# Mental health and anxiety support



## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

Hi all, diagnosed type 3c in January and still finding it all rather overwhelming and struggling to accept that I cannot have a day off from this  

I have rather good control over my sugars (Well as much as you can with no two days ever being the same) but I find I'm obsessing and worrying all the time. For example today I ate out with family for the first time. Prior to going I chose what I wanted from the menu and googled similar meals amd desserts to try to ascertain a rough carb content so I didn't have to think too hard at the table. Sadly on arrival the dessert I wanted was not available so I played bolus roulette! I did quite a good job it turns out but it all totally distracted me from enjoying the company of my family. I feel like I am never fully in the moment (something I have always excelled at before now) or able to focus. 

I'm struggling to accept that every thing I do, eat, walk, exercise, drive, sleep, all involves so much mental effort so as to avoid hypos or highs. I am also worrying about going to festivals,gigs, holidays, on dates (God I'll be a wreck on my next first date!) . I had no clue just how all consuming this would be and I miss being care free and being spontaneous. 

I've never suffered anxiety before but have suffered depression, which I can feel creeping back. (Even been wondering if I do ask for antidepressants again will they affect my sugars as it seems anything does, even the wind changing direction!)  But I want to try and prevent entering a dark place and have been considering asking for counselling. 

Can I ask for those of you who have suffered health anxiety due to diabetes what helped you the most? Did counselling help? Which kind if so? Did things get easier over time? 

I feel like I'm mourning the old me. The free spirit who was rather Zen and practised meditation. She is nowhere to be seen right now


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## Peely66 (Apr 12, 2021)

Hi @SianyBee,

I don't know anything about Type 3c ( will look it up after posting this) but I know about health anxiety, depression and have had Type 1 for 30+ years. 

I think sometimes we all find  it too much but the feeling of mourning is real. It is a loss. So I would say first of all accept those feelings..the 5 stages stuff...denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Educating myself helped me. So going on a DAFNE course and learning how to carb count. I started with carb counting from day one as that was the accepted approach to diabetes management. It went out of fashion for a while but now with continuous glucose monitoring  and bolus adjustment (DAFNE) it came back as an important tool. I'm pretty gung ho about carb counting now. It just becomes second nature when you've done it for a while.

I think joining this forum is also a positive thing and is helping me at the moment so hopefully you'll find the same.

I also suffered with pretty severe anxiety and having even more anxiety about blood sugar levels didn't help. CBT helped with a lot of that stuff.

Hope some of that helps from me anyway. I'm sure there will be lots of other responses too.


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## Inka (Apr 12, 2021)

Hi @SianyBee I felt upset, angry and depressed when I was diagnosed. I found what helped me most was time. That and having a good consultant who answered my questions and listened to me.

It does get easier, I promise. What I think is that you can give up your life, focus entirely on your diabetes and have perfect control every day blah blah, or you can put the little b*&%” in its place and get on with your life by not obsessing too much. It’s all a balance - both practically and emotionally.

When I go out for meals, I tend to have some insulin up front, then top up a few times as needed. I never sit there and aim to calculate every morsel that will pass my lips. It’s not possible. The same dessert can vary hugely. Judge it by eye and by taste (ie is it extra sweet) Have some insulin, the test after an hour or so and top up if needed. Unless you have meals out all the time, treat them as special occasions and loosen your control a little. It’s worth it for the mental peace. X


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## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

Peely66 said:


> Hi @SianyBee,
> 
> I don't know anything about Type 3c ( will look it up after posting this) but I know about health anxiety, depression and have had Type 1 for 30+ years.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your response. I am doing a three day course with my diabetes team soon, hoping it helps. I have tried to work out carb ratios amd all seemed well but the same meals on different days , as you prob know, get totally different results so I don't really see how it helps all that much? For example the same breakfast can see me not spike then some days shoot up to 13 and stay there for hours, or maybe a brief 11 and back down fast.  I've gone hypo after meals that see me rise too. This is my biggest frustration. It isn't consistent is it? If only a simple formula worked 80% of the time I would be happy but it's all bonkers amd driving me insane. 

