Does this every get easy?

Okay, so I am not trying to feel sorry for myself, but yesterday was not good and today seems to be heading down hill. I know that when my doctor changes my medicine it affect me. But really, should I really feel depressed, have a horrible headache, feel like this is putting me over the edge! I feel like I need to cry, scream, yell, basically throw a 2 year old fit. I work around non-diabetics. They do not understand the struggles that I face everyday. The come in with wonderful smelling fries and Chinese food. I get so jealous. How do I overcome these feeling? I really hate feeling sorry for myself, but these emotions are putting me under. :frowning:

There is a trend of depression and diabetics…I mean…there is a lot to cope with. However, if you notice you feel this way every time you make adjustments to your meds, it seems you have an answer. Take notes and talk to your doctor about it.

I hate to break it to you, but it never gets easy. I say this a lot on here, but I am going to say it again . You need to find a way to change your mindset. You can eat whatever you want, you just have to portion it correctly and adjust your meds correctly. Whether you are diabetic or not, everything should be done in moderation. So, try not to look at things as what you are “missing out on”, think of it as I choose not to partake. Or I choose to partake, however…I need to find that measuring cup…where the heck is my measuring cup???

It doesn’t get easier, but it gets easier to deal with, does this make any sense? When I was diagnosed 13 years ago with type 1, I went through nearly 2 years of therapy because I was so angry. Since then, I’ve put diabetes where it should be in my life, a part of it, but not running it. I’ve in no way accepted it. I still hate the fact I have this obnoxious disease.

Type 2 is so different from type 1. I don’t restrict much food unless I choose to, I can typically adjust my insulin to cover anything.

My main recommendation is to get some help, either in the form of therapy or find a good support group. There is nothing better than being with your own kind. Only another diabetic will understand what you are dealing with and your feelings. Most local hospitals have support groups. Call your local ADA and see if they can refer you to a support group.

Good luck!

If it did get easier, we would not need to be lending each other a helping hand. There is nothing like having somebody who has ‘been there - done that’ offer encouragement.

Hang in there - I’m pulling for you.

Oh - don’t get too hung up on the T1/T2 thing. Sick is sick and I hope that we can all work together.

Amanda, easier how? What would be your definition of easy? If it means can you eat that stuff your co-workers bring in — sure…but in proper proportions and then doing what it takes to level out your sugars again. should you feel depressed, you choose the feelings you have. Why are you depressed, because you have something that everyone else doens’t have? You have consequences for eating, not eating, exercising not exercising, poking your finger, not poking your finger? Yep, everyone does. Sorry, I know we didn’t ask for diabetes, but we got it. So I try to suggest that I make sure that I treat myself well, better than well, GREAT! I give myself treats that don’t have anything to do with food or diabetes. A new book when I’ve been doing well for a week, maybe a pedicure when my A1C comes in great. Be your own best friend, not your own best enemy. You can’t control your co workers, you only can control yourself. They aren’t going to understand the struggles, until it’s them…if it ever is. No one understands the horrors of cancer, unless they’ve been there. Keep reminding yourself that YOU are taking care of YOU…and make those healthy choices for you. AND if the depression continues, talk to your doc about it. Some meds can have that affect on you…he/she needs to know how you are doing emotionally also.

The other day I read about a little boy, 5 years old, who is dying of neuroblastoma. His parents put the word out that they didn’t think he’d make Christmas so they were having Christmas now, to make sure he wasn’t going to miss it. People sent thousands of gifts and cards as the story went viral on the internet. It’s touching as hell, and it won’t help them one bit when their little boy dies. Right then, I found myself feeling so very, very thankful that Eric’s illness is something manageable, something that we can treat, something that, for all my fears and anxieties, I really do not have to EXPECT that he won’t make another Christmas. So you see, we have our struggles, and they’re harder than many other peoples’… but there are still others whose fight is even harder. At least the diabetes fight is one you can, if not WIN per se, at least keep at a draw. The parents of that 5-year-old boy are fighting a battle they know they’re going to lose, and soon. So we all have something to be grateful for, and if we focus on that instead of on the downside, maybe… perhaps that will help.

I have to agree with Cara. IT doesent get easier but it becomes easier to deal with. I have found that exercise has been the saving grace for me so far. It not only helps with those sugars but also reduces my stress and levels of anxiety. Also, since I have tackled my diabetes head on, I find that my workouts are fantastic. I dont kinda all the sudden wear out 3/4 of the way through and improvements and gains are much more apparent because I can push myslef now.

When I first talked to the doc I was like “oh man…Im not gonna be able to have this and that.” He told me that if you completely deprive yourself of things, you will become resentful. While he didnt recommend eating french fries, he said to have a french fry or two wont make things spin out of control. I find keeping my portions healthy and snacking healthy throughout the day has really helped. That and the folks I have talked to and read on this site.

And I just reduced my a1c from 14.2 to 6.7…that 30 min walk from here to there or joining a club. Or getting an active or semi active hobby…thats the ticket. On many levels.

