# Feeling like I can't cope.. can anyone help!!



## Muckleberry93 (Jun 6, 2017)

Hi, I'm new to this so may take a while to figure things out. I've been diabetic for 21years now and I'm starting to feel really down about my diabetes. I'm on the insight pump system and it's worked really well at bringing my hba1c down but I feel so stressed all the time my sugars always spike.. 
I don't want to loose my pump and I need help.. What can I do to feel more positive? 
Any help would be super I'm at the point of giving up..
Thankyou xx


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## Pumper_Sue (Jun 6, 2017)

Hi @Little-Roo  and welcome to the forum.
Have you done any recent basal testing and do you know how to basal test?

When do you spike, if after meals have you considered the timing of your bolus as most find blousing 20 -30 mins before a meal helps with the spike.


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## Muckleberry93 (Jun 6, 2017)

Hey @Pumper_Sue. Thankyou. I done a basel test Sunday for the morning and the numbers are all good. I still need to do evening and overnight though. I've never been told about how long before to bolus for my meals so will definitely try doing it earlier. 
I'm going to do my evening basel testing tonight and see how it's going. I've asked my doctor if I need to adjust my carb ratio but they always say no even though it's where I eat they spike so much more. Do you h8nk it would help.
Thankyou for your reply. I'm the only one in my family who's diabetic so I feel very much on my own. Xx


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## Pumper_Sue (Jun 6, 2017)

No.1 rule is always check your basal first which is what you are doing 
Most people find that so the meal bolus coincides with their food hitting the system, bolus needs to be done at least 15 mins before eating most find 15 - 30 so experiment and see what happens.
If your levels are back to normal by your next meal then I would suspect it's the timing of your bolus and not your ratio.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jun 6, 2017)

Hi @Little-Roo

Sorryto hear you are having a tough time at the moment. Part of the way you are doing could well be to do with your high/erratic BGs, as they can have a direct impact on mood and emotions - which is NOT exactly helpful!

Still, the good news is, that if you can get your diabetes to behave itself a bit more you should feel much better in yourself.

Just wondering what happens after you spike, and what (if anything) you do when your numbers rise significantly after eating.

For example if your basal is OK, as you suggest, and you dose just before eating...

Example 1:
Check BG before eating, it is 'x'
Within an hour and a half it rises by 5-6mmol/L
By 4-5 hours after eating it is back to more or less 'x'

Example 2:
Check BG before eating, it is 'x'
Within an hour and a half it rises by 5-6mmol/L
You dose a correction aiming to get you to mid-range
2 hours later and your BG is crashing into a hypo

Example 3:
Check BG before eating, it is 'x'
Within an hour and a half it rises by 5-6mmol/L
You dose a correction aiming to get you to 9.0
About 4 hours later (5-6 hours after eating) your BG is back to more or less 'x'

Examples 1 and 2 would suggest to me that the dose is more or less right, but that the food is acting faster than the insulin, so either dosing earlier (start with 10 minutes and increase to 30 minutes to find your 'happy spot') or possibly changing the sorts of foods you are eating. Some will always spike you more than others, and it's about finding the ones that you like, are varied enough, nutritious, AND that suit your BG.

Example 3 would suggest to me that your insulin:carb ratio is not enough, because you are needing that extra correction to take the edge off the spike.

Keep checking and keeping notes and you'll get there 

Edit: was typing at the same time as @Pumper_Sue, who said exactly the same, much more simply!


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## Pumper_Sue (Jun 6, 2017)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> Edit: was typing at the same time as @Pumper_Sue, who said exactly the same, much more simply!


That's because I am simple


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## ohitsnicola (Jun 6, 2017)

Little-Roo said:


> Hi, I'm new to this so may take a while to figure things out. I've been diabetic for 21years now and I'm starting to feel really down about my diabetes. I'm on the insight pump system and it's worked really well at bringing my hba1c down but I feel so stressed all the time my sugars always spike..
> I don't want to loose my pump and I need help.. What can I do to feel more positive?
> Any help would be super I'm at the point of giving up..
> Thankyou xx


Hiii, I am the same age as you and feeling the same! If you want to message me then feel free  xxx

We will get there eventually  xx


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## grovesy (Jun 6, 2017)

Welcome.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Jun 6, 2017)

Hi, stress pushes up my bgs, it's a vicious circle.


