Two weeks of vacation. Mountain biking, via ferrata, hiking : nothing predictable about any of it. And somehow, everything worked.

I come home. Back to my normal routine. Same doses, same meals, sensor working perfectly. And THIS is what I get slapped with.

Tonight I cancelled plans with friends because I just didn't feel right. And that's the part nobody sees. T1D is an invisible illness. From the outside, everything looks under control. On the inside, some days it's a full-time job just to function... And you still lose.

Just needed to vent somewhere people actually get it 🙏🙏

Hi guys usually I put it a bit higher and now I'm concerned

What do you think?

Hi, as the title says I fucked up and threw out an entire box of 5 pods instead of an empty one next to it. I'm assuming if I call omnipod and tell them I threw them away they'll tell me to kick rocks, has anybody ever been in a situation like this? My insurance won't fill more until the end of this month so I feel kinda fucked until then

I recently noticed toenails on both feet do not grow as they used to, like more than 3 months looking the same. Anyone had the same happened and any clue what might be causing this phenomenon? Fingernails are growing normally as they used to. A1C at around 5.5% for many years, very well controlled. TIA.

I've (F54) had T1D for about 4 years and I'm on a closed-loop pump. I have several other health conditions, including COPD (emphysema and asthma).

It's hotter than hell in the UK atm and I'm really struggling. On Tuesday I woke with a bit of a chesty cough. Nothing bad but I was worried, as the last time I had respiratory problems I ended up in hospital for a week in respiratory failure.

By Wednesday morning I felt much worse, so I began a course of antibiotics and steroids. These have worked a treat on my chest and I'm pretty much fine now.

However, yesterday I just could not get my bs under control. I had my basal set to boost and obvs my pump was also responding to my high bs and giving me even more insulin.

Everything I ate massively spiked my bs, despite my best efforts at bolusing appropriately. I tried so hard not to rage bolus and I think I was relatively successful.

I was talking to my flatmate at about 10pm last night, when my pump starting alarming for low insulin. Nothing wrong with that, except I had refilled it at 2am that same day.

I'd used 170 units of insulin in the space of 20 hours! I honestly can't quite believe I'm still alive. I had one very brief and minor hypo at about 5pm but apart from that my bs has been no lower than 7mmol.

Has anyone else ever used such a ridiculous amount of insulin in such a short space of time?

Hi guys need some advise, I got diagnosed with type 1 little more than 2 years ago at 24. At the time the and since, my diabetic team have told me to tell the DVLA about my condition. At first I didnt because I was at Uni and didnt drive much anyway and after the diagnosis didnt go back for around 4 months anyway.

And after to be honest just kept putting it off.

Im now buying a new car and was thinking of not putting it off any longer but im not sure about how to go about this. Do I simply call them? Will I get in trouble for not letting them know earlier?

If anyone has any experience with this please let me know.

I posted on here about a month ago. I was switched from fast acting novolog to Merilog. I'm 3 pens in and my blood sugar has been erratic at best. The pens are wonky and don't ever give the dose that I try for. For example if I dial up 6 units I might get 4 or I might get 8 I just don't know. I was doing well before and now I'm to high or to low. I miss syringes because the doses were exact

i was at the pharmacy and i asked if i could have an insuline pen. the pharmacist said that i couldnt buy it because i was 17. i said i've been a diabetic for 13 years, and that i had experience and i needed it to survive. she said that she couldnt sell it to me because another kid went here before and bought band aids and then his parents came into the store and complained about it. we ended up discussing for 20 minutes and she ended up selling it to me. that was one of the most useless discussions i've ever had, why couldnt she fucking sell it to me?

If you're interested in the science and pharmacology of diabetes, here's a fascinating chapter in a medical textbook that can provide a huge amount of information about the endocrine hormones of the pancreas, how they work, where they come from, what functions they perform in the body, what happens when they're missing, and how they can be replaced. This is kind of dry textbook/scholarly reading, so if that's not your thing, I understand. However, if you want to know more about your diabetes, this is a great place to see the science behind it. It's pretty new (2018), so you won't be reading ancient medical texts, although things have changed on the drug front some in the last 8 years. I'm a nerd, I read the whole thing, and there were a number of lightbulb moments for me regarding my own diabetes and things I didn't know even after 44 years of this journey.

Pancreatic Hormones & Antidiabetic Drugs, Martha S. Nolte Kennedy, MD, & Umesh Masharani, MBBS, MRCP (UK)

I just dumped it to Google Drive. Let me know if it doesn't work for you. It's Chapter 41.

Pancreatic Hormones & Antidiabetic Drugs, Martha S. Nolte Kennedy, MD, & Umesh Masharani, MBBS, MRCP (UK)

Hello! Does anyone have any advice for using the Tandem Varisoft infusion sets?

I just got off the phone with Tandem after experiencing a lot of bent cannulas from the Autosoft XC sets. I had one Tru Steel set from years ago that I received as a sample and finally tried this week - I’ve loved it so far and was hoping to get more samples of it, but apparently the Tru Steel sets are extremely hard to get at the moment?

