Hi! Depression & Diabetes...

Diagnosis a lot to get your head around at first especially if you already have other conditions to cope with. Feel free to join in if and when it suits you. Ask as many questions as you like. We are all here to help and support one another.

Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.

Forum members understand. So feel free to share/vent here.

Hi @CJ London welcome to the group. Diagnosis of diabetes hits people in many different ways. Linked with your other issues as well seems daunting. Let me reassure you, you have come to the right place for all the help, advice and support you need in dealing with your diabetes. We are not doctors but we have been where you are now and between us we have probably done and tried everything going. Please get involved with the forum we are all here for you. Have you been put on any medication? Do you need to loose weight? What was your HbA1c? Do you have a blood glucose meter? Sorry for the questions and only answer what you are comfortable sharing. The information will help members to give you advice and support. Please ask as many questions as you like. We are with you on this so you don't have to feel down and you are certainly not alone.

CJ - really well done for finding the courage to come to the forum and start a chat. You are in a safe place here. Most people on this site are really nice and helpful (and just ignore anyone that isn't).
You can ask your GP for a copy of your results. Ask for your Hba1c score - it will give you a base line from which to measure progress.
How are you getting on with the Metformin - if you suffer side effects then there are potentially other options.

Hi,
Welcome to the forum
I have anxiety and depression too, diabetes causes tiredness which will worsen your mental health.
Hopefully once your diabetes is under better control, you will start to feel better.
Here to listen
Take care

Just popped into say, hi and welcome! We’re here to help when you’re ready

CJ London said:

@rhubarb73 Metformin has been OK so far, a few stomach aches but nothing too bad so fingers crossed they may be OK for me! Had so many problems with antidepressants! Seeing a Dr on Thursday so will ask for those scores!

Thanks again, I really appreciate everyone's kindness, it's been a rough old day.

Click to expand...

Good to hear. Tomorrow hopefully will be better. Diagnosis is unsettling, emotional and anxious time for everyone, whatever your medical history. But it is also the first step on the road to controlling the condition and having one fewer things to worry about. There will be some bumps in the road ahead, and you are already aware of how they might affect you emotionally - but if you keep coming back here then you can share, vent, ask for help. All the best.

Hi @CJ London, I'm type 1 but have anxiety too so wanted to say hello
I agree it's good to get the feelings out. I find writing down the things that are bothering me to be helpful too, so maybe try writing down some of the things that are worrying you about your diagnosis and if you felt like sharing that here, your mind could be put at ease a bit

CJ London said:

Was diagnosed with Type 2 three weeks ago. Suffered from clinical depression and anxiety for at least 25 years. Feeling so down and lonely. Friends don't seem to understand.

Anyways, just wanted to say Hi. I may or may not get involved on the forum but right now just want to disappear to be honest. Sorry to be so negative!

Click to expand...

Know where you're at right now... I'm 39, and have had a clinical depression, borderline personality disorder and severe anxiety since I was 4 or so. Getting a T2 diagnosis doesn't really help, eh. After having been convinced almost my entire life the world would be better off without me, I suddenly had to actually take care of myself, to keep myself as healthy as possible. (I don't take antidepressants at all as the side-affects are a nightmare; constant migraines, blindness or going it alone. Not much of a choice.). So... I started forcing myself to go out and do things I knew I would normally enjoy. After a while, I did. My camera's reduce the world to a little rectangle which I can handle better than getting in everything at once. So I have a few season passes for zoo's and museums I like. Cbd oil helps with the anxiety too. (Actually started taking that for my reumatism, it was a nice added bonus when it turned out to reduce my panicattacks). On top of that, I found that when I got into low carb/high fat eating, I felt more in control of my disease and my life, and functioned a little better since. I've heard LCHF and Keto can abate some of the depression symptoms, maybe it will for you too. Right now though, you're in a spot quite a few of us have been in, as depression and diabetes have recently discovered to be often linked. Everyone always assumed diabetes made people depressed, but quite often it was depression that was the pre-existing condition! You're not alone in this. Find out about T2, learn as much as you can, tackle this head on... If you feel you're up for it. Treating T2 with a low carb lifestyle can actually make you feel better mentally as well. If you're in a place of hopelessness right now, that is the bit of hope of my own I can share with you.

Good luck. You can do this!

Welcome to the forum @CJ London. I was diagnosed as having depression at 14, over 50 years ago, though I didn't know that until I got online access to my medical records this year.

I have cyclothymia which means I go through periods of depression, stability, and occasionally 'highs'. It is a bit like bipolar disorder but the lows and highs aren't so severe. The depressive orders have got closer and closer together. They used to occur years apart, but got to be months apart. I take anti-depressant medication (fluoxetine/Prozax). I used to take it when I recognised the onset of the depression, usually when I started waking at 3am with those dark thoughts. But it does take around 6 weeks before it starts to take effect so now I take it continuously.
I haven't experienced a depressive episode since I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes and changed how I eat, though that is probably be due more to the fluoxetine.
I'm sorry to hear that meds haven't helped you. I know they don't help some people. I understand those overwhelming feelings of loneliness and isolation, they are one of the awful components of depression. I do find it helps to talk to people on here, even if it is just in cyberspace.
I hope you feel better today. Take care of yourself.

@CJ London

Hello CJ London and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you want and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Hi @CJ London, Life is sent to try us, it appears.
Fellow depression sufferer here battling the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune which is diabetes, Type 1 in my case.
Please ensure you have a Crisis line number of some sort to ring if you have days like yesterday.
And a way of obtaining an urgent appointment with your GP, if needed.
Another thought, and please bear with the introduction to it: In one version of Jane Eyre, the worried rector paces outside the door wherein his love interest is battling pneumonia. To his host he requests; " Give me an occupation"!
So having something to keep oneself occupied - an interest, hobby, past-time helps many of us to deal better with life.
It does not need to be climbing Mt Everest or deep sea diving: just something to be involved in, to be distracted by, to be cheered by and to look forward to. No guesses for what my hobby is !!
Develop humour and self humour: (to take the micky out on oneself), e.g. I am so daft that I cannot even remember my telephone number backwards, e.g a line in a cartoon: At an interview for a job in a training agency: "I believe you learn from your mistakes, and I make enough mistakes to train everyone here."
Knowledge is power, and understanding can quell worry. Learning about your diabetes can help you to cope better, be more resilient, be less concerned about the unknown.
Please keep posting and sharing. We are barracking for you!!