You say you never heard of "Diabetic Referred Stress?" That's because I just made up the term! But it's a process I've noticed for a while and want to see if anyone else experiences the same thing.
When people ask if we get stressed out about managing Diabetes, I always say no. I just do what I need to do day to day, and often I enjoy the challenge. I do have to confess that I no longer work full time, and live alone so have a pretty free life to do all the daily tasks we all do. Even when something puzzling happens, I usually just post on here, but don't freak out (like when I was expecting a 5.9 A1C and got a 6.9!). Problem to be solved, not a lot of emotional baggage.
But here's what does happen. I get stressed about other, relatively small things, more so than I did pre-D. Here's an example from yesterday/today.Item #1: I received in the mail a letter from Social Security saying they'd overpaid me last year by $1,392 and would I please pay it back in 30 days. What!!?? It did say I could call and make a payment plan so I planned to do it today though thought they'd ask for all sorts of back-up and it would still be more per month than I could afford.Item #2-I got a message from my doctor saying to call her. She said it wasn't urgent. She probably just wants to bug me about tests, which isn't how I like to relate to docs, and I will have to tactfully tell her I decide what to do and not do. Item #3-I woke up today very high. I had a low yesterday (item 3A?) and was a bit disoriented and seem to have underbolused for dinner +glucose). I did what I usually do, no biggie, just "wasted the amount for correction" then went to get a syringe to do a shot. No syringes, I threw out my last one a while back. Darn. So I just bolused on my pump and wrote down that my IOB would be showing double. Item #4- one of the surface unit/burner coils on my stove broke a while ago and I've just been using the other 3. I finally went to Ace with the old one in hand and the guy directed me to a package. I brought it home and it doesn't fit; it says right on it, "not for GE" and the guy never asked what kind of stove. I had a hard time navigating GE's website and finally called to order it.
To conclude, all but the doctor (no return call yet, but I'm sure it's nothing) resolved well. I ordered the part (it was expensive but I'll subtract from my rent). I am nearly back to normal BG and the IOB computation was no big deal for me. The Social Security worked out amazingly; they offered me a 36-payment plan which is painless (I can pay more when I have it), no paperwork requested, and I was off the phone in 10 minutes! Oh and I put insulin syringes for backup on my shopping list.
None of these things were life-rending by any means! The financial one was the only one with the potential to cause me some discomfort (no homelessness or hunger!). And I knew basically they would all work out ok. But I was stressed, stressed, stressed! And the reason I believe is referred stress. The way I see it is even though I'm not stressed by the regular D management, it takes up an enormous amount of real estate in my life and in my mind. It is, as we all know 24/7! (Kudos as always to those who do it along with families, work, school, etc!). So there isn't a lot of space left over and when anything else comes up, or a series of small things all at once like I described above, it spills into stress/over-reaction zone.
Diabetic Referred Stress. Anyone relate?
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