Diabetes burnout, anyone?

Spencer67 · Feb 12, 2015

Burn out or not there is still no choice, you have to get up and manage it to the best of your ability and then some or the complications will sneak up on you, what gets me is the lack of knowledge the doctors have, they have the condition labelled but just have their cosy hypothesis to cover their backs that can change over night, the best thing i've discovered here is the Low Carb Hi Fat diet <<Link>> as far as i can see diabetics are pretty much alone in their struggle. Burn out has brought me here.

I know i have suffered with moods swings through the sugar and carb addictions, i don't know where your at but burn out is about your state of mind, diabetes disrupts the endocrine system and hormone levels suffer, these control our moods. I have started taking some supps (DHEA) that help with hormone control where it has been damaged by adrenal fatigue, its too early to say how effective it is yet but i'm on it with the Low Carb High Fat diet now.

I have had to re-evaluate my life and bring in more conscious decisions, no more booze, fags or other toxins that can poison my body, if i want to live well, we have to be careful not to believe the bs that the media hype us, don't forget we are controlled by the mass media hype and immoral markets for our eating habits and diabetes is about what we consume and we've been lied to for a long time, its far easier to buy the **** they serve us and consume it without even having to think about it rather than find the good wholesome real untainted food, there is sugar in everything, living well is not how the mass media tries to teach us it is the opposite of all they say.

I see it as being a type 1 diabetics we are like an antennae for the masses once we start getting ill it's a sign something is wrong, and what is wrong is the food we eat and the stresses we expose ourselves too, i'm also a fan of the raw diet, taking mind body and spirit seriously is my way now, guess we are growing up but thankfully there is a lot of good information out there to help us make better mature decisions, it's a matter of finding it and putting it into practice and not letting the bastards grind you down. Burn out is the faze you need to breakthrough and start being kind to yourself again, taking back control and staying positive.

himtoo · Feb 12, 2015

carlos fandango said:
novorapidboi26 - thanks, that's good to know.

sue - virtual hugs are always welcome. thank you : )

noblehead - thanks for the welcome.

himtoo - thanks for the link. i understand why you posted it, but I'm not convinced it's a useful tool for me, personally. I don't have a problem in dealing with the fact that i have diabetes; i accepted it a long time ago. I think my problem is more like 'exhaustion' than anything else. I'm just, for want of a better word(s), 'burnt out'.

It's so hard fighting against an invisible enemy; relentlessly putting in a ton of effort merely to keep the tide at bay. And knowing that even if you put the effort in, the tide could easily breach your defenses regardless. It's so easy to just let things slip, especially when the consequences of letting things slip aren't always immediately obvious. I've been taking my eye off the ball more and more over the last few years, which is very likely the cause of the retinopathy mentioned earlier. That diagnosis certainly made me up my game, but after the laser treatment,and a few subsequent check-ups that showed the treatment had been effective, I'm back to square one.

The nicest thing anyone has ever said to me was said by a nurse last year. After my retinopathy had been diagnosed, she asked how well controlled my diabetes was. I said that it was basically pretty up and down. She didn't criticise. She didn't patronise. She simply said, 'yeah, it must be a nightmare'. And sometimes, that's all I need. A hug while being told this would be nice too, obviously ; ) But just the simple recognition that it really isn't easy, and it really can / does have a huge psychological impact, is just amazing. (Luckily they'd already finished shining bright lights in my eyes by that point, because I really couldn't stop myself from welling up).

My parents, bless them, were very much of the opinion that one shouldn't feel sorry for oneself - you just get on with it, because feeling sorry for yourself doesn't get the job done. I think my friends are either a bit wary about mentioning my condition, or, more likely, don't want to appear patronizing or condescending. And I don't want to appear needy by asking them to recognize how difficult this condition is.

So all of this leads me to having to deal with it all on my own. I don't feel I can turn to my family or friends, even though they are all lovely and well meaning. And most of the time, that's OK. But sometimes (and this is becoming more common), I get days like today, weeks like this week, and months like this month where i just want to curl into a ball and cry. Pathetic, I know. But true.

Anyway. Sorry for the emotional splurge! Really needed to get that out, and this forum feels like it might be a relatively safe place to do that.

You are not on your own.
We are all here with you if not in person definitely emotionally.

DeejayR · Feb 12, 2015

I'm proud to be a member of the forum that refreshes the parts other forums cannot reach and I hope you will feel the same way too soon . Welcome.

Flakey Bake · Feb 12, 2015

Hi Carlos,
You have coped brilliantly for so many years, no complication, really well done to you! It is no wonder that you are feeling the weight at the moment because it sounds like all that success has been achieved from within and you have now run out of energy. It might help to shake things up a bit, some new personal non-diabetes challenges. Or look at the diabetes from a different angle: some new diabetes gadgets/apps (might sound daft but I found a new monitor very motivating), a new support group, and definitely a honest chat with the diabetes nurses about how you are feeling. Please don't rule out treatment for depression, depression is not a weakness, it is a side-effect of diabetes and there is help out there. I wish you all the best, embrace some support and I think you will feel better soon.

Heathenlass · Feb 12, 2015

Diabetes burnout is real . Been there , done that. Not only got the T shirt, but the matching hoody and beanie too ! Unfortunately, when it hit me it happened at a bad time in my life anyway, so was a double whammy that took some drastic changes to get me out of it. Basically, I needed a whole new lifestyle, leaving a well paid professional job for something much more back to my roots and a lot less well paid

So that's exactly what I did. Not much help there in the way of advice, because that's not the answer for everyone, but the lifestyle change came from a lot of introspection and the realisation that dealing with diabetes was only one part of it all, but underpinned everything else.

