[optimist]

I am a 46 year old woman, married and have four sons, all grown up.
3 years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyrpid and Hashimoto and I got trouble with my eyes (I have now a really bad vision, totally blind to the sides and poor even straight foreward).
I got medication, Levaxin, and life went on.
Last autumn I started to get really thirsty, I lost weight and didn`t feel well.
I had got diabetes type 1 allthough the doctor said I was to old.
I tried to do as the doctors said; I ate like they said and I set my shot (Insulatart morning and night and NovoRapid before meals) but I couldnt find a proper balance. My bloodsugar danced between 3,1 and 17 many times each day, and I didnt like it at all.
I started living lowcarbs and finally I learned how to live with this disease.
My english is not perfect, and my eyes is not good, but I hope it is possible to understand me

 

[foxl]

Glad you are on insulin, sounds like your doctors are good ones.

I understand your English perfectly -- I look forward to you posting more.

I was 52 at onset of mine, and like you 18 years of hashimoto's first.

Your vision will improve soon, as your blood sugar adjusts. It is actually glucose in your lenses that is causing the current distortion.

 

[Joshua Shorter]

We're glad you're here! Low carbing is the way to go. Most of us on here live that lifestyle. You were very easy to understand. I'm sorry about the problems you've experienced. A lot of people don't have very good luck with the advice of their doctors. I hope you find a nice online home here, I know I sure have!

 

[optimist]

Thank you!
You really make me feel welcome!
My eyesight will not improve. Det doctors (many of them) think it is maybe a form of autoimmune disease that make the cells in my eyes dies, but no one know for sure.
I am told that I will never get back the sight I have lost, and that any changes will cause my sight to be even worse. No one can tell me if I am going to lose all of my sight or if it is going to stop at this level.
I have finally accepted that this is how lifes gonna be, but I am very lucky and have a family who help me and are there for me.
In Norway we test HbA1c which show how the bloodsugar been the last six week. I dont know if this is the same name you have in your tests?
My last HbA1c was 5,9, and thats fine according to the referance here in Norway.

 

[foxl]

Oh, I'm sorry.

-- is it optic neuritis? I have a neighbor living with that -- she appears to be about 40, perhaps younger.

That is a good A1c (for short). My most recent was 6.3!

 

[Richard157]

You are never too old to have type 1 diabetes. When the pancreas stops producing insulin, you become type 1. That can happen at any age. I have been type 1 for 65 years, and I am very healthy. If you have good control, you can have a long, healthy life.

Richard

 

[optimist]

65 years and still feeling fine. Thats impressive!
A friend of mine lent me her "one touch" since the doctors ruled out the possibility of me having diabetes since I am slim, healthy and active with my dogs and, according to my doctor, to old
After testing my blood many times during the day, I went to the doctor and showed her the paper where it was listed that my bloodsugar varied from 18,3 to "high bloodsugar-above 33,3". Then they started testing which type I had got, and the conclusion is that it is type 1.
In these days I am sick with a cold and have some fever, so my bloodsugar has its own life, but usually I have learned to have control over it, and I usually wakes up with 4,3, and stays below 8 during the day.
I`m still in the honeymoon, so sometimes my body fools me and starts producing more insulin than other days, and sometimes my body produces less.
It`s a balance, and I try as hard as I can to try balance my food, exercise, other diseases and medication with the insulin.
I am optimistic by nature, so I am always on the lookout for the proper way to deal with things.
I got the disease and it is up to me how the life with it will be.

 

[foxl]

I have found in the last 4 months (about 2 yrs out from diagnosis with Type 2 hah), my blood sugars are more and more erratic. It is very frustrating. Some days are fine, others are awful.

 

[Patdart]

Hi, I'm so glad you found us...and your English is just fine. I'm sorry about your eyes, but so happy you're gaining control of your diabetes and perhaps can retain your eyesight. Your A1C is great, but the bouncing around during the day is not good, so perhaps low carb will help you by smoothing out your readings during the day and help you maintain it somewhere between 80 and no higher ever than 140. My personal goal is 80 and no higher than 120.

