Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Diabetes and mental health issues

After my blood sugar spiked to over 1400 and a dear friend came running to check on me, I realized it would be a good discussion to share with family, friends and other folks curious about this disease.

It becomes more complicated when you have mental illnesses that have similar symptoms.  Quickly and accurately diagnosing the real problem can be the difference between life and death.

I am not a medical professional, so what I am documenting here is my own views on how I handle my health issues.

First, for me, having low blood sugar is the most dangerous diabetic event since it can quickly lead to death.

Low blood sugar occurs if I don't eat on a regular basis or take too much insulin.  Many things affect how well my body uses insulin to process carbohydrates/sugars.  Being more active such as going for a walk can drastically reduce the insulin needed and cause me to crash ( where my blood sugar drops below 100 or so).  Stress can affect it as well, causing my body to not use the insulin or take much longer than normal to do so.  Using different sites to inject the insulin can sometimes affect it's absorbtion. So I usually dose low and then test again in a few hours and do an additional shot if my blood sugar is still high.

Since having weight loss surgery, I am eating one-third to one-half what I used to eat and my Insulin has also dropped. Some meals, I require NO insulin!!!!!!!!!

The symptoms of low blood sugar (a crash) vary as to when (what level my blood sugar is at) they occur and how severe they are. Also, if I am sitting, they are not as obvious. Standing requires more energy, so sweating and shaking occur more strongly and more quickly.

There have been times when I crash as my blood sugar dips below 100 to around 85. I have also been unaffected by a blood sugar as low as 45!

I also sweat more than average and sweating is a good indicator that I am crashing.  Sweating is compounded by anxiety and being hot natured.  These issues make me irritable (which also causes me to sweat), so determining why I am sweating is very confusing and dangerous.

At this point in a crash, I can also become argumentative which is also part of my nature, so this makes helping me even more challenging.

The best thing is to ask me to test my blood sugar.  If I do, it should be above 100 for me. If lower, give something with sugar in it. If I don't want to test, then just offer me some sugar (coke, juice, candy).

I can also become confused and forgetful, which are also issues I deal with from other mental problems. I can have sugar within reach and not remember that I do. Try to stay calm.

My family has dealt with this for a long time and I need to say, their shift into emergency mode and helping me recover is truly heart warming!

Although a sugar high is problematic, it is not as dangerous for me.

I become tired, even passing out.  Leaving my blood sugar high stresses my pancreas which can lead to pancreatitis and the need to be hospitalized. This too has occurred a few times but I am managing these highs much better. Since I live alone, I have to keep my blood sugar closer to normal since I am the only one taking care of me.

Depression, mania, anxiety, ADHD, mild narcolepsy, high blood pressure (to name a few) have many of the same symptoms.  Loss of memory, loss of focus, shaking, stuttering, sweating, feeling heavy, excessive tiredness, argumentativeness, and anger are some of the more common issues that are also signs of a diabetic issue.

So that gives you some understanding of my struggle with diabetes and mental health issues.
Feel free to add your own personal observations and post questions on the subject of diabetes and mental health.

Thanks for your interest and your care!

Namaste.

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