Do any of you guys have other health issues besides the addiction? I have a few, the most relevant being diabetes. I ended up in an ICU 4 times because of poor management of my sugars + week long binges. It was when I realised I had, indeed, a problem. Now I go to a specialist centre thats got endos, nurses, psychologists and nutritionists - they all know about my problem and understand health as a complex, unified process.
And even though my pancreas doesnt produce insulin, it’s still there. For producing pancreactic juice and… getting me pancreatitis after a binge. I don’t know if I laugh or cry regarding the last sentence.
But always remember - we’re much more than our diagnoses.
Same here, T1D and management of my glycemia became much better and predictable when quitting drinking and and ignoring what I ate aside.
Your are not alone.
Neither you! Did you also raise you insulin units due to a working liver that drops a glycogen bomb after not having to deal with alcohol anymore? Haha
I have a T1 mate from Belgium that was really into hard stuff. A bottle of vodka and a few lines were nothing for him. His way out? Riding a bike through the whole benelux. Good for both things.
Alcohol was for a long time my go to drink when I went out due to inhibition of glycogen in the liver. I somehow tried to mask my denial of needing insulin and have it in my mind.
It is very complex and twisted when I try to think of it now. Taking alcohol out of the equation was the best decision, though.
We have equations to solve every time we eat. Always hated algebra, but there’s no other way! Counting every carb and bolus shot keeps you away from DKA. And nowt is worse than DK fucking A.
I use a pump plus a sensor and use a software that makes the calculations which helps a lot.
It’s such a pain in the ass and I also often think when people come and say how easy it is today. Yeah, it is indeed. I started with swine insulin back in the late 90s and therapy has improved so much. Still, it is always a background noise and bad numbers influence my mood a lot as there is always the dread of late consequences.
Ironic that your name correlates with a German diabetic supply company.
Diabetes runs in my family so I get checked annually, so far I have Been lucky but that will run out eventually
I have a seizure disorder, they aren’t sure if I had it since a child, due to my families neglect to take us to doctors, or from a traumatic brain injury I had that As an adult, alcohol naturally lowers your Threshold for seizures,
And the usual mental health stuff, depression, PTSD.
I think this is very interesting to say that in general you are in good health. I had to prepare a wheel of life this morning and despite the things I carry around, I think I make the best of it in respect to my limitations and gave the point health an 8/10. Maybe it’s also som le kind of gratitude to look at what we can do instead of focusing only on what we could do 20 years ago…
I have mild psoriasis and inflammatory arthritis. While the arthritis is mild enough that I don’t need medication beyond NSAIDS I already struggle to open jars etc…I do worry about the future.
I have T1D too! My addiction is different but I notice in sobriety I have much much much better blood sugar management (and far fewer binges). I believe that mindfully living my life - paying attention to my health and valuing it - has changed things.
I use a sensor too. Pumps are way too invasive for me. I stick to the good old pens. But the Libre sensors are the biggest game-changer since switching from needles to pens, from acidosis strips to finger-pricking strips. Last Hb1ac was 6.4%.