You have found a good place, and I'm sure that the support you find here will help you along the way A big first step is the knowledge that you are not the only person to feel like this, and that support is there for you.

A warm welcome from,

Signy

carlos fandango · Feb 13, 2015

Just wanted to say another thanks to everyone who's been lovely and warm and welcoming - and informative. : )

Yesterday was such a revelation, and I'll be talking to my boss today about burnout / stress / etc, so hopefully they can cut me some slack. I've also ordered a couple of books, and I'll talk to my 'care team' if I don't think the books are going to help.

Thanks again. You're all right, you lot. ; )

millysue · Feb 13, 2015

Good morning Carlos,
Hope all goes well with your boss. He does have a duty of care, so stay strong.

One of our members has had some excellent news this morning. The dbn has reduced her metformin from 4 tablets to 3 per day.
She says she could not have done it without the help and support of this site.

Just goes to show this site is not all doom and gloom.

Have a good day Carlos, stay positive.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers Sue

Providence 62 · Feb 13, 2015

Welcome Carlos, I am newly a newly diagnosed T2 and have found reading this forum invaluable. I hope that the books help and you get through this burnout - sounds really dreadful.

Give yourself a bit of time, and great thinking about getting the boss on board.

Providence

millysue · Feb 17, 2015

Hi Carlos,
How are you. How did you get on with your boss?

weeezer · Feb 18, 2015

Wow. Burnout? Yes! 15 yrs in & I'm there. Always been so proud of how being diabetic 'doesn't affect me'. Turns out it's quite exhausting, like you say, to be constantly fighting the tide. You ain't alone that's for sure x

carlos fandango · Feb 26, 2015

millysue said:
Hi Carlos,
How are you. How did you get on with your boss?

Ooops! Sorry, I should have replied to this ages ago.

Yes, she's pretty cool about it, as is her boss. They both understand that diabetes can be tricky from time to time, and I've sent them links to some good pages about burn-out.

millysue · Feb 26, 2015

carlos fandango said:
Ooops! Sorry, I should have replied to this ages ago.

Yes, she's pretty cool about it, as is her boss. They both understand that diabetes can be tricky from time to time, and I've sent them links to some good pages about burn-out.

Glad you have an understanding boss.
Hope your feeling a little better, don't forget to make time for yourself. Work will always be there.
Cheers Milly

carlos fandango · Feb 26, 2015

weeezer said:
Always been so proud of how being diabetic 'doesn't affect me'.

That made me chuckle - it's a phrase I've said, like, a million times myself : )

The other thing which, on reflection, really p1sses me off now is everyone telling me when I was diagnosed that 'it's ok, you can lead a perfectly normal life, just like everyone else'. I totally understand why people said that (i was very young when I was diagnosed), but it may have done more harm than good: I suspect that I've been trying to live up to the notion that my life is perfectly normal and just like everyone else's, when in fact it's just not. And therefore feeling like I'm not doing it right, or I'm rubbish at it, or I'm a bad person / bad diabetic because sometimes I find it quite difficult to manage and my life can feel very far from 'perfectly normal' at times.

millysue · Feb 26, 2015

Carlos,
I'm the type of person that likes straight talking, if I've got something wrong with me, don't sugar coat it just tell me straight.
Maybe when you were younger they thought they were doing their best by telling you you can lead a normal life. What is normal, I think we would all have a different view on that.

My view, diabetes can be, S H 1 T , but we have to endure and make the best of it.
Stay strong.
Have you had a holiday yet this year?

carlos fandango · Feb 26, 2015

millysue said:
Carlos,
Have you had a holiday yet this year?

Blimey, I haven't had a holiday for.... *checks calendar* ....a year and a half!

millysue · Feb 26, 2015

carlos fandango said:
Blimey, I haven't had a holiday for.... *checks calendar* ....a year and a half!

Right Carlos, it's time you booked a holiday. Book time off work, like now ! If you don't I will nagg you until you do.
It will do you the world of good.

Kat100 · Feb 26, 2015

Hello, nice to meet you , you will find lots of support here ....tc ....kat

everything has been said ...enjoy getting to know the forum

carlos fandango · Feb 26, 2015

millysue said:
Right Carlos, it's time you booked a holiday. Book time off work, like now ! If you don't I will nagg you until you do.
It will do you the world of good.

Ha ha!! You're absolutely right, of course. I do have vague plans, to be honest. It looks extremely likely that I'll be made redundant in a few months, and I'll be spending a small amount of my pay-off on visiting a few friends who've moved out of the UK (definitely Kuala Lumpar and, if I can, Australia, Canada, USA and Sweden).

Edited to add: hmmm, maybe I mean a large amount of my pay off!

millysue · Feb 26, 2015

carlos fandango said:
Ha ha!! You're absolutely right, of course. I do have vague plans, to be honest. It looks extremely likely that I'll be made redundant in a few months, and I'll be spending a small amount of my pay-off on visiting a few friends who've moved out of the UK (definitely Kuala Lumpar and, if I can, Australia, Canada, USA and Sweden).

Edited to add: hmmm, maybe I mean a large amount of my pay off!

k

About 2 years ago our son worked in K.L. for about 9 months, He said it was a great place to visit.
He had to take malaria tablets, he had to start them a couple of weeks before he went, so do look into that.

Sorry, I'm sounding like a mum. Our son is 37.
Our other son lives in USA.

I hope your not made redundant, but if you are try and think of it as a new beginning.

totsy · Feb 27, 2015

Hya Carlos
Welcome . i think most of us have felt this way before , please don't feel bad about anything you post,we are all here to help each other ((((hugs))))

Diabetes burnout, anyone?

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