Diabetic too long complications now.....

[ltrevena]

hi there, Im new at this, thought I would give it a try so that I could chat to people with diabetes and see if there's anyone with the same problems as me. Im 29yeras old and Im on the pump . I now have retinopathy and nephropathy and Im feeling very scared. Can anyone shed some light?
lulu

[mageerobin]

Tell us a little more about yourself.

How long diabetic?

Type 1 or 2?

What meds?

[Cinnabon]

Hello Lulu and welcome!

I have had T1 for 23 years. I have Retinopathy and on a pump, as well. I waited too long for getting on a pump. My blood sugar control is real good, but my eyes keep hemorraging. We have to keep fighting and maintain as best control as possible, Are you under good care now?

[ltrevena]

Hi, yes Im under very good care and Im trying very hard to keep control, but I never seem to have the same day with my sugars. I keep reading all these forums about people who have had T1 for years and have no complications at all and they had bad control, its not fair. I know I cant think that way but Ive just recently found out about my kidneys and Im freeked. I have overt nephropathy and need to see a kidney specialist. And , like you I hemorrage all the time, infact I have one now, Im lucky though , they seem to clear quickly.
:wink:

[Cinnabon]

Im very glad U are under good care. I just had a Vitrectomy and still had a hem. I know its hard to stay positive, but you must. We are here for you. I know it seems unfair, but we have to do all we can to stay as healthy as possible.

[scara]

hey there, I'm pretty new to all this, but the one thing I can say for sure is that coming here will help things... there are some amazingly intelligent, caring and experienced people here to lend a hand. Welcome, and keep posting!

[Mick]

Hi, Lulu, and welcome to the club here! I've been type 1 for 41 years, with no significant complications. I am not pumping, and have been on a fairly tight schedule of MDI for about 10 years now. I have struggled to maintain good control all my life, sometimes succeeding pretty well, other times not so well. Your statement that, "I never seem to have the same day with my sugars" struck me full-force--that is SO correct. Whenever we seem to be well controlled, just hang on for a day or 3, it will change quickly enough and you'll have to start again with control. We never know why. We just keep struggling to keep some sort of an even keel amidst the constant changes our bodies keep making. However, the better your daily control is, and the harder you work at it, the healthier you will stay and the longer you will stay that way. So keep on keeping on, never lose hope, and stay focused on the day-to-day.

Michael

[lgvincent]

I've had it for 38 years. So far, the only problems I've had are neuropathy, which isn't too bad, except for eating, and spilling some protein in the urine, which started 10 years ago. I don't know why I don't have any problems with retinopathy. I only know three other diabetics locally and all of them have the problem.

[ProudNanaof5]

Welcome to DF...:wavey: So glad you joined us. You'll discover lots of info here.

[xMenace]

hi there, Im new at this, thought I would give it a try so that I could chat to people with diabetes and see if there's anyone with the same problems as me. Im 29yeras old and Im on the pump . I now have retinopathy and nephropathy and Im feeling very scared. Can anyone shed some light?
lulu

I got u beat on 2 of 3! :reddy: No Neuropathy yet.

[jefftj]

I'm 49 now and was diagnosed at 9. I went through a procedure in 1976 as a preventive measure. It was a study going on at that time. I had vessles sealed off on my retina. I don't think they use it as a preventive anymore but they do use it to seal leaks. It uses a laser. With me, they burned out large areas because they didn't know what would leak and I was left with some blind spots but no retinopathy. I would ask about the laser surgery to see if it's avalible. Good luck. Jeff

[sugarfree76]

Hi Lulu,
welcome to a GREAT place!!! :five:
The key is stay positive. I'm 30 and on the pump. No problems (thank god).
Well, my eyesight could be better, but I think it's more because of years of video gaming and computer monitors, than diabetes (and NO, I'm not fooling myself)
I get down sometimes....but we have to remain positive. (the great friends here reassured me of that a little while ago)
Just do what you can to keep what you have!
Be Well!

-Mike

[jjames]

Hey there Lulu,

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I guess I'll echo what everyone else has said: need to stay positive. I'm 23 years old, and was diagnosed when I was 15, so I've had T1 for 8 years. I took care of myself for the first three to four years, but the last four to five, I made the gradual stupid decision to stop all medications and stop testing my BG. Four years of an HA1C above 13 was sure to do some damage. I'm starting to develop neuropathy, and my vision isn't the best (and I'll also say staring at a computer since I was 6 probably hasn't helped.) But anyway - I can relate to being young and already having some complications.

I wonder if the people that have had major complications (kidney failure, complete vision loss, amputations, etc.) care even after the complications to take better care of themselves, and I wonder how much it could have been prevented.

[MJM]

Hi Lulu, I'm a diabetic for 48 years and 15 years ago I developed Retinopathy. Luckily I had lasar treatment that took, in total, about 1 year to complete, attending every few days in the early stages and then gradually extending the time to Months. It saved the sight in both eyes so luckily enough I was caught in time. I still have to go for half yearly visits to have my eyes checked but so far no further problems. If you can avail of lasar treatment by all means do. I'm 61 tomorrow and only need reading glasses at night time in the unnatural light. So don't be scared. Get what help that's available to you and fight for everything else. Keep the chin up and go for it.

[Simons]

Hello Lulu and welcome!

I have had T1 for 23 years. I have Retinopathy and on a pump, as well. I waited too long for getting on a pump. My blood sugar control is real good, but my eyes keep hemorraging. We have to keep fighting and maintain as best control as possible, Are you under good care now?
I have been insulin dependent, type 1 for 63 years. I now do have some complications but am still able to live by myself and take care of myself.
Simons:biggrin:

[dgrilli]

took care of myself for the first three to four years, but the last four to five, I made the gradual stupid decision to stop all medications and stop testing my BG.

How long would a T-1 last without meds? I was able to stop meds and gradually got worse and worse sick til finally the emergency room? Before the pump. It seams I burned out my ability to make sufficient amount of insulin.

It seems now in only a couple of hours of my pump stopping my BG's climb very fast. Example a simple occlusion ignored for a couple of hours while I sleep is a guaranteed BG approaching 300.

I normally wake up at about 140ish now wilst I do not mind because I do not want to take the tour. When I go low while sleeping I have severe nightmares without fail, anyone else notice this?

[hadi_1975]

Hey there Lulu,

I wonder if the people that have had major complications (kidney failure, complete vision loss, amputations, etc.) care even after the complications to take better care of themselves, and I wonder how much it could have been prevented.

As far as i know, the DCCT showed that good blood glucose control not only could prevent or delay the eye and kidney problems in type 1 diabetics but also slow the progression of established eye problems and to a lesser extent advanced kidney problems. i think you should put your efforts not only on your blood glucose control but also blood pressure and lipids. i have heard that eating less protein in your diet would also help to slow the progression of you kidney problem.