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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to rant about how much I hate diabetes

135 replies

Edenviolet · 14/07/2014 00:26

So sick of it. Having to wake dd2 and feed her a biscuit as blood sugar was dropping then ten mins later it was too low so had to try and wake her again to feed her glucose tablets.

Its one of those nights where I just know that her cgm alarm will keep going off and its horrible having to try and get glucose into her when she's half asleep. Every time she plays in the garden on a warm day we have nights like this. Thought we had been clever and gave an extra snack before bed but she has dropped anyway.
Just wanted to rant because I really really REALLY hate diabetes

OP posts:
stillstandingatthebusstop · 18/07/2014 16:44

That sounds brilliant hedgehog!

I have been shopping and at work today. Got home at 4pm - no signs of ds2 being up (and he normally leaves a trail of mess). I ran upstairs (worrying) and he was on his phone in bed!!! At 4pm - ugh.

mrsleomcgary · 18/07/2014 17:05

I dread this,i was diagnosed T1 at 18 so saved my parents SOME of the stress you are going through but the thought of having to manage it in my daughter breaks my heart, even though I know the chances of her getting it are only slightly higher than anyone else.

My control used to be so good before I got pregnant,did ok while pregnant but jesus it was a struggle. Now I barely remember to eat never mind take my insulin my levels are all over the place Sad

effinandjeffin · 18/07/2014 17:37

Having read the rest of the thread could I just say thanks to Nancery for posting?

Amidst all the horror stories I've heard and read about I can't tell you how lovely it is to hear about a relative success story, and to know that living a 'normal' life with diabetes is possible? (That's not discounting all your hard work by the way) So here you go Thanks and thanks again.

(Sorry for the hijack)

bettys · 18/07/2014 19:31

Fantastic Hedgehog80, the pump makes that sort of thing so much easier!

Nancery · 18/07/2014 20:19

effinandjeffin I've only just got round to looking at this thread today, after seemingly killing it on Wednesday, and, well, golly! Am a bit stumped by that!
I am not being in any way smug, I promise you I absolutely am not, but yes I do think it's possible. I think if you let it get the better of you it becomes a bigger deal than it really needs to be.

I am an educated professional, and mother, a friend, and lots of other things. I also happened to be diabetic - that's the order I like to see it in, and that's the order it's going to bloody stay in if I can help it too! Smile

Btw, please don't get the impression I manage to run almost perfect Bloodsugars almost all the time. I certainly don't! Mine goes up and down but the thing is I test all the time. So, if my bg is too high I can correct it within half an hour or so so any damage is unlikely (as far as I understand its long-term high blood sugars which tend to generally cause the problems.) (eg just now I was 3.6, so had some apple juice and I'm now back to 5.1. However, am having takeaway curry tonight so will prob go up to close on 14/15 but will split my insulin doses - as it takes ages to digest - and check 2.5 hrs later, just before bed, and correct if necessary.)

paddyclampo · 18/07/2014 23:16

I've had best part of a bottle of wine tonight so am currently on 12.1! But i'm not going to let diabetes stop me doing normal things :P

I will set me alarm for 2am to check my levels and will eat something with plenty of carbs before I go to bed. Initially my levels will rise but the alcohol will bring them crashing down!

Interesting effin about the likelihood of our kids getting T1. I think the risk is greater if the dad has type 1 rather than us. But the number of times I've pricked my kids fingers cos they've been under the weather ...

Nancery · 19/07/2014 10:31

Me too! Plus, the curry never happened either (wifi issues, thought we'd ordered it but turns out it hadn't gone through, by which time it was 10.30) so ended up stuffing myself with bread and cheese. So much for the diet! (Been relatively good all week till then too!)

Do you normally test about 2am if you've been drinking then? I've never done that. I keep apple juice by the bed so if I need it, and I'd wake up if running too low, I just have some. It's worked well for me so far!

