Stressed!!!

Unfortunately people believe what they want and all you can control is how you react. Try to focus on the help and advice you've had here to control your diabetes, give it a go and stick to it. When your relatives see that you don't respond to their criticisms they may lose interest and let you get on with it. When you achieve your goal (I'm sure you will) they may change their tune. Rise above it!

Can you give them any leaflets to read to try and give them an understanding of how you are feeling? My OH and family have been fantastic - I've got coeliac and unstable spinal fractures and had 2 attacks of acute pancreatitis

However, he completely disregarded my Fibromyalgia diagnosis which drove me insane - thankfully since things have moved on - ever since I went for my brain scan which inadvertently highlighted that I'm diabetic (not the outcome we were expecting) - yes he gets frustrated sometimes but I am fairly lucky with my family.

Is there a family member who could go to an appointment with you? IME if someone isn't walking a path - it's understandable that they may not realise how your conditions affect you - would one of them go to an appointment with you? believe it or not - this is truly the time they finally realise the impact on your life and also the potential long term implications from some of the conditions and the steps you need to take to minimise the risks

Jacqui62 said:

Why is it that my relatives act like I've got nothing wrong with me. I was diagnosed in March this year and all I've had so far is , you're overweight and exercise more. I've lost 3 stone since I've been first diagnosed and have felt quite poorly. All of my dad's family I'm afraid are diabetic and I also suffer a lot from stress as well as asthma !arthritis and IBS. I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me, I just want my family to understand that I am finding this difficult and find the side effects from my medication quite hard going.

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Well done on losing 3 stone! That's awesome. What are the side effects you are having, and would it be worth asking your doctor to prescribe something else instead? Did you find the info about what to eat in Daisy1's post helpful?

I'm surprised that your relatives are unsupportive with so much diabetes history in the family. Maybe they are jealous that you've lost 3 stone already. You've got to keep your eyes on your own goals and not take any notice of their attitudes however much you love them. You have to put your own health first. I know that GPs are trigger happy when it comes to meds, but I suggest you ask GP for counselling because you are stressed.

I had it for 5 months once a week and it really helped to have a non-judgmental supportive ear to bend. You can talk to a counsellor about anything be it health stress, relationship stress,finance stress, difficult relies - ALL the things that stress you out. It's not about dissecting your mental health, it's about helping you cope with your life better. If the counsellor is good, it's always led by you, to help you, without any psychoanalysis stuff.

It can be difficult without the support of your family. My family just don't understand no matter how much I try and explain it which is why I come on the forums so much. It has been a great place for advice and support for me. Whenever I come on my OH complains and criticises me for it but I don't care. I have been able to take control of my diabetes and I have reached my BS goals and am slowly getting there with my weight goals. Be strong, you can do it, don't let the ignorance of others derail your progress.