My blood sugar has always been impacted by my emotions. It rises quickly when I’m stressed or especially if I cry. I’ve had type 1 for about 10 years.
This week I’ve run into something new. My cat that I’ve had since childhood got sick and passed away a few days ago and I have been having such a hard time managing my blood sugar since.
Usually when I’m stressed I’ll just spike up and I can get it back down easily, but for the last 2 days I’ve been steadily high and found I don’t even notice until I go to check my cgm graph.
And as I’m writing this I’m now realizing I should change out my vial of insulin for a fresh vial just incase, but just I wanted to see if anyone else had had similar experiences when dealing with the loss of a pet and if you had any tips that could help.
Another reason this is feeling very different than other times I’ve had my mental health briefly impact my diabetes management is because I haven’t had an appetite and it’s been impacting my sleep. I know I’m all out of wack right now and I’ll get better with time, I was just curious if someone has had a similar experience and if anything helped. Thank you.
Last summer I lost my diabetes service dog who had been with me for 13 years. I live alone and his presence is sorely missed. The healing that you need to do is a longer term project and you need to be gentle with yourself. The pain does diminish as time goes by. I find that my realization that my capacity to care and love another creature did not die with my dog.
It sounds like you’re on MDI. Your CGM is your best friend for reining blood sugar back down. The loss of a long-term beloved pet is a stress that will not resolve quickly. It may mean that you need to deliver more of your basal insulin to counteract this trend. Don’t be afraid to do that but keep a close watch on your CGM values. Also make sure you confirm the accuracy of the CGM with finger stick values.
Don’t feel wedded to an insulin regime that worked for a long time. Things change and you need to change with them. Good diabetes control is dynamic, not static. Your strength comes because of flexibility. Your brain and body will guide you to what you need.
But you must pay attention and respond as needed; it’s hard work! Writing things down will help you to learn and retain better.
This is an important life skill to acquire. Think of this challenge as a gift from your beloved cat. This is a skill that you will use many times in your life.
I am so sorry for your loss! Try to find a few good things that may result from this pain. Good luck and please update if/when you can.
I lost a beloved dog a couple of years ago. I always have more than one dog but this one was velcroe, as she had anxiety if ever left alone, we used to cart her everywhere with us or hire a dog sitter she knew. She also had type 1 diabetes so she needed extra care. A pal in my diabetes world. And she had also been abused in the past before I adopted her from a rescue. Some you just become so close to, it really breaks your heart when they go. I did not get over it well and a year later went to grief counseling for what they called complicated grief. It helped a lot. Just keep it in mind.
I was really really torn up about it but I don’t remember if I had a blood sugar issue. I would kind of probably have figured out that it came hand in hand with the grief? I do remember having a lot of an issue with sleeping for quite a while. I had trouble not thinking of her when I went to bed. I can tell you that any stress and lack of sleep can make your blood sugars go up. Stress can shut off normal responses as your body tries to manage whatever is going on.
Certain things call for us to need extra insulin, it unfortunately happens to us. Wrist break, extra insulin, steroid shot, extra insulin, hurt back, extra insulin, infection extra insulin and the list goes on. More of a problem is not knowing for how long you need to. Like @Terry4 said keep an eye on your CGM.
I am so sorry for your loss. Many hugs your way. Our pets can become our family and we can feel their loss deeply. It’s not easy.
Brodie, I think you should get to your therapist quickly. Yes change out your vial of insulin, but also get into see them right away. I wish you well but this looks like a therapist issue.
Hey Terry4, I am on MDI and I increased my Tresiba a little which has helped a lot!
I’m doing a bit better now. I had dinner with a friend last night and I’m having friends over for dinner again tonight.
I’ve found it helpful to eat with other people so even if my appetite isn’t perfect I still want to eat.
My sleep is doing a bit better. I think it in part got super messed up because I stayed up with him all night when he got sick. Part of what messed me up wasn’t just my grief but also the stress of seeing him sick and trying to figure out the best way to help him.
Thank you everyone for your kind words. I didn’t realize how much I needed them <3
I thought you might benefit from a basal boost; I’m glad you experimented with it. Sleep is a powerful influence on blood sugar levels. I’ve read that social interaction while eating definitely exerts good effects on digestion. Sounds like things are going better!