I'm grieving for sure. I'm not myself. I think I do need some antidepressants and counselling. I think a counsellor who has experience of diabetes would be best tho but not sure they exist?


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## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

Inka said:


> Hi @SianyBee I felt upset, angry and depressed when I was diagnosed. I found what helped me most was time. That and having a good consultant who answered my questions and listened to me.
> 
> It does get easier, I promise. What I think is that you can give up your life, focus entirely on your diabetes and have perfect control every day blah blah, or you can put the little b*&%” in its place and get on with your life by not obsessing too much. It’s all a balance - both practically and emotionally.
> 
> When I go out for meals, I tend to have some insulin up front, then top up a few times as needed. I never sit there and aim to calculate every morsel that will pass my lips. It’s not possible. The same dessert can vary hugely. Judge it by eye and by taste (ie is it extra sweet) Have some insulin, the test after an hour or so and top up if needed. Unless you have meals out all the time, treat them as special occasions and loosen your control a little. It’s worth it for the mental peace. X


Thank you. That is what I did today. Took my estimate. Then more with dessert then another an hour later. All was good I was at 7.7 then three hours later I've sky rocketed up to 14.4!! I took a correction amd it didn't budge so I took my pre meal bolus and left it a bit longer. I've only come down 1mmol after 40 minutes! This has never happened before. I've started to eat now and added correction factor in to try and bring it down. Fingers crossed. 

I think I obsess as I get scared that these highs will lead to complications unless I take total control. I am usually at least 85% in range but it's slipped this past week to 78% and I'm battling some crazy stubborn highs


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## Inka (Apr 12, 2021)

Total control isn’t possible. All we can do is our best. You spotted the high and you corrected it - you couldn’t have done more.

When I’m over around 12, I find I need slightly bigger corrections due to insulin resistance from being high. I also find that my blood sugar takes longer to start moving down. It’s very frustrating but knowing it will happen helps make sense of it.


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## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

Inka said:


> Total control isn’t possible. All we can do is our best. You spotted the high and you corrected it - you couldn’t have done more.
> 
> When I’m over around 12, I find I need slightly bigger corrections due to insulin resistance from being high. I also find that my blood sugar takes longer to start moving down. It’s very frustrating but knowing it will happen helps make sense of it.


Ah thank you that makes sense as to the slower decline then maybe. I was scared to eat being so high but I've had to as so hungry. Just hope the battle comes to an end before I sleep tonight.

Bit gutted it's panned out this way for my first time eating out. 

Can I ask if it's common to get these three hour spikes please? I was in range until that point then boom!! Makes it so hard to know when to bolus


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## Inka (Apr 12, 2021)

When I correct a ‘normal’ high, it takes 70-120 mins to start coming down approximately, but can be approaching three hours for a high above 12.

For your spike, it depends on what you ate eg higher fat can delay a spike, and also how many carbs you had. I find more than 90g carbs very approximately in a meal can mean I go high later. I guess my body takes time to process the extra carbs.

Don’t be gutted. I’ve had a 19 eating out before! (Totally underestimated the carbs and how much I’d gobbled of some starter snacks!) It was your first time - you did well because you were thinking about what you were doing and making sensible decisions  You’ve corrected the high promptly so that’s great. If you can work out what pushed you a little high then next time you can sort it. I’d also add that sometimes just the relaxedness of the meal can push me high. That is, I’m sitting down longer and chatting, rather than getting up and moving.

We’re trying to do a very hard job - be our own pancreas. It’s not easy at all. So think about how well you’re doing and don’t dwell on the highs too much. Everyone will get highs. My consultant says as long as they’re corrected that’s ok.


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## trophywench (Apr 12, 2021)

It usually happens when the first thing or things we eat, contain more fat than usual - so a prawn cocktail is beautifully low carb but high fat since mayo etc has a goodly amount of olive oil in it for it's first ingredient.   (Google the words 'Pizza Effect' to find out more - the cheese slows the 'bread' base down considerably - I spike approx 5hrs later with an actual pizza)   Much the same can apply to chips!


