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Members and Friends Confirming My Fears...What to do?


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In the last two months, I have had to be helped by my wife or friends out of sacrament due to blood sugar crashes. Two weeks ago,,it disrupted Fast and Testimony meeting. My wife has gotten calls afterward seeking to insure I was alright, but some telling how embarrassed she must be, or how embarrassed I must be. I have a Doctor who is treating my diabities, and it is calling for different approaches. It is embarrassing and I find myself reluctant or simply don't want to go to Church for fear it will happen again. In my former Ward, (due to a number of health problems) I would often be greeted with comments like, "so what wrong now"? Or, "what were you in the hospital for this time"? Seldom were they polite, and usually from leaders who felt the need to ask, but because they felt as though it was their duty, many times in the old Ward, someone would ask in such a tone that my wife would say, "that's it we are going home"! 

I don't want to become "that guy" in this Ward. I don't want to be a disruption. But, I also don't want to get the habit of no going at all. It is even worse if in a class and they have to pull Pam out of her class. We have 1,000's of years of experience here...help me out. I feel I am becoming a burden at Church and at home. I called and the circus won't take me...too old! :) 

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3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Move to a better Ward.

The old Ward where I lived for 30 years, was were I got the most trouble. In a good Ward now...but don't want the same thing to happen. Maybe, the Ward on TV would work...would not have to get out of bed. 

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I'd suggest you use a wheelchair at church, so you won't fall down.  And I'd suggest you ask in your HPG what your peers suggest you do.   If you are on shaky ground some week, then sit in the RS room with the monitor on, instead of the chapel.   Or get there early enough to get a seat right next to the door?   And there is nothing wrong with staying home when you really do feel sick.

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Do you know why you are unable to regulate your blood sugar?  

Can you carry candu or juice with you so you can stop the crash before it becomes a problem?

Your doctor must be very worried that your blood sugar is so unstable and uncontrollable. 

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2 hours ago, Pa Pa said:

In the last two months, I have had to be helped by my wife or friends out of sacrament due to blood sugar crashes. Two weeks ago,,it disrupted Fast and Testimony meeting. My wife has gotten calls afterward seeking to insure I was alright, but some telling how embarrassed she must be, or how embarrassed I must be. I have a Doctor who is treating my diabities, and it is calling for different approaches. It is embarrassing and I find myself reluctant or simply don't want to go to Church for fear it will happen again. In my former Ward, (due to a number of health problems) I would often be greeted with comments like, "so what wrong now"? Or, "what were you in the hospital for this time"? Seldom were they polite, and usually from leaders who felt the need to ask, but because they felt as though it was their duty, many times in the old Ward, someone would ask in such a tone that my wife would say, "that's it we are going home"! 

I don't want to become "that guy" in this Ward. I don't want to be a disruption. But, I also don't want to get the habit of no going at all. It is even worse if in a class and they have to pull Pam out of her class. We have 1,000's of years of experience here...help me out. I feel I am becoming a burden at Church and at home. I called and the circus won't take me...too old! :) 

Empathy here. I once had a fellow church goer pass out on me.  Literally, on me, as she was melting to the floor I was trying to hold her so she wouldn't hit her head. She was embarrassed but I didn't feel,she needed to be embarrassed. Stuff happens.That was several years ago. I've heard we've had a couple of people passing out this year. I think it is more common than you realize! People skip meals, have health problems, or other issues.  

I hope with your health condition that you are not fasting on fast Sunday, but maybe fasting-lite, by eating enough to keep sugar levels in control.

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Can you get a real time monitor?  That can help with making sure you don't crash though it is a pain to be hooked up to all the time.  If you are sensitive to insulin, you might talk to your doctor about getting an insulin pump.  So much better sugar control without having to worry about longer term insulin and being able to adjust basal rate for different times of the day, different activities.  If you can document you are crashing a lot, insurance usually pays for it.

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1 hour ago, bluebell said:

Do you know why you are unable to regulate your blood sugar?  

Can you carry candu or juice with you so you can stop the crash before it becomes a problem?

Your doctor must be very worried that your blood sugar is so unstable and uncontrollable. 

New meds, so now I carry chewable tablets that will get my blood sugar up really fast. 

