About a week and a half ago I was hospitalized for going into dka. The night before my blood sugar spiked my blood sugar had been fine. Sometime around the middle of the night or early morning I believe is when my blood spiked. When I woke up my blood sugar was over 430. I couldn’t understand why because I had taken my novalog and Levimir like I was supposed to. By the time I woke up to do a correction I was already in DKA and was really sick so I had to call 911. After I got out of the hospital I did really good with getting myself on a schedule and eating every meal. But that only lasted a few days and now I’m being lazy. When my cgm alerts me of a high I don’t correct it right away. Last night after I ate dinner I didn’t feel like giving myself insulin because frankly being on insulin injections is a pain. So of course my blood sugar spiked and went really high.
I’m waiting to hear back to see if my insurance will cover an insulin pump. I hope they do because it would be so convenient to have my insulin in my pocket or tucked in my shirt at all times. Does any have any advice to maybe help me get out of my lazy habits? Or maybe just some tricks or something that might help me with or without the pump?
I’m not sure a pump will work for you either. You see, it does take time and effort to do a set change every 3-4 days. I injected for 48 years before getting a pump; injecting was never a pain…it was a requirement for life. Maintaining a pump is also a requirement for life. Controlling diabetes is work, but the payoff is that you can lead a relatively normal life. To be blunt, you need to decide what you want your life to look like in the future.
You’ve mentioned in several posts that you feel lazy about your care. Unfortunately, this will not help you with a pump. It’s a great tool and I wouldn’t give it up unless I had to, but it took a lot of work to prove to myself and my endo that I was up to the task. Because the pump only uses fast-acting insulin and no long-acting, it’s easy to get into a DKA situation if you happen to be hooked up to a bad spot of flesh. You need to religiously check your BG a minimum of 4x/day, every single day, ideally 6-8x/day. You have to change out your infusion set every 3 days, which is a very detailed process. You also need to plan to spend the first few weeks/months getting your levels fine tuned, which requires a lot of BG checks and logs. It’s a great delivery tool for insulin, but the rest is up to you.
Not taking your injections because they seem like a hassle is why it would be good to best to start some counseling to help you move forward. Your depression has led to some very dangerous habits, and tools cannot help you with that. You need to adjust your outlook and attitude first, recognize you are a person of value, and know in your heart and mind that you want to live and are worth taking care of yourself. Until you get to that point, you will continue to dismiss your body’s needs in this downward spiral. Don’t stay in this “laissez faire” approach. I’m sure you have lots of people who love you and want you around as much as possible. I’m sure you can find things that bring you peace and enjoyment. Please reach out for some help - low-cost or free counseling is available through most county offices if you are financially strained.
I have been on a pump off and on since I was 12 years old. I have gotten a feel for what works best for me and it seems like I’m a lot lazier on insulin injections. The only reason I’m not using a pump now is because when I was on the Omnipod the pdm got caught in a storm and got wet so now it doesn’t work. I wasn’t happy with it to begin with so I just went back to injections until I can get back on a different pump. I have a dexcom cgm that I use so watching my blood sugar is not an issue. I joined this site looking for support and encouragement so I would stop being lazy but I feel like I got put down more than supported in these comments…
I’m sure the commenters didn’t mean their words as put-downs, but frankly, it’s hard to find a way to encourage you if you skip insulin injections because they’re a pain. Of course they’re a pain! Having Type 1 is a pain, and it’s not fair, and all the rest of it. As with any other life-threatening condition, you have to get past the unfairness and do what needs to be done if you want to live the rest of your life relatively free of complications. Counseling can be very helpful in helping you come to terms with your Type 1, and I think that’s why one of the commenters suggested it.
The reality is that by not managing your diabetes, you are setting yourself up for some pretty nasty complications sooner or later. If I had any advice to get you out of your lazy habits, it would be to envision your life 10 or 20 years down the road. Really let yourself think about all the devastating consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. Maybe that will help you start taking care of yourself now to ensure that your future life is as good as possible.
hi @ktlarmore03 sorry you are having trouble.
i know the people that commented. I also know in my heart that no offense was meant and no put down was intended. you did set off a huge red flag for me when you said “I didn’t feel like giving myself insulin” yea I get it. I don’t feel like giving myself insulin either… but not feeling like it. and actually not injecting insulin are different and the 2nd one can mean bad things including maybe underlying depression which is very common with t1. so I guess what I am asking you is - what is really going on?
pumping is harder and needs more inputs than injections as I am sure you know being a previous pumper. there’s no trick that I know of, other than getting help when you need it even if it kind of feels strange. hope you are okay.
I have dealt with depression for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure if not taking insulin is part of my depression or just pure laziness. It’s not like I don’t take my insulin at all. Sometimes I just don’t Give my injections right away. Sometimes I just wait an hour or two and then just do a correction. I guess I made it sound like I skip my insulin all together and that’s not how it is. But I know what I do isn’t exactly healthy either. I have lived the lived the life of injecting and pumping and I know what would best work for me. I had the omnipod but that wasn’t the right pump for me. I see my endocrinologist today along with a diabetes educator. I’m hoping they can help me with the pump situation since I’m pretty sure my pump rep is ignoring my calls.