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## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

trophywench said:


> It usually happens when the first thing or things we eat, contain more fat than usual - so a prawn cocktail is beautifully low carb but high fat since mayo etc has a goodly amount of olive oil in it for it's first ingredient.   (Google the words 'Pizza Effect' to find out more - the cheese slows the 'bread' base down considerably - I spike approx 5hrs later with an actual pizza)   Much the same can apply to chips!


I am vegan so had a Bali bowl, which was  sticky tempeh, spiced greens, sweet potato, coconut rice and a drizzle of satay dressing. I think I worked out the carbs content well for it. Then after I had a raw sugar free millionaires slice, with dates, almond flour, nut butter etc. 

I've found I am fine with chips and have them quite often, same with potatoes.. they don't affect me nor does rice. But if my meal is on the large side then I do find the spike is later, I tried a split bolus (1 hour apart) with a curry last week amd it worked a treat . Maybe today's meal needed a similar approach? 

I haven't dared to try pizza yet but do want to!


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## SianyBee (Apr 12, 2021)

Inka said:


> When I correct a ‘normal’ high, it takes 70-120 mins to start coming down approximately, but can be approaching three hours for a high above 12.
> 
> For your spike, it depends on what you ate eg higher fat can delay a spike, and also how many carbs you had. I find more than 90g carbs very approximately in a meal can mean I go high later. I guess my body takes time to process the extra carbs.
> 
> ...


Thank you  I hope I feel more relaxed over time. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and also love patterns and logic but there doesn't seem to be much of either with diabetes! This is the most frustrating thing for me, the inconsistency. I want to control it well but the unpredictable nature makes it impossible a lot of the time. 

With regards to corrections I know when I take my morning pre bolus I can drop a good few mmol in just that 20 minutes time frame. So I was expecting the same tonight but no budge. But maybe the dessert was still being absorbed  hence preventing it. 

Do you split bolus for larger meals please? I'm wondering if that approach would work better with certain meals with higher protein or fats? So much trial and error isn't there.


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## trophywench (Apr 12, 2021)

I have no experience whatever of adjusting insulin with a vegan diet so am clueless.  In the absence of carbs you need insulin to convert both protein and fat to glucose  and all I can tell you is that with an omnivorous diet you'd try 40% of your I:Carb ratio and for fat, 10%.  However when not mega low carb people generally find their body does not need to convert either protein or fat to glucose, since the carb produces enough glucose.  Mine never has because I always try to eat a balanced diet.


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## SB2015 (Apr 13, 2021)

Welcome to the forum @SianyBee 

Sorry to hear how frustrating things are for you at present.  It is hard work, and perfection is definitely impossible.  We can only do our best, and you are doing brilliantly if you have TIR over 70%.  So the strategies you are using are working well, but they never work 100% of the time.  I can relate to your frustrations as it took me a long time to accept the impossibility of perfection.  I found I got better and better at keeping levels in range and then it just didn’t improve.  I did hit a wall and eventually asked for help, so don’t be afraid to tell your team how you are feeling.  Be honest.  This won’t be the first time they have come across it.

I find that whenever I have a bigger meal I have to increase my Bolus doses.  I worked at a rule of thumb that worked (most of the time) for me.  That could be worth discussing with your team.  As @Inka has said this can also apply to correction doses.

With fatty meals I found that I needed to spread the delivery of my insulin.  This became easier once I was on a pump, but with injections I was splitting my dose. So for a meal out, I would put in an estimated amount at the start (restaurants often have carb info on their website) then I would add a bit more if I fancied a pud or thought I had had more.  The most important thing is to enjoy the meal out.  It is not something you are going to do every day, it is unlikely to be a repeated menu, so no point in being too precise.just do the best you can, accept that it might be a bit of a yo-yo overnight, with maybe an extra check.  In the long term it is not going to cause a big issue. It is just a blip.