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29 minutes ago, Calm said:

Can you get a real time monitor?  That can help with making sure you don't crash though it is a pain to be hooked up to all the time.  If you are sensitive to insulin, you might talk to your doctor about getting an insulin pump.  So much better sugar control without having to worry about longer term insulin and being able to adjust basal rate for different times of the day, different activities.  If you can document you are crashing a lot, insurance usually pays for it.

Well, I was taken it all at one time, so now I take half in morning and half at night. Twice the shots! :( 

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1 hour ago, rpn said:

I'd suggest you use a wheelchair at church, so you won't fall down.  And I'd suggest you ask in your HPG what your peers suggest you do.   If you are on shaky ground some week, then sit in the RS room with the monitor on, instead of the chapel.   Or get there early enough to get a seat right next to the door?   And there is nothing wrong with staying home when you really do feel sick.

Usually do, but still a number of rows behind when I crash quickly...thus the unwanted audience and disruption. 

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Do you carry glucose tablets? my wife does, she can feel herself dropping and starts sucking on glucose tablets.

I would also let your doctor know whatever he is telling you is not working. When my wife started going to an actual Diabetes Center they evened her out pretty quickly after years of highs and lows with the family doctor.

Edited by mnn727
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Lantus or what?  The once a day never made much sense to me because the body doesn't use insulin that consistently.  Are the new meds for increasing effectiveness of insulin.  If so, I encourage you to do a lot of testing of your sugars during various times of days and activities till you get a feel for it and can start predicting sensitive times.  Like my daughter isn't affected by exercise right away,, it has about a 18-24 hoir delay so her lows from exercise hits the day after.

There is a lot of info online about typical basal rates and how they vary during the day.  I would suggest signing up for a type two diabetes support group and hearing others' stories about how they adjusted to the meds you are now on.  Everyone is unique, butoften there is a lot of overlap.

If your sugars can be controlled with shots be grateful.  It is tons better than having to have a wire hanging off you for a pump, imo.  But the pump is fantastic if your sugars wobble too much and thetech is getteing better each year.

Above all else test and keep track of it and your carb and activity rate to find patterns, including variations on weekends to help with church.  There are probably apps out there to help.  My daughter prefers to calculate it herself because her sleep schedule is so bonkers due to genetic inheritance.

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15 minutes ago, Calm said:

Lantus or what?  The once a day never made much sense to me because the body doesn't use insulin that consistently.  Are the new meds for increasing effectiveness of insulin.  If so, I encourage you to do a lot of testing of your sugars during various times of days and activities till you get a feel for it and can start predicting sensitive times.  Like my daughter isn't affected by exercise right away,, it has about a 18-24 hoir delay so her lows from exercise hits the day after.

There is a lot of info online about typical basal rates and how they vary during the day.  I would suggest signing up for a type two diabetes support group and hearing others' stories about how they adjusted to the meds you are now on.  Everyone is unique, butoften there is a lot of overlap.

If your sugars can be controlled with shots be grateful.  It is tons better than having to have a wire hanging off you for a pump, imo.  But the pump is fantastic if your sugars wobble too much and thetech is getteing better each year.

Above all else test and keep track of it and your carb and activity rate to find patterns, including variations on weekends to help with church.  There are probably apps out there to help.  My daughter prefers to calculate it herself because her sleep schedule is so bonkers due to genetic inheritance.

Lantus and now a once a week Trlicity. I don't eat as I should. When you don't do much it is hard to eat. 

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Are you going to a diabetes specialist or your GP?  Specialist is well worth it if you are having any trouble controlling it.

It can take awhile to adjust if you have made a dramatic change, so be patient but very active in getting info from the doctor and internet.  Self education and proactiveness is essential for significant diabetes if you want to feel decent.  Getting someone who knows what they are doing can feel like a miracle...and test, test, test.

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Also off sugars will increase your pain levels and of course stress knocks sugars off,so with your other issues it is going to be harder to get precise control.  Another reason to make sure you go to a specialist.  For both problems...one for diabetes and another for dealing with ongoing pain management.

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I'm sorry you're having such trouble with it.  My mother-in-law had to leave the temple recently because she had a blood sugar crash.  She had to be wheeled to the car still wearing her whites.  Are you bringing snacks with you to church? 

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52 minutes ago, Calm said:

Are you going to a diabetes specialist or your GP?  Specialist is well worth it if you are having any trouble controlling it.

