While certainly not complete by any means, the basic four descriptions below comprise and very much articulate some very, very common if not fundamental diabetic behaviors many of us seem to possess?
Below is a copy of snippets from the recent .pdf file of the American Psychiatric Association about the DSM-5 publication of changes and discussion regarding a condition called "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder".
Take a look at these descriptions. They sound intimately familiar to anyone else? Sound like behaviors you recognize because you are a diabetic?
============ Re-experiencing covers spontaneous memories of the traumatic event, recurrent dreams related to it,flashbacks or other intense or prolonged psychological distress.
Avoidance refers to distressing memories, thoughts, feelings or external reminders of the event.
Negative cognitions and mood represents myriad feelings, from a persistent and distorted sense of blame of self or others, to estrangement from others or markedly diminished interest in activities, to an inability to remember key aspects of the event.
Finally, arousal is marked by aggressive, reckless or self-destructive behavior, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance or related problems.
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Curious if others see a meaningful parallel between their diabetes the things they think/feel about it? Is diabetes the definition of P.T.S.D. is some (sic. many?) respects???
Unless you're experiencing repeated bouts of lows that put you in the hospital, or repeated bouts of DKA that put you in the hospital, I would have to say, not really. I definitely find myself waking up at some point in the night to test. Definitely a conditioned response but definitely not PTSD.
I watch friends struggling with PTSD on a weekly basis. That defintely puts my own struggles in perspective, and the two aren't even in the same ballpark.
Let me start by saying, I am NOT attempting to diminish the horrors of those with severe PTSD, veterans, victims, etc. What I hope I am attempting to ask is the "larger question", do those descriptions sound real familiar to you as a diabetic person?
Never had a wicked low/lows that haunted you, or others important you for more than a day or two? Never regained consciousness in a situation you want to never remember it ever again, if you could wave a magic wand? Or do you get reminded of them powerfully in weird places, or at bad times. When is vigilance become something that is a problem because of or perhaps to prevent such event(s)
My intention was to explore the parallel(s), and see if others, our peers may as well perceive them as such. Not my intent to diminish or minimize in any manner others more profound, visable sufferings.
My low/lows I usually don't remember, what I do remember I try to use and see if and where I could have avoided the hypo. I had a low during my sleep, my wife brought me some juice, which I drank in bed, but I still tried to get up and go to the kitchen to get more snack food.
While standing next to the bed, I had a seizure. Fractured my ankle and tibia in 18 places, and it took 18 pins and a plate to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Had to bear no weight on it for a month, out of work for two, in physical therapy for 3.
Now I eat a snack before going to bed. Not haunted by it, but I learned from it. Live and learn.
I've blacked out at work. It's humbling in many ways, but I wouldn't consider it traumatic.
Never had co workers remind you of the incident(s), hopefully well meaning but excessively concerned about your health? I dont ask them about their heart attacks, their thrush, their epilepsy, STD's, asthma, etc yet I have been asked many times over the decades about our sugar by co-workers, who under generous circumstances I might call call acquaintances, if not strangers?
Traumatic, perhaps not. But a serious tune whispered in the background, as such could (IMHV) become so?
So I dont think its like PTSD but I do have triggers. For a period before I was diagnosed, I thought I was going insane. I realize now it was blood sugar swings causing irrational and aggressive behavior, but that behavior went on for a fairly long period before I was diagnosed. Now, when I think of myself at that time, it is distressing. It affected my job, my personal goals and my relationship with my fiancee without having any idea what was the cause. Re-evaluating that period of my life in terms of what I know now is difficult and makes me uncomfortable. I did what I did without realizing it and its lucky it didnt have as a huge impact on my relationship with close family and friends as it could have.
I do have flashbacks to my DKA. Particularly, a nurse banged on my back and I suddenly had shooting kidney pains. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced and I had appendicitis in High School as well as surgery for testicular torsion in college. When I hear myself screaming in my head I remember that pain sometimes.
Its amazing how the human mind can forget things like physical pain. The psychological response to that previous pain is that I closely monitor my condition and I tend to have an "it could be worse" attitude towards most inconvenient things that happen to me. I think the only psychological pain I feel daily would be having a CGM and subconsciously linking tight sugar control with how I feel about my myself and my ability to manage my life properly. I am trying to realize that high/low blood sugars are not necessarily an indication of how "good" my day is, but just data that helps me better control the T1 condition.
Yeah, same thing here. Certain places, usually doctor offices and hospitals give me the heebie jeebies, but that's it.
And I have had co-workers joke about me having a low, after they had done all they could to help. But if people make uninformed comments I figure that's their problem and not mine.
Hard lessons, bad memories? No doubt. Just not on a PTSD level. At least not for me.
