| Blogs > Oslo |
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-Erik-
115 Posts
So surprisingly im rather serene, perhaps its a symptom, i dont know, but it hasnt hit me yet. I know a decent amount about the physical aspects of Diabetes 1 and 2, but from a personal viewpoint i know no-body with the illness and how they cope day to day. So if there are any Diabetics on TL, type one or two, or people with friends/relatives who have it, is it possible you could give me a rundown of what day to day life is and how you cope. That would be a really really big help for me.  | ||
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curreh
Australia265 Posts
I myself have chronic fatigue syndrome to add a background to my support for you in dealing with this, they are both very different but both I believe signify the need for change in our lives, so I wish you luck with that : ) take care man, be strong and heal up <3 | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
 that did brighten me up. The fatigue is the worst thing so far, not being able to play sports, i mean sc2 is a relief but its a crutch kind of, i assumed i was fine being tired because i could play it but now even that is too much, my eyes cant focus on it.I hope you get better too | ||
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kyzers0ze
Singapore1073 Posts
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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Pibacc
Canada545 Posts
On the subject of day to day life, it's unchanged now. Yea it can be kind of annoying, but if you can afford it, BUY AN INSULIN PUMP! It makes life 1000x easier. I don't know how it is where you live but i had to wait a year of being on needles to get my pump. Something to understand is that you HAVE to take care of it. Don't get depressed over it and not treat it, that is the stupidest thing you could do. I know a few people who don't take care of it properly despite how easy it is and some died very young, some are going to die quite young. It's very easy to manage if you just spend a couple days once diagnosed to learn all you need to. Lastly, make sure you remember this. If it's type 1 diabetes, it's not your fault, it's genetics. A big problem a lot of diabetics face is guilt for letting it happen, when it isn't anyones fault if it's type 1. Just live your life the way you do now but with blood sugar/carb count/insulin doses in the back of your mind. Hopefuly this helps, if you have any questions feel free to PM me  GL and hopefuly it's just a tape worm or somethingEdit: When diagnosed i looked on the bright side, diabetes is very easy to manage, i'd much rather have this than to suffer from something as terrible as cancer. | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
I do have one question, ive been feeling kind of shitty for a while, how much improvement is there now you have the diagnosis/medication? I genuinely dont remember how it is to feel well and healthy, its been a long ass time. | ||
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Pibacc
Canada545 Posts
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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Pibacc
Canada545 Posts
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
First, if you've gone and lost weight, do your best to keep it off. I gained a lot of what i lost in the lead up to my diagnoses back, and I've regretted it ever since. Second, you will feel much better after getting your blood sugars down to reasonable levels. It will take awhile, you'll need to sleep all the time, and if your anything like me you'll need to borrow your dad's reading glasses to get through it, but things do get better. However, in the long term highs and lows feel different for everyone. Pibacc is clearly one of the people who feels both very intensely, while I'm not. I literally get no sensation when I'm high, and i only notice lows when I'm moving. Frankly, I'd rather be in Pibacc's shoes, but every diabetic's different, so you gotta deal with what you've been dealt. Also, get used to people like curreh who (no offense) don't know shit about diabetes telling you stuff like "don't eat that sugar or you'll go into diabetic shock." Everyone thinks they know what diabetes means, but fairly few actually do, especially when it comes to type 1. I don't blame people for not knowing much about diabetes (it's my disease, not there's) but I do get annoyed when people who think they know about diabetes make incorrect statements. It sucks, since you'll find yourself correcting peoples misconceptions all the time, but you gotta deal with it. Finally, i can't completely back pibacc's endorsement of an insulin pump. I've been diabetic for 5 years and I'm still on shots. For me, the inconveniences of having a little box tethered to me at all times (getting in my way when i sleep, disrupting fun times with the ladyfriend, etc) outweigh the potential benefits. However, on the whole i keep my blood sugar well controlled, so if you have trouble with it feel free to give it a try eventually. It won't be for at least a year, however, since any competent endocrinologist will have you be on injections for awhile to teach you how to do it just in case. Likewise, feel free to PM me if there's anything i can do to help. | ||
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OverZero
United States271 Posts
