Diabetes

I've been wanting to make this thread for awhile but seeing as how November is Diabetes Awareness Month, there's no time like the present.

Anyone else have it or know someone with it?

I went from being diagnosed as prediabetic to T2 to finally T1 in August of 2020, so this is all so relatively new to me.

Just wondering if there are others.

 

Yo! I was diagnosed as Type 1 on my 17th birthday way back in 2010. I have pretty good HbA1c scores now, but I've definitely had a bumpy journey with blood sugar control and managing hypoes and things like that over the years.

I hope you're finding your feet with it alright!

It definitely took me a good while to get control over insulin management, especially with the body slowly reducing the amount of natural insulin over time meaning you have to adjust.

 

Damn, I'm not alone. But it would have also been a good thing if no one else responded because this disease sucks.

I can't imagine being diagnosed so young! And to think there are parents of kids ages 3 and under that have to manage their pumps/CGMs etc. I'm still strictly pens/syringes/finger pokes for cost reasons. I did the Dexcom trial for 10 days and I definitely see the usefulness of the CGM even if there are some downsides.

How do you manage your levels? Pump/CGM? Carb intake?

 

My daughter is 22 now, and was dxed with T1D a long time ago. I forget the year, but it was around a Thanksgiving time frame. She also has Celiac (which is common with T1D). Shes been through the gamut of pens and pumps, and gadgets, etc.... and has finalized on the T Slim with Dexcom.

For those at home still, and on your parents insurance - get used to the pain of dealing with the phone calls and know all the buzzwords of: DME, pharmacy, FSAs, HRAs, Copays, and Co-Insurance

Its a minefield when dealing with insurance companies for anything. Good luck!

 

Yeah I actually worked in a call center on the DME side for a little over a year. It's astounding what they make people go through to get a simple refill of sensors. Most of the patients were older and were too brittle to be poking their fingers, meanwhile they're waiting around for prior authorization which to this day I still don't get

 

I'm UK based so have never had to worry about having to navigate the minefield of choosing insurance and all of the different options for care as the NHS cover the cost for everything, and have advised me on all options for treatment and testing since being diagnosed. It honestly sounds like a nightmare to have to think about everything on top of the actual diagnosis so I really feel for you guys. What are costs like these days?

I have always been pen-based for treatment (novorapid and levemir), and use skin prick tests for testing. I have recently signed up for a trial to try the freestyle libre 2 sensor, as I have recently had a couple of hypo scares after exercising which I didn't catch, so want to have a second level of security for if my blood sugars were to drop too low.

 

I can't even imagine having nationalized healthcare. Too bad it's an evil socialist agenda here in the US /s

The actual cost of my vials/pens aren't too bad. My long acting stuff (Tresiba) is in pen form, it costs $90 for maybe a 1.5 month supply. I use Humalog for the regular stuff and I've gotten pretty good at stretching that out so that's not too bad either. The real annoying things are disposable syringes (I have an auto shipment for 100 of them through Amazon every 3 weeks or so and it's about $20) and tests strips - worst offenders by far. $15 or so for 100 from Walmart and that's the absolute cheapest, but those go fast seeing as how I test 6 times a day at minimum.

It adds up, so $100 a month or however much Dexcom sensors are are a bit steep at the moment.

 

My grandfather and his brother have diabetes and I am at risk of having it someday. I am proud of my grandfather, because he takes care of his health, follows the right diet, walks a lot, even plays ping-pong with joola. Plus, he had several heart surgeries, and diabetes makes it very difficult for the body to recover, but he still enjoys his life.

 

The biggest cause of diabetes is being overweight. Eating healthy plant foods, including fruits and vegetables helps to reduce your risk of diabetes and other diseases. By the way, I found some good reviews of Ozempic Online but I would get real feedback, who takes it? You can also reduce your risk by exercising regularly and eating healthy fats. It's important to stay away from junk food. Making healthier choices will have a positive impact on your overall health.

