I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes at the age of 13, its been 5 years and about 7 months.
For the first 3 years I had perfect A1C levels. They ran around 4.5-5s. But then I started losing control. My levels started to elevate and kept going up no matter what. This past year they have reached 13+. Recently I have started to control my diabetes instead of letting it control me. Today I had a check and my level was 10.1. I know thats a really bad level but it actually dropped 1.4 points in two months. My doctors have worked with me on diets and exercise habits but I recently graduated high school and now I have stopped exercising and don’t eat as healthy.
I need some help. My boyfriend is a very supportive man and he does what he can to help without controlling me and it does impact alot for me BUT I need to find a way to get my levels down. If someone could please offer tips or even recommend a way to get better control of myself I would appreciate it.
I’m worried that I am going to lose control again. I want to get healthier but beingon my own with the majority of my family about three hours away doesn’t help. I have tried getting a support group together at my clinic but all my efforts were lost causes. I have just myself, my doctors, and my boyfriend for support and it is getting harder.
PLEASE if you have any suggestions i would appreciate them.
I think youll find all the support with members of TuDiabetes. I’m a type 1, since many years. My A1C was so high a few years ago!!! And I know it’s so hard for us to keep control. What is your insulin? Do you make lows and highs? I’m with shots. Did you try pumps? Don’t worry.
How can I help you? I get my levels down because I learnt to count carbs and my insulins needs. I walk 50 minutes every day but I’m older than you and I have complications. And I can tell you that sometimes I really don’t know why I’m low ar high. Diabetes type 1 is a strange companion. I hope to have news from you soon.
Hi Amber,
I was dxd at 12 and that was about 31 years ago. I have an opinion. I was shocked when I got diagnosed. It is a horrible shock. I went to the hospital and felt terrible. Then the insulin and diet thing made me feel better, wow I have control of this! Look at my a1c 5.6% I am a genius and I have it all figured out! And it’s not even that hard! Well the “honeymoon” name is even more apropos than the medical people think =).
Depression set in for me, feeling helpless and out of control. Knowing that I may be able to keep it up but… forever….forever? no way. It’s exhausting. It’s paralyzing. The severity of my paralysis shows up in my A1c.
Control for me is not about a fight, it got easier to understand when I got some help regarding my depression. Right now, for me, it doesn’t feel like a lot of work, mainly because of my much-improved self esteem and acceptance regarding my chronic disease.
There are ways to feel better. There are ways to get the control you need without a struggle and fight. And after all, it’s not just a balance of every morsel you eat and every muscle you move and every tenth of a unit of insulin… it’s how you feel.
There is a great book called “Diabetes Burnout” by William Polonsky that helps name this stuff and figure out what to do with it. Here’s a link.
I was dxd in 1970 at age 7. I’ve also struggled with control and such over the years. Sometimes it’s gets hard to constantly manage things and I find myself getting lazy. And when that happens I don’t do things in a consistent manner.
Judging control by A1c is a little like driving by using the rear view mirror. Can you improve your daily control? I’d focus on that and not the A1c. Get you’re over nite sugars where they should be then worry about your daytime ones. See if you can get an appointment with a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and start keeping good records of blood sugars, meals and dosages
Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask question, not only on here, but of your doctor and CDE.
