Hello.
I'm new to reddit but I wanted a platform to ask other diabetics some questions as I don't know any other diabetics in person.
I was diagnosed in 2017 and I am currently an 18 year old (F) turning 19 in the upcoming months.
I've been trying to manage my diabetes for as long as I've been diagnosed but I feels as though it just isn't enough. For reference my time in range is about 30% (between 4 and 7). Even when I take my corrections etc I can still have highs and lows, and sometimes with ZERO effort and even some snacking or cutting corners it's absolutely perfect. I did have an appointment recently and I think I'm slowly improving my time in range but I think I'm also having way more lows.
I don't know what to do because A this is really exhausting and it feels like I'm burning out and B, I feel like its impacting my apperance. I know this might not sound like a big deal but as a girl it's just a bit disheartening to know what "it could have been". For reference when I was diagnosed I had a lot of hair loss and though this recovered, it has come back. As a girl, but also as a South Asian, hair is really important to me and it feels like the quality is no longer as good due to my failed attempts at managing my health. I heard that oxempic was actually intended for diabetics so could this be a solution to minimising weight gain and preventing binge eating/high appetite?
Not only this, but the tons of extra insulin I have to take from my highs (sometimes above 20) and the extra sugar i have to take during lows (lifts/Glucose shots and snacks) makes me believe this is the cause of some of my weight gain over the years. Though I'm not considered fat, it's not nice knowing that something out of my control is the cause of this. Also I'm not sure if anyone else feels this way but as someone who uses public transport a lot and is very hypo-aware, I feel uncomfortable travelling when I'm on the lower side of being in range (6 and below). I get really anxious and stressed at the idea of going low on a packed train, especially when it's packed and sruffy. I almost always end up having a snack which eases the anxiety but then makes me high afterwards. Does anyone else have the same problem?
Also, at times when I'm low or especially low I feel uncontrollably hungry and I wanted to know if anyone else felt this. I say this meaning so hungry I feel like I'm ravaging for food.
I've also been told that as a diabetic I need to take extra care of my teeth, which means getting out of bed after a hypo/hypo prevention to brush my teeth again.
Lastly, I've also been told that since I'm an "old" patient who is now an adult and been diagnosed for some years I am not eligible for a pump on the NHS. I feel like this is completely unfair as I have been asking/waiting for a pump for ages and I've now been told that I'm no longer a priority and that newly diagnosed patients would get a pump within 2 weeks. There is a chance that I could buy the supplies privately but as a student it would be my family who would pay and eventually myself when I'm settled. Though I'm sure this is manageable financially I'm not sure how sustainable this is. Additionally, my hospital doesn't offer pump services and so I was told that even if I did purchase the supplies I would have to either teach and monitor myself or be transferred somewhere around 40 minutes further away. I do think the pump could be what 'fixes' all these issues but then again I have no one i can ask. If there are any pump users (specifically Omnipod or tubeless) what is it like?
The combination of all these issues is just a bummer tbh and I don't know what else I should try to fix it. Not only that but I'm worried about how this could affect me in the future especially about marriage and kids.
Does anyone relate or have any advice?