 

keep the thread bot free

 

diagnosed pre diabetic back in October, my doctor recommended some diet and lifestyle changes to start with that I've been taking seriously

 

damn, this is how it started for me. Diagnosed prediabetic in 2016, reversed it within 6 months through diet/hot yoga, then I fell off big time. I was then officially diagnosed with Type 2 and was really up and down with it for years. Eventually, it got to a point in 2020 where I had lost so much weight (without trying) and I weighed like 110 lbs. I knew this wasn't normal so I scheduled a checkup and they ran some tests. That's when I got the official Type 1 diagnosis, so my pancreas is kaput and it's insulin the rest of my life.

Not trying to scare anyone, but I truly hope that doesn't happen for you. You absolutely can turn prediabetes around. Just keep track of your levels and A1C level.

 

finally got on the CGM train. Sporting the Freestyle Libre 3. Liking it so far, pretty non-invasive. Just have to sleep on one side for two weeks at a time.

 

nice!@ Ive heard good things about that one.

Again, my daughters been with Tslim for a while now - can bolus from phone, so thats pretty nifty.

 

One day I'll be on the pump life. Have a meeting with my endo tomorrow so we'll see how my A1C is. Trying to keep it between 6.8-7.2 at the very least, though obviously lower is better.

 

My daughters A1C is good with her pump and her T1.

My A1C with T2 is sadly not ok :(

 

well my A1C is down to 7.0% after permanently using the Libre 3 CGM. Can't go back now!

 

My blood sugars have completely spiked since the weekend and I have no idea why.

They've been really well controlled for the last few years and my insulin dosages (for both novarapid and levemir) have been really consistent, but now I'm spiking immediately after eating even a small portion of carbohydrates and I'm yoyoing between high blood sugars and hypoing just trying to balance them.

It's really stressing me out and I have really important presentations at work over the next two days which I really can't get out of so I'm having to wait until Friday to see a GP.

Diabetes is such a fucking minefield. You feel like you finally have control over it and then get hit with a curveball like this.

Sorry for ranting but fuck it's so annoying.

 

ugh sorry to hear. It is a rollercoaster of a disease. You could do everything right - count every carb, measure every portion, bolus the correct amount - and your body still goes haywire. Then you have the fun task of correcting and god help you if you overcorrect because then you're on the ride the rest of the day. You literally cannot take a second off from it, it's all math and needles and measurements. Just exhausting.

 

Sorry to hear. You do not need the extra stress.

There are so many variables - perhaps a new bottle of insulin? Hopefully things settle down for you!

 

I was hoping that changing my cartridges would work but I'm still having the same issues even with the new ones. I've bitten the bullet and booked in an appointment for tomorrow.

Have you all ever had issues with ketoacidosis? I'm wondering if that could be what is going on, but my tests have come back as low, so I have no idea.

 

Only time Caitlin was there was when diagnosed originally and her blood sugar was 'high' - the way that all people get dx'ed.. :/

Are you checking for ketones?

 

I’m really sorry to hear that you’re going through this, @Thrillcollinz. Managing diabetes brings uncertainties, which can feel burdensome at times. It's healthy to acknowledge a wide range of emotions, including frustration. You've got this - stay strong yet gentle with yourself. You’re doing a great job by being proactive and seeking help from your GP. As another managing Type 2 (Metformin twice daily), I send encouragement.

 

Diabetes patients to be offered artificial-pancreas technology

Although there is a predicted five year roll-out, this is amazing news for those of us diagnosed in the UK.

The advancements in support over the last five years with pumps and CGMs has made life so much easier (although I definitely now have more anxiety about staying in target range with my CGM lol), and this seems like a giant step towards some kind of normalcy.

Hoping you guys in the US get something close to the support we get with the NHS without much of a cost. I definitely don't take it for granted.

 

Yeah I've been seeing talk of that in the Facebook group I'm a part of. Forgive my ignorance, but how is that different from a normal closed loop pump system like the Omnipod/Dexcom or Tandem/Dexcom? The sensor under the skin basically replaces the exterior CGM sensor? I don't have a pump - just a CGM - so my understanding could be way off.