Do you feel 'lonely' with your Diabetes?

[MCMLXXIII]

I`m in the same boat as Dougal. If it wasnt for diabetes I would almost certainly be doing a different job to what I do now. I was 13 when diagnosed and it shattered my confidence.

That's interesting
When i found out I was type 2 it had the opposite effect and galvanized my confidence into doing everything I possibly could to reverse it.:smile:
The diversity we have, considering we all have a version of the same thing eh?

 

[Montana]

Loneliness and diabetes

Hi Andy according to my diabetic team while in hospital they explained that when you have a pudding, sweet or treat in isolation then you're bg levels can rise quite steeply but if its taken at same time as a meal, the effect is lessened because the meal would normally be less calorific and therefore no high bg rise. Hope thats easier to understand than it was to write Andy. It really does work too. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get! H Jackson Brown.

 

[vanessabc]

completely! I'm 51 and have had Type 1 for 46 years. Both my daughters are grown up and live away, one has ADPKD, which I support her with as much as I can. My other is a primary school teacher but doesn't earn enough to live on so I try to help her out as much as possible. I live on my own, I have the two family dogs which means I struggle to look after them. I work 30 hours a week plus run dance classes to supplement my income- which is low. I have a partner but he doesn't live with me and seems to resent and throw in my face any help he does give and gets very stressed and angry with me so I tend not to ask for help . He struggles with normal life, doesn't have a bank account and despite working 6 days a week as a builder never has any money. I spend most weekends mostly alone. On top of this, following an accident with my right eye in December I have developed proliferative retinopathy for which I have had two sessions of laser treatment which haven't worked. I now am virtually blind in that eye due to macular oedema and apparently a cataract now (I discovered this morning). I am a coeliac and an anosmic due to having T1 for so long so have a very peculiar relationship with food - very low carb, mostly vegetarian- despite this I've put on 2 stone in 6 months - despite being on my feet all day, eating healthily, dancing 4 days a week, walking dogs daily. I'm so worried no one will look after me when I come out of hospital after my eye surgery- no idea how I got in this mess, spent years sorting out my own home to live in, job and happy daughters and extracating myself from a long term abusive relationship. Where do I start? I appear the life and soul to most people and always seem to be the shoulder for others to cry on. I'm just exhausted by life, T1 diabetes and the fight to get by and feel scared and isolated. I've always enjoyed my own company-I guess this is depression but it's situational and understable so what can I do? Any suggestions most gratefully received

 

[Guzzler]

I am newly diagnosed with T2 so I still have this rash of different emotions going on. Just recently my son walked in eating a Magnum ice cream lolly and my immediate reaction was resentment which then gave way to guilt. My family are supporting me but this is all so new that I suppose I feel alone sometimes.

 

[kimlala]

I feel alone at times, and worried, depending on the day. I am fairly new and it is overwhelming at first (still overwhelmed). At first my biggest fear was going out and experiencing a hypo after having several; one in the market that left me crying in a stall and calling my husband at work. Another major one during a class, and all I could do was apologize (crying, and I am not one to cry, but it was uncontrollable) to the teacher while sweat dripped off me and everything was buzzing silvery-blue. After that, I was and am paranoid of the slightest sign that my levels are dropping. I was fearful of leaving the house for a few weeks, and decided I couldn't keep going in that direction. When levels were high, my night vision was gone and I found myself taking the wrong turns (thankfully this is better) and ending up on dead-ends. I hide this from my family, as I drive from state to state to check on my adult children. Before being diagnosed, all I wanted to do was sleep, and I felt terrible guilt over things not getting done, plus complete fear that something was very wrong with me. Projects (I refurnish furniture) sat undone, my dog would come to me for a walk, and I couldn't find the strength to get up. When weight loss started, people (family) became concerned and believed I wasn't eating. This is funny, as I was eating twice as much as my husband, but we couldn't convince them! I started wearing baggy clothes and couldn't look in the mirror. I felt very alone, and very scared. Now I know I have diabetes, and with my insulin, and glucose tablets (never leave home without them) I am in a better place. However, there are days when I get into myself and feel lonely (scared or worried is more accurate for me).

@vanessabc, I am sending you hugs and thinking of you!

 

[BtonLee]

Sometimes yes I do feel lonely sometimes completely. My family are supportive and try to understand when i say this and that but sometimes i feel like a complete island from everyone including them. I was diagnosed in December 2015 3 days after xmas day and it galvanised me at first.

I started losing weight amazingly by working out, running and cycling and eating a good LCHF diet I lost 32lbs and then i got injured out walking the dogs and couldn't move for 4 months and put all the weight back on, then the Low Mood hit I wont call it depression as i do not think it was although it is what i was told it was i tried to fight past it, it was as if all the shock that i should have experienced when i was diagnosed suddenly flooded me and i became worried and panicked.

Now i am at the point i am ready to begin again so i am getting ready to begin running again and going back on my LCHF diet [not looking forward to the LCHF flu though] and trying to get back to where i was before, Positive and driven to succeed over this condition.

