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Is t1 diabetes slowly attacking the nervous system?

K

Kappa999

Member
So as i mentioned in the title i feel like im being secretly backstabed mentally by t1d.Is diabetes really attacking my nervous system and intelligence?I feel rather angry,nervous and breathing slightly fast than before getting diagnosed.10 months have passed since my diagnostic.So for almost a year i have diabetes.
The most i fear about my intelligence and my future :(.Im only 17...
Before diabetes ive had my IQ tested by a psych at 133(which i was very surprised for that since i dont have very good grades lol).3 months after diagnostication it was appreciated,again,by the psych at 130 which is still very good but im affraid. i've came to a conclusion that my diabetes is making my neurons degenerate.I even think i have ADHD.I just cant concentrate,have a very bad memory and feeling lethargic.
Im affraid that my intelligence will drop down and it will just affect my future.
I dont really know if high or low glucose makes me feel feel like this...
I usually have good glucose levels(≤150) and when i lastly checked my Hba1c it was 5.5 which is a good value.Im gonna check it this month too and i think it will be higher than that...
If there is any specialist in this domain may i know what should i do to keep my sanity and intelligence in decent parameters?Or am i just being paranoic?
Haven't you guys felt the same?
 
Hello @Kappa999

Although I am no medical professional it is unlikely your t1 is attacking your nervous system, the symptoms you describe can be caused by a number of different things, such as stress, anxiety as well as managing your type 1.

Type 1 is a consuming condition, your brain will be making complex decisions constantly about your t1 whether it's a calculation of a carb bolus injection or an assessment as to whether or not your feeling high/low, it's more consuming that we give it credit for, in my first year after diagnosis I felt my mental capacity had decreased but this was coupled with feeling pretty low for a long time as well as learning all about my new condition and how to manage living a 'normal life', I would regularly forget stuff, be short tempered and angry and felt i'd lost myself along the way. Concentration levels were affected too.

What I think t1 has done in fact is to change me in a number of ways, I have a great ability to multi task and can do a carb bolus calculation whilst holding a conversation and shopping at the same time, over time decisions which took a while to make and now much quicker and more intuitive, I am not consumed by thinking about t1 all the time, I run 3-4 times a week now so in a way meditate whilst running, it takes any surplus anxiety out of my system so coping with my t1 has become better and thinking is clearer now.

Take it one day at a time, your body has gone through a period of great upheaval so don't be hard on yourself, accept that you are changing and also even without t1 you are still developing physically and mentally too, but if you do need support to cope better then also don't be afraid to ask, support is there.
 
Well as someone who has had diabetes for 40years ish (since I was 2), I'm not as good as maths as I was when I was doing my Maths A-levels, but you know that's probably just because I don't really practice all that stuff anymore - I'm still better at mental arithmetic than many in my office. I have a job in software development including some data analysis which requires me to think and at least be vaguely intelligent :)

If diabetes was going to make me less intelligent over time, I'm sure something would have shown up by now :) - especially since many of my early years my control was awful.

Edit: it has however made me a bit of a pessimistic cynical old fart
 
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Rokaab said:
Well as someone who has had diabetes for 40years ish (since I was 2), I'm not as good as maths as I was when I was doing my Maths A-levels, but you know that's probably just because I don't really practice all that stuff anymore - I'm still better at mental arithmetic than many in my office. I have a job in software development including some data analysis which requires me to think and at least be vaguely intelligent :)

If diabetes was going to make me less intelligent over time, I'm sure something would have shown up by now :) - especially since many of my early years my control was awful.

Edit: it has however made me a bit of a pessimistic cynical old fart
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Wow,your comment is really inspiring!Good luck!
 
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