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For the first time being Diabetic is depressing me

Patrick66

Well-Known Member
Messages
978
Location
Dorset UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People. Noise. Swearing. Many foods.
If I’m honest I hadn’t really thought about it before.

My blood sugar always hovered around 57-67 and usually at the lower end of the scale and my diet didn’t vary. I always felt in “control”. Or at least I thought I was.

I’m 52, I’ve had two strokes, I have anxiety disorder, am Autistic and have Fibromyalgia. Diabetes was just another “thing”. But this year my stress levels, always high, exploded and I contemplated suicide, as in actually planned it, in late summer.

Then I got two hernias, one hiatus, one umbilical and when they decided to operate on the latter my hba1c reading came back as 78! I’ve never been that high, not close to it. So my operation was postponed until I got it below 70. I tested yesterday as 79!.

I try so hard and my diet, as I say, has never varied in the three or four years since diagnosis. But this has come as a real blow. It’s just caused me yet more stress and anxiety which, I know, don’t help.

For the first time, being Diabetic is really depressing me especially when I have such a narrow range of foods I can eat to begin with.

I’m really dreading 2019 before it’s started!
 
High bloodsugars make anxiety and depression worse. (I'm a case in point). In turn, stress can up your bloodsugars too. Have a look around at the dietdoctor.com site and see whether there are any meals there that would suit your needs, both with the diabetes and the autism. They've got a search function that could be quite useful. You don't have to get it right overnight, take your time. took me about 3 months to figure out what worked for me. (Eating to my meter helped. If I tested before a meal and two hours after, and didn't go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, then it was good for me. The numbers don't lie, don't have opinions, don't clash. They just are.). All in all though, most likely, if you have better control of your bloodsugars, you'll feel better mentally too. An extremely low carb diet, called keto (20 grams a day or less) has been tried for people with autism, and the results were promising... Seems certain people in the specrtum responded well to it. https://charliefoundation.org/keto-for-autism/

Speaking as someone who has tried to end it on several occasions (it's nothing short of a miracle I'm still here), it does get better. And speaking as someone who was widowed before she even managed to get married, as he passed away a few months before we planned on getting wed: suicide shatters the lives of those you leave behind. Because they do care. You matter to someone, probably multiple someones, and you won't do them any favours, even if it may feel that way, by checking out. No-one's actually better off without you. Don't put them in the special kind of hell I dwelt in myself for years after Dougie's passing. It's not a good place to be.

I'm dealing with some other health issues right now, and 2019 terrifies me because of it. I've got diabetes tackled, but there's so much else going on... But I'll face it head-on, like I did 2018 and 2017. It's the only option I truly have. We'll get through it. Just be kind to yourself.
Jo
 
I eat a low carb diet and find it very varied, a lot more interesting than many who stick to potatoes rice bread pasta etc as basics.
What restrictions other than diabetes do you have?
 
Hi @Patrick66
There's a lot of anecdotal evidence of lowering carb consumption significantly and having far better mental health - to the extent that many carnivores report overturning anxiety and depression by significantly changing what they eat?
I'm not saying this will work for you but there are quite a few reports out there. You might find some of the stories here helpful..

http://meatheals.com/category/mood-mental-health/
 
Thank you
 
Resurgam said:
I eat a low carb diet and find it very varied, a lot more interesting than many who stick to potatoes rice bread pasta etc as basics.
What restrictions other than diabetes do you have?
Click to expand...
Sensory ones. As I’m Autistic I have a very strong aversion to certain tastes, textures and smells. Even the sight of food can bring in a sensory reaction that involves gagging and retching.

I can’t eat nuts or seeds. Things like Quinoa are a no-no. I can eat new potatoes but not boiled or roasted. I can’t abide carrots, squashes and the like.

Salmon makes me physically sick. I only eat cod, haddock, plaice, pollock, whiting or mackerel. I can’t eat herrings.

I don’t enjoy bread as it sticks to my mouth and makes me gag.

There’s a very long list.
 
Thank you
 
really big hugs this time jo... hope the following year is better for you...
 
