Josh,
Im sorry to hear that :(
I haven't taken any medications for it, but Paul mentioned Zoloft and so have others to me. WHen they happen, I just try to calm myself down (takes about 20 minutes at times) and deep breaths. Oh, and someone telling me that Im not going to die. I always think Im going to die for some reason when I am in the middle of these God awful things...
Hi Nicole -
Are you living in Canada? I know that in Canada, psychiatrists are covered under medicare. Can you talk to your endocrinologist or Nurse Educator about referring you to a counsellor or therapist who deals with kids/teens with chronic illness? We did that for my diabetic daughter, and just having someone to talk to who understands, and can give you methods to help you cope makes a big difference. Other possibilities: are you associated with a church or other religious organization? Pastors, ministers etc are quite experienced in dealing with the trials of long term conditions. Is there anyone at school who can help you, or connect you with someone to talk to? When we asked for help for my daughter's anxiety and stress about diabetes, we were told that virtually all type 1 kids and teens need counselling or therapy before hitting adulthood. What you are experiencing is very common, and you are right to want to get professional help from someone whe knows what you deal with every day. Another possibility: contact your local JDRF branch and ask to be matched up with a mentor in your area. These are JDRF volunteers who are around your age, and have gone through what you are going through. They are a greate source of support!
re pumping: We switched to a pump when my daughter was 10, and we have never regretted it. Life without injections is possible, and very liberating. I hope you can swing the purchase of one - it's definitely worth finding out if you can get insurance to cover it. Many people find that their A1Cs improve with the more exact boluses, and your quality of life improves with the needle-free, more discreet pump use.
You sound like a great 16 year old, Nicole, and I know the daily struggles with T1 suck. YI hope this helps you find someone to help you through the rough patches - and keep up the testing and injecting. You deserve, and can have, a full life doing whatever you choose to do if you take care of yourself. All the best -
Mariam in Winnipeg, Canada
Nicole, I think that this is the absolute most difficult time of life for a person with type 1 diabetes. At your age, hormones are going crazy, and for us females, this can be the reason for high levels that just don't seem to respond to insulin. So it isn't YOU and what you are doing, probably. It may just be insulin resistance caused by hormones. Maybe you can find some comfort in that.And wildly swinging hormones can also make you feel very depressed. That may be what is going on with you.
If you can't get a pump, see if you can get your doctor to prescribe smaller needles. I weigh about the same as you, and actually, 116 is still pretty small for a girl of your age -- you have never weighed this much because you have never had an adult-sized frame before. You are probably at just about your adult height right now, and 116 sounds pretty normal if you are an average height. Check this link to see what normal weights are supposed to be for various heights: http://www.flat-stomach-exercises.com/ideal-body-weight.html
I suspect that you don't have much body fat at 116 pounds, and the standard sized needles may be a bit too large for you. Because of my small size (118 pounds at 5'3" tall), my doc prescribes needles that are this size:
Capacity -- 1/2 ml cc Length: 8 mm (5/16") Gauge: 31G (Note: the higher the number of the gauge, the smaller the needle size)
So maybe that will help with the shots. I truly almost don't even feel these and they don't bruise me. The standard sized needles do hurt more and I find that they cause bruises. The small ones can be ordered by any pharmacy. I also notice that the worst place for bruising (ouch) is on the top of the thighs. If you prefer to use thighs for injections, try going on the SIDES of the thighs. Less big blood vessels, less pain, and no bruises.
The food cravings may be because your body is not using insulin well -- hence the high glucose levels. This causes you to crave certain foods. Believe me, I have been there. I remember having awful food cravings. Once you can normalize the levels for a while, these will go away, trust me.
The best advice I can give to you from years of doing this is to increase how often you test and adjust to what the numbers tell you. Don't think of the numbers as good or bad, for we then get into a guilt thing, and I truly think that this is the root of a lot of depression in folks who have type 1. Numbers are merely neutral info that tell us whether we need more insulin or more food. Not good, not bad, but info to direct you. The non-diabetic person's brain and pancreas do exactly the same thing -- adjusting when levels go too far up and down. We just have to test and do it ourselves. I found a great improvement when I started testing every 3 hours and adjusting -- that way, if I miscalculated my insulin or food at a meal, I could catch it and fix it with a couple more units of insulin or some juice if I was a bit low. Doing this prevents the swings from going real high or low and brings your levels in the normal range more often. And then the food cravings just go away.
Your dog will continue to give comfort. Animals are great that way. And the people on this forum care, too, for we all walk in the same shoes. We do understand. I hope we can help you. We certainly care.
{{Nicole}} -- Hugs!!
Is there any one at your school, like a guidance counselor, you could check in with? When I was in high school (or maybe it wad late middle school?), I felt like I couldn't stop eating, couldn't get my numbers under control, and just felt totally overwhelmed. I didn't know how to talk to my parents about it. So, I talked to a nurse at my diabetes summer camp, who talked to my mom for me. Or, you could also try having any doctor (not only your endo) talk to your Mom about it.
Also, if you're running high, it's probably making you feel more sick and depressed. Can you and your parents call your endo ASAP about raising your insulin dose? For me, some lower numbers, even if they aren't all in range, gets me less depressed and more motivated. During puberty, I constantly had to raise my doses, but no one had told me why, so I felt like I was "failing" by having to take more and more insulin. But, I later learned it was just part of what my body was going through and the hormonal changes.