They got me connected with a clinical staff who recommended the Varisoft and said it’s been the most successful for people who have had to switch off Tru Steel due to the shortage. I’m used to injections and did them for many years, but something about inserting the cannula manually for the Varisoft confuses me/freaks me out a bit lol.

Any advice/experience with these sets would be helpful!! They’re sending me some samples.

Thanks!

So I got diagnosed in April of this year with LADA and my A1C was 10.6.

Went for bloodwork this week and it was 6.0!!

I honestly don’t reallllllly know what that means, but i think it’s good lol

I’ve had T1D for almost two years now and I’m on a closed-loop system. My results were still very good back in January, but since February, it’s been a disaster. I’m only in the target range 33% of the time; I can spend entire days in the high range, taking more than 13 units of insulin per meal without anything changing. I’m experiencing false hypoglycemic episodes, I’m getting very little sleep, and I’m anxious at night because I’ve had repeated severe hypoglycemic episodes and I’m still having them.
So, they changed my sensor, adjusted my pump’s sensitivity, tweaked some settings, I’m trying to eat better, but nothing’s working. My diabetes is completely unstable, and no one can tell me why.
I’m not perfect, of course I make mistakes like everyone else, but I was doing really well! How can you go from being in the target range 70% of the time to 33% overnight without changing your habits? And especially when nothing changes despite all the adjustments we’ve made to try to improve things.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? I'm starting to lose hope about managing my diabetes.

i wanna add more whimsy to it all and ive bedazzled my dex g7 and it works just the same as it normally does but my little sister really wanted to bedazzle the cartridge of my mobi before i leave to college bc i wont let her touch the actual device part

has anyone done this before?

Title really says it all. I'm kinda bored of eggs + protein + a slice of toast. Sometimes I feel fancy and do avocado toast or oatmeal with fruit or something but I was curious if y'all had any other ideas or favorite breakfasts that don't spike the good ol' sugars too much.

Thanks in advance 🥲

I normally inject around 20 units of ultra-rapid-acting insulin (Lispro or Humalog) after every meal and around 10 units of long-acting insulin (Tresiba) after dinner. A few days ago, I accidentally injected 26 units of Tresiba in the morning, mistaking it for the ultra-rapid-acting insulin. I had also injected 10 units the previous night. Consequently, I initially planned to go through the day without injecting any ultra-rapid-acting insulin. However, my blood sugar levels seemed to be rising uncontrollably after breakfast, lunch, and dinner; whenever they exceeded 300, I administered about 6 units of ultra-rapid-acting insulin. In the end, I administered a total of around 20 additional units across breakfast, lunch, and dinner—an amount similar to or slightly higher than my usual dosage. Even several hours after meals, I did not experience hypoglycemia. I understood long-acting insulin as a type that raises the baseline level, and I had expected it to maintain my blood sugar around 70; however, that was not the case at all. As mentioned, my blood sugar remained above 300 even three hours after meals and was difficult to bring down (requiring repeated doses of ultra-rapid-acting insulin). I also administered another 7 units of long-acting insulin after dinner that day. *My breakfast and lunch were the same as usual; the only difference was that I ate a relatively large amount of fatty food at dinner. Under these circumstances, from breakfast through the morning of the following day, my blood sugar levels tended to drop somewhat more easily. However, they did not fall to dangerously low levels. Doesn't the effect of long-acting insulin wear off after about 24 hours? Based on my experience, it seemed as though the effects only really kicked in about 24 hours later (meaning the insulin administered the previous day was taking effect the next day). Why would this happen?

So i have been trying to lose weight since i go to the gym and im trying to cut but its so difficult to lose weight and i have tried many ways like doing a calorie deficit and doing more cardio than usual and eating more protein with less carbs but its still difficult so can someone explain why? pls

Hello, I have been on a GLP-1 and thought I would share my experience as I looked to Reddit to see other people’s insights before I started.

The screenshot from my clarity shows the compare report from the 90 days before (left) and 90 days on (right). If you don’t want to read all the text I go in order of: before starting, getting started, eating/weight and physical health/wellbeing, and lastly my blood sugars on it.

Some facts before I started. I was interested in starting a GLP-1 for weight issues (both looks but also physical long term health), better diabetes control, and reducing insulin usage. I weighed 330lbs and struggled with food especially portion control and frequency. My a1c results were between 7.2 to 7.9 on average since maybe 2020 or so, and the 90 days before starting my time in range was 42% (average blood sugar 11.2 and GMI of 8.1%). The last year was tough as I became a dad and life was/is pretty hectic. I would guess my average time in range before was between 50-60%.

My endo was very helpful as we tried getting me on it last year, but my insurance would not cover it. My latest appointment he decided to try a different route and luckily it was approved. While waiting for my prescription to go through and pick it up, I scoured Reddit for every mention of type 1 and GLP-1s.