As for day to day: Usually wake up, first thing i do is check my blood sugar. Then eat breakfast. I usually don't check again until I eat lunch. I'll usually check again around 3 or 4 and eat a snack (seeing as I typically don't eat dinner until 8 or 9). Then check again before dinner and maybe once more before bed. Really the most important thing is that you just check constantly and that you get plenty of exercise. I know for me that getting regular exercise is one of the most important keys to keeping your blood sugar low. All in all, it sucks, its always going to be there. It's always something you have to keep in mind. But, that doesn't mean that you can't live a perfectly normal life. I know for me being diagnosed in the middle of high school was pretty tough. The kids at my school were complete douche bags about it continuously making fun of me and what not. But you just have to ignore it. Best of luck to you! And if you have any questions don't be afraid to send me a PM! | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
Day to day, or generally, are there things you just cannot do? Can you travel fine? Play sports, weight lift etc. I know the answer is probably yes so ill preface it with, if you can do those things, what sort of precautions do you generally need to take? | ||
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Ponyo
United States1231 Posts
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
On March 11 2011 02:09 Oslo wrote: Thanks for the support Day to day, or generally, are there things you just cannot do? Can you travel fine? Play sports, weight lift etc. I know the answer is probably yes so ill preface it with, if you can do those things, what sort of precautions do you generally need to take? First of all, play it safe early on. You need to figure your diabetes out before you try and do risky thing. On your list, I'll answer your questions from a type one's perspective. Travel - Is hard, but doable. Short trips you can generally manage wit hthe insulin you'll be carrying with yourself all the time anyway, but for longer ones you'll need a cooler and some cooling packs to keep your supplies cool. Finally, don't stay anywhere for an extended period of time without electricity, because you need it for refrigeration. Sports / Weights - No problem, just that you need to keep an eye on your blood sugar. Exercise, particularly cardio, can make your blood sugar drop, so you always have to be careful. never go anywhere without at least bringing something you can use to bring your blood sugar back up, and check it often. The biggest one you'll hear a lot about is food. You'll often hear people say "diabetics can't eat this or that" and if you're a type one, they're wrong. You can eat whatever you want, you just have to inject enough insulin to handle it. Type two's who aren't on insulin don't have this luxury, so they may have dietary restrictions. Now, keep in mind that just because you CAN eat something, that doesn't mean you should. I could drink non diet pop if i wanted to, but i don't, since I'd have to inject a ton of insulin for it. Likewise, i keep a close eye on my intake of very sugary or carby foods, but i will still eat things like sour patch kids of gummi bears very rarely. Hell, rice is a big part of my diet, even though it's high in carbs. Now, the thing you probably want to know about but aren't asking - booze. Yes, you can drink as a diabetic, but you have to be smart about it. For some (myself included) the feeling of being drunk and the feeling of a low blood sugar are quite similar, so there's a risk there. Likewise, if you get truly shitfaced you might make a mistake with your injections, which would be bad. Making matters worse, most alcoholic beverages have carbs in them, so you have to inject when you drink. Personally, I'm very cautious with drinking - i rarely drink enough to get even remotely tipsy, and i never ever drink enough to get truly drunk. So, instead of buying a 30 pack of natty ice and getting shitfaced i just beer snob it up and only buy small amounts of good beer. Thankfully, most of my friends who drink are like this too, so while they generally get much drunker than me we don't have any difficulty still hanging out together. Also, your friends will really appreciate your status as permanent DD. | ||
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
After about 2 years of injections, and consistent lows, and slowly decreasing the amount of insulin I was taking as a response of low readings, I ended up finding out that I needed no insulin at all..... Initially, my blood sugar readings when I was in the hospital and diagnosed were really fucking high. I also felt like shit, and I was constantly thirsty. Somehow, my blood sugar has stabilized without requiring injections..... I can tell you from experience that it is possible to live almost exactly as you were before while diabetic. You have to watch what you eat and how you exercise a little more, but you can still do whatever you want. It may cause problems if you intended on doing something like joining the military though. I can also tell you that once your blood sugar levels stabilize, you will feel much better. The difference really is night and day. I have no idea how useful the insulin pumps are, because I never used one, so I can't offer any info about them, however, I would have been hesitant to play football while using one..... Good luck with it! Also, know that if that really is the diagnosis, you'll be fine. | ||
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