Hang in there!!!
You all have really good advice. I am changing my insulin to carb ratio to 1:8, and my correction will be more too. I am at 26 units of Lantus, and while the shots still hurt, trying different parts of my leg has helped. I am still upset about all of this, but having you all respond really lifted my spirits. I will have to see about the school counselor when i get back to school. Earlier today, I found out my grandparents won't let me get a dog to train as a diabetic alert dog, which i have been researching for over a month, and was gonna pay for myself, but two dogs is too much in the house i guess... im pretty upset about that, because Maggie, my current dog, won't train for me... I'll keep trying to train her though. Thanks again for the advice, and please, keep it coming! thank you thank you thank you!!
For the shots, I'm not sure if you know this (it took me a while to figure it out, myself), taking it in an area with more fat, rather than muscle, helps a LOT.
I feel your pain regarding difficult home situations. All I can say is just know that if you have the goal of good control and work towards it, you will be able to leave all the sooner. The better control you are in, the more independent you are, and the more independent you are, the more you can just disregard what everyone else says. I've been through what you're going through. If you focus on your self and not what everyone else is saying, your life will become easier.
That being said, I agree that a counselor would help you.
Never heard of a diabetic alert dog...interesting idea....
I know this is an old thread, but I feel I need to add my experiences to it. I used to get horrible panic attacks when I was on Lantus. I also had a problem with severe depression. I was sent to a psychiatrist and psychologist, and was put on Paxil, then switched to Zoloft. The year I was on those drugs was the worst of my life. I had no emotions about anything. Never happy, never sad. Just there. I took myself off those drugs, cold turkey. That was hard, but I noticed a difference within weeks.
Back to the insulin. About a year ago, I switched from Lantus to Levemir. The Lantus wasn't being absorbed properly by my body. Some days, it would stay in my system for up to 3(!) days. I could go for a couple days without my Humalog, and never have my sugars rise above 80. I could eat anything, and it would seem to make no difference.
When I switched to Levemir, I immediately noticed my sugars acting more like I was back on NPH and Regular (both pork). In my case, I had wonderful control on those insulins. Now, it's been a year on Levemir, and I'll have days where my sugars will not come down, no matter how much insulin I take or how little I eat. On other days, I'll drop 300-400 points in an hour or two, from an extremely small amount of insulin. On top of this, my panic attacks are starting again. I am now trying desperately to get on an insulin pump.
Long story short, without a doubt, I think insulin, especially the newer ones, are doing far more to our bodies than we know.
You have something going on there! I am sorry about the panic attacks - chronic disease and never knowing when things will happen (in the long run) cause and are reason for panic attack aside from anxiety.
Good luck......
Scott
I have really bad anxiety and they put me on Wellbutrin XL but the generic and it totally messed me up worse than I was before. I took myself off them. Although I still feel I need something I have not been on any kind of meds in a couple of months.
I don't think Wellbutrin is a good medicine for panic and anxiety. A psychiatrist would be better at helping find a good medicine for that. I think Zoloft is the first choice. Lexapro is also good. Wellbutrin is more for fatigue type depression than anxious depressions.
My first panic attack in my life was in Aug 2008. I attended ER several times for this reason and they would check my blood sugar and it would be normal.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years later.
I found this discussion and I can relate to it so much. I’m 23 and have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 12. I started getting panic attacks about a year ago. At first I thought my sugars were just low and would just drink a juice (I never used to check my sugar). The more I started taking care of my diabetes the worse the panic attacks got. My doctor put me on Lexapro (didn’t help), then I tried prozac (also didn’t help). The panic attacks are so bad I fear doing normal daily things such as going to the grocery store, mall, job interviews, etc. I’m not sure what else to do and how to stop them. My mom suggested trying CBD oil.I was wondering if anyone else has tried CBD to calm their anxiety and panic attacks. I’m willing to try anything at this point to stop them.
@Alayna Strickland, @Ashley: Consider hormone imbalances and vitamin or mineral imbalances as possible root causes for anxiety. Regarding hormone causes: when estradiol (E2) is very low, panic and anxiety attacks can result, or just sleeplessness or irritability. Seems to be a common cause of anxiety that doctors (even OB/Gyns) love to ignore and instead send women home with anxiety relieving drugs instead of handling the probable cause. T1Ds have been shown to have more hormone issues than non-T1Ds, according to pubmed research. We also have more mineral imbalances.
For me, I’ve noticed that an estradiol patch can fix a low estrogen problem just when I need it (e.g., adding the patch from Day 25 to Day 28 and Day 1 to Day 4 of my cycle). It’s a 2 day patch that can be removed anytime. My lab values normalize and I feel great all month.
Alternatively, vitamin and mineral deficiency or excess can also cause dizziness and other effects. Low magnesium can cause some anxiety.
Lab tests are a great way to reveal hormone imbalances and also some of the mineral deficiencies. But everyone seems to be low in magnesium, so it might be a good one to consider. See YouTube for more on the minerals, and of course see the doc. It may take some exploring…but you’ll figure this out.
Glad to hear you are avoiding the drug options, as they often cause other imbalances and side effects no one wants.