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Does having T1D make you more anti-social?

DiabeticPanda

Active Member
Messages
43
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hey guys,

Been type 1 for almost 10 years and got readmitted for the first time last weekend. Last night in the pub my bloods went a little high which made me panic and I demanded that my fiance take me home because I was scared of ending up in hospital again.

Obviously I overreacted (I corrected & they came down) and completely ruined my fiance's rare night out with his mates which was bad enough but then he pointed out that recently (before the hospital trip) I've been becoming more and more miserable on a nights out & want to go home before everyone else.

I guess I feel that I can't let loose and drink every so often because I'm scared something bad will happen ... what I'm actually doing is being a complete wet blanket and that's not me

Anyone else feel that T1D is holding them back from having a good time?

Thanks for reading xx
 
Looks like your suffering from anxiety @DiabeticPanda due to your hospital admissions, have you spoken to someone about it like your gp or diabetes care team?
 
I was admitted to a hospital in Portsmouth (I live in London) so I've got a follow up appointment with my diabetes care team on Tuesday. I'm on the pump so the specialist at the hospital thinks it's something to do with that but I know what to do when something goes wrong so I don't know why I'm so worried!

I hadn't even realised I was doing it until my other half pointed it out and it's starting to take a toll on our relationship. I think I'm scare of a lot of things ... ending up in hospital and losing my fiance.

Any advice on how to overcome it? ... Really don't want to take more medication
 
I would not say that it makes me antisocial, but probably all too aware that whatever I do, I have to be careful, take my testing kit etc. Maybe your fiancé is not taking the fact you have type 1 seriously enough. If you bg gets a bit high, you're naturally going to experience hyper symptoms, and there's little you can do about that.

You're sat in a pub with a bunch of friends, they're all drinking alcohol, you have to be careful and either not drink at all or very little because it could send you into a hypo. So I could turn that on it's head and is he expecting you to always be amiable even if diabetes throws a spanner in the works, and is he and your friends not considering your actual needs in favour of their wants.

You could explain to him it's not straightforward for you and if you get high bg, what the symptoms are.
 
I think it is a fairly natural reaction to want to avoid things you have a fear of and this recent hospital experience has been a setback.
giving it time to fade a bit and keeping up your normal activities the best you can -- getting your BG's in range the best you can

these are the things that should allow you to resume your social life when you are ready

maybe you could have him read this thread too http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/explaining-what-its-really-like-to-live-with-type-1.103794/
 
DiabeticPanDoda said:
Any advice on how to overcome it? ... Really don't want to take more medication
Click to expand...

There's Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which might work, your gp will be able to refer you over.

Hope all goes well on Tuesday.
 
Hey Diabeticpanda!
It can bring on a whole load of emotions that your fiance simply wont understand. Why don't you try a night out without and drink at all and see how you feel? It'll eliminate any risk in your head and you can relax. I haven't drank very much at all since being diagnosed and its not a bad thing at all!
Tell your fiance your fears, make him understand and if you're still feeling low or anxious I recommend CBT counselling. Its really helped me deal with some of the **** that comes with diabetes!
You arent alone with it all x
 

I haven't found myself being more anti-social, but if I go out with new people I do worry about things like testing my blood sugar. If you have your fiancé with you, perhaps you could explain to him in advance the kind of things that would help calm you? Every person lucky (or unlucky : D ) enough to go out with me gets to know pretty quickly that I'll be testing my blood at regular intervals.

I find testing really helps because it shows you all's ok. If you do get a high, then it can be off-putting, so, again, maybe explain to your fiancé what would help eg he takes over the chat allowing you to concentrate on your sugars. If it's just the two of you out, then explain that you need to take a few minutes to sort yourself.

If your issues are really getting to you then do speak to your DSN for support.
 
Thanks for all of your replies! My fiance is great with my diabetes usually and he does understand as we've been living together a couple of years now, he even came with me to my pump start day!

