Back to when I was 14 years of age. I had diabetes. I thought it wasn’t much of a big deal at first… but once I start realizing how much my life needed to change and how my health became a huge responsibility, everything was just too much to handle. I have a major sweet tooth and having to change my eating habits and eating a total new diet, it was hard to manage. I have always hated needles, and having to give myself shots 4 times a day was just ridiculous for me. I try to keep my sugar levels stabled but I give up too easy. Right now, I am trying to get help from my therapist but getting help from just one person won’t motivate me. When I’m depressed or on my low days, I just don’t take my insulin and eat whatever…I know I have to stop that but I just don’t know what to do when I’m stuck in those situations. My therapist suggested me to come onto this website, she thinks it will help me since I don’t know anyone else with T1D. I hope it will make things a little better at least. I would love to have people to talk to.
I’ve been there, my dear, and you too can break out of this once you’re ready. I was diagnosed at 16, and just wanted to be a normal teenager. I took my shots but barely ever checked my BG because I never could figure out what to do with those numbers anyway. Fast forward a few years, after college, and I was ready to start taking control because I was so discouraged. I read something that said having high BG is like having maple syrup pumping through your veins. For some reason that was the visual I needed to kick my butt in gear.
The thing for me was to do some mind shifting and change my perception about some stuff. First off, try to get away from thinking from the idea of “testing” your blood sugar. I mean, who likes tests? Who wants to take a test several times a day that you might fail? Nobody, right? Try to think of it as monitoring your blood sugar so that you can know where you are and take action to adjust your regimen if needed with the help of your endocrinologist or Diabetes Educator. If you’re low, you eat some candy. If you’re high, you take a correction shot. Then make a note of any trends and move on. I heard someone say that your BG is like having a rattlesnake in your living room. As long as you know where it is all the time, you can adjust and avoid harm.
Have you looked into getting an insulin pump? Your doc or insurance company may need you to keep some BG logs for a few weeks to demonstrate that you can check your BG several times a day consistently. Pumps are freedom!
My mom said I should wait later in life for the insulin pump. She wants me to be constant with my sugar first by using a pen… then when I am ready I would use the pump. Thank You for the advice though
I know how you feel. I was diagnosed when I was eleven and got an insulin pump about a moth out of the hospital. It can be hard sometimes especially with everyday life with friends and family and also school. My nurse has no clue what to do so we put her through training. So it can look up. Just wait for the point where everything makes sense. Just have a normal life and at night time or something sit down and talk to somebody the struggles of the day.