Getting sick of myself.....

[charli]

Hi to anyone reading this.

As I have no friends/family who are diabetic (yes - i am the lucky one starting the new family trend!), I am interested in knowing whether you guys feel well....?

What I mean is - that I have felt unwell for 18-24 months now. A feeling of instability or shakiness within my own skin. From the outside I appear ok, but inside I feel vacant/vague sometimes to the point that I just cannot and do not want to function normally!

My doctor believes I've lost my confidence. But not being diabetic himself how can he say if it actually feels weird?

I'm insulin dep, taking Lantus and NovoRapid plus 500g Metformin daily. I used to have great control (diagnosed in 2002), but lately HBA1C has been 8-9's. I exercise everyday, minimum 30min bike ride and normally yoga or aerobics, walking, tennis, netball etc...

I'm 34yo.

Do you all feel healthy?

Oh, and when I read your messages and the no's are in the 100's - what does that mean? I am only aware of mmol's (ranging from 2-25!!!) ???

[ShottleBop]

In the US, we use mg/dl, instead of mmol/l. To convert from your nos. to ours, multiply by 18. To convert from ours to yours, divide by 18. (Or, under the Tools menu (either at the top, or to the right, depending on which skin you use), you can find a converter to do it for you--I think the actual conversion ratio is 18.05).

What do you eat? How do you use your Lantus and NovaRapid? When do you take them? Doses?

Personally: so far, I've been able to control things with diet and exercise. Average BG for the past 30 days is 90; I do feel good.

[Subby]

Hi to anyone reading this.

As I have no friends/family who are diabetic (yes - i am the lucky one starting the new family trend!), I am interested in knowing whether you guys feel well....?

What I mean is - that I have felt unwell for 18-24 months now. A feeling of instability or shakiness within my own skin. From the outside I appear ok, but inside I feel vacant/vague sometimes to the point that I just cannot and do not want to function normally!

My doctor believes I've lost my confidence. But not being diabetic himself how can he say if it actually feels weird?

I'm insulin dep, taking Lantus and NovoRapid plus 500g Metformin daily. I used to have great control (diagnosed in 2002), but lately HBA1C has been 8-9's. I exercise everyday, minimum 30min bike ride and normally yoga or aerobics, walking, tennis, netball etc...

I'm 34yo.

Do you all feel healthy?

Oh, and when I read your messages and the no's are in the 100's - what does that mean? I am only aware of mmol's (ranging from 2-25!!!) ???

Hi Charli. I'm a type 1, and some things do work a little differently between type 1 and 2 - but what your blood sugar is doing is translatable whatever your diabetic status is, so I think my comments might apply to a degree.

I wanted to mention that when two things were happening, my A1c was higher in the sevens and eights, and when my blood sugar was fluctuating up and down a lot, I felt absolutely shocking health wise, all the time. Fatigued, exhausted, weak, prone to aches and pains, prone to depression, couldn't concentrate, moodiness, very hard to function. This went on for years for me.

On improving my diabetic control through new discoveries of ways of treating - for me that was mostly carb counting, the pump, and learning a set of workarounds for working with insulin and my body - I gained a great deal of health. For me, I feel much, much better with an A2c well under 7, and without the ups and downs such as seeing 14s and hypos every day. This has given me my functioning, and physical and mental health back.

Now, my challenges might be a little different to yours, my expectations in what BGs and A1cs I get might be a bit different to you, and my exact way of control may involve different things. I'd suggest you work on your blood sugar control in whatever ways might help you, as I think A1cs in the 8s and 9s indicate blood sugars that may not only get you very sick sooner than later, but can be causing you to feel terrible from day to day as well. Especially if your insulin use is causing fluctuation.

[charli]

Thanks for that!

Based on your conversion my bsl's range from 55-270 most of the time - with the occasional reading over 300!

I currently take Lantus 20units pre breakfast and 13 at bedtime, with a NovoRapid dose of 5units pre b/f, 9 lunch, 8 at tea time. These doses are being updated each week as I am reporting to an Insulin Adjustment Clinic at a Hospital in the city. After being diabetic for 7yrs my GP finally referred me to an Endocronologist recently, mind you - I don't see him for another 6months!

I eat relatively well - meat/vegies for dinner. Although after reading a few of the messages on these forums I am now thinking I don't look after it as well as I should.

