Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Casandra on December 28, 2010 at 5:46pm

1.  don't judge.

2.  start the conversation by saying something along the lines about you understanding.  go into detail about your story.

3.  tell them it's ok to not be perfect.  

4.  it's not okay to give up entirely.

5.  baby steps.  dn't get overwhelmed trying to do everything everyday.  one day eat healthy.  the next walk for 20 minutes. three days later check your bs everytime you should.  eventually a few of the habits will stick.  

6.  It's like a diet, everyone fails.  you don't jump off the deep end, you just wake up the next day and say, i will do better!

7.  motivation.

8. encouragement

9. relentlessness! on your part to help!  110%

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Permalink Reply by Walnut on December 29, 2010 at 3:05pm

indeed Cassandra.

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Permalink Reply by Stuart on February 8, 2013 at 11:18am

Hello Cassandra:

Thank you for taking part as well. Let's try the "easy" scenario(s):

Someone who injects insulin totally blindly, as a daily habit, rather than @(#@*& left them at home, brought the empty bottle instead explainations. Someone who picks random numbers out of thin air, and injects it.

Someone who did test at some point, but now no longer. What do you suggest specifically to help them ~come back~ from the "edge"?

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Permalink Reply by Walnut on December 29, 2010 at 3:16pm

Stuart, thanks for hosting this topic. I read very enlightening words not to mention I fall in that category. We'll see what future will bring, if any.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on December 31, 2010 at 4:13pm

This describes how I was for a long time.  I spent a few years in denial mode.  I never checked my blood sugar, rarely took insulin, and ate anything I wanted to.  There were so many things about living like that that I enjoyed.  I could be normal.  I could pretend that it didn't matter.  I knew that what I was doing was wrong and that I was slowly killing myself, I just didn't care.  During those few years I met the man I am now married to.  He didn't realize what I was doing for a long time because I was an amazing actress.  I carried all the stuff with me, had the insulin in the fridge, etc...  Not long before we were to get married he confronted me about it all.  I admitted to him that I had given up on myself.  That I really didn't care if I died or not.  His support in working to get myself better helped me.  I promised him that I would start taking care of myself and loving myself as much as he loved me.  On our wedding day I had a blood sugar over 500.  On our wedding night I took my insulin like I was supposed to and have not missed a single dose since then, April 4, 2009.  I had an A1C of 14 during that time of my life.  My A1C at the time of our wedding was 12 and in three months I had it down to 7.5.  I now have had a pump for over a year and started using a CGM this pas week.  I now am dedicated to taking care of myself and making sure that I'm around long enough to have grandchildren.  I have macular edema that was caused by the rapid blood sugar drop but it is being treated and improving.  Other than that I have no complications that we can see at this point which is amazing because I was pretty close to death a few times.  Maybe I'll figure out a way to help others stop that type of behavior before they get as far gone as I was...

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Permalink Reply by Walnut on December 31, 2010 at 4:50pm

Wow! This must be the advance section because everyone seem to used to be. What fascinating story though. One day I'll hopefully hold that diploma. Thank you all! May your New Year be prosperous!

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Permalink Reply by Stuart on February 1, 2011 at 7:37am

Hello Walnut:

Sadly, not that advanced an issue, nor uncommon on any level unfortunately... we all struggle.

The fundamental nature of the tools being pushed on us today are negative and inherently judgemental; Bad, bad, baaaad, bad, bad, baaad, NOT good, not good enough, not correct, not right, not enough, too much, too little, wrong, wrong, wrong....

Do not have this particular answer but dispise the framework which the tools we now use require.
Stuart

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Permalink Reply by frustrated on January 30, 2013 at 8:32am

there is no bright future all you have is today you might be eating healthy today and next week you get back into your old habits it only works for a certain time you prick your fingers and try to do what is right test your sugar the next time and it is high and you get depressed what is there

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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on January 30, 2013 at 10:54am

Hi, frustrated!
That sounds like the diet mentality, and you're right, it doesn't work. What I mean by diet mentality is that you want there to be an end to it, and you REALLY wish you could go back to some idealistic place where you could eat and do whatever you want, without that diabetes demon hanging onto you. I SURE do understand that, because I have felt the same way and actually almost killed myself doing it.

That's why you have to find a way to view it positively, not negatively, and find a way to make it a habit. Like, for me, every morning, I wake up, take my pills, take my nose drops, and check my BG. If the number is high (and it often can be), I take a correction bolus. (I'm a pumper) I am not allowed to do anything else before I do that. Period. And it's ME telling myself that I'm not allowed, not anyone or anything else. Because I know what the consequences are.

I also learned not to be depressed about the number. It's JUST a number, and all it's telling you is that you need to do something about it. I don't know if you're T1 or T2, but either way, you CAN do something about it, even if just to know that what you ate last night messed up your system. So then you make a plan. Could be to eat less of that particular thing, or could be to take more insulin for it. Whatever, just have a plan. Maybe it won't work, but you've tried. And earned a pat on the back. Not worth getting depressed over. It's NOT a judgment!

I won't go into any more detail, except to say that with diabetes, you're not in it for a sprint, you're in it for a marathon. The longest marathon in the world, i.e. for life. And hopefully, it will be a long one! C'mon, keep on slogging through -- you CAN do it!

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Permalink Reply by frustrated on January 30, 2013 at 11:23am

Hi Natalie I have type 2 since 2000 and I'm on shots 5 times a day I tried counting carbs and it works but after a few weeks you get hungry and your back to your old habits my worst problem is deciding what to plan for meals I try to think positive but it is very hard

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Permalink Reply by Stemwinder on January 30, 2013 at 4:05pm

Hi Frustrated, I totally understand where your coming from. I've been T2 for over 21 years and for the first 18-19 of them I was commiting slow motion dia-cide. My ah-ha moment was when prescribed insulin. If you have read some of the earlier post on this topic there was one that asked the question, "Do you want to see your kids or in my case grandkids grow up. With that script in hand I ask myself that question. It was suddenly clear that if I didn't wake up I would not see them grown.

I still struggle with things. I step on the scales every day. The scales and my meter tell me when I'm messing up. And I Do still mess up but now I catch myself before it goes to far. It's easy to re-visit past ways but that one question always brings me back to reality.

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Permalink Reply by BriannaM on January 30, 2013 at 12:44pm

I have to admit I went through this for a while. It was my way of coping with other stuff going on at the time. There's really nothing you can do except hope the person "sees the light". The only thing I can recommend is be there if someone needs to vent. The thing that finally woke me up is the fact that hey, I'm controlling something by doing this, but it's my own death. The main thing is boils down to is that your choosing death. I guess sometimes it gets to the point where you feel like all your doing is being a burden and not really doing anything. Realizing that you can help others is the biggest step.

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