Need a kick up the backside! :(

To put not too fine a point on it I have became very lazy regards to DAFNE and it's rules and methods and am coming to the point I don't care about the state of my diabetes.

My control and focus has always been yo-yo but the DAFNE course was an up point and while I stuck to it I improved and reduced my Hba1c to below double figure (9. for the first time in many years.

But gradually I got lazy eating before bed and saying "I can correct that in the morning" and went downhill since. I know what I should be doing I just can't be motivated anymore. Even recent need for additional laser on existing retinopathy couldn't motivate me. I do still test but recording is my biggest fault.

But after reading a lot of other peoples posts I'm drawing a line and am determined to turn it around and hope with support of people on here that know what it's like and how to handle it, along with my diabetes care team I'm taking a tep in the right direction.

I have my annual review tomorrow morning and expect the worst but will bite the bullet and accept what I get told and start from the beginning. In addition to this though I'd like others opinions because I believe I sorely need a little bit of support/motivation that I believe this forum can give.

Don't hold back and be as brutal as you need to be.

Oh, and thanks for reading this far if you have. I tend to go on a bit if I get started.

Hi, my name is Sarah and I am a new user to online DAFNE as I only started the course yesterday and am thinking this is great but oh my god, help, so much to remember, BUT, as I have been DM for 33 years and am about to turn 38 in December and have a little lad to look after the motivation is there. There are people in this world who have no option but to live with what they are dealt to whatever degree but DAPHNE is giving us the knowledge and the tools to improve our quality of life so embrace it and get rid of the can't be arsed feeling because once the complications start you will wish you'd been bothered and then you will have another happy health dilema to deal with so do what you can whilst you can. Everyone is different and everyone has these periods but the important thing is to bring yourself out of the other side.

Hi Derek

Welcome to the site!

I have to say your not the only one out there that goes through a spell of being lazy. It's scary how things can very quickly change. I have been there myself (before DAFNE though) I don't think giving you a lecture is the best approach because it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or tells you it's how you feel about it.

You know what you need to do to achieve good control so you will just need to take baby steps until you get back into a routine.

I sometimes like to have a snack before bed there's no reason why you can't but I take 4 QA units (4's the floor) and that covers me overnight, so that I won't be high in the morning, so you could try that.

This site is really good and there's always someone on here that will answer your question one way or another. I hope you got on okay at your review and know we are all here for a winge if nothing else!!

Good luck and I hope you pull through. From my personal experience I was more frustrated than anything esle because I was fighting high BGs all the time, I suffered from the Dawn and have changed my BI and I have to say what an improvement. It's taken me nearly 2 years to get a decent set of readings a lot of which is patience, so hang in there.

Sam x

like the others I don't think criticism is the way to make you change, support is a much better option. I can assure you that you are NOT alone in letting things slip from time to time. Its VERY easy to get in a rut and let things slide slowly but surely. This IS something recognised by the DAFNE Programme and was something identified at the DAFNE Collaborative this year. However, unfortunatley, identifying an issue and solving it are two different things. There is awareness that some people need more than just a weeks course and an occasional get together after that. Hopefully something will happen in the not too distant future.
For me you should look for the positives, you are obviously still doing some recording of your BG's as shown, you recognise you are letting things slip and have asked for opinions which is a GOOD thing and posting your BG's is a brave thing that most of us find difficult to do. Hopefully this site can help provide some support and encouragement.
For me my biggest suggestion is to try to record all your results and keep testing regularly. Its hard to draw conclusions and offer advice about your readings due to the gaps in them. It could be your high early moring readings are due to 'Dawn phenomenom' or it could be from late night snacking. Its hard to be sure. This is why its important to do the tests even if you know its snacks that are the cause.
Anyway keep posting and keep trying, I'm sure we all want to help where we can !

Hi Derek,

By making this first step of asking for support via the forum I think that is a really positive start.

As others have said, we have all been where you are today, and I think that it needs to be yourself that wants to improve not anyone else.

Before DAFNE I had a bit of a health scare and with 2 young children (aged 6 and 9) and being significantly overweight I knew that I had to tighten my control or risk not being here to see my kids grow up. This was the thing that has kept me going since I attended my DAFNE course in July this year. Following on from DAFNE I have managed to get my Hba1c down to 6.7 and have lost almost 5 stone in weight. I feel so much better in myself but I know that you have to be in the right place mentally to achieve what you want.