On March 11 2011 04:17 Impervious wrote: Technically, I'm type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed with it several years ago. It's still on my medical record, since it's considered a permanent disease. After about 2 years of injections, and consistent lows, and slowly decreasing the amount of insulin I was taking as a response of low readings, I ended up finding out that I needed no insulin at all..... Initially, my blood sugar readings when I was in the hospital and diagnosed were really fucking high. I also felt like shit, and I was constantly thirsty. Somehow, my blood sugar has stabilized without requiring injections..... I can tell you from experience that it is possible to live almost exactly as you were before while diabetic. You have to watch what you eat and how you exercise a little more, but you can still do whatever you want. It may cause problems if you intended on doing something like joining the military though. I can also tell you that once your blood sugar levels stabilize, you will feel much better. The difference really is night and day. I have no idea how useful the insulin pumps are, because I never used one, so I can't offer any info about them, however, I would have been hesitant to play football while using one..... Good luck with it! Also, know that if that really is the diagnosis, you'll be fine. Wow, that's really fucked up. Given that type one is an autoimmune disease where your body kills all the insulin producing cells in your body, I'm pretty sure you were misdiagnosed. Still though, interesting story, and i have to wonder what caused your initial highs. | ||
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Archas
United States6531 Posts
Fortunately, diabetes isn't that big a deal once you learn to take care of it. You don't even have to do that much extra work to get by, either; all you have to do is test your blood sugar a few times every day (usually before meals), memorize your carb-to-insulin unit ratios, and do the injections before every meal. They'll tell you how to do all this in the hospital; your stay there will basically be one of education, learning how diabetes operates and how to treat it and such. A few random thoughts on diabetes: - You'll start with syringes and vials of insulin, which will be the annoying part. After a few months, though, you'll probably graduate to the pens, which are much more portable and convenient. Once you get to use pens or the pump, the only problem is remembering to check your blood sugar and not being lax about it. That last part bears repeating. You cannot put this shit off. You will die if you're apathetic about it. And honestly, it's so easy that you shouldn't have any problems once you get into the routine. - Unfortunately, diabetes requires vigilance at all times. I would advise carrying either a container of glucose tablets or a tube of Glucagon wherever you go, in case you get hypoglycemic. A Medic-Alert bracelet and a medical information card in your wallet will ensure that if you become unable to assist yourself and become unconscious, others will know what's wrong and can help. - Some people say airports are a big problem for diabetics, because of the constant bomb scares and shit. I personally have had no problem with them so far, but it's not a bad idea to prepare to be stopped and searched at security when traveling. Good luck. Hopefully, this turns out to be nothing, but my gut says that won't be the case. I was stressed out of my mind when I was first diagnosed, but really, after living with Type 1 for nearly a year now, I can say that I'd rather have diabetes than be crippled or deaf or something. It's really so simple to handle. | ||
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Pawsom
United States928 Posts
I'm not going to give you specific advice on controlling your blood sugar, but what I will say is: BE PREPARED. What I mean is, if you're going for a long walk/trip/somewhere, bring some fast acting carbs to quickly raise your blood sugar. When I was first diagnosed I had trouble controlling my blood sugar because I was scared to treat it aggresively enough(in case I dropped too fast). Theres no trick to learning how aggresive is right, and you will have some bad lows. The best you can do is be prepared for the situation. A jar of skittles in your backpack/car/purse can make all the difference! | ||
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Pawsom
United States928 Posts
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
On March 11 2011 04:51 deafhobbit wrote: Wow, that's really fucked up. Given that type one is an autoimmune disease where your body kills all the insulin producing cells in your body, I'm pretty sure you were misdiagnosed. Still though, interesting story, and i have to wonder what caused your initial highs. Whatever it was, it took ~6 months before I started getting consistent lows..... And it took another ~year before the amount of insulin I was injecting was only long-acting, and then another ~6 months before stopping completely. All throughout this, I was in contact with my diabetic specialist, who was suggesting that I decrease the amount of insulin I was injecting whenever these consistent lows appeared. It makes zero sense from what I know of diabetes. PS - type 1 is not always caused by an autoimmune disease..... They're not entirely sure what causes it in some situations, although it is still diagnosed the same. | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:25 Oslo wrote: Are the daily injections painful? Hard to do? Not at all. And I actually preferred injecting in my stomach, rather than my arm. And, apparently, that's pretty common. | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:28 Oslo wrote: Just from the point of view of someone who has never done it, it sounds terrible having to inject yourself every day in the stomach They aren't long needles..... They're like 1 cm (less than 1/2 an inch) long, or less (I was using .7 cm or roughly 1/4 inch needles), so they don't go very deep, and they are very sharp, so you don't feel them much at all. They also have a very small diameter, so on the rare occasions where you'll hit a vein or artery, they won't bleed much at all either (much less than a drop). It is nothing like the needles that you'd get for a flu shot, or when you have blood drawn for bloodwork or to donate blood. | ||
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-Erik-
115 Posts
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tonight
United States11130 Posts
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mikeymoo
Canada7170 Posts
