I’d love to hear from others who have experienced the effects of stress on their diabetes. Although not addressed by most doctors, I’ve realized that there is a strong correlation between my level of stress and my blood sugars/A1Cs. I’d love to know some tips that have helped others achieve good blood sugars while being under stress or thinking towards pregnancy.
The eye opening experience for me was when I started my first year of teaching after finishing a masters degree and was teaching at a school that was very experiential and teachers were expected to recreate the wheel each time, creating their own curriculum and going over the top. Needless to say, I wasn’t well supported and was very stressed out. In a matter of a few months my A1C jumped over 4% and I was a disaster. I took a medical leave of absence from my job and have had plenty of time to reflect on my life with diabetes, thus leading to a book writing opportunity. I’ve spent the past 6 months substitute teaching, allowing me to strike much more of a positive balance of career and diabetes and my A1C is the best it’s been in 15 years. As I consider my options for a career in teaching this fall, I wonder if diabetes is such a full-time career in itself to be able to have a full-time career as demanding as teaching. is while my health is potentially sacrificed My husband and I are two years away from considering pregnancy and I know at that point, my A1C should be 6%. I’d also like to prove to myself that I can keep it at a consistent 6% 9 months before I become pregnant so that I know I can do it during pregnancy. I’m a little over 1% away from my target but believe me, it’s taken a lot of focus and energy at the expense of other things in my life.
I’d love to hear what others have to say about careers, pregnancy, and stress as it relates to being successful with diabetes management. I’ve always been one to keep the attitude of “diabetes hasn’t and won’t prevent me from doing anything in my life” but I’m now beginning to wonder! The cost of medical supplies, the emotional toll of diabetes, and then the potential cost of not working full time seems to be the result of living with diabetes. Although my husband and I aren’t in any financial challege, the cost of not having a cure for diabetes is quite high! I continue to volunteer my time and energy with JDRF in hopes that some day I will be able to not have the additional hurdles that come with diabetes.