Ok, so sometimes I get thinking about how awful diabetes is or how awful I am doing with it, or how awful it is to deal with being the only person in my school with diabetes. Then maybe something will happen like my mom gets upset about a high number or I forget to check my blood sugar before a meal and thats when I crash...and burn. I get so depressed about it so easily, or at least it seems like I do. I might cry for an hour or just sit in my room because I hate being around people when I'm depressed (who does?) and feel awful and so alone. Does this happen to anyone else? I hate it when this happens but I can't help feeling stressed and/or sad about how sucky diabetes is!!! How can I fight this depression? I know I have to get a better hold on things and that will help not to be depressed but it wont make diabetes go away...nothing can, and thats whats so depressing.
Ya i know what u feel like. I always get depressed about this disease especially when i hear about all the breakthroughs in other medicine and stuff. I always cry when i think about how a year ago i was livin the good life and now look what happened. It really hits me hard and all my friends try to cheer me up and stuff but i always say that the only way for me to cheer up is if they have the cure ready to give to me. But i guess i gotta live life even with its hardships. =( o well
Hi Dotimire -
I found out that depression is pretty common for diabetics, because of the daily stresses and emotional ups and downs that go with BG highs and lows. I am the mother of a pre-teen diabetic, and we contacted our nurse educator for help because her diabetes was making her really stressed and anxious. The Nurse sent us to a therapist they use who specializes in helping kids and teens with diabetes and other illnesses. It really helped, and the fact that this doctor was really familiar with life with diabetes was great. Like you say, a therapist can't take away your diabetes. But they can help you cope, and may recommend medication to help you through what is - as you rightly said, a sucky situation. But You Don't Have to Live with Depression... help is available - seriously. Take it!!
One other thing. I made huge errors for the first year or so after my daughter was diagnosed in how I responded to highs. I totally let my worry and frustration show, and the frustration came out as anger, and she (understandably) took it personally like I was mad at her and this was her fault. It took ages for me to change the way I respond, and not let my frustration with diabetes (and with MYSELF for not being more on top of it) out in a way that made her feel like I was mad at her. I felt horrible everytime I responded badly, but couldn't help myself for a long time. I just wanted you to know that as a parent, I feel responsible for the overall management of my daughter's diabetes, and when her BGs are off, it's hard not to feel like I've failed her somehow. Your mother is probably stressed and frustrated just like you are, because although it's not her body, she feels responsible for your well-being. She loves you, and is struggling to stay on top of an ever-changing situation - just like you are. Someone told me, and I remind myself of this a LOT: don't get hung up on one BG reading. Correct it and move on. If there are frequent highs or lows, get medical help to adjust your insulin intake, but don't get caught up in one bad reading, or one bad day.
Mariam
Thanks Miriam. Your reply was very encouraging! It was good to here that even you as a mom to a diabetic sometimes react to high numbers like my mom sometime does. I can understand her outlook on it a little better from what you said. Plus we are working on stuff so we work better as a team on diabetes. I believe thats the best way to go through this stuff-with a good partner and controled tempers! ;)
I am so glad to hear you and your mom are working to deal with your diabetes as a team. That is the way we approached it with our daughter, too, and it's so important for all of us to feel that we're not dealing with it alone - but especially for the person who has the diabetes. Even my youngest daughter was told from the beginning that she had a role to play here - whether it was pinching her sister's arm for injections, or staying still while Miranda is changing infusion sites on her pump, or just giving hugs when needed. All the best to you both... you are totally on the right track!
Mariam
i know what you feel like. i just had this conversation with my mom the other night. I've had T1 for two and a half years and i've struggled a lot, even on the pump. my mom was saying that i need to look at the bright side. sure, diabetes wont go away, but it could be worse. i mean look at all the little kids who are living with cancer and arent going to make it past a few months? look at my best friend for example who is living in chronic pain at the moment. at least we have the chance to live long and healthy lives, and have families and whatever we want. i know that diabetes can very easily get you down, i'm one of the people who are more often down about it than not. but at least we know that we can live. were not going to die in a matter of months, and were not living in pain. sure, diabetes totally sucks. but think of the ways it could be worse, and be thankful that you arent stuck with some terrible disease or handicap that will ruin your life. thinking of it that way does help a little. give it a try :)
i know how you feel...the whole "depressed and alone" bit. theres one other diabetic in my school but shes in grade 5. atleast for me , im not the only one thats depressed...one of my best friends is. he helps me get through alot..cause hes been through alot and can relate and stuff...well, at least here [juvenation] there are tons of people who can relate to you! hurrah. i think the depression is a whole lot worse then the diabetes itself...
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i know how you feel...the whole "depressed and alone" bit. theres one other diabetic in my school but shes in grade 5. atleast for me , im not the only one thats depressed...one of my best friends is. he helps me get through alot..cause hes been through alot and can relate and stuff...well, at least here [juvenation] there are tons of people who can relate to you! hurrah. i think the depression is a whole lot worse then the diabetes itself...
