Physically, my wife seems to be adjusting to diabetes well. (She was diagnosed with type 1 in early January.) She sometimes experiences highs (200-250 or so) and lows (65-70 or so) although her blood sugar control seems to be quite good most of the time. Not being a diabetic myself, I don’t actually know how she might be feeling physically, but it does seem that she suffers much more emotionally than physically. She often seems frustrated and dispirited with life as a diabetic. From my perspective, her first week as a diabetic wasn’t too emotionally difficult for her; insulin made her feel much better than she did before she was diagnosed. After that, it seemed to get emotionally difficult, with some days much worse than others. Then, a couple weeks later, she seemed to be quite a lot happier. She seemed to have settled into life as a diabetic. But in the last few weeks, she seems to me to be frustrated and sad most of the time. By that, I don’t mean truly depressed, but sort of melancholy. Also, she seems to have a harder time sleeping through the night and also staying awake through the evening until bedtime; she often has to set her alarm to wake up at 10PM for her Lantus (basal insulin).
Her reasons for frustration are probably normal for new diabetics. She is often disappointed by family and friends who are not adequately supportive, especially with dietary considerations when choosing where to eat or what food to bring. Her own parents have been absolutely wonderful, but no matter how supportive my family and our church friends want to be, I don’t get a sense that any of them want to go the extra mile for her and they sometimes say things that are unwittingly insensitive. More generally, my wife misses the convenience and freedom of being a non-diabetic---being able to eat not just what she wants but also when she wants, not having to spend over an hour each day testing and injecting, not having to worry how some activity will affect her blood sugar. She also does not like the constant abuse her fingers have to take to tests, which, among other things, makes piano playing less enjoyable for her. (She’s built up calluses but that doesn’t keep her fingers from feeling sore, especially since she needs to use a higher setting to get blood from her fingers.)
Anyway, I was wondering how long it takes to emotionally adjust to life as a diabetic. Does there come a point where you stop feeling frustrated with the diabetic routine and rules and just accept it? Does there come a time when diabetes is no longer the focus of your life, where even though you still carry out your daily routine, diabetes is no longer the primary determinant of how you feel emotionally? Can you get to the point where you have a good day or a bad day without it having anything to do with diabetes? If so, how long does it take? I’m interested to hear both what type 1s and type 2s have to say although the type 1 experience is of course more relevant to my wife and me.
Her reasons for frustration are probably normal for new diabetics. She is often disappointed by family and friends who are not adequately supportive, especially with dietary considerations when choosing where to eat or what food to bring. Her own parents have been absolutely wonderful, but no matter how supportive my family and our church friends want to be, I don’t get a sense that any of them want to go the extra mile for her and they sometimes say things that are unwittingly insensitive. More generally, my wife misses the convenience and freedom of being a non-diabetic---being able to eat not just what she wants but also when she wants, not having to spend over an hour each day testing and injecting, not having to worry how some activity will affect her blood sugar. She also does not like the constant abuse her fingers have to take to tests, which, among other things, makes piano playing less enjoyable for her. (She’s built up calluses but that doesn’t keep her fingers from feeling sore, especially since she needs to use a higher setting to get blood from her fingers.)
Anyway, I was wondering how long it takes to emotionally adjust to life as a diabetic. Does there come a point where you stop feeling frustrated with the diabetic routine and rules and just accept it? Does there come a time when diabetes is no longer the focus of your life, where even though you still carry out your daily routine, diabetes is no longer the primary determinant of how you feel emotionally? Can you get to the point where you have a good day or a bad day without it having anything to do with diabetes? If so, how long does it take? I’m interested to hear both what type 1s and type 2s have to say although the type 1 experience is of course more relevant to my wife and me.