I don't think I am fully aware of the carbs factor and am now starting to wish I didn't live in a small country town with limited resources and access to medical practitioners.....

Hopefully joining these forums is going to make me more aware of all I need to know!

[charli]

I wanted to mention that when two things were happening, my A1c was higher in the sevens, and when my blood sugar was fluctuating up and down a lot, I felt absolutely shocking health wise, all the time. Fatigues, exhausted, weak, prone to aches and pains, prone to depression, moodiness, very hard to function.

On improving my diabetic control through new discoveries of ways of treating - for me that was mostly carb counting, the pump, and learning a set of workarounds for working with insulin and my body - I gained a great deal of health. For me, I feel much, much better with an A2c well under 7, and without the ups and downs such as seeing 14s and hypos every day. This has given me my functioning, and physical and mental health back.

Subby,

That all sounds so much like how I feel - and my readings in a given day can certainly fluctuate from normal, to having 2-3 lows and then there's the resulting higher level after treating those !!
I was only 27 when diagnosed and did not meet all the "criteria" that seems to be in the media. I was not obese and was certainly physically active.
Looks like I really need to get these levels under control to see whether this is all it is......thanks again!

[brainhiccups]

Hi Charli and welcome!

You didn't mention your eating schedule, so I am curious as to whether you eat any snacks in between meals? Low carb, of course.

I have to eat a small snack between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and supper, and sometimes late evening, or I feel like I am crawling out of my skin at times, or extremely run down. This also effects my mood and energy, so for me, the in-between snacks are a must. I adjust my total daily carb intake to accomodate the snacks, and calories also.

I used to take Meformin, years ago, and I suffered from several side effects. Once I stopped the Met, I felt better overall, but my body still needed the energy boost the snacks gave me.

Best of luck!
....Kate

[mortis505]

Hi Charli and welcome to DF!

When you got your diagnosis, did they do any other testing besides a BG and/or an A1C? Sounds like your Dr assumed that you are a T2 simply because of your age. T1 can strike at any age.

Also it sounds like you are on a sliding scale for your bolus insulin. You may want to look into an Insulin to carb ratio. Discuss this with your Dr./Endo when you finally get that appointment.

In the meantime, you may want to look into a few books. Using Insulin by John Walsh and Think Like A Pancreas by Gary Schiener.

[ljjhouser]

Hello Charli,
Welcome to the Forum. This is a great place to learn and share.
It seems you are doing well watching your diet. But identify those foods that spike you BG and reduce or eliminate them (or correct them with meds). If your numbers are high and moving around a lot, there is something inconsistent in the way you eat or use insulin. But then, I am not using meds (yet) so I cannot give advice relating to med use. Others here can and will share their experiences.

If your results are not acceptable with you (good for you) - I would look for changes until they are. I think getting your BG under control is a week by week adjust and correction effort - meaning - if your BG is not under control, I feel you should not wait 6 mo. to see the doctor. If you want his advice on changes, call him - or talk with his nurse. But if your numbers are a problem at one, two weeks, they certianly will be at 6 mos.

Since I am not using any meds, (as with some others who are not) I must carefully watch what carbs I eat - both numbers and types. I must re-evaluate every week to see what changes I need to make. It was hard at first. But I soon learned there are certian foods which do not do well for me and I must set them aside to be healthy. As a result, I feel good most of the time. The few times I do not feel very well, I feel like my gut is rotting. (sorry to be so descriptive). But I also realize that I have control over it and usually can find something I ate that I should not have eaten.

Your are doing well, but may need to refine something. Don't give up. Set your goal where you will be safe. Accept advice which works for you, reject all advice which does not. If you do not feel well and your BG is not where you want it, work with your doctor about changes to correct it and get feeling better.

The first thing we all think of when dx'd is: wonder how long have we had this without knowing and if there is any damage. For this reason, I see no reason to wait 6 mos.

Again, welcome to the Forum, we are glad you are here. Post often - we can learn from you experiences just as you will learn from others here. Best Wishes, Larry

[imac]

I think that someone in an earlier post suggested getting the book Using Insulin by john walsh, it is definitely worth the effort. I am like you using insulin, I am 72 years old and have been T2 for over 20 years and still considered healthy for my age.