 

[bestrong2014]

completely! I'm 51 and have had Type 1 for 46 years. Both my daughters are grown up and live away, one has ADPKD, which I support her with as much as I can. My other is a primary school teacher but doesn't earn enough to live on so I try to help her out as much as possible. I live on my own, I have the two family dogs which means I struggle to look after them. I work 30 hours a week plus run dance classes to supplement my income- which is low. I have a partner but he doesn't live with me and seems to resent and throw in my face any help he does give and gets very stressed and angry with me so I tend not to ask for help . He struggles with normal life, doesn't have a bank account and despite working 6 days a week as a builder never has any money. I spend most weekends mostly alone. On top of this, following an accident with my right eye in December I have developed proliferative retinopathy for which I have had two sessions of laser treatment which haven't worked. I now am virtually blind in that eye due to macular oedema and apparently a cataract now (I discovered this morning). I am a coeliac and an anosmic due to having T1 for so long so have a very peculiar relationship with food - very low carb, mostly vegetarian- despite this I've put on 2 stone in 6 months - despite being on my feet all day, eating healthily, dancing 4 days a week, walking dogs daily. I'm so worried no one will look after me when I come out of hospital after my eye surgery- no idea how I got in this mess, spent years sorting out my own home to live in, job and happy daughters and extracating myself from a long term abusive relationship. Where do I start? I appear the life and soul to most people and always seem to be the shoulder for others to cry on. I'm just exhausted by life, T1 diabetes and the fight to get by and feel scared and isolated. I've always enjoyed my own company-I guess this is depression but it's situational and understable so what can I do? Any suggestions most gratefully received

I really feel for you , you have certainly had your fare share of bad luck . Just be positive if you can and make time for yourself, a set amount of time each day or each week doing the things you like or something new . Good luck with everything !!

 

[leslie10152]

I felt that way when I was first diagnosed, but over time I came to accept it.

 

[covknit]

completely! I'm 51 and have had Type 1 for 46 years. Both my daughters are grown up and live away, one has ADPKD, which I support her with as much as I can. My other is a primary school teacher but doesn't earn enough to live on so I try to help her out as much as possible. I live on my own, I have the two family dogs which means I struggle to look after them. I work 30 hours a week plus run dance classes to supplement my income- which is low. I have a partner but he doesn't live with me and seems to resent and throw in my face any help he does give and gets very stressed and angry with me so I tend not to ask for help . He struggles with normal life, doesn't have a bank account and despite working 6 days a week as a builder never has any money. I spend most weekends mostly alone. On top of this, following an accident with my right eye in December I have developed proliferative retinopathy for which I have had two sessions of laser treatment which haven't worked. I now am virtually blind in that eye due to macular oedema and apparently a cataract now (I discovered this morning). I am a coeliac and an anosmic due to having T1 for so long so have a very peculiar relationship with food - very low carb, mostly vegetarian- despite this I've put on 2 stone in 6 months - despite being on my feet all day, eating healthily, dancing 4 days a week, walking dogs daily. I'm so worried no one will look after me when I come out of hospital after my eye surgery- no idea how I got in this mess, spent years sorting out my own home to live in, job and happy daughters and extracating myself from a long term abusive relationship. Where do I start? I appear the life and soul to most people and always seem to be the shoulder for others to cry on. I'm just exhausted by life, T1 diabetes and the fight to get by and feel scared and isolated. I've always enjoyed my own company-I guess this is depression but it's situational and understable so what can I do? Any suggestions most gratefully received

Have you seen the doctor about the increase in your weight. It might just be to do with the fact that your failing eyesight is making you more cautious so whilst you feel you are doing as much as before you are concentrating more on not falling or where things are and consequently using less calories. Does that make sense?
You certainly have had a rough time but as you are aware the past is behind you and it is the here and now you are living in. Does your partner make you feel good? If not you may need to consider changing your relationship. Perhaps to a close friend that can be sent home if he starts being a drag on your emotions. You seem to have a fair amount of time to yourself, know a lot of people but are perhaps looking for some zing in your life. Since you have already got family, dance friends, dog walk friends, work colleagues and hopefully will soon be getting support for your depression from the GP you could try doing the daily challenges off "hellobrain.eu" I know it is aimed at enhancing brain activity in for older people but the challenges are quite enjoyable http://www.hellobrain.eu/en/theapponline

 

[covknit]

Yes the constant thinking about diabetes, exercise and what I am eating is a real drag. I do not talk about diabetes unless someone asks but we are not going out as much as before. Only 3 bbq party invites so far this year and my friends do not know what to feed me if they invite me round. I really hate being diet controlled. Sometimes I consider being really stupid and telling the GP I cannot conntrol my diabetes just so I can get meds.

 

[MikeTurin]

I feel lonely and alone in the battle with the condition, with people that are trying to sabotage your tentatives of dieting and then saying that you're eating too much.

When other people are eating treats and yummy things and you can't, you fell lonely.

When you are asking information and nobody cares, you feel lonely,

When people despise you secretly or oenly because you have diabetes you fell lonely.

And lonely for lonely I have the tendance to stay alone at home, instead to go out.