Welcome and stay around and tell us more of your life in Norway. We're glad you came to join us!

80 is 4.4 and 140 is 6.5 and 120 is equal to 6.8 for reference in case I confused you.

 

[Richard157]

That is a wonderful attitude you have. I feel that you will be very successful in managing your diabetes. You will probably a healthy old person like me in the future!! Being old is not bad at all, when you are healthy.

 

[Shanny]

It's so good to meet you, optimist. You have such a good outlook for having been pummeled with so much medical adversity, and you have an exceptional grasp of your diabetes situation. I think your doctors are very good too. We're going to enjoy getting acquainted & I hope you'll be visiting often.

Take care & hurry back!

 

[optimist]

Thank you so much, all of you!
I joined the two norwegian societies for people with diabetes (diabetesforbundet and KOS) as soon as I got diabetes myself, but I hadn`t found any dabetes forum where I can meet people who knows how it feels to manage how to live as good as possible although we have diabetes, before today when I found you. I`m really glad I found you!
I live low carb. A meal for me contains maximum 10 carbs, and during the day I usually eat about 40 to 50 carbs. Sometimes I like to spoil myself a little and then I can eat as much as 70 carbs one day(but this is seldom).
My family also live low carb just because they like my food
One of mine hobbies are to make homecooked meal, and years before I got diabetes I ruled out sugar and flour in our diet, so I was really surprised when I got diabetes. No one in my family has diabetes.

 

[peterheeandersen]

Hi, I'm so glad you found us...and your English is just fine. I'm sorry about your eyes, but so happy you're gaining control of your diabetes and perhaps can retain your eyesight. Your A1C is great, but the bouncing around during the day is not good, so perhaps low carb will help you by smoothing out your readings during the day and help you maintain it somewhere between 80 and no higher ever than 140. My personal goal is 80 and no higher than 120.

Welcome and stay around and tell us more of your life in Norway. We're glad you came to join us!

80 is 4.4 and 140 is 6.5 and 120 is equal to 6.8 for reference in case I confused you.

Hi Patdart,

Enlightening to know about the relation between mg/Dl and mmol/l. I'll catch up and deal with this.

Peter

 

[peterheeandersen]

Hello Optimist,

Nice to meet another Scandinavian here. Basically we could snakke norsk her but we fortsetter in english. I see you live in Hovden, I live in Stavanger. I have lived here for 11 years and of course I immigrated because of a lovely norwegain woman, My wife. I am a psychiatric nurse so I have some knowledge about health in general but I haven't got the appropriate focus on my healthproblem. I deal with it as a "lefthand-practice" I will use this forum to be inspired to be more focused.

Startet here yesterday and I am very satisfied with this forum so far. Nice to be wellcomed here.

Till then

Peter

 

[optimist]

Hello Optimist,

Nice to meet another Scandinavian here. Basically we could snakke norsk her but we fortsetter in english. I see you live in Hovden, I live in Stavanger. I have lived here for 11 years and of course I immigrated because of a lovely norwegain woman, My wife. I am a psychiatric nurse so I have some knowledge about health in general but I haven't got the appropriate focus on my healthproblem. I deal with it as a "lefthand-practice" I will use this forum to be inspired to be more focused.

Startet here yesterday and I am very satisfied with this forum so far. Nice to be wellcomed here.

Till then

Peter

HI!
I hope you will find this forum as interesting as I do! Lots of nice people who share their knowledge and experience!

Stananger yoy says; I`m born in Stavanger and for the first 35 years of my life I lived in that area. One of my kids moved back to that area a couple of years ago, so we often visit him there.

I dont think diabetes is the worst thing in life; yoy just have to find the best way to live good together with it :thumb:

 

[peterheeandersen]

That was interesting. I live in Tjensvoll. It is true - DM is not SO bad. The danish diabtes-guru Carsten Vagn-Hansen called it "the most healthy disease in the world". He himself was also a diabetic. Perhaps we meet here some day