Good luck and if ya ever need an ear give me a holla. I tried to send you a friend request but think the friend thingee is broken at the moment lol.

Amanda,

You’re acknowledging the frustration that you have to think about your food when others don’t which is healthy and perfectly normal for anyone, diabetic or not, on a diet. Chances are your body is trying to get used to the new diet and that adjustment can take time and effort. Symptoms include headache, fatigue and irritability.

Recognise you’re temporarily in a bad patch and that it’s OK to feel down sometimes. Strengthen yourself by doing something to make yourself feel good without involving food. Ask your man or children to help you out - if you can turn this into something fun, it really helps.

I’ve found if I’m on a schedule setting an alarm on my mobile phone to remind me to do drugs works wonders. Sometimes I need to make the cues tangible and it helps build new habits.

If you have the option to take a walk when people are bringing food into your workplace, do it. If you’re asked why, explain you’re on a diet and you’re finding that food really distracting. I found going to get yourself a drink, say black, Chinese or ginger tea helpful - if your doctor is OK with those.

If you’re still the same way after a week, go back to the doctor and ask if you can be a little more flexible on your diet. The OUT list sounds pretty specific but you can play within the rules, vary cereals (muesli, oatmeal (or porridge as we call it in England), cornflakes) and ask if your evening meat includes fish. Shop for recipes.

You can choose to feel better than you do. We’re here if you want to talk more.

I am sitting at my desk getting emotional because here is a group of wonderful people who do not know me from Adam and what you are saying tells me you are there during this struggle. I woke up today with the “mindset” that I can do this. And that I am not going to let diabetes run my life, but I am going to run the diabetes. I have two beautiful boys to look after, I just got engaged, just bought a house. I have so much going for me that I need to remember that. You guys here are really the best. Thank you for EVERYTHING!!

This is why I love tudiabetes.com. Every last person here has been through this and even if our experiences are a little bit different, we all “get it” and you can pretty much count on someone being here to pick you up when you’re feeling down. My friends all tell me they can’t imagine how I “do it”, meaning, how do I have a job and a horse farm and two small kids and a teenager and a husband in poor health, and still undertake the herculean task of managing Eric’s diabetes? They think I’m superwoman or something. I don’t think they get it that we all do what we do because we must. The alternative isn’t really an option. But we do it better because we know there are others out there doing the same thing. I remind myself all the time that there are plenty of other parents dealing with their child’s diabetes day to day, and if they can, I can. And if I forget that mantra, I log on, and boy do I get reminded quickly! When Eric is old enough, he’ll have his own page and he’ll be able to talk to other kids just like him, and know the same thing: they can, so he can too.

Amanda, let me give you an optimistic view of things. When I was first diagnosed I had to take insulin, today I take metformin and I have it down to a half of pill of 500 per meal with an A1C of 6.5. I took insulin for 9 months. At that time I was told that I would have to take insulin for the rest of my life. I slowed my life down. I was laid off of work when I was first diagnosed but I took three months to get myself better. I was on insulin for those 9 months but I excercised change what I ate and after nine months I was no longer on insulin. I stayed off of insulin and meds for 3 years until I started to eat bad. I had the good smelling fries and the wonderul chinese food toward the end of the 3 years. I went to the doctor and at that time my A1C was 10.2. I pretty much killed my own miracle recovery by eating bad stuff. I was put on all kinds of meds, metformin, javuvia, lisinopril, lipitor and the max levels. I became a vegetable because of all those meds. All the side effects impacted my mental state and altered my moods. I tried to get the docs to help me out and they pretty much forced me to stay on the meds. I decided to cut back on them myself but it did require that i work out and eat better.

I hope you could find a doctor that would listen to you and see if the meds that you are taking could possibly be causing the depression or mood changes. I dont understand why you would need metformin and insulin. I figure if I am shooting insulin I dont need a medicine that is going to tear up my stomach, personally I dont see the point and I would argue against it. I am the type that will sit there and argue with my doctors. I am the one that is inside my head and when meds mess me up I like to do something about it.

I do sometimes feel like screaming and yelling because it is so frustating dealing with meds that dont give you the results expected. I liked insulin, it was like a precision instrument. Meds sometimes act differently and it takes a long time to see if they work. I like the control that insulin once offered me. If the doc told me to drop my meds for insulin I would do it in a heart beat.

its ok to feel sorry every once in a while, some people wont know what we go through unless they have been there. For me I refuse to lose. There was a time when I was on januvia and it tored my mind apart. I went cold turkey off the drug because I was so frustrated with the way it made me feel. I felt like crap for a couple of months and I am still dealing with some of the side effects but I needed to know that I am in the drivers seat in my managing diabetes. So we know our bodies and if you think the meds are messing with your head then talk to the doctor. If you are already using insulin I dont know why you need meds.

The way I cope with things is that I found my son to be my anchor. He is the one that always brings me back from a depressed state. I tend to blame my parents for my sad moods when I am on a low but that same thought brings me back because I dont want my son to go through things like that when he is older. I want him to know that I was a fighter to the bitter end whenever that end may be.