Patrick66 said:
when they decided to operate on the latter my hba1c reading came back as 78!
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me but as I had a burst appendix they had no option, I was monitored continuously during the op and for several hours afterwards. The anesthetist visited me several times for the whole week I was in hospital.
My BG on admission was a surprise because I had kept it between 5 and 7 until I had the effects of infection and was prescribed antibiotics before getting to hospital.

Emotional stress (fear, anxiety, anger, excitement, tension) and physiological stress (illness, pain, infection, injury) cause the body to secrete stress hormones into the bloodstream. ... if you have diabetes, however, stress can cause a significant and prolonged increase in the blood sugar level.
 
@JoKalsbeek I know this is Patrick's thread but can I just say you are an extraordinary human being. I lost a close friend to suicide in 2017 and just didnt see it coming and I will always feel I should have done. I know that is wrong and even accept that but I took my eye of the ball with her for a few months because my mother was in the final phase of her life. I understand that for this to happen someone is utterly convinced they are no use to anyone anymore but that is just so not the case. Her family in particular and I and many others loved her and miss her so much and would give anything to have her back.
 
@Patrick66 I hope you will be able to find enough low carb foods that suit you and enable you to get into the routine of eating better which in turn will make you feel better. Keep posting and you will get great support here.
 

@PenguinMum I'm so sorry for your loss. Once you're in the vicious cycle of destructive thoughts, it's hard to get back out. And nothing much anyone else says will convince you that the people you love, won't be better off without you. I know that's how I felt when I took pills. I figured I was a burden, and was in the same mindset as Dougie must have been when he took an overdose. I loved him more than he ever thought he could deserve; he was my world. I'm married, have a cat and all, life eventually went on... It's been over 20 years and there's still a gaping hole in the world where this amazing human being should have been. I still love him. But there's only so much you can do, and when someone's made up their mind... Just remember your friend with love and compassion, as you have been doing. It's all we can do to honour their memory. And maybe try to help others who feel the same way.

Patrick, do what you can to hang in there. It can get better. It will. And you don't have to do any of this alone.
 

I was diagnosed as T2D in 11/2011 with an HbA1c of 48. I went immediately low carb, and for the next four and a half years maintained HbA1cs between 42 and 48.

Until 2016 when I registered one of 102 !! On my trusty diet !

Within 3 months I was reclassified as LADA and put on a regime of insulin.

This MAY or may not be what's happening to you. Or some serious infection/inflammation, or you've developed serious insulin resistance.
I'd suggest you don't beat yourself up until you know what's happening.
Keep us up-to-date
Geoff
 
@JoKalsbeek I completely understand everything you say and more than anything I wish @Patrick66 to understand he is a valuable human being and bad things happen to people all the time and some are just better equipped to deal with it than others. The important thing is reaching out to get support is essential
 
Perhaps it would help to make a list of all the foods you can eat. Check the carbohydrate content for all the foods on the list and put them in order from the lowest to the highest and stop eating everything that is high, maybe not all at once, maybe gradually but get rid of the carbs and your blood sugar will respond. I also only eat a relativly small selection of foods (about 10 kinds), which works for me because I am very routine about what I eat. Wishing you the strength to deal with all your issues. As you can see, you matter to people on this forum.
 
Perhaps it would help to make a list of all the foods you can eat. Check the carbohydrate content for all the foods on the list and put them in order from the lowest to the highest and stop eating everything that is high, maybe not all at once, maybe gradually but get rid of the carbs and your blood sugar will respond. I also only eat a relativly small selection of foods (about 10 kinds), which works for me because I am very routine about what I eat. Wishing you the strength to deal with all your issues. As you can see, you matter to people on this forum.
 
My Mum committed suicide in 2015, about 8 months after my Father passed away. I feel enormous empathy with anyone affected by such things.
 
Thank you. Yes I will make a list. I don’t think it will take very long although I now have one or two new meal ideas.
 
Thank you. Yes I will update. It’s very strange, the sudden jump but my doctor did say stress wouldn’t have helped. I’m sure that’s not the only reason of course but I do admit to being a little puzzled.
 
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