PercyPorkyPig · 19/07/2014 12:20

Anyone else get narky about the press referring to a hypo as an 'attack'?

Original poster
Edenviolet · 19/07/2014 13:08

Dd is running high today despite corrections we are not getting much below 12/13 so I'm assuming she's brewing a cold or similar.
Ds2 has been worrying me the last few days, drinking loads and loads, being v irritable which of course is probably the warm weather but I keep worrying its diabetes (think he will be having a bg check later just in case)

OP posts:
Nancery · 19/07/2014 16:35

I've never noticed the 'attack' reference before. It will probably leap out at me now!

Hope DD is ok. You're right, it's prob a cold or something. It shouldn't last too long and 12/13 isn't great but it's not too dodgy. Try and get her running about doing something, that could help. (I get mine to 12/13on purpose before I walk the dog.)

Nancery · 19/07/2014 16:36

paddy are you hungover.... ? Grin

maggiethemagpie · 19/07/2014 20:03

A hypo can feel like an attack - as in something that comes on suddenly and floors you - so I don't get narked with the press referring to it as that. Most of my hypos are mild and come on gently but when I was pregnant I would drop very quickly and have to lie down and shake whilst the sugar took effect, and it would feel like I was on fire I'd get very very hot and sweat a lot.

Flappingandflying · 19/07/2014 20:18

New meter arrived in under 24 hours from phoning. Got to set it all up but still. Nancery, he was 8. Fortunately he likes to be in control so has always done his own injections. He can't do them in his tummy as it makes him feel icky. He doesn't want a pump for that reason. He's very sporty. He did his mile swim a few months after diagnosis. He kayaks, windsurfs, plays golf, does karate and does archery with me. The diabetes has never stopped him doing anything. I find we do seem to live by numbers and have to stop myself saying 'how were your levels today'.

paddyclampo · 19/07/2014 21:47

Hi everyone!

Nancery surprisingly i'm not hungover and am back on the wine tonight! My levels were on the low side until about 3pm but have had plenty of practise of dealing with post drinking lows.

I do always set my alarm for a 2am test when I've been drinking - think it goes back to my teens when I was lucky enough to have a diabetes nurse who was prepared to teach me how to drink safely rather than being naive enought to assume that because of my diabetes I would avoid drink!

Percy I can't say that I've heard it referred to as an attack. It winds me up when they get their facts wrong though!

Flapping i'm the opposite, i'd do all my injections in my stomach if I could. I find that when I inject there the insulin is much more likely to do what I want it to do, maybe it's psychological with me!

Maggie I have some spectacular hypos, one of the first signs I get is that I get really bad tempered and then I start talking complete rubbish! I've hallucinated too, many times. The worst ones for me are the mild ones in a way because I get so bad tempered and have said some terrible things to DH and the kids when I'm like that!

Ludways · 19/07/2014 21:55

YANBU my beloved DSis has had it for over 40 years now. For the most she copes brilliantly and it hasn't hindered her life BUT it's pretty shit and it breaks my heart that she's had to cope with it for so long. I'd take it away from her in a heartbeat.

paddyclampo · 20/07/2014 18:06

Went a bit low this pm. Luckily I was in a café at the time!! Had my emergency supplies on me but a piece of cake is much nicer than Lucozade!

Nancery · 22/07/2014 11:53

Fuckit!
I have been doing MFP and trying to lose weight (I started in March but fell off the wagon not long after.) I have managed to put on about half a stone.
'Do more exercise!' Says a well meaning friend. 'Go swimming!' Yup, I can and agree I will get fitter but she is forgetting the fact that I have to get my blood sugar up first (so probably won't even burn off what I had to put in in the first place, never mind anything else!)
Fed up now

Original poster
Edenviolet · 22/07/2014 14:23

We are fed up too nancery!

