Yesterday I had a frank discussion with my DH. I have not had good control of my diabetes for a while now, and he was becoming very concerned. With love and compassion in his voice, he asked me to consider if complications in the future will be worth my indulgence today. I broke down and cried because I truly hate living with diabetes. It is a disease that I can't see now, but years down the road could wreak havoc in my body. I am an active, fit, 47 year old woman and have been living in denial. So I started testing my blood sugar, counting carbs, measuring food, using the appropriate amount of insulin, keeping my BG and food journal, and I have had excellent control for a day and a half now. It takes time and discipline, but it is definitely worth it. This all started because I have a broken foot and have been in a cast for 4 weeks. My DH saw my discouragement at not being able to exercise, or walk for that matter, and he could only imagine what it would be like if I didn't have a foot at all. I hope all of you have someone in your life who will care enough to speak the truth in love.
How courageous of him to have that talk with you, and of you to share it here! I had a similar realization recently, and you're right--it doesn't make sense to indulge now, considering the complications down the road. Congrats on your realization and best wishes to us all! Thank you for sharing! xoxo
well, what we forget to remember is that type 1 diabetes effects the entire body, every nerve, cell, blood vessel, muscle too, every organ. i've been sick lately and I was again made very aware of (by ER docs and GI and Internist) how fragile we as type 1's are...especially type 1's because our immune systems are compromised, we have an autoimmune disease. yeah, i don't want to think about this either...but you're around my age and our bodies don't get younger. this is a long, progressive drawn out disease. i hate it too..but we have no choice. do the very best you possibly can to control it, we have the tools, only WE can do this. I too was an extremely healthy, fit, active woman, with abosultely nothing physically wrong with me, before this hit..now I feel like my body is falling apart. It scares the h@ll out of me and I have good control...! I sometimes forget how bad this disease really is until I do get sick then I hear the doctors say, "she's a type 1 diabetic"...it's like every little things becomes STAT in their eyes and then i'm told over and over, your body doesn't heal right, work right - normal. It's scary.
good luck! don't wait until you're very sick because it could be too late.
Congratulations, Dusk, on facing reality and making changes. It is not easy, that is for certain. I am glad you reached out!
Way to go getting results! I don’t talk to MrsAcidRock that much but she is a great deal of support.
I think it is pretty normal for most folks to not think too hard about being diagnosed with diabetes (especially Type 2) and not paying too much attention to it. Type 1 takes a little more management, but it can be looked at as doing the minimum to get by.
Having said that, I am happy that most people who are afflicted with diabetes have that AH HA moment, where they seek the help of someone, something, higher power, and a combination there of to help them get their life back together. I am grateful that the AH HA moment has happened to you and you have a wonderful support system to help and guide you along. You have made the commitment to your DH and yourself for better control equaling better life with diabetes. Congratulations to you, and all the best for keeping that commitment. The commitment is life-long and keeping that commitment means a long life.
Be well.
Brian Wittman
It says your last a1c was 6.7 though haha (not to sound ignorant)
Thank you Lauren. my husband has taken it on himself to eat like i eat. While on an outing to home depot, he almost bought a candy bar, and then remembered that I would not be able to do that spontaneously, so he refrained himself.
This is why my orthopedic surgeon didn't go straight to surgery to pin my ligament and bone. He was concerned about the healing process from complications with diabetes
Thank you melitta
I'm glad MrsAcidRock is a great support for you!
Thank you Brian.
Thanks Super-Sally
Unfortunately I let the 6.7 slide and haven't had the A1c done since last August. I frequently allowed myself to run in the 300- 400 range, and wasn't being careful. Today my son came over and showed me a picture on google images of dry gangrene caused by diabetes, and i was horrified. This picture will be going on fridge.
Ahh are you like steady at those numbers or just spiking there and coming down? gotta look on the bright side!
spiking, and then lows,
but enough to want to manage better. love your optimism though!
Good luck but the truth is its not really as controllable as some suggest. One big reason we need a cure but just to give you an example I had a 59 sugar this afternoon and just checked 20 min ago because I felt my body burning up which is a symptom of high sugar and sure enough 318. I did nothing to my knowledge any different then yesterday and they ran much better yesterday. There are way too many factors involved and if it were controllable you wouldn't see thousands of people on forums talking about their haywire sugar levels because they wouldn't be haywire. If you don't feel like total hell from high sugars you've won half the battle. The complications I think are more genetic then anything. I think if you have good genes and keep your A1C's under 8 you're chances are pretty good of avoiding complications.
^ not very realistic on a daily basis though I'll get days like that sometimes also. But hey the more erratic my sugars run the better my chances of getting a transplant. Remember its the most brittle diabetics that usually get helped first. I'll confess I am the most bitter angry diabetic on this forum and I have no shame admitting it. I hate diabetes far more then an EX-wife bleeding me of every cent I make.
It's very realistic on a daily basis. It's pretty much my goal. If I don't hit it, I don't beat myself up but I usually get at least 3 or 4 of them/ week? I don't care about "help" right now. I'm in charge of it. I don't think you have much chance of getting a transplant. Other than your peculiar pathology, the numbers you report aren't that "off"?