I just think that it's starting to take it's toll and he feels helpless & quite stressed out by it all so when a night out finally came around he was made to miss out on it because of me. I can't help but think ... he's not diabetic & neither are my friends so why should they have to deal with it? But the alternative is staying home alone while everyone else has fun so I feel like it's my issue, I have to solve it otherwise I'll lose people. That's probably not the case but it's how I feel.

I had CBT in June which really helped but perhaps the sudden hospital admission has thrown me off ... no harm in asking for another round for treatment right? Can't help feeling like I've failed somehow ... I did so well for 9 years!!

Thanks again for all your message, I feel like I have a bit more support & that I'm definitely not alone in this xx
 
Hi,

Antisocial?? Could be down to the company you keep.. I can keep up with the best of em, but if I've had enough? Why flog a dead horse..

In my early twenties I was working in a holiday camp sharing acomadation with a lot of "party animals". I quite often used to jump out the window with an overnight bag & drive home to the peace & quiet of my folks house an hour away..
Subsequently, I spent 16 years touring Europe on & off.. An hour after the gig normally did it for me.. Then I was quite happy in a hotel room online chatting to my wife.!

Talking of windows... Late one night after a gig in Sweden I had 2 Swedish girls climb through room's 2nd floor my window from the roof outside asking where the party was? I politely asked em to close the window on the way out....
 
DiabeticPanda said:
I had CBT in June which really helped but perhaps the sudden hospital admission has thrown me off ... no harm in asking for another round for treatment right?
Click to expand...

Absolutely right, if it helped first time around why not give CBT another go

DiabeticPanda said:
Can't help feeling like I've failed somehow ... I did so well for 9 years!!
Click to expand...

You haven't failed at all, I'll tell you what failure is and that is not admitting that a problem exists. Best wishes.
 
It doesn't need to make you anti-social but you do need to be assertive. There's no reason why you shouldn't go out with your friends and not drink alcohol, or only drink low sugar drinks if that's what it takes for you to function and socialize. Especially if you have a pump you can learn to deal with the requirements of your social life quite quickly.
 
[I'm not type 1 but Type 2 on lots of insulin]

I can see where the OP is coming from, I test 4-6 times a day and inject 2 times a day. Being proposed for basal/bolus instead of 144 IU M3 insulin after a DAFNE course.

I have had the odd hypo when out (1.0 - 3.0 mmol/l) and HI readings when out socialising and have been admitted to A&E on several occasions (some with DKA am T2 prone). This has made me pretty jumpy about the "losing it" amongst friends and even though I don't drink the Police have scooped me up off the pavement thinking I was drunk when my BMs were very low. They did get the paramedics but it left me with a social fear for a while.

Note to all insulin users: ALWAYS carry your warning card or ID jewelry/bangle as this has saved me a lot of time in being identified and treated promptly if you are found unconscious or appearing drunk/agitated/sweating/behavioural problems when you are out in public and especially when you are on your own. Saved me countless times.
 
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Hi @DiabeticPanda , Aye, definitely, I used to be a big drinker and usually last to stagger home at night. But, after being diagnosed with this, and trying to get my job back, I'm too scared to drink as I know if I get it wrong and have to get assistance with a hypo my chances of getting it back will be gone. When I finally give up all hope on that front, I'll be able to enjoy an ice cold bottle of Keo. Then probably fall over...............it's been 4 years.
You can still have a good night out without the alcohol though, watching everyone else fall over....
 
Hi sorry to hear about your anxieties, that's not fun at all, it's all about feeling confident, so knowing your limits and feeling safe, personally if I go out I try to run a little higher as I can always correct, however I tend to go out with the attitude of having as much fun as possible simply because I don't want my type 1 to rule my life. Good point about being assertive, try not to let it stop you having fun if you can as otherwise it will take over your life
 
I think all diabetics are a wee bit shaken after a hypo especially their first. You just get back on that bike again after falling off or you will end up with phobias/anxiety.
 
I have just accepted you to the group and you are our 200th member!!!! No prizes just thought I would let you know!!! Lol
 
I've been type 1 just over month. I don't really wanna go out now. get anxious when getting ready and feel uneasy when out. my moods have been up and down causing lot of home problems. I know where you coming from
 
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