How do you do it?

I’m the only diabetic that I know. There is not one in my family, not a person in my circle of friends, and the only time I hear about other diabetics is a friend of a friends brothers old roommates cousin twice removed (and then they tell me about how something called insulin is the miracle cure to diabetes and if I take it just right, it will make my diabetes go away angry face/face palm). I have a very supportive inner circle but I have never had someone I could personally ask how. I feel like I’ve been in diabetic burn out for the past 7 years, basically since I got diagnosed. I know that motivation to better our lives only comes from within and that the benefits of being a ‘good’ diabetic greatly out weigh the bad but I lose sight of these things. How do you guys do it? How do you prick your fingers every single day with a regular food schedule, take your insulin before every meal, how do you stand strong while facing all of the hardships that are presented in being a type-1 diabetic? I’m terrible at checking my blood sugar levels but I take my Insulin every single day. Going to the endocrinologist is not anything I enjoy doing. I just get lectured about how I’m destroying my body or they look at me like I’m somewhere I don’t belong (Last endo made me feel uncomfortable but looking at me weird and responding to me saying that I want to be a better diabetic with, “Why now? What changed?”). I’ve seen an endo maybe three times in the past 2 years, I don’t like them and they don’t seem to like me. So yeah, to sum up my question, how do you keep your head above the turbulent water that is T1D?

Discipline on daily basis. Bad days and good days. Highs and Lows. But the the days of not feeling bad about myself and the Love Ones around me are gone. Be grateful of who you are. And where you can go. I found that giving back. Makes it easier each day. Check out your Local Chapter of JDRF. You will find the comfort and ease.

Do diabetes on your terms. You don’t have to be a super disciplined person to live well with it. I’m not disciplined at all. A pump helps me be flexible.

I don’t like eating on a set schedule, so I learned to carb count and take insulin to cover the food I’ve eaten. I rarely take insulin until after I eat because it’s too hard to guess in advance if I’ll finish everything. The world hasn’t ended. I have a decent A1c and am complication-free after many years with diabetes.

The reason I test is to see if I need some insulin or to eat a snack. Your meter is not a judge. It’s a tool to help you.

Your doctor is supposed to be there to help you too. If yours isn’t helping you, find someone else. Your doctor should NEVER be condescending. And they should value the knowledge you have about living with your disease 24/7, just as you value their advance education about endocrinology and experience with many diabetic patients. After 7 years with diabetes you have 59,136 clinical hours managing it. That shouldn’t be dismissed by any physician with common sense.

@jennagrant said it beautifully! Couldn’t have said it better myself.

@Matt0107

You really don’t need to think of it as being disciplined and you sure as hell don’t need to listen to bad endos condescend you. Endos are a helpful tool as well, like a glucometer, to get some more information and see how you’re doing long-term which might be hard to gauge on your own. They can help to make adjustments, but in the end, you can make those adjustments yourself.

I find what helps me is that I’ve found a love for the disease, an interest if you want to call it that. I’m super interested in how different foods act toward my blood sugar along with different exercise. You definitely don’t HAVE to be interested in it though.

It is often said that diabetics should take what’s called a “Diabetic Vacation”. Meaning, for example, on a weekend when you sleep in, skip a blood sugar check in the morning if you feel alright or at any other point. It can be stressful to constantly put pressure on yourself to stay disciplined. Appreciate the fact that you’re here and well and try and challenge yourself. If you feel you’re doing alright and your blood sugars support that, then that’s all the evidence you should need that you’re doing fine.

No one is perfect. Don’t ever forget that. I’m on a pump and there are times where I completely forget to take insulin for a meal. On a pump that’s supposed to make life easier… I don’t let it get to me though. Learn from the mistake, make the adjustment and move on!

You sound like you’re a pretty confident person, so ride with that confidence and watch as you strive to be even better! It feels so damn good!