With regard to the anomalies of levels simply not behaving the same all the time, you are right they don’t.  I used to think that my ratios were fixed, but when I joined this forum I realised that people were changing the ratios loads.  I now find I need to do this with changes in the weather.  I have a seasonal wardrobe, and seasonal ratio changes.

Keep in touch on here as well as working with your team.  Ask any questions that you have.  There is plenty of support on here from people that ‘get it’.


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## Inka (Apr 13, 2021)

Hi @SianyBee I have a pump so I have an option of different boluses eg extended, but on injections I did split boluses sometimes, yes. This was for things like pasta and also for eating out. Sadly there’s no special rule for this - it’s just experience. You’ll gradually become aware of the best way to deal with various meals and situations. With lots of meals out or special occasions, I also tend to correct/add insulin when needed. Please don’t think I sit there doing special calculations and have perfect blood sugar - I don’t even after almost three decades of the silly diabetes. There are always curve balls.

So you could experiment with a similar meal again and see what works bolus-wise. The meal sounds delicious, by the way, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Sometimes you just have to manage your blood sugar over the hours rather than enact some foolproof plan because so many things can change. Although we’re carefully thinking about our insulin, we’re dealing with a biological system not a machine, so there’s always an element of estimation even on normal days.


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## helli (Apr 13, 2021)

Welcome @SianyBee diabetes is a pest, isn't it?
Things do get easier over time but it is especially a challenge if you are a perfectionist. 
I try not to think of controlling diabetes but managing it. I compare it to a manager in an office. They don't control their employees. If one of their employees decided to steal paperclips, it's not the manager's fault but they can do something about it when they notice the paperclip supplies going down too quickly. 
With diabetes, we are the managers. When our blood sugars start falling (or rising) quickly, it is not our fault but once we detect it, we can do something about it. 
The paperclip thief does not behave the same all the time - sometimes they don't take any and other times, sometimes they take a few and sometimes they clear the cupboard. The way the manager will behave when they clear the cupboard will be different to what the manager will do if they take half a dozen. 
Diabetes is the same - sometimes it behaves, sometimes it causes blood sugars to go a couple of mmol/l higher than we'd like and sometimes it rockets into the teens (or higher). When our blood sugars go high, we can experience insulin resistance so we may need more insulin to bring it back down. 

I hope my analogy makes sense ... although who uses paperclips any more?


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

SB2015 said:


> Welcome to the forum @SianyBee
> 
> Sorry to hear how frustrating things are for you at present.  It is hard work, and perfection is definitely impossible.  We can only do our best, and you are doing brilliantly if you have TIR over 70%.  So the strategies you are using are working well, but they never work 100% of the time.  I can relate to your frustrations as it took me a long time to accept the impossibility of perfection.  I found I got better and better at keeping levels in range and then it just didn’t improve.  I did hit a wall and eventually asked for help, so don’t be afraid to tell your team how you are feeling.  Be honest.  This won’t be the first time they have come across it.
> 
> ...


Thankyou so much for this. It means a lot and is very helpful. I am usually about 85% plus in range but the past few days only 65% due to the bizarre stubborn highs happening at about three hours post meal. I would love to be able to prevent those rather than correct really as I am quite anxious to bolus before bedtime due to night time hypo anxiety (Even tho that's only happened once! But living alone I worry about it) . 

 So is 70% in range classed as good control please? And when you say in range do you refer to the whole time period or just the pre meal levels falling in range 70% of the time? I guess I worry about what is considered good and will avoid long term complications. 

I actually read your thread last night from a few years ago about techniques that helped you amd it was extremely interesting and helpful to me.  I hope I can develop some similar techniques and relax over time.