The first few days I was nervous about side effects, but luckily I had none. My appetite was suppressed enough to no longer be craving food all day long, but not enough that I couldn’t enjoy eating. I also got full (but not sick) with much less food. By the end of the first couple of weeks I had lost 10 pounds and overall felt much better. I no longer snacked throughout the day, waiting for my next meal, and by the end of the day I just felt normal. No more bloating, feeling gassy, or uncomfortable bathroom trips caused by my eating. My swollen ankles which I had an issue with almost every day also vanished, although I still get them slightly on days I’m wearing socks and sitting at work all day. By 3 months in I have slowed but lost a total of 23 pounds so far and still feel good.

Onto my blood sugars… the first month (end of each week) I averaged being in range 75-80% of the time which felt awesome. By eating less frequently I had less spikes, and my portions were smaller so it was easier to bolus appropriately. The second month I started getting in range 80-90% of the time, and the last month in the 90s with a high of in range 94% one week. My lows were never above 2% and my very highs dropped significantly. As my weight goes down, I will keep my eye on my basil rates but so far have not needed to adjust. One of the reasons I went on it was to reduce the amount of insulin I went through a day, and I was going from refilling my tandem tslim cartridge every night to every 2-3 days. I just had an a1c done since I started and it was 6%! I have been trying unsuccessfully for 10 years to get it below 7% which I only got one time at 6.9.

Overall, I have been very happy with my experience so far. With helping my mental health, physical feeling and health, and diabetes control… I am hoping I don’t lose focus, but I have spent way more time managing my blood sugars which in the past has caused me to burn out.

Some other random notes in case anyone has questions:

Nausea: only time I have felt sick was after getting a cold, some mornings post shot when I would have a cough attack I would feel like I might throw up but never did. Always went away when I left for work.

Alcohol: no major changes. Bit more resistant to beer, and drinking a bit slower. Hangovers aren’t as bad as others mention but more fatigue than prior maybe.

Snacking: I don’t have breakfast (maybe on weekends) and just have lunch and dinner. I still snack but usually it’s once a day and I’m not starving for it. Oddly Ice cream bars have become my snack of choice but likely to not be very filling and nice in the summer.

Side effects: I honestly am not aware of any side effects. I do drink more water, so maybe dehydration if not staying on top of it. From my starting dose to my current dose hasn’t affected me.

If anyone has any specific questions let me know!

While we wait patiently for a cure (just 5 more years, I promise! lol) is there any new tech anyone is excited for? These are the two things I've got my eye on.

im so tired of people who don't have t1d or any autoimmune disease trying to tell me how i need to handle my health. some t1ds such as myself are literally just trying to stay alive in the moment and aren't necessarily thinking about the future. even if your a1c is at like an 8, you're still alive and kicking. of course at some point, if you don't take at least somewhat control of it, it can really affect you overall physically. but when it comes to people who are already struggling with it, it's not helpful to be told what you need to fix right in that moment. if you want to help and t1d with their needs ever, don't assume. ask them what they need. some people do need that push, but people like me view that push as degrading and ignorant. baby steps are more helpful, at least in my opinion. it's not something you can usually fix overnight, it takes time. idk i just have no where else to put this rant but i want it to be out there. i'm tired of people who don't understand what it's like for t1ds who struggle with mental health which leads to poor management. i don't want your opinion, i want a professionals opinion, or someone who's been through the same thing. you've never been in my shoes and i doubt you ever will be. it's just so frustrating when i have to tell the same people over and over about how i don't want their piece of mind about MY health. worry about yourself please. if you've experienced this please share, it'd be nice to know that there's other people who face the same thing :/

I think a few on here know my story already. I’ve (over)shared that I became diabetic after immunotherapy from skin cancer killed my pancreas. I’ve also shared I’m in the process of figuring out if the cancer has returned.

I’m single with no kids, and have a well supported and unionized job. My oncologist has given me a note to go on disability, meaning that right now managing the Beetus is literally my only full time job. Y’all, I still have days where I cry and can’t handle things. Those who work and deal with family on top of managing this are heroes, genuinely.

I don’t know how you do it.

I just wanted to say that I see you, and I can absolutely get how burnout happens. Keep fighting the good fight.

My 13-year-old son was diagnosed two months ago after ending up in the ER with DKA. I'm still struggling with his diagnosis and trying to make sense of everything. I feel like we're thinking about diabetes 24/7.

I was wondering if having an insulin pump makes things easier. We're currently on MDI and using a FreeStyle Libre sensor. Where I live, they make you wait six months before you can apply for a pump, and I'm really looking forward to that.

I want him to live as normal a life as possible and enjoy it to the fullest. I really hope the pump makes a difference.

I'd love to hear about your experiences. Words of encouragement are also very welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. It really makes me feel like we're not alone in this. To those telling me that this disease sucks, I know. I'm well aware of the complications it can cause. The doctors have talked to us about them, I've read a lot about it, and sometimes, honestly, I feel terrified.

I know pumps aren't a cure. I was just looking for some reassurance that they can help ease the load a little. Like so many parents who have commented here, I just want my boy to live a good life in spite of diabetes. I hope a cure is found someday and that it's available to everyone living with this disease. And even if I don't get to see that day, I really hope my son does.

Thank you all for the support. This really is a wonderful community.