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Approved What is it like to live the life of a diabetic?

Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I am writing a school paper on diabetes and was wondering what it is like to live diabetes. I would like to include responses in my paper, therefore I would like to have names that I can quote.


How has diabetes changed the way you eat?
Has it affected day to day activities?
Do you become more prone to depression after being diagnosed with diabetes compared to before?
Does diabetes affect relationships in any way?
Do the dietary changes seem to come unnoticed or noticed?
 
 
Marked this as approved on the condition that only usernames are quotes and full names of users are not requested.
 
 
I am writing a school paper on diabetes and was wondering what it is like to live diabetes. I would like to include responses in my paper, therefore I would like to have names that I can quote.

This is a better set of questions. They ask for our experience, not something that Google can give you answers to.

How has diabetes changed the way you eat?
Reduced the amount of Carbohydrates that I eat and causes you to count them. But I've been doing that for years.

Has it affected day to day activities?
No, not really. And no I don't think about it all the time. I have a life to get on with.

Do you become more prone to depression after being diagnosed with diabetes compared to before?
Apparently there are links, but you'd be better to search the web for research papers on this topic. It's not something that I've suffered with

Does diabetes affect relationships in any way?
Not that I've found.

Do the dietary changes seem to come unnoticed or noticed?
Given the way my other half has had issues with diet, much less than for many people who have real psychological problems.
 
 
How has diabetes changed the way you eat?
Probably to the better, certainly with regards to my breakfast!
In general going gentle on the amount of carbohydrates I eat and count them as routine before/during any meal I eat. Its a second nature habit by now and no hassle at all after a couple of years.

Has it affected day to day activities?
Not really. Except in the earlier years when just newly diagnosed, as at that time you were more unsure on certain therapy issues around the disease. And Internet did not exist at that time to lookup answers or connect with like-minded via social forums like today. Some very physical activities or trips into the wild do though need a little extra planning, to bring extra supplies of insulin and sugar if you need.

Do you become more prone to depression after being diagnosed with diabetes compared to before?
Not anything for me, but sure there are always already prone individuals that may get harder hit with such mental challenge if they also on top get a life long chronic disease to battle with. I would consider that quite logic and human if such link exist.

Does diabetes affect relationships in any way?
Not for me, but I am potentially also a very open and direct person. So nothing hidden or surprise for girlfriend, family members or friends around me. On a deeper level, you have of course to consider that your spouse will have to accept living with a person having a chronic disease. And no matter what and how good you are to control your own condition, they will be affected and involved from time to time in supporting you with this. Especially for those unfortunate diabetics that go on to develop any of the long-term complications that can appear.

Do the dietary changes seem to come unnoticed or noticed?
Starting out many years back, it was quite a big change. From a fully free choice of all, to be given a meagre diet to be followed strictly every single day for the rest of your life. Luckily things/knowledge/understanding have changed all that during last 10-15 years (both regarding the disease dynamics and also around nutrition in general), where we are now able to eat/choose almost whatever we want to eat. Just avoiding the stuff with pure sugar added actually. Personally I never liked sweet sugar stuff, not even as a kid before I got diagnosed, so not really feeling I am missing out on anything. Certainly not today.
 
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