The 10 Biggest Things That Annoy me with Type 1 Diabetes

I’d say when it comes to type 1 diabetes and me being vocal when complaining about it, I’m pretty low level. I tend to just get on with things.

I try not to make a fuss when I feel like crap (which is a lot of the time) and I just stay silent. BUT sometimes I really just want to moan and complain about all the things I truly hate about having type 1 diabetes…

So I’m going to!

And you can tell me if you relate, or what things you hate too…

1. Tiredness

I mean, this has to be the biggest “perk” of having a chronic illness.

The constant tiredness.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel tired 100% of the day, but it’s a good 80%, and it’s not a blood or vitamin deficiency, it’s just the fun of having a chronic condition like type 1 diabetes. I get good sleep at night, and I’ll still be yawning all day!

But you know what really annoys me, is when I’m yawning and someone I’m with will say “Oh, am I boring you”, or “awk you can’t be tired”, and I’m like….let’s switch bodies!

2. Carb counting (or when I forget to...)

I love the ability to carbohydrate count because it allows me to eat lots of things I want and I get to try new foods, which is important to me when I’m travelling.

But I truly hate when I forget to carb count and my bloods soarrr.

Have you ever done that? Forget your diabetic, just eat your meal, then about an hour later wonder why you feel absolutely terrible.

I’ve done it a few times, and it tends to be when I’m out with friends and having fun, I just forget I’m part robot sometimes! 

3. When you “run out of insulin” just before bed

This is particularly true if you’re on an insulin pump.

But there is nothing worse than getting ready for bed, ready for a good sleep and your pump buzzes to tell you you’re almost out of insulin….arrggggg, or you accidentally rip your pump out before bed, or whilst sleeping….arrrrg. 

Seriously, I'm tired, why now!

4. Diabetes ignorance 

I’ve actually gotten far better with this, because I have to accept, some people are just stupid and ignorant….but yes it does bother me if someone says “can you eat that”, or “I didn’t get you this because of the diabetes”, or all the other comments, that I’m sure you’re aware of!

Not to mention the massive eye rolls I give when my favorite shows make a poor diabetes sugar/fat joke without clarifying they're talking about type 2…

5. When my diabetes devices run out of battery

I mean, most of the time this is my fault and could have been pre-empted, but come on?

Who actually reacts to the first message from a device!

But, even against my own will, sometimes I’ll be relaxing, or even in a cinema (anxiety, real high here), and my pump battery decides to fail for no reason, and decides to scream at me (and everyone else) to let me know it’s no longer working….(I mean, I thought it had ran out of batteries, how does it still have the ability to scream at me?!)

6. Having to remember to “pack” before I leave the house

Oh the days of just leaving the house without needing to make a mental and physical list of all the stuff you need to bring with you!

Hypo treatments, spare diabetes supplies, possible insulin incase my current one dies in the heat or cold, and blood glucose monitor incase my CGM dies…and of of course, a battery incase my pump dies…oh what fun! 

I actually don’t even use a purse, never mind a hand bag, so unless I have big pockets, I really get angry at having to take stuff out with me. 

7. Doing a gym workout then going into hypo

If you know, you know.

You’ve done it, you’ve made it to the gym, you’ve got your bloods running on a 9 because you know you’ll drop anyway, and you’ve got some juice to sip on if you decide to run that extra 5 minutes….and then down you go, and even though you went to the gym to get more energy and feel better, you end up feeling wiped out by the subsequent hypo, and have consumed any calories via hypo treatment that you just lost on the workout…..*sigh*.

This also happens before you even get to the gym, and that's always fun too :P

8. Hypoing during sex or before 

I mean, this has to be one of the most unromantic things ever, and again, if you know, you know. I’m already hot and bothered, I don’t need the hypo sweats too ;) 

Also I've been known to rip my pump out during.....that's annoying too!

9. When I have to take Dextrose to treat a hypo

This happens rarely, but sometimes, when my fridge is empty, when I need to do a shop, and my hypo supplies have diminished, the only thing I have left to treat the darn hypo is a pack of Dextrose, and I HATE the taste of them.

So it’s actually a good punishment for myself, but I won’t lie, sometimes I think, “maybe the hypo will just go away, do I really have to eat them” haha 

10. The cocktail of potential complications 

And last, but certainly not least, I hate that there is a million and one other things that can happen if I don’t control my blood sugars well.

It means every time I have a high blood sugar, or low, I automatically think, great, that’s another bit of damage for the future! Talk about feeling like you’re constantly walking on a tightrope! 

So there you have it, the biggest things that piss me off with type 1 diabetes!

Now you can’t take this post too seriously, it’s all about being honest and just having fun complaining about diabetes.

So I want you to complain with me! ;) 

Tell me below if you can relate to anything above, or comment with something that pisses you off! 

Love, 

Cazzy 

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