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## HOBIE (Jun 7, 2017)

Good luck & keep asking. The big "D" is very hard work at times


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## SB2015 (Jun 8, 2017)

Hi Little Roo

I was worrying unnecessarily about losing my pump and putting myself under undue pressure.  Once I told my diabetes team how I was feeling they could not have been more helpful.  It may be worth talking to them.  I think that in general if you are trying to use the facilities available on the pump they will be keen to help you make it work for yourself.

Having said that there are times when managing diabetes feels like a lot of hard work.  Nothing wrong with asking for help.  Also this forum is good for understanding the rants we need to do at times.

Mike and pumper Sue have given youthe practicalideas about basal rate testing and timing and of bolus insulin before meals. I used their ideas and it made things a lot less spikes.

Keep asking questions.  We are here to help.


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## Muckleberry93 (Jun 13, 2017)

Hey everyone sorry I haven't replied to your messages. Thank you all so much for your help and advise. @Pumper_Sue  I've been having my bolus 15mins before I eat and my blood test results have been fabulous. All under 10 before andeciding after meals. I know feel super happy. Its quite hard for me as there aren't many people who I know locally to me that are diabetic and there's no one in my family who's got it either. Your support has been amazing and I thank you all so very much. I really was at a point where I didn't know what to do next. Sending love to you all xxxxx


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## Muckleberry93 (Jun 13, 2017)

SB2015 said:


> Hi Little Roo
> 
> I was worrying unnecessarily about losing my pump and putting myself under undue pressure.  Once I told my diabetes team how I was feeling they could not have been more helpful.  It may be worth talking to them.  I think that in general if you are trying to use the facilities available on the pump they will be keen to help you make it work for yourself.
> 
> ...



My biggest worry is loosing my pump, especially when you try with all you've got and nothing seems to work. I sometimes feel like my doctors don't always understand where I'm coming from mentally with my diabetes. They look at it from more of a 'medical' point of view. I know that's their job but sometimes you need to feel like you can talk to them and I don't always feel like I can. Saying that I'm super happy now so I might be OK.  I have a hba1c and pump appointment tomorrow but I'm still a bit nervous of appointments. Thanks for your message xxx


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## Muckleberry93 (Jun 13, 2017)

ohitsnicola said:


> Hiii, I am the same age as you and feeling the same! If you want to message me then feel free  xxx
> 
> We will get there eventually  xx


Thankyou @ohitsnicola that would be great  xxx


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## Pumper_Sue (Jun 13, 2017)

Little-Roo said:


> Hey everyone sorry I haven't replied to your messages. Thank you all so much for your help and advise. @Pumper_Sue  I've been having my bolus 15mins before I eat and my blood test results have been fabulous. All under 10 before andeciding after meals. I know feel super happy. Its quite hard for me as there aren't many people who I know locally to me that are diabetic and there's no one in my family who's got it either. Your support has been amazing and I thank you all so very much. I really was at a point where I didn't know what to do next. Sending love to you all xxxxx


Wow well done @Little-Roo  that's a great improvement and even better you sound happier and more positive 
Perhaps do a basal check before your meals as 10 is still a little high under 8 would be a lot better for you health wise. Conclusion is you have just about got it spot on so well done and all power to you (((((((((hugs)))))))))


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## trophywench (Jun 13, 2017)

Little-Roo said:


> My biggest worry is loosing my pump, especially when you try with all you've got and nothing seems to work. I sometimes feel like my doctors don't always understand where I'm coming from mentally with my diabetes. They look at it from more of a 'medical' point of view. I know that's their job but sometimes you need to feel like you can talk to them and I don't always feel like I can.



