Diabetes is not fun

Hi,

In your situation, I would want to rule out physical causes for how you feel.

In particular, you should have a full screening for thyroid function, that should include FT3, FT4 and TSH. FT3 and FT4 should be middle of the reference range or higher to be normal. Other things that may affect energy levels; get b-vitamin levels check, and also D vitamin levels checked.

I have hypothyroid and have been treated for this for 16 years - the diagnosis coming 10 years before I got unlucky with diabetes added to the mix.

If my thyroid is lower than it should be my coping skills drop dramatically and I start having thoughts of self harm. Luckily I now know to check my thyroid if this happens.

This is an additional thing to look into. It is treatable, and the change it makes to quality of life is monumental (and for me, lifechanging).

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Hi Pete7,

First of all I send you a hug. A genuine embrace.

You expressed that you are drained to the extent that you are willing to seek guidance by any means necessary." Your expression excites me as it tells me you are willing to consider (in the least) strategies so that you can feel whole again. It is your willingness to try “to seek guidance” that resonates with me. With your permission, I’d like to make a suggestion…

Have you ever thought about connecting or reconnecting with your spirituality?

Some of the individuals I coach who are living with type 2 diabetes find that engaging in something spiritual (however, you define it) is an effective approach to coping and relieving the stress related to managing their condition. They even share with me that it provides the guidance and comfort that they need when things are particularly tough.

I do hope the above suggestion provides a bit of direction in terms of what your next steps might be.

I wish you all the very best, Pete7.

Jojeegirl

Thank you justlooking, someone has hinted this thyroid problem to be the cause or at least as a partial effect to me before. I looked up the symptoms and they match mostly the experience I’m making everyday. Of course this mightn’t be the problem but I will check this with my doctor and get him to do my bloods.
Thank you!

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Pete,

I really hope this can be an answer for you. Low thyroid is a very common comorbidity with diabetes.

Back in 2000 i was over 100kg and feeling like death warned up (but not very warm at all). I saw 1 doctor who i told how i was feeling. She did all the right tests. But when the results came back (in range), she said everything was fine. I thought, if these are fine, then i want to be dead. Life is not worth living the way i felt.

I then got on line, looked up my results, realised they weren’t really ok, and finally luckily found a decent endocrinologist who took one look at me and agreed i had thyroid.problems, and who started appropriate treatment.

I lost 35 kg with treatment and in time the lights came on again.

I am saying this because results only just in range are not ok, even though some Drs think they are.

Levels have to be not just in range, they have to optimal. Also for b and d, and iron.

Anyway, i think you are smart enough to pursue this appropriately. I really believe that we people with chronic conditions have to be our own.managers.

I’ll be watching and waiting hopefully to hear things.are improving for you.

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Pete7,
I can sympathize with where you are as I’ve gone there on and off several times over the years.
One thing I’ve changed in my life that has helped me cope is I took up a new hobby that wasn’t physically taxing. I used to race cars (autocross) but stopped due to my apprehension about experiencing a hypo during an event. I know it wouldn’t have been the end of the world but it still bothered me so I decided to stop racing. That activity had been a HUGE part of my life for ~8 years so it was a tough decision. As a replacement activity I’ve been learning to play guitar. It’s been a real challenge but also very rewarding as I’ve always loved music and had started learning to play 20 odd years ago but got distracted with life. It’s provided me with an activity that I find rewarding, doesn’t have to be expensive and can be fit into my schedule, which like yours is very controlled. Maybe there is something similar you’ve always wanted to try.

I’d also like to say you aren’t alone and should feel free to express your feelings exactly as you have. I know it probably provides small comfort but you have online friends here that are more than willing to offer encouragement and know exactly what you mean when you discuss how diabetes CONTROLS everything you do.

Wheelman

Hello Pete7!

Nope…you are not alone at all. It takes a lot of time, emotions and brains to manage this condition. Someone asked earlier if you can take a “holiday.” Well, in a manner of speaking, that is what we (you included) are fighting for.

You are fighting for that day in the near future when things will be easier and it will feel like a holiday. Science and technology have helped…no, not cured, but help nonetheless. Perhaps two (2) decades ago it was nearly impossible for Diabetics to travel abroad. We can do that now: https://forum.tudiabetes.org/t/long-term-travel-and-insulin-effectiveness

In the meantime, if you do not want to talk to your own doctor(s) about how you feel, how about a hobby. (Thanks Wheelman!) Suggestions for something not physically taxing: reading, cooking, taking in a good movie or a series on t.v. (no snaking tho).

Beautiful answer Maureen!

Thank you for posting!!!

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Hi wheelman, thank you for kind words. My dispair seems to be a more physical feeling rather then a mental one. I’ve accepted the change that needs to take place in my life and worked a lot towards it. When ever I can I meet family and friends to get out of this everyday trot. I started playing guitar 15 years ago and still play when ever I can. I also play all kinds of drums and I even do a bit of painting once in a while. my problem is, and this is why I think this is a physical rather then a mental issue, I don’t feel anymore satisfaction after wards. Even when I sleep I go to bed and wake up in the morning without feeling refreshed. And when I stop exercising/do physical workout I even feel worse and so do my glucose levels. It’s puzzling. i want to check my thyroids next time I go to the doctor. The symptoms are similar to what I experience.
Thank you for your advise though. It was very kind. :slight_smile:

Hey L,
I have lots of hobbies and I don’t have a problem travelling. I travel long and often when ever I can. Oh and I will talk to my doctor. I have another clue that might guide me in the right direction.
Unfortunately Irish doctors are not very helpful. I’ve talked to my physician on multiple occasions. And also changed my GP lots of times. Just to give you an idea what Irish doctors are like; the only reason I got diagnosed with diabetes was because I had to tell the doctor check for diabetes. Even after telling him my symptoms he didn’t suspect diabetes. So once he tested my bloods it was all so clear to him all over sudden. So in other words, if you don’t tell Irish doctors to check for something they won’t check for it. Everyone I know, diabetic or not, has experienced this issue in Ireland. So I’m pretty much on my own when it comes to diagnostics.
Thank you for taking your time to reply. I take any help I can get.