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

helli said:


> Welcome @SianyBee diabetes is a pest, isn't it?
> Things do get easier over time but it is especially a challenge if you are a perfectionist.
> I try not to think of controlling diabetes but managing it. I compare it to a manager in an office. They don't control their employees. If one of their employees decided to steal paperclips, it's not the manager's fault but they can do something about it when they notice the paperclip supplies going down too quickly.
> With diabetes, we are the managers. When our blood sugars start falling (or rising) quickly, it is not our fault but once we detect it, we can do something about it.
> ...





helli said:


> Welcome @SianyBee diabetes is a pest, isn't it?
> Things do get easier over time but it is especially a challenge if you are a perfectionist.
> I try not to think of controlling diabetes but managing it. I compare it to a manager in an office. They don't control their employees. If one of their employees decided to steal paperclips, it's not the manager's fault but they can do something about it when they notice the paperclip supplies going down too quickly.
> With diabetes, we are the managers. When our blood sugars start falling (or rising) quickly, it is not our fault but once we detect it, we can do something about it.
> ...


I love this analogy  blasted paperclips hey! Haha. I do try to control it yes, but managing it (a more reactive in some ways) approach does seem a better way to look at it for sure. 

I get frustrated at how one day my breakfast stays in range then the next it shoots outta the stratosphere. Yesterday it did this so I took a correction pre two hours, naughty I know, and I went hypo at the start of the meal. My sensor didn't detect it, only the second time this has happened, it said 5.6 but I was 3.6! So it didn't set off the meal great from the start really amd shook me up a bit.


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## Anxious 63 (Apr 13, 2021)

Hi there i have type 2 diabetes but also suffer from anxiety and depression , regarding the diabetes i think like any illness if you are stressed it makes everything worse , try to eat the right things , exercise when you can and get your rest and sleep, i think some medical professionals forget that everybody is different and they seem to think we are all wired the same way this is simply not true , i have found there is some really good advice on this forum


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

Anxious 63 said:


> Hi there i have type 2 diabetes but also suffer from anxiety and depression , regarding the diabetes i think like any illness if you are stressed it makes everything worse , try to eat the right things , exercise when you can and get your rest and sleep, i think some medical professionals forget that everybody is different and they seem to think we are all wired the same way this is simply not true , i have found there is some really good advice on this forum


Thank you. Could I ask if you have ever taken antidepressants please? Did these have any effect on your sugar levels? I think I will be speaking to my doctor this week about starting back on them. I came off my last lot about two years ago and have been doing really great until my diagnosis in January. I was actually feeling mentally and physically better than ever since the lockdown started hence it has all come as a huge shock


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## Anxious 63 (Apr 13, 2021)

Yeah been on lots of different meds , some of them can increase your sugar levels , cymbalta is supposedly for good nerve pain due to Diabetes , i am afraid all they will say is all meds have side effects its hit and miss with a lot of meds


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## Cherrelle DUK (Apr 13, 2021)

Hi SianyBee, welcome to the forum. 

It's really common to experience anxiety when dealing with health issues so you're not alone. I think I ate 3 spoonful's of food the day I was diagnosed as I was scared I was going to implode or something! ‍♀️

As soon as I was able to do some reading and learn more about what I needed to do, the fear subsided. That doesn't mean everything will be perfect as there are so many factors that can impact your level, stress being one of them.

It sounds as though you're doing the best you can with the resources you have, can't ask for much more. This is a journey to a healthy lifestyle so just as you learnt the protocols to enjoy festivals or how to meditate, you'll learn how to manage your new health requirements. 

Might be worth taking some time to enjoy the things that helped you to be Zen so you can draw on the benefits to deal with this journey. Let us know if we can help in any way as we're here to support you every step of the way.


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## trophywench (Apr 13, 2021)

A CGM or Flash GM sensor NEVER tells you what your blood glucose is - only what your interstitial fluid glucose happened to be 10 -15 minutes ago.  Your interstitional fluid does not of itself convey messages to your brain - only your bloodstream can do that.

CGM and Flash GM should not be used for individual dosing for food or corrections.  Their use is limited - eg to providing the overall picture over a time period.

You should be advised to AIM for 70% 'in range' over time - because that has been found over decades of research to be indicative in preventing long term diabetic complications arising.

So some months you can achieve 70% - some you won't because you tripped up and broke your kneecap at the beginning of March or the bloke you married 73 years ago (and still adored) popped his clogs - or whatever.