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Yeah I agree with you on the whole depression part is worse than the actual diabetes. But I find that if you just push through it all and still do ok with your diabetes it really helps because your not as stressed about everything. Like before, my a1c was really high and every time I tried to get better I'd fail, then my endocrinologist would freak out (she had a good reason) and I'd be all depressed. But once I started to get the ball rolling again everything started feeling a lot easier. Believe me-you'll get through your depression and it will all be o.k., even if everything else is wacko! (Believe me, I know!) Good luck! ;)
heh....i certanly hope so...
i would have to agree with sammy.... People my make fun of us and make us mad but all you have to do is think positve you know at least we dont live in pain or look on to the next day and hope we live. if you work to geather and dont give up you can make it work. I have had diabetes sins sept 11,02 and i did not know what it was but once i found out every thing i did not want it or want to live. But I made it work with my hole familly they have always have been there for me and always will. Diabetes my get on my nerves but I made it this far but i am not going to let my self slowly decress i have worked to hard and gone so far to ended now. I all ways say ''People my think DIABETES my hold me back but I push my limit to the MAX'' and i all way will like that song ther ant no mountain high anfo..or keep moving forward. i have up and downs but i have made it so can any body eles.
i know how you mean somtimes i feel like an outsider at my school cuase not many people at my school have diabetes
I went into a big time depression a little while after I enterted High School. I had it for a couple months. I pushed people away from me i was constantly screaming at my family and not giving a crap about myself or the people around me. It was horrible I had to rebuild my life all over again. I wasn't about to take pills either. I still go into mini depressions. When my family gets dissapointed when I am not taking care of myself or when I get made fun of for it. Yeah I do people make fun of it big time and they take advantage of me. It sucks and I just don't understand why they would do that. I have had teachers upset at me for eating in class when I am low...yell in my face...makes me really sad. I totally agree with the thing that nothing can take our diabetes away. I have tried ignoring it...eating anything i want...and it's still there. very, very depressing. I want to get to a point in my life when I look at myself and embrace my diabetes. I dont want to be depressed I dont want to die young...I want to live healthy. But my depressions really aren't helping. :/ So i know exactly how you feel. I fight the depressions myself...but I should be getting some help but it's pretty embaressing.
There is nothing to be embarrassed about in getting help. I have gotten help for depression / stress / anxiety, and I know tons of other people who have gotten help - and led much happier lives because of it. First of all, no-one needs to know - and it's none of their business. Secondly, if we need other kinds of medical help, we just go and get it; I really think we all have to fight against this old-fashioned idea that emotional or mental health needs are any different. and most importantly, You Don't Have to Live with Depression - you have a Choice. And as someone living with a condition that is a daily struggle to control, you TOTALLY deserve to have help dealing with it. Never mind the others; they are ignorant and narrow-minded. Do what You have to do to have the best life you can! You are Worth It.
Thank you so so so much. It really helps knowing people care...and thank you for your kind words. They have really made me realize how much of an impact I am making on my body myself and family by not taking care of myself. I have been planning to talk to a therapist for sometime now but it always falls through. This time though I am going to make sure it doesn't. You have really helped me :D thanks again!
Emily
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Thank you so so so much. It really helps knowing people care...and thank you for your kind words. They have really made me realize how much of an impact I am making on my body myself and family by not taking care of myself. I have been planning to talk to a therapist for sometime now but it always falls through. This time though I am going to make sure it doesn't. You have really helped me :D thanks again!
Emily
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Em, I talked to a therapist at one of my endo appointments and i think it helped a little. The main thing that causes my depression is when I know im doing awful and then I feel like I will never do better! Yknow? But once I started really trying to fix things and opening up about having diabetes the depression went away because there is nothing to be depressed about!! Its really that simple to fix with the right determination and outlook... :)
oh my goodness that is how i feel becca! and so I know exactly what you mean :( like I keep eating crap and I KNOW i shouldn't be and then I just feel like well it is never going to get better so why should I care and stuff... /: I am really trying though to get better... ") and I am seeing my endo on June 10th so I will need to talk to him about a lot of stuff hahah...and when you weren't taking care of yourself did you get sick A LOT more often the when you were taking care of yourself?
thank you for everything!!!
<3 emily
[quote user="Emmaluv70"]
oh my goodness that is how i feel becca! and so I know exactly what you mean :( like I keep eating crap and I KNOW i shouldn't be and then I just feel like well it is never going to get better so why should I care and stuff... /: I am really trying though to get better... ") and I am seeing my endo on June 10th so I will need to talk to him about a lot of stuff hahah...and when you weren't taking care of yourself did you get sick A LOT more often the when you were taking care of yourself?
thank you for everything!!!
<3 emily
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Yeah i did seem to get sick a lot more often than normal...but I'm doing better now so im very happy. :) good luck
Diabetes isn't all that bad. Don't let Diabetes negatively affect your mood. I mean you shouldn't live your life being depressed and sad over a disease you can actually take control over and manage. A lot of people have worst situations in life such as in africa ect. Also, their is LOT of research going on to help cure Diabetes. So don't be depressed, your still a kid and you just need to enjoy life and live it to its fullest. Just take care of your diabetes and you will be alright. Take care :) <3
Yeah, I totally feel for u I'm the only person in my school with diabetes. All my friends try to understand, but they just can't.
It's really tough being a kid with Type 1. I remember when I was first diagnosed the stigmas peoeple had towards me, the misinformation and minunderstandings. The unfortunate bottom line is we are all in this boat, and things don't seem to be getting any better. I've been a Diabetic for more then half my life and haven't really seen any improvements in my daily care taking....its always the same finger pricking and injections and the pain, stress, and other garbage that goes along with that. It's easy to get depressed with everything but remember two important things: you are not alone in this struggle, there are many other people out there going through the same exact things you are, feeling the way you feel, and thus you should never get discouraged. Secondly, everything gets easier with time. You learn to deal with things better, care less what other people think, and focus more on making the best of what you have.
P.S. My mom used to BUGGGGGG out over my blood sugars if they weren't perfect. My best answer for that? Tell her you love her and to not worry so much :)