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I have indeed considered holidays. The problem seems to be that I don’t feel refreshed afterwards. It just doesn’t help. I suspect a hidden physical disability. I got an appointment with my physician next week and will ask him to check for certain things. I’m sorry to here you had such a tough time. I hope you feel better now found the support and answers you were looking for. Hugs from Ireland! :slight_smile:

@Pete7 Thanks for your reply. Circumstances have changed and I have moved on. I hope you find the answer to your problems soon.

Hello Pete7!

Thank you for coming back and taking the time to read all of our replies and to reply in return. I’m really glad you have a new direction to go in. And yes, keep pushing the doctor(s) if that is what it takes because in the end you get to say: “I told you so!”

Please let me add that I am in the United States and was able to visit Ireland in the summer of 2007. You have a beautiful country, filled with beautiful people. When I was there, it felt like everyone came out of the woodwork to stop and say Hello.

Hi, Pete!
My name is Nicole Holcom and I’ve been a T1D for 30 years. I think you should go see a counselor to possibly get some medications to help. Diabetes causes depression due to fluctuations in glucose that the brain needs to function, as well as the chemical changes in the brain that is also caused by diabetes. There is quite a bit of information on this online. You should research it, especially the scientific studies.
I personally have tried antidepressants several times, but never saw a decrease in my symptoms of depression. However, don’t let my experience detract from my advice about seeing a counselor. Everyone is different and medications may do wonders for you.
I wish you well!

Hello Nicole,
Thank you for replying.
I have tried this already. The antidepressants don’t seem to work on me. No idea why. I’m well aware of the effects that a fluctuation in glucose levels can bring about. Thank you for your advise.

Pete7, I feel your pain. I’ve had T1D coming up on 25 years. On two occasions about 15 years ago, my husband called the medics and I awoke to seeing them standing around my bed and giving me juice. When I think back on how my life was in the past, I just want to cry. I’ve had brain MRIs, and my frontal lobe is in poor shape.

I am lucky to have a spouse who is younger than I, and he continues to work. Pre-D, I was a successful administrative law judge but found that I could no longer do the work. My plan was to do volunteer work, but it seems like almost everything requires decent short-term memory. I never drank alcohol to excess but I quit drinking in the hope that I’d grow back some brain cells. “Better living through chemistry” is what keeps me going. I know that an important aspect of brain health is to engage with others. But I have a really hard time making friends, because I feel self-conscious about my memory issues.

Easy to say, I know, but I’ve been there so have hope. Maybe read Learned Optimism or The Myth of Stress or any of many audio CD’s from your public library.
In addition to checking your thyroid, check for low testosterone (lab: testosterone level free and total), CBC for anemia and Vit D and B12.
Agree with counseling – safe and might help eventually.
As for “antidepressants” there are a wide variety of these and many work in completely different ways so there may be one that might help.

Thank you for sharing your story with me. I feel humbled. I can reflect in many ways.

Don’t forget the effects of reverse T3 (rT3) which can happen even in people who are not hypothyroid and it still makes them feel hypothyroid because the presence of the reverse T3 blocking the receptors sites for T3 slows a person down and makes them feel miserable much like a person who wants to sleep all the time. Don’t test for rT3 without testing for the others (mentioned above) at the same time so you are able to calculate ratios. What I am stressing is you could be feeling hypo for a reason that is faster to correct, but complex to correct. Myself and two men I know are in the same situation and they are not even diabetic. Very few doctors are aware about the situation, so you will need to do a lot of research on your own and take the lead in your own case. That will help you feel better, by being the master of your own destiny. In my opinion being diabetic has been an interesting 35 years for me but I take a positive outlook…

But don’t let them say you are in need of thyroid medication until you have solved the problem with supplements first as in all cases when we supply a hormone from an external source in time it makes us always need the external supply and that is called down regulation.

There is a reason why the antidepressants don’t work and that is because with time the neurons sense the excess serotonin in the SSRI class of antidepressants which is not the most prevalent in use these days and the receptors pull back so that about negates the initial feeling better. So in time it doesn’t seem to work, but if you stop then whammo you really feel depressed as if the rug is whipped out from under you. That accounts for why there are warnings on those drugs about suicide and even court cases about spree killings. The drugs need to be gradually withdrawn with lots of instructions, but it seems too many people don’t get the proper education. Doctors don’t have enough time in visits and they presume too much will work out on it’s own.

There are better ways to feel happier with supplements and also lifestyle issues. There is an excellent book by a USA based Psychiatrist about “Natural Highs: Feel Good All the Time” which covers all the natural alternatives to drugs by a doctor who really knows how the brain works. Those Dr_T1 suggestions look like you should do them all. I love the effect of supplements and do lots of reading myself. When you are leading your own health situation it really does change your perspective.

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[quote=“JaninaWalker, post:34, topic:51518”]
which is not the most prevalent
[/quote] Sorry, I meant to say which is the most prevalent