It can take awhile to adjust if you have made a dramatic change, so be patient but very active in getting info from the doctor and internet.  Self education and proactiveness is essential for significant diabetes if you want to feel decent.  Getting someone who knows what they are doing can feel like a miracle...and test, test, test.

Yes, just recently. I did no go on Sunday because I was not sure what would happen. 

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51 minutes ago, Calm said:

Also off sugars will increase your pain levels and of course stress knocks sugars off,so with your other issues it is going to be harder to get precise control.  Another reason to make sure you go to a specialist.  For both problems...one for diabetes and another for dealing with ongoing pain management.

Therein lies the problem, one will not do both. 

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3 hours ago, Pa Pa said:

Lantus and now a once a week Trlicity. I don't eat as I should. When you don't do much it is hard to eat. 

 

Have you tried the meal replacement drinks, such as Boost or Ensure?  Actually, I think they have specific ones for diabetics.  They are very calorie dense, so they're a good alternative for those who have trouble eating enough.  You could even freeze one to take with you to church.  You could also set a timer for, say, every two hours to remind you to get a small snack.  Sometimes a little food several times a day is easier to do.

 

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I get the embarrassing thing.  One thing I have noticed over the almost 40 years that I have had diabetes is that my emotions are heightened with low blood sugar. If I am happy I may become downright perky. One SS class I had a hard time reading out loud. I finished, my husband took me out in the foyer and instead of feeling embarrassed I felt humiliated and wanted to move to another ward before the next Sunday.

But isn't just diabetics. Another friend had breathing problems. Another passed out. You don't want to make a scene. It's perfectly normal to feel embarassed and it is agonizing when people keep bringing it up by asking how you are later. 

When I was in junior high after the beginning of my 7th grade year I begged my mom not to tell the teachers I was diabetic for a few weeks. Why? Because to some of them I was not one of their students, but a delicate flower. I started track that year, but quit because when I came back from a run I was tired like everyone else around me, but my teacher could only treat me with concern 10 times greater than the other students. So frustrating!

So I get hating the attention!

So what can you do about it in the meantime? 

Are you having reactions on others days at that time or is it just Sunday? If it is just Sunday what are you doing different? Obviously, Sunday is different, but what specific things are different? Eating something different for breakfast? Eating lunch earlier or later? Skipping a snack? Getting up at a dufferent time? These things will be a clue of what you need to change. 

The more I think about it you either have to be doing something different or you just are not mentioning reactions on the other days. If you are having reactions on other days, what are you doing different days, what are you doing different to take care of them?

A couple of things that may help when you figure things out is test your bloid before sacrament. If it is going low then eat something then. Or make sure to have some protein with a small amount of fat beforehand so that it can help stabilize you for later. Maybe a mix of nuts and dried fruit - get portions right, it doesnt take much. Bring quick glucose raising items you can take during the meeting - glucose tablets or gel (not my favorite, it reminds me of snot) or juice the applesauce packets etc. I like walgreen glucose tablets best because they are light weight, easy to carry, can refill the smaller tubes with the bottle, are rarely noticed and the Walgreens ones are more like sweet tarts than other brands which are kind of powder and sometimes so dry they make me want to choke if I have no water.

Shots do get better. You might ask for the syringes with smaller needles. I take 4 or more shots a day now (carbohydrate counting). It's not that my diabetes is bad. It just gives me more control and helps me run more like a normal person does - the pump does that as well. When you have your one long acting insulin or your continuous pump then that gives you a baseline control. Then when you take your short acting insulin when you eat or your sugar is high you have more control over what you can eat and when. There are definite advantages to that and I like it so much better than dealing with a set eating plan. 

One of the things you are dealing with that doesn't give you as much control is your other medicine. I saw it become an issue for my dad.  I am NOT saying you should get off of it by any means. Just dont ve afraid to do the carb counting method with insulin if your Dr suggests it. I feel so much more free with it. 

 

 

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13 hours ago, Traela said:

 

Have you tried the meal replacement drinks, such as Boost or Ensure?  Actually, I think they have specific ones for diabetics.  They are very calorie dense, so they're a good alternative for those who have trouble eating enough.  You could even freeze one to take with you to church.  You could also set a timer for, say, every two hours to remind you to get a small snack.  Sometimes a little food several times a day is easier to do.

 

Boost strawberry...

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38 minutes ago, Traela said:

Yeah, that was my son's favorite.  Youngest Daughter prefers chocolate.

 

There OK, I just love all things strawberry. 

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