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:33 Oslo wrote: well thats comforting, i have no issue with shots/blood tests at all, i guess its just administering it myself thats kind of....yeah I found that testing my bloodsugar was far more uncomfortable than actually injecting myself withthe insulin. And, even then, it's not too bad. You get used to it really quickly. Injecting myeslf wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, they will teach you everything you need to know. You won't be simply thrown a bunch of insulin and told to figure things out yourself..... There will be things you do have to figure out yourself, but the specialists will teach you more than enough to be prepared for that. | ||
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tonight
United States11130 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:37 deafhobbit wrote: You'll get over it. Shots go into fat, so they only hurt when you get too close to a vein. Pretty quick, you'll figure out where they are and learn to inject around them. As for blood tests, most meters today barely even require a pinprick, and you'll figure out which fingers are least sensitive quickly too. The daily maintenance of diabetes is the easy part, its things like worrying about lows or watching your long term health that's a bitch. Oh, and paying for medicine if you live in America. Insurance for diabetic supplies is brutal. | ||
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Impervious
Canada4200 Posts
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-Erik-
115 Posts
Im lucky i live in the Eu with free healthcare (taxes of course but basically free) | ||
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tonight
United States11130 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:54 Oslo wrote: Im lucky i live in the Eu with free healthcare (taxes of course but basically free) My lab work isn't covered which is the worst part. | ||
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Pibacc
Canada545 Posts
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tonight
United States11130 Posts
On March 11 2011 19:20 Pibacc wrote: Someone mentioned that most alcoholic drinks have carbs and you need to give insulin when drinking. From my understanding and experience this is completely false. Alcohol lowers your blood sugar and every time i've drank w/o giving insulin i go low guarenteed. So be careful of that. Complete opposite for me. | ||
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Pibacc
Canada545 Posts
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
On March 11 2011 19:20 Pibacc wrote: Someone mentioned that most alcoholic drinks have carbs and you need to give insulin when drinking. From my understanding and experience this is completely false. Alcohol lowers your blood sugar and every time i've drank w/o giving insulin i go low guarenteed. So be careful of that. Alcohol does lower your blood sugar, but the amount varies. For me, i almost always need to inject when i drink, but not as much as i would for the same amount of carbs in a non-alcoholic drink. Also, it varies depending on what you're drinking. Hard liquor has a low carbs/alcohol ratio, so you'll probably not need to inject if you drink it straight. On the other hand, a mixed drink with fruit juice or other sweet stuff in it will have a higher carbs/alcohol ratio, so almost everyone will need to inject. I pretty much stick exclusively to two types of drinks - craft beers (which generally require 1-3 units of insulin per 12 oz for me) and mixes of booze and diet pop (which i can drink without injecting). | ||
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TheWoodLeagueAllstar
United Kingdom617 Posts
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Pawsom
United States928 Posts
Also, I know everyone hates all the uninformed people telling us "hey you can't eat that," but one thing I came to accept is, that some food makes your blood sugar much harder to control. Limiting the amount of sweets and soda you consume, is a good thing for EVERYONE, not just because we're diabetic. And in general, healthy food is less spikey and easier to control for us. | ||
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AkaHenchway
United States41 Posts
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AkaHenchway
United States41 Posts
On March 11 2011 07:37 deafhobbit wrote: As for blood tests, most meters today barely even require a pinprick, and you'll figure out which fingers are least sensitive quickly too. . Gonna have to reccomend using your forearm for blood sugar testing. Way less painful than any finger you can find, albeit the fingers give way more blood, but the meters of today dont require all that much so forearm imo is the beset place to go.....Also wont leave nasty black spot/scars on tips of your finger. | ||
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deafhobbit
United States828 Posts
On March 12 2011 05:36 AkaHenchway wrote: Gonna have to reccomend using your forearm for blood sugar testing. Way less painful than any finger you can find, albeit the fingers give way more blood, but the meters of today dont require all that much so forearm imo is the beset place to go.....Also wont leave nasty black spot/scars on tips of your finger. I mostly go with fingers for convenience. Quicker to do, easy control over the amount of blood for those times when your reader is being stubborn, and cleanup is really easy.Although, they do occasionally give off a bit too much, and i distinctly remember bursting out laughing in the middle of my college's cafeteria the first time i had a squirter and got hit in the eye by my own blood. | ||
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Enfold
United States110 Posts
tldr - being diagnosed diabetic takes some adjustments but is 100% manageable and not a big deal | ||
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