Am I alone in this? My diabetes makes me constantly nervous and on edge. I am constantly worrying what my blood sugar is doing and whether its going to go high or low to the point of having panic attacks and am scared to be alone. I've been doing this for four years now and am complete exhaustion. Anyone else deal with this? I miss being able to relax and enjoy life without diabetes going on in the back of my mind constantly. Any and all advice would be so very appreciated.
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I was already an anxious person/type a before D and yes I have had feelings like you also. In the beginning I was also managing being on warfarin and a dvt too at first and I'm not sure how I did it all really now, because I never had any major health issues before all of this.
I think I'm calming down a bit now. It's still there in the background but I refuse to constantly worry about all this stuff all the time, because as you said we will end up not enjoying anything and then what is the point really?
What helps me is wine with dinner and whatever else I need. I highly recommend some red wine with dinner, and just let your bg spike sometimes and then just drink some water and take a walk when it does. Music, walking etc. my cats are great too.
You aren't alone :)
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All the tools and information we have today weren't available when I was diagnosed in 1977. There were no home meters, no A1C tests. I knew I was low when I could feel the symptoms, and most of the time I never knew I was high (unless my urine pee stick showed bright purple.) And when I did have a meter, doctors didn't know what to tell us about how often to use it. Test once a day? Twice? No one imagined testing more often than that. So, when I was able to have all the info available today, I had already been diabetic for a couple of decades.
But today's technology is awesome. It's great that we have all this diagnostic info available, and I'm sure it's saved thousands of people from complications. I have had a few complications, but mostly I'm doing well after 36 years. I guess my point is that so many of us have survived thousands of highs and lows. I've met over a dozen people who have had diabetes for more than 50 years, and one person, more than 60. Our bodies are tougher than we give them credit for sometimes.
So, do your best for good control, and learn from your mistakes. Try to figure out why your BG is out of range, correct, and then try to move on. Easier said than done, I know, but I believe you can learn to leave the panic and anxiety behind. Best wishes to you.
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Sorry to hear you are going through constant anxiety. I went through the same panic feelings for 16 years while trying to juggle a marriage, 3 kids and work. The marriage ended last year and the constant edge was definitely a factor. Worrying about night time lows was a constant. Main problem for me was denial that there was a problem with my insulin doses and constant need for exercise to feel normal. I finally came to terms with my denial last year and adjusted my Lantus from 24 units in one evening dose to 2 - 12 unit doses split into AM and PM. I cover my meals with Humolog or R. I still exercise regularly but not every day and I feel more alert and memory better. It has changed everything for me going forward, the nervousness has been reduced drastically, nighttime lows are rare now...relief. Hope this helps you -
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Hi: I know you are a super-busy mom, but I just have to recommend yoga & meditation. That has really helped me to stay much calmer in the face of all we have to do (and it's a lot we have to do to have decent control). I like to have my security blanket with me at all times (test kit, extra needles and insulin, glucose tabs, Starburst cuz I hate glucose tabs). I have perfectionist tendencies, and I have to let those go with respect to my diabetes. Another option might be a diabetic alert dog, which would give you peace of mind and comfort.
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Hi there! So first off questions for you; how often do you test? What is your most recent A1c? Are you being seen by an endo or a general family doc? Have you had any severe lows or KDE?
I'd say that as interesting as meee's advice is, I would NOT drink wine until I had a handle on why you are feeling so anxious about all this first. Drinking could just compound any other problems you are having, and you can't respond to a low if you are half tanked. So....sorry meee but I think that isn't very good advice.
Back to you LiL MaMa; do you feel like this all the time- or when you are feeling nervous and on edge to you do a bg test?
I would either do more tests and keep a log; or if you are already doing 5+ a day, then just start keeping a log.
Time of day for every entry; bg result; type and amount of food eaten (carb count); type and amount of insulin taken; type and amount of exersize; any illness/ period/ PMS/ outside stress factors (job/ family/ significant other).
Take a bg when you wake up in am, if there is more than 30-45 minutes before you eat breakfast, then do another before eating. Do another 2 hours after you've eaten. Then another before lunch; another 2 hours after lunch. Before dinner; 2 hours after dinner. Before bed, and for giggles, set an alarm for 3-4 hours after you go to bed- wake up with alarm, do another blood test.
After a week of this you'll either be so sick of it, that you'll stop and stop freaking yourself out, OR you'll see patterns and report in to your doc and maybe adjust your dosing so that you aren't at one extreme or another (high or low) and then you can see what things have what result on your bg levels.