I think what Mark has said about making sure that you do plenty of tests is absolutely the best thing to do first because you need these results to see any patterns that are forming with your results.

Hopefully your hospital review was helpful too in pointing you in the right direction to get you back on track.

Don't forget to keep us informed of how you are getting on.

Good luck

Karen x

Hi again

Firstly thanks to everyone who's read and replied to this thread. Every time I read the positive messages your all giving it keeps giving me much needed encouragement which is still quite often.

I went to the DANFE review and got that kick up the backside I've needed.

On a good note my Hba1c is reduced to 8.8 which I thought was rotten until I was told it was 10.9 18 months previous and that an overall 2% reduction is a great thing. The bad thing though is they don't really understand why looking at my readings it should have increased o although it's down I'm still curious why and how.

The not so good news was my blood pressure in not just high but 'very high' and cholesterol is up a good bit and this is driving me to frustration. My GP generally looks after these points and I have already tried around half a dozen statins and blood pressure tablets with no positive result. I don't eat a lot of meat and grill what I do so it's another mystery. Currently back on ramapril for BP because of the benefits to the kidneys.

Picture I got painted was that within 5yrs I will have heart problems and my eyesight will deteriorate if I don't get a quick improvement. A little history needed here. My fathers side all have heart conditions and he himself had a heart attack before he was 40. I'm 32 so hereditary factors, the increased risk with diabetes and the blood pressure make me a time bomb. I'm already 4000+ laser hits between each eye for retinopathy so high BP and yo-yo blood sugars need no explaining.

It's a big fright but I'm determined not to feel depressed or give up with it, that will only give a bigger hill to climb up, but it's not easy. I have already spoke with my manager at work regarding the impact stress could be having on my diabetes control but only to explain my situation, my workload and everything else needs to be constant for me to regain control, my life controls the diabetes not the other way around.

I'm speaking with my DAFNE educators every other day with a quick phone call, no matter how silly it is they always take time to advise or reassure. I'm starting back at basics by checking my BI is correct then ratio's but I'm not having any clear patterns so far with my BI. some mornings it's went up by up to 5 and some it drops as much but no 2 days the same but I'll keep testing slowly and surely to nail it. I have fortnightly appointments with my GP to keep on top of the BP and cholesterol too and am determined I'll win this.

Some days I does feel overwhelming and pointless and begin to hate testing, measuring etc but commonsense and stubbornness over come that.

Derek

Hi Derek
I really really empathise with you. I did Dafne only two weeks ago and thought the whole thing made so much sense and was really practical, but I have lost my way again as regards proper recording. My HBA1c is at 8.4 so not disgraceful, but whilst I carry all the stuff, diary, pen, etc with good intentions I just can't seem to get my act together. I think what frustrates me most is no clear patterns and every time I think I have the ratios cracked, I skip a day or three of monitoring and I am back to square one. I know I am late to your post, but I guess tomorrow, post xmas I must put my foot down with myself and try to get focused properly! - GOOD LUCK with yours. OB

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for all the replies and encouragement, just a little bit can help a long way.

Just thought I'd give an update on how things have went in the last wee while, especially with the xmas temptation not long passed.

On the downside my Hba1c has increased from 8.8 to 9.4 BUT I now see that as a minor blip, not the end of the world.

On the upside thanks to regularly taking my Ramapril and Simvistatin my blood pressure has reduced, 120/80 last check, and the cholesterol has reduced from 6.7 to 4.8.

Icing on the cake though is the readings for the last couple of days, I'm absolutely chuffed with these. There are a couple of reds but they're not double figure so I see them as a positive thing . My new year resolution is to test religiously, always write it down and make sensible and appropriate adjustments, slowly but surely.

Hope everyone had a sensible ;-) New Year and all the best ahead for 2010 with your diabetes control and life in general.

Derek

Wow, look at all those greens!!! I'm impressed - if you carry on with readings like that I am sure that your next Hba1c will reduce dramatically.

I would suggest carrying on with what you are doing at the moment because it is definately working. Life you said even the reds are below 10 so this is excellent!

Well done Derek and keep up the good work.

Karen x

Wow Derek, those are really great readings. Keep up the good work.
Liz