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Has anyone visited a psychologist through their diabetes clinic?

J

jreid1906

Member
Messages
5
Hi everyone,

I have been feeling pretty down of late. Have no enthusiasm for anything and feeling unwell most of the time. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my diabetes but a while ago my diabetes specialist nurse suggested I go to see the clinic psychologist to talk things over. Apparently it's something they offer to newly diagnosed people now. Had anyone done this and did it help? I'm not sure if I should ask about it again when I'm next at the clinic or just go to my doctors.

Thanks
Julie


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A lot of people on the forum report feeling shocked, numbed, in denial, even grief like symptoms in some cases etc etc so I suspect that what you feel is the same. I felt odd at the time of my diagnosis but my sis in law and my son both had much more serious illnesses so I concentrated on them and it didn't therefore get on top of me.

Those low feelings can also come about from being totally inactive. In the past, and also more recently, I have shed any feelings of being down in the dumps as my body has reacted well to exercise. I remember being told over 20 years ago, get outside, be active, do something, you will feel better.

THE Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
We get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

......

The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And dig till you gently perspire;

Kipling, The Camel's Hump
 
HI JUILE,JUST READ YOUR POST,VERY INTERESTING I'VE FELT SORT OF UNWELL LETHARGIC.OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I'VE BEEN ADDICTED TO CHOCOLATE AND ENYTHINK SWEET,I'M GETTING CONCEIVED,I WAS THINKING OF SEEING A PHYSIOTHERAPIST FOR ADVICE,THOUGH THEY CAN BE EXPENSIVE.HEY YOU TAKE CARE,BYE RICHARD
 
Hi Yorksman

I'm not newly diagnosed, I've had diabetes for 12 years. I started feeling not well a few years back and thought it was because of my erratic blood sugar levels but I have been since put on a pump which has settled them down. I still don't feel well. It's so sad because I just got engaged and yet I feel rubbish


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OK, I understand that it is not a reaction to a diagnosis. There is always a chance that you might be talking yourself into it and, getting out of the house and doing some physical things might be a solution, something to do with endorphins I understand. Have a read of this, http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression and give it a go. It worked for me after the death of my mother many years ago. I learned the lessons and when my father passed away I alternated periods of grief with busying myself in the garden. To begin with it is hard to get started, especially when all you want to do is stay in bed but, knowing that it does help might be just the spur you need. You can always see a psychologist later and one of the first things they will ask anyway is, do you get any fresh air, do you take any exercise.
 
Thanks. I used to do more physical activity but it has somewhat dwindled since moving in with my fiancé. We tend to just sit and watch tv. We used to play badminton a couple of times a week, which I loved, but found it difficult to regulate my blood sugar for this. However I have been on my pump for nearly two years now so maybe it's time to give it another go!


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Julie, provided your happy in doing so I would take up the offer of help from the clinic psychologist, good luck and hope all works out well for you!
 
Hi Julie,
When I was 15 I went to see the cognetive behavioural therapist, it worked wonders for me. Everything around diabetes is negative and has negative feelings attached to it. I used this to make some more positive feelings, like rewards for testing and injecting, lifted some of the stress off and gave me a more positive outlook on everything. What also helped was just chatting to someone with no judgement, she encouraged me to write things down which helped a lot as well. Also I was encouraged to excercise although I was already i stepped it up a gear. If I'm ever low now all i need is a really long stretch with my beagles to feel a little more free. So i would reccomend you go if you get a chance. Good luck!
 

Hi JUlie,
A lot of people think that it is a sign of weakness if they need psychological help. It is often something that people ignore but it will not get better on it's own Nobody is going to put you on a load of medication but will use talking therapies to help you. It may be suggested that you need medication if it is found to be that you are severely depressed.
There are 15 Healthcare essentials that diabetics need and getting emotional and psychological support is one of them. There must be many diabetics who take advantage of this.

I would say grab the help with both hands, it is often so enlightening to talk to a professional who is not involved in your daily life. They see things from a different perspective and sometimes have simple solutions to what we see as insurmountable issues.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Guide to diabetes/15-healthcare-essentials-checklist-0913.pdf

Take care and keep us updated.

CC.
 
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