Who has put it into your head that you would lose your pump?  How on earth would they do that?  Let's go off on a little flight of fancy here.  It's physically attached to you - and you aren't going to hand it back voluntarily - so how are they going to get it back?   Physically assault you? - and leave you with no means of keeping yourself alive whilst you sort out adopting MDI again? - then tell the pump company not to send you  any more supplies and tell the CCG to stop paying for any?  And tell your GP to stop prescribing vials and go back to cartridges only - TODAY!!!! - and then tell you what dose of long acting you need and when - blah blah blah ... it would be far too much trouble to do all that, when they've got a waiting room of other folk to see ! - and you with only 4 hours to live ......

It ain't going to happen, logically, is it!    Please put that firmly out of your head.

The 'failure' if we call it that - is NOT on your part.  How the hell were you supposed to know that what's just worked beautifully as if by magic, even existed - if nobody ever told you that it often did?

Most of us talk far better with DSNs than we do consultants - each has their place and are necessary.  But - and this is the most important part - nurses are far easier to talk to, person to person.  Like a work colleague with extra training than you for the job you're trying to do.  My DSNs have always been mates I only bump into a couple of times a year.  The forums I'm on are just a wider extension of that - except that means I have a lot more 'colleagues' - some of whom are more experienced at the job than me, and some, less - so I can possibly help them from time to time.

Frankly, where I live/my hospital clinic, everyone is equally friendly and sing from the same helpful hymnsheet.  The day of saying things to a nurse who merely listens, records it and then can't tell you what to do next - are over.  They finished in the early 1980s when the elderly useless clinic 'nurse' in the equally elderly uniform overall was replaced by one of the new breed - a proper, SPECIALIST nurse.  Same uniform and nurses cap as the inpatient Ward Sisters in the hospital so evidently of greater status in the hierarchy.  Lovely woman!

Then, as now - I can ring my nurse up, or email her if/when I'm having probs.  And I have had probs and no doubt I will again.  But she ain't a mindreader however good she is and neither is any doctor or consultant - we do have to TELL them we're having difficulty with something in the first place, before they can try and help us sort that out.

Don't worry about your blood test tomorrow - if it's not to somebody's liking - pipe up straight away and TELL them the difficulty you've had - and how you seem to have been able to sort it out with help from here - and show them your latest day to day BG levels so they can see you are telling the truth.  Tell them you didn't know about pre-bolusing before - and so you guess that must be their fault, for not warning you that you might need to do it!  And then GRIN at them!   I hope you'll find - if they're intelligent - that it all gets a lot friendlier!


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## Bloden (Jun 14, 2017)

HOBIE said:


> Good luck & keep asking. The big "D" is very hard work at times


Here, here. Great to hear you're feeling more positive, Little Roo. And now you know you don't have to feel alone - we're queueing up to help.


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## heasandford (Jun 14, 2017)

Really well done to you, Little Roo (great name!)
The help from people on this forum was far better than I had from even the nurses, but I didn't even know what to ask either. 

Just to add though, despite everything, there are still some things that cause me to spike after eating, even though it goes down by the time it's the next meal. You have to decide whether you can live with the things that do that to you too. I can't/won't give up nice bread completely, but the only way to prevent it spiking is to head out on a route-march walk immediately after eating, then head off the hypo later by carrying lucozade - the things we do, eh!

But keep on asking the lovely people here, made more difference to my results and wellbeing due to diabetes than anyone else! Try not to beat yourself up, sometimes things just don't work.


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## SB2015 (Jun 15, 2017)

I am glad the timing of the pre-meal bolus had a good effect.  I hope that the appointment went well and that you were able to tell them how you were feeling.  

My team quickly quashed my worry about losing my pump if I did not do well enough, and both the DSN and Consultant are just keen to hear what I have tried and to drop in ideas that others have found works.  It is definitely a two way process.  They definitely want each of us to make the pump work for us.

Let us know how you get on.  I have definitely learnt so much on this forum.


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