Dd currently has a horrible infection at cannula site , yesterday bg shot up to 27.9 and ketones 3.7. Went to change site and it was a complete mess and v infected. Dd is on anti b and quite sore. Had to resite dexcom sensorin her upper arm too.

Very scary how quickly it all happened

OP posts:
Nancery · 22/07/2014 15:25

Shit! That sounds horrible, your poor DD and you! Is it because it's hot and sweaty that the cannula site became more prone to infection? I suppose it won't help anyway. Hope the anti biotics are kicking in and she gets over it very soon. Hugs xx

Original poster
Edenviolet · 22/07/2014 17:02

Not sure, the cannula was only changed sat night and was severely infected by yest afternoon. The dexcom sites have been sore and oozing for a while now and we thought we would give her little bum a chance to heal so its on her arm now which seems to work quite well. She had high bg this afternoon again but I think its the infection and a correction seems to have worked.

OP posts:
itwillbebetter · 22/07/2014 17:30

hedgehog so sorry to hear dd having a rough time. The hospital talked to us about getting a pump for my Ds but he is really against it and I'm not sure either! He copes well with injections at the moment. Is this a recurrent problem with your DD or just a one off?

We are currently filling in DLA for DS. CAn anyone give me any advice? They are very lengthy! Are we likely to get anything?

Nancery · 22/07/2014 17:42

DLA for living with diabetes? How come?

Re pumps, they can be brilliant especially if you, or DS in this case, needs more flexibility. However, personally I don't think changing over is that necessary if he copes well with injections. I didn't either, but then needed far more flexibility when pg, but went back on injections 18 months after DS was born. I seem to be in the minority, but I hated wearing something all the time, didn't find it pain free (cannulas in the legs failed every time so only comfortable place was stomach which ended up covered in circles of flaky skin from the sticking plasters.) Also, I had a Roche one and it failed me twice resulting, the second time, in a trip to A&E as I couldn't get BG below 28! The only thing I did really like on it was the extended dose - eg if you have something like fish and chips which take ages to digest you can have your, say, required ten units pumped out over 90 mins rather than splitting or delaying the dose from a pen (I hope this makes sense!) Lastly, I don't care re the needle side of things, but found having a tube attached to me 24 hours a day horrible. Quite upsettingly so.

hedgehog how's your daughter now? Not just diabetes wise, I mean generally? Hope she's improving

Bramblesinforrin · 22/07/2014 18:08

Waving at everyone. Hedgehog, my son has the same pump and cgm as your little one, it's ace. Sorry paddy to hear of your knock back again. :(

Dla is generally for the under 16s nancery, it's about the level of things well over the 'norm' that they need help with in order to stay well - particularly the night checks and the help when unwell, or even just inserting their canulas, carb counting (argh, steady, I'm going to go into a t1 related rage on my ds' behalf!).

Try children with diabetes again. It's best if you open a dedicated gmail account and sign up for the mailing list. They will help a lot with the Dla application. There are Facebook groups too.

Bramblesinforrin · 22/07/2014 18:09

I think for the Facebook cwd, you will need to search for cwd uk main group and apply.

effinandjeffin · 22/07/2014 18:11

hedgehog not sure what pump you've got but the rep from roche told us to change dds cannula every two days rather than three, because it can get infected easily but also the longer you leave it in, it starts to affect blood sugars as it doesn't work as efficiently (something i've noticed on the odd occasion when I've forgotten to change it. Ahem)

nancery unless you have complications, it's only kids who can get dla because of all the extra help they need to manage their condition. It also stops when they're 16

itwillbebetter I get the higher care rate of DLA for dd. My advice would be to write down everything you do for dc i.e getting up in the night to test bs and treat hypos, reminding them to test regularly, helping count carbs (dependent on how old they are). Write a diary for a week including everything you have to do, like ordering prescriptions etc. In this instance, dds diabetes team were helpful. They gave us a booklet that went through every question on the form and you will also need a letter from your diabetic team confirming that they actually have diabetes.