@ktlarmore03
well I am glad to hear you have an endo and CDE lined up. good luck. I am sure one of the pump reps will call you back.
i am not saying doing something unhealthy has to be related to depression, I am just saying it got all of our attentions. that’s it. you know - I didn’t think my smoking, my never testing my blood sugar, or my terrible relationships had anything to do with my depression either, until it did. =)
glad you are okay.that’s the main thing.
@ktlarmore03
It saddens me to see how harsh some of the comments were, especially with what you are dealing with. I have been battling depression ever since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in '06 and haven’t really come to terms with it until now. It was really controlling my diabetes and it seems to be doing the same to you. I realized that the only way to control this disease and make better decisions regarding it was to face this hurdle first. I got counseling and realized that I needed help organizing my life. Try to do that first. Once they helped with that, I developed a routine a stuck with it. I checked my BS at different times throughout the day (ex. 9 am, 2 pm, 6 pm , and 10 pm) with alarms set on my phone to go off as a reminder. Too many people let this disease control them. Try to fight it! I know you can. If I can, you definitely can as well! Keep on keepin on!
Hello, my daughter, who is 12, and I feel frustrated at times and we try to, aknowledge immediately when there is a problem and correct the situation. Often, we will think of the future and what we will do differently, (for her, no ice cream after 7pm, for example, is easier than dealing with late night unpredictable BG). I remind here that we can manage diabetes or let it manage us. When manage diabetes we are in control and she feels better because she is healthier. When diabetes manages, due to her lack of action (forgotten site change, overlooked insulin dose for carbs or high BG), she misses fun events, looses sleep, must take time off of what she enjoys… feels miserable. Therefore, it makes sence, and it is much easier to manage diabetes than let it manage you… we wish you well!
I’m new to this forum and I’m really glad I found it. So Hi! I’ve only been a type 1 diabetic for 10 years so what do I know? Right?
Sounds like you have a bad case of diabetes burnout. You need a change. Get on a pump immediately. I think some of the other commenters are trying to show you some tough love because we all know how serious this is and how important it is to take care of ourselves. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. You know all that. You know what this disease is and what can happen if you’re lazy for too long. Depression is real and hits us all at different points in our diabetic lives but I disagree that a pump wouldn’t work for you. It’s so much easier than having to take injections all day. You’ll adjust and get the hang of it like everything else. Of course you still have to manage it but your A1C will most likely come down and the change alone will give you a boost. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and march on. It’s okay to get down and feel sorry for yourself for a little while but your diabetes isn’t going anywhere. Stop beating yourself up… (Please repeat these words back to me when I need to hear them) Do what you have to do to stay healthy, even its the bare minimum. Get on a pump ASAP!!! Peace and Love to all you sweeties!
Thank you to everyone that has commented and reaches out to me. Diabetes has really worn me out. I think over the years I have been led to believe that I can eat whatever I want whenever I want and that’s really not the case. If my blood sugar is high I shouldn’t eat that piece of cake. If my bs is In target range I should only eat a small piece of cake. It wasn’t until I started going to this new endo that I realized I’m doing a lot wrong and it makes me sad that no other doctor got my attention sooner.
I was also a lazy diabetic. It is a pain and the pump only does so much. It is not hard to get use to. I can change my set in about 5 minutes now, I’m very competitive and always try to beat my best time. The only pain with the pump is wearing it. You need to see your endo alot the first three months and once the fine tuning is done it works relatively well. It is NEVER perfect and you need to learn how to overide the bolus wizard at times. CGM didn’t work for me, it’s supposed to last 6 days but mine always went haywire after 3 and I couldn’t afford the sensors so I gave it to a 10 year old T1D I know and it works great for him. I don’t think you’re being lazy, I think you still haven’t fully accepted the fact that you are a Type Oner. It took me years to finally learn that this is what I’m stuck with so I better just face it and deal with it. Now I treat it as a competition,me VS Diabetes and I never lose.
I completely get what you are saying, I have not made the switch to the pump yet because it will be a constant reminder of this illness. However, my sugar levels are just out of whack and I am depressed and mad at the same time.
Laziness seems to be part of this disease, so maybe you should try setting up alarms on your phone and see if that helps you. Best of Luck!
Have you had a chance to work with a diabetic dietician? I have had one by my side since day one and she has been invaluable for helping me manage my diabetes and understand how insulin and food work and how they work together. Sugars and carbs are the first food topic of conversation, but fat intake also plays a major role in how much insulin you need and when. Anywho might be worth looking into. Also my motivator to manage my sugars is a long healthy and full-filling life, and to just feel good cause I feel better when my sugars are doing better. Although it is a pain to have to consider ever bite before it crosses your lips, I have found that because of this it has made it easier to make healthy decisions about what I eat, which in turn has helped me manage my weight and stay eating healthy. And people never mind me having to special order at a restaurant cause I’m a diabetic, no sugar and light cheese please! Often times my version is yummier 
I am 63, due to psuedocyst and pancreas leaking had 1/3 of pancreas removed, spleen, and part of stomach (due to cyst invasion), then pancreas stopped working. My GP is treating me with 25 mgs of Levemere and a low carb diet, says it is well controlled. How can my care be so simple and you guys are so complicated? I have lost 25 lbs. since diagnosed in Dec, 2014. Am I missing out?