Anything above 70% is merely a BONUS (well bully for you mate, but I'm not you)


All these measuring instruments have inbuilt margins of error - and those measuring blood glucose are officially allowed to have 10-15% margin either way - so a glucometer test strip says 5.0 - so that might really be 5.75 or 4.25, or somewhere in between.  If the strip says 20 - somewhere between 17 and 23.


Perfection?

NO WAY Pedro!


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## helli (Apr 13, 2021)

trophywench said:


> CGM and Flash GM should not be used for individual dosing for food or corrections. Their use is limited - eg to providing the overall picture over a time period.


This advice is years out of date.
CGM and Flash GM *can* be used for dosing and is the reason why closed loop systems rely on CGMs.
It is also the reason why Libre are being prescribed to save the NHS money on expensive test strips.


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## Lucyr (Apr 13, 2021)

I also have anxiety and for eating out, special occasions, takeaways where it’s perhaps a food that’s higher in carbs or less familiar my strategy is to go with “what amount of carbs is the most I’m comfortable blousing for given this food”. If I estimate that there are say 100 carbs but I’m only comfortable / experienced at bolusing for 80 in one go normally, then I just bolus for 80, accept I’ll be on the high side later but that there are lots of unknown variables, and that I want to relax and enjoy the occasion, and then correct later. In order to reduce the late on high, I take greater care of my bg in the afternoon before the event, checking and correcting after lunch so that I start the event with a good blood sugar.


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

trophywench said:


> A CGM or Flash GM sensor NEVER tells you what your blood glucose is - only what your interstitial fluid glucose happened to be 10 -15 minutes ago.  Your interstitional fluid does not of itself convey messages to your brain - only your bloodstream can do that.
> 
> CGM and Flash GM should not be used for individual dosing for food or corrections.  Their use is limited - eg to providing the overall picture over a time period.
> 
> ...


Thankyou. Its good to know that 70% is classed as good control, that eases my anxiety quite a bit and my  nurse said exactly the same this morning.

I agree with what you say about the Libre being a great guide but not accurate enough for dosing. I woulda totally ignored two hypos over the past week had I not finger pricked to double check. I still finger prick pre meals to work out my dose as I know the margin of error is just too great sadly. I mean it's fab to learn trends and warns of 90% of hypos so I do love it but it's not perfect


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## Peely66 (Apr 13, 2021)

I'm only 6 days into wearing my first sensor so I'm a total novice where this is concerned. I decided I was going to try and approach this sensor wearing by just doing what I normally do and not make any adjustments based on the sensor. Then I could see what my normal approach, that I've adopted over 30 years, was actually doing.

I've seen a difference between the sensor and finger tests which I was forewarned about although someone did mention that the lag with Libre2 was less. 

My initial thoughts are that I cant really trust the number that the sensor is giving me so I wouldn't want to base my insulin dosage on an individual number from the sensor. I sort of feel that the snapshot the scan gives me is that I'm either : in range; quite low; very low; quite high or very high. 

The AGP is the invaluable piece of the puzzle that the sensor gives us. 

Like I said I'm only 6 days in and still a bit bamboozled by it all.


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## pm133 (Apr 13, 2021)

SianyBee said:


> Thankyou. Its good to know that 70% is classed as good control, that eases my anxiety quite a bit and my  nurse said exactly the same this morning.
> 
> I agree with what you say about the Libre being a great guide but not accurate enough for dosing. I woulda totally ignored two hypos over the past week had I not finger pricked to double check. I still finger prick pre meals to work out my dose as I know the margin of error is just too great sadly. I mean it's fab to learn trends and warns of 90% of hypos so I do love it but it's not perfect


Hi SianyBee,

I can pass on my own experience.

When eating takeaways, I usually just guess what insulin will be required. It's pretty rare that I'll eat anything I've not had at home so I have gained a very good feel for what I need. There's no other reasonable way to go about it in my opinion. I can still feel very spontaneous and am quite happy to inject my bolus post-meal if timings are an issue. I am very relaxed about post-10 readings as long as I don't go above 13. I am also relaxed about post-10 readings which come down again after about an hour or two. My strong preference is to avoid hypos at all costs so I'll always err on the side of under-dosing my bolus.

