deal that every time I saw a meter, I'd check. (The one in the bathroom was the best - my meter had a captive audience every time I had to pee. LOL)
And then if I checked and saw a number, that was info to act on. Maybe the action was to take no action, but I still had more data than I had had before.
Thank you all for commenting! Just reading your posts have already given me a little spark to get started. You have no idea how good it feels to know that I'm not the only one that has ever gone through this and that there is actually hope.
Kelci, I am 50 and I have gone through what you are desribing. I lived in DENIAL for 13 years and I felt fine. When I would get sick (DKA) they would tell me my BG was 900+ and I never batted an eyelash. It wasn't until my vision started to deteriorate that I learned to take control. Posssible blindness, high risk preganancy with a premature baby, failing kidneys, dilaysis at home while in college for 1 year, a transplant from a 5 year old boy that drowned. I seem to only learn lessons the hard way. Don't let these things happen to you. Some say I am lucky. I don't believe in luck. I am blessed because God takes acre of stupid people! LOL
I am 50 now and have resigned from teaching special needs kids. I am working on a book and as of today will be working with seniors to make their lives a little brighter.
Kelci, don't let D control you! You need to take control.
Jenny, thanks for your comment! My parents are constantly reminding me of the future complications that I will have if I don't take control of this disease. I am like you were.. if I'm feeling fine now I don't think about how I'll feel in the future. Your words have helped with my new found want of motivation!!
You sound just like me. Now because of my bad behavior as a kid I have severe complications. I got diabetic gastroparesis. I as tube fed for 4 years cause I couldn’t eat or drink due to diabetes. The diabetes effected my vagus nerve which controls digestion, swallowing, breathing. Anything that you do without thinking. I had to get a pacemaker in my stomach to make it work better but it hasn’t. I’m in the hospital more now than ever. I still am non compliant. I am seeing a new therapist who has suggested hypnotism. 98% of what you do is controlled by the subconscious. You have it in your brain that you suck at diabetes. If you change the way you think about diabetes, your diabetes will get better. The hypnosis will change my subconscious belief that I suck at diabetes and it will be replaced by positive thinking. My friend did it to quit smoking and she hasn’t picked up a cigarette in 6 years. I truly believe this will work. I’ll keep you posted how it goes but I’m not doing it for 3 weeks!
Thanks for sharing. I have a concern though... what is gastroparesis? I am embarrassed to admit this but when I lay down at night I pass gas like you would not believe! My husband, mMrk, does mostly all of the cooking for dinner. It seems that I "toot' less now that I am eating very few carbs and drinking just water after my one cuppa joe. It happens during the day too when I am up & about. Could this be this Gastrop. thing? I hope not! Why couldn't you eat or drink? Are you a T1 or T2? I'm sorry you feel you suck at the big D. but I must say that I am doing well now & have been for some time. It is having low blood sugar readings that worries us the most.
My father was hypnotized 40 years ago. He was an alcoholic and he saw the hypnotist and then never had another beer or drink again for the rest of his life! Do it, I bet it will change things for you!! Yes, please let me know how it goes.
