Anxeity and hypoglycemia

[eric239]

Hi, I've been living with Diabetes for a few years now (7 years), none of which have been in any sort of control but I am now looking to improve my life and the longevity thereof. When you start to grow a little, you start to reflect on things that are fleeting and pass you by, showing you the impermanent and quickness of living and consciousness as we know it. I love my mind and love my life and am sick of conditioning myself to believe that I'm going to start suffering from complications or die in my 30's (I'm 23) and can't seem to regulate my bloodsugar because I have terrible anxeity about an ironic death that could have been avoided by a little alarm clock or a tiny bit of sugar, so I keep my bg levels extremely high. My system is seemingly erratic and decides to take weird dives in every direction at random. I have anxeity about taking anti-anxeity medication because I've never been given the final world on whether or not it affects bg levels. I've never had a doctor that I really felt listened to me when I tell them what's happening. My bloodsugar goes down in the night so I go to sleep with incredibly high bloodsugars so I don't have a low while I'm asleep and doctors repeatedly tell me that what I am telling them is not possible. It's completely aggrivating and depressing and I am SO ready to change my life right now (So I can actually HAVE one and quit hating myself) and I don't know where to begin with my anxeity issues or how to stabilize my bloodsugar with insulin (maybe I should get a pump?). Anyone have any advise for severe anxeity like mine? Thankssomuch!!!

[JDRF-Team-gg]

Hi eric!  I am not a medical professional so any information that you obtain from this website should be verified with your healthcare team.  

I am the mom of a girl who was diagnosed at the age of 21 months, so I can tell you that my daughter's diagnosis was much more difficult on me and her father that it was on her.  You, being 15 or 16 when you were diagnosed, must have had to deal with some pretty heavy stuff.  Have you always had the same endocinologist?  From your post it seems to me that you are in need of a new healthcare team who will try to help you deal with living with diabetes.  It doesn't have to be the way you describe it and there are many many terrific endocrinologists and healthcare teams who can help get you straightened around and bring you into good bg control.  

Also, please consider visiting the jdrf website at www.jdrf.org as they have an online diabetes support team (click on the heading in the newly diagnosed column on the left) that can try to answer your questions and try to get you some support from other jdrf members who may have gone through what you are going through.  They may even have local people to connect you with who could possibly help you.

Thank you for visiting our site and taking the first step in getting yourself back on track!  Good luck to you!

[JDRF Team SGG]

I have had some scarey episodes of hypoglycemia, and I certainly understand your fears. However, I want to encourage you that nowadays, the insulin regimens that are available can get you in tight control without having to live with severe hypos. There are ways to keep tight control even when you sleep, and you need to talk to your endocrinologist about perhaps making a change in your set-up.

Nowadays, many of us are able to keep very tight control without living in constant fear of hypos. Testing often is the real key, so we can catch lows when they are just starting to happen. As for lows while asleep, there are ways to avoid this, too. I am not going to get into specifics, but there are ways to adjust your dosage and timing of insulin so that it is absolutely impossible to have a low so severe that you are at risk while you sleep. If you cannot trust your current doctor to help you find the right solution for you, then I would recommend that you do try to find another doctor. The whole treatment has got to be a real working partnership between you and your physician, and if your current doctor can't help you find a solution to the fear of lows while asleep, you need to keep looking, for this is not something that you should have to live with.

I know first-hand, for this for years was my real danger, too. But I found an endocrinologist who quickly put me on a dosage of Lantus taken in the MORNING rather than at night so that its slight peak action happens at about lunchtime rather than while I sleep. It starts to wear off while I sleep so I know it is impossible to have a severe drop while I sleep. I no longer fear not waking up... ask more questions. A pump or a change in timing of long-lasting insulin such as Lantus may be a real solution for you. I now can go to bed and know that my glucose levels when I wake up will be exactly what they are when I go to bed. This is a real relief, and I hope you can find the right solution for your needs, too. It IS possible.