Point is, don't get all freaky without having cause to be freaky. If any highs or lows are completely unexplained and you are going into KDE or having severe lows (like black outs and paramedics being called) then you really need to adjust your dosing or your food intake and check in with your endo. You can't fix anything without the data.
Are you on a pump? Can you get a CGM?
It does suck, and yeah, I have it going on in the back of my head most of the time also; but if you already did a blood test, and you know what your carb intake was, and you took the right amount of insulin....well then barring any weird outside forces, you ought to be ok!
Do you carry your tester around with you? Do you carry insulin and glucose tabs of some sort? All you can do is be prepared, and gather more info.
And seriously- do try to relax. Or go stay with someone for a week; have someone stay with you for a week. Let someone help you.
And heck, ask your endo for a referral to a mental health person that deals with chronic disease patients.
All in all, good luck. Remember, sometimes the wind shifts just right and we all go crashing down for no good reason...but that is rare if you are paying attention to what is going on and trying to keep on top of it.
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umm.. I didn't tell her to get "tanked", I said to have a glass of wine, 1 glass with dinner- it's just a suggestion of course and she doesn't have to follow it.
btw, while we are criticizing people's advice, while yours makes sense, I'm pretty sure she is a type a too and is doing a lot to control things... maybe she needs to calm down on all of that and just let herself live a little without constant fear, whether it's with our without a glass of wine.
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lil mama, i think weve all got d at the back of our mind for most of the day. unfortunately it has to be there. i agree with melitta about meditation and yoga. id been doing astanga and vikram yogas, which are both very intense forms, followed by meditation, for many years pre-d. it helps me tremendously with stress and gives me a sense of peace and well being.
have you been to your doctor about this? would you consider taking an anti-anxiety medication? cognitive therapy if you dont want to take a drug? it might be worth a try.
being able to relax and enjoy life is really important. im coming up on two years of d and sometimes now when im exercising, i have completely forgotten about it-only think, am i low, after running for 30 minutes. it really is the BEST feeling to forget about it. best of luck in getting there.
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sorry sorry sorry- I did not mean to criticize your advice that strongly. everyone uses their own things to cope- I just think that using something to dull your senses- be it just a tiny bit, isn't good. Again, to each his/her own. And I said half tanked. My perspective after 31 years T1 may be a bit different than yours.
Thanks for the reminder to not be quick to speak about someone else's advice.
It is also hard to tell what else is driving her fears; another post mentioned that she has kids. If so, that could be a HUGE factor in her issues.
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Sometimes, we just need to let go. Not everything is under our control. Perhaps it would help to recite and consider the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
We all encounter a range of adversities in our lives. Some which we can change and avert, others which we must face up to. Bravely do the things that can help you lead a healthful happy life, but don't spend you valuable time and energy with worry and actions that won't help.
If you truly feel that your anxiety and panic are getting out of control you can look at some therapy to help you deal with those feelings. One approach that I have heard that works well is Exposure Therapy. Deliberately expose yourself to the things that cause your anxiety and you become experienced in the thing you fear and develop confidence that you can deal with it. Start slow and work up.
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I am the same way. It definitely keeps me from being a carefree 22 year old. I have a full time job, a great boyfriend, and an amazing family! But I have a hard time being tru;y present and enjoying those things because I am constantly thinking about numbers...like a crazy person.
What has helped me the most is meeting other people who have D. I met a girl at college and I reached out to my childhood friend from diabetes camp. They are not members here...I keep urging them to be but it somehow never happens.
Anyway...we keep eachother grounded. We text and stuff whenever we need that instant support. Or if we are trying out a new diet or a new experiment, I always have that peer support at hand.
If you ever need somebody to just talk to you can always PM me!!
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Diabetic alert dog? Really? I'll have to look into that for my "kids" for Christmas they've been begging for a dog.
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Hate to hear that about your marriage but glad to see you have had lessening of your anxieties with your blood sugar. Have you ever had a severe night time low?
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Wow, that's a good way to think of it...if you all survived with no technology I guess I'll be just fine :)
Yes I def need to get back to walking when I'm high!
I have a CGM and am on a pump. I'm still constantly worried and have an anxiety disorder to begin with. My blood sugar just compounds the problem. I eat the same things almost every day and test 5-15 times a day. I eat very low carb- about 25 carbs a day.
Oh how I would LOVE to forget about it!!!
I am on an anti depressant and try not to ever take my anti anxiety medicine.
Thanks Brian!!
Thanks girl!
That personal support, especially from others with diabetes, makes a huge difference. I know that in some dark and scary moments, when I have reached out to fellow PWDs (people with diabetes), I have gotten such tremendous support, both online (especially here at TuD) and in-person.