I almost never correct for high glucose readings (that way, madness lies) and I certainly never do within 4 hours of my previous bolus because that would still be in my system and I risk a hypo. In my hallway is a better solution - a cheap exercise bike. If I am a bit higher than I'd like or if my readings stay high for longer than an hour or two I stick it on the most difficult setting, stick the headphones on to some rock music and get peddling at a brisk rate (15 to 20 mph) for about 15 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, a 30 minute brisk walk will do the same. Providing I have some bolus in me that always brings me back down under 10 again - sometimes under 7, regardless of how high I had gotten.

I am very relaxed about all of this. Despite having frequent highs of 10 to 12 an hour after meals, my last two HBA1c results were 46 and 44 (yesterday) so overall I'm doing fine. Also I am around 88% to 92% in range on average according to my Libre (which I love).

Hope this helps.


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## SB2015 (Apr 13, 2021)

SianyBee said:


> I actually read your thread last night from a few years ago about techniques that helped you amd it was extremely interesting and helpful to me.  I hope I can develop some similar techniques and relax over time.



Really glad that you found my post, on the strategies that I used, of some help.  I took a long while to ask for help, and I wish I had done it sooner. It was others on here who encouraged me to take that step, as well as providing a lot of practical advice and moving me away my unrealistic expectations.  You will find a way through this.  Keep asking questions on here. People will help where they can.  

The 70% target is for being between 4 and 10 throughout the day, so taking the data from a CGM or Libre. For me this was certainly easier to achieve on a pump than on injections.

Keep in touch.


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## helli (Apr 13, 2021)

@Peely66 and @trophywench as has been discussed multiple times, I find the problem with Libre is that unlike other CGMs, you cannot calibrate it. However, there are unofficial phone apps which use slightly different algorithms to convert form interstitial fluid readings to blood sugars. These algorithms can also incorporate calibration against blood sugars so if you are not like the factor man that Abbott calibrate their Libre against, you can adjust the readings, The other thing to consider is that CGMs are less accurate when high (above 8 for me) or low (below 4 for me). Therefore, finger pricks are required to confirm Libre readings when correcting highs and lows but fine if you are dosing for food when in normal range. 
Many people find the native Libre algorithm and calibration suits them very well.


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## trophywench (Apr 13, 2021)

@SianyBee - I could have just said 'Relax, luv!' to you* - but by saying that it would not have been possible to convey to you that - sometimes ! - the voice of decades of personal experience still counts and that you do always need to weigh up all the pros and cons before forming your own opinion on stuff.

* I fully accept that if people could just do that automatically - then they would do it (been there, haven't been able to do it myself, at times and hence sought help) - these things absolutely do take TIME.

When you need to eat a whole elephant - the ONLY way is to first divide the carcass up into bite-sized chunks.  Then consume the chunks at your own, personal, rate.


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## Peely66 (Apr 13, 2021)

SB2015 said:


> Really glad that you found my post, on the strategies that I used, of some help.  I took a long while to ask for help, and I wish I had done it sooner. It was others on here who encouraged me to take that step, as well as providing a lot of practical advice and moving me away my unrealistic expectations.  You will find a way through this.  Keep asking questions on here. People will help where they can.
> 
> The 70% target is for being between 4 and 10 throughout the day, so taking the data from a CGM or Libre. For me this was certainly easier to achieve on a pump than on injections.
> 
> Keep in touch.


Where is that post? I'd be interested to read it.


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## SB2015 (Apr 13, 2021)

Peely66 said:


> Where is that post? I'd be interested to read it.


Here I think









						Successful strategies so far in dealing with depression and Diabetes
					

I found it tempting to hide away over the last couple of months.  After 9 years of Diabetes I finally hit a wall as HbA1c reached the mid 40s and so no longer improved, spinal stenosis gave me numb feet over night, an MRI showing lesions on the brain and I watched my Mum die of Dementia...




					forum.diabetes.org.uk
				




I hope it proves helpful.


