Hey,
I know I actually have not had diabetes that long in comparison to some, but I just passed my 12 year mark. I have been in great control and not so great. I am currently on the not so great. I can't tell if its just the changing of surroundings going to college or if its just mental, but I can't seem to break the cycle. Any advice on how you got back to control?
Annie,
I am pretty sure I am in no position to offer advice, however, I can share two things that have worked for me. The first is to absolutely commit to frequent testing and to remember every number is a GOOD number. Every time we test, we are taking a moment to see where we are and what we can do to help ourselves. Self-care is a good thing. The second thing that I work at is focusing on progress not perfection. When I try to be D-perfect, it is only a matter of time (usually less than 3 days) before I find myself getting dejected and wanting to scrap the whole project. I try to improve my management a little bit every day and I try to grade myself by the month not by the hour.
Some months are better than others and some numbers work out better than others. The great thing about where you are is that you have maintained good control before which means you know it is a 100% achievable goal for you. That is one big hurdle you don’t have to clear…
I know I’m cheerin’ for you and I am fairly certain others here are too… I expect you’ll probably get some better insight from a number of them… keep at it and keep us posted!!!
Cheers!
A-D
AD really knows his stuff =)
College is very hard on us, it was very hard for me, I had the worst control of my life in college. But It was really the 1st time in my life that i was alone. I didn't have my family support group and I was focused on my school work (which made my sugars soar and drop.) I often had to reschedule my finals because I would get sick from highs because of the stress. This happened every semester besides that last two. But by the last year something had changed in me. The way I thought about my illness, the way I thought about college, and the way I dealt with stress. On of my teachers I had all the way through pulled me aside one day and told me i had changed, I was calmer, more patient, more determined, and more capable.
College in some ways can be even harder on us the the rest of the students, because as one professor said, "You are living an extra life." We have to work to keep ourselves alive! Not just working. =) it is a lot of pressure. I even once had to take 2 semesters to finish 1 class, it was wroth it- I'm the only person who got an A.
College is mental and it is physical. All of these things can work for you and against you =) but I'm sure you will find a way to get them to work for you. I'm here if you have questions about different situations in college and will answer any question to the best of my ability.
Good luck in your new life!
Hey annie,
I think both A-D and stilledlife make good points. Being in college can be really straining and interfere with control, so I agree with A-D when he says test often and look at the big picture as not to get discouraged. I wasn't in great control my first 2 years because I did a few things wrong.. I didn't really count carbs, and I didn't adjust my pump settings for the new environment. I would recommend reading 'Pumping Insulin' (assuming your on a pump) by John Walsh (can be ordered on Amazon or your Doctor might have a copy for you) which can really help you make the changes necessary to your treatment plan in an effective way (rather than just chasing one high reading, then one low reading, and making random changes that don't really work). I'd also say make sure you keep your mental energy up by sleeping right, exercising, and eating nutritiously (same old bs I guess). I wish I had done all of these things better these past 2 years, and now I'm really looking forward to third year with the hopes I won't have to 'ride the roller coaster' of sporadic blood sugars as frequently and have the better quality of life that comes with better control.
Dylan,
Great book recommendation! I would probably add Think Like a Pancreas by M.S. Gary Scheiner, too... Those two texts sure helped me in wrapping my li'l brain around several of the finer points...
Cheers!
A-D
[quote user="A-D"]
The first is to absolutely commit to frequent testing and to remember every number is a GOOD number. Every time we test, we are taking a moment to see where we are and what we can do to help ourselves. Self-care is a good thing.
[/quote]
That is a really positive way to look at things. I really like this line of thinking.