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

Thank you all. I will respond in more detail soon. I just wanted to say my comment about finger prickw being more consistent just backfired totally. I tested at 7.1 but it didn't seem right so I tested a finger on my other hand amd it was 5.2!!! What on earth? I washed my hands too so it's not that. I went with the lower reading but am currently amazed at the difference that coulda made to my dosing choice. 

Anyone else experience this? Just when I thought diabetes couldn't get any more crazy I have totally lost confidence in meter readings now!


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

pm133 said:


> Hi SianyBee,
> 
> I can pass on my own experience.
> 
> ...


Thank you, I also try to go for a brisk walk and climb up the hill opposite my home when I'm high and not working. It works a treat, exercise is awesome! 

Ah that is great to know about your frequent highs yet fab blood results yesterday. I am getting mine done in May , prob the end of May as my control was not so good at first so I wanna get a better picture of it .


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## SianyBee (Apr 13, 2021)

SB2015 said:


> Really glad that you found my post, on the strategies that I used, of some help.  I took a long while to ask for help, and I wish I had done it sooner. It was others on here who encouraged me to take that step, as well as providing a lot of practical advice and moving me away my unrealistic expectations.  You will find a way through this.  Keep asking questions on here. People will help where they can.
> 
> The 70% target is for being between 4 and 10 throughout the day, so taking the data from a CGM or Libre. For me this was certainly easier to achieve on a pump than on injections.
> 
> Keep in touch.


Thank you. I am currently obsessing about scanning and checking my numbers and it needs to stop. I want to try and scan only at 2 hours post meal or pre meals really but finding it hard to resist. I know it isn't good for me though being so fixated on it all the time. 

It has been a big help today reading all of your helpful replies I have to say, I don't feel so alone in this and it's encouraging to hear how many people are relaxed about it all, it gives me hope that I soon will be. 

I'm going to log onto my laptop now and self refer for some counselling. Let's see how long the waiting list is!


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## Peely66 (Apr 15, 2021)

SB2015 said:


> Here I think
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep really good stuff especially about the impossibility of perfection. Thank you.


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## SB2015 (Apr 15, 2021)

Peely66 said:


> Yep really good stuff especially about the impossibility of perfection. Thank you.


Glad that it was helpful.
It took quite a while for me to cotton onto that!!


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## Andra Gabriela (Apr 16, 2021)

Hi there! I know the feeling! After I got my diagnosis I completely stopped dating and going out fearing of what might happen. Therapy is amazing or at least it helped me a lot. I still keep a worry diary to this day to help with intrusive thoughts, as for dating although avoided I eventually starred dating again and was extremely upfront about my diabetes. You will find that superficial people will stay away on their own so you’ll only end up with people dating you because you’re you despite anything else which is amazing. I am currently dating an amazing man for 4 months and he is even Helping me count carbs and keeping me company whenever I have hypos! People will surprise you in a good way and provide you with the support you didn’t even think of! Having diabetes is a big change in anyone’s life but it will not stop you from living a norma, fulfilling life.


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## Anxious 63 (Oct 9, 2021)

Hey in a very scary place been drinking too much recently and bad sleep , some days i dont take the diabetes tablets because i feel why it is so shit the way i feel , i have been to alchohol groups but blah blah i still feel like shit physically and mentally , i will be dead soon i know that


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## Inka (Oct 9, 2021)

Sorry to hear that @Anxious 63 i know you’ve mentioned groups for support with alcohol, but have you also talked to your GP recently stressed how down you’re feeling and how much you’re drinking? Remember too that the Samaritans are always there if you need someone to listen.

If your drinking is really getting out of hand, I urge you to push for support or get a friend to push for you. It’s a terrible enemy and if you can reduce its grip on you, you’ll gradually feel better and more able to deal with things.

You probably already know this but there are helplines specifically for alcohol abuse eg



Drinkline is the national alcohol helplinefree helpline in complete confidence. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).


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