Question:
I am a type I diabetuc, have been for almost 21 years. I am in a very
stressful job. I am finding more and more occasions where I get so
stressed out that I cannot eat. I am going 24+ hours with no food on a
full insulin dose. These episodes seem to be more recurrent as the
stress at the office is no subsiding. I find its almost cyclical in
nature. What kinds of effects do diabetes have on the brain and its
ability to funtion? Am I loosing my mind ?
I am also now noticing that there are almost no symptoms when my sugar
goes low. I was caught completley off guard and had to be taken to the
hospital from a clients office after I passed out. I used to get the
sweats, light headedness, shakes and now nothing. Its like boom all of
a sudden I am in trouble.
I hate to look to diabetes as a crutch for why things are not going
well at work, but is it possible that it is the cause ? What happens
to your grey matter as sugars go way high and then go way low ?
Would also love to hear about some folks that decided that it was
stress related and took some action to attend to their situation. Did
you find it made a difference ? Any regrets ?
Answer:
Uh-oh. As you do this more and more, you may lose your sensitivity to high
and low blood sugars. This is bad for your job performance, and bad for your
health. You may need a new job, or need to find some way to regularize your
schedule. I know it's hard, as a new parent I am running into lots of new
stresses, especially on my sleep cycle.
Well, it ain't good for you! Hit the ADA web site, and do some web poking:
it can be different to separate the forgetfulness of hypoglycemia from the
forgetfulness of age, IMHO, but I personally suspect I'd be 10-20 IQ points
sharper without the long-term damaging effects.
Of course, on some folks 10-20 points less looks more like normal.....
I got out of psychiatric work, partly because I didn't enjoy some parts of
it, partly because the pay was *shit*, but partly because I knew my body
wouldn't take it indefinitely with the frequent panic situations.
I'm also a Type I, diagnosed about ten years ago. My job could
be stressful but I am able to keep myself mentally in control.
You should not go without food for long periods. Perhaps if
you were on Lantus and no other insulin that would help. You
still need to eat and stay fit to keep a healthy mind and body.
Please stop putting that kind of stress on yourself.
You need to find time to eat, manage your diabetes (test, eat, etc)
and do your job. It takes time to balance it all out but I hope that
for you it is possible. Stress in and of itself can change your blood
sugar levels. Going without eating can lead to ketones. All this
also stirs up your mind as you constantly fight to be aware of all
the hormonal changes. I do fairly well with this and I have to --
my job is thinking for a living. A mental slip could be a problem
for others. I try to keep myself in control and do well.
Yes, the problems can be cyclical. You have to manage it
all and get your life in order. It won't happen overnight. It may
take several days just to get a rythm down. After a while you
will be thinking better and living better.
I have noticed some diminished ability of my mind. My wife
often notices mood swings that I do not. The affects are there.
We do what we can to control the overall problem.
I used to have low blood sugar symptoms too. They subsided
years ago. If my mind is not checking up on my condition I can
lose my sight before I notice any problem at all. I've never let it
get beyond that. I've been fortunate not to lose control or get
hospitalized.
Diabetes may cause some problems for you, but you sound
as if you are also helping your diabetes cause you more problems.
Don't blame the disease or yourself. Cope with it and do your
best. Blaming isn't the answer. Learning to handle your bodies
ever changing needs is important.
For me a rapidly changing high-low cycle leads to headaches
which cannot quickly be fixed. It generally takes a few hours of
rest to get my focus back. Naturally my blood sugars need to be
evened out as well. The new faster insulins have helped. I
still fight an urge to over eat.
My mother is also a Type I and in relatively poor condition
after 30 years. For her, mental stress (worries, real or not)
greatly affect her blood sugar. We are all different. Pay
attention to what your body tells you. The doctors can give
a good starting dose and help along the way. You are there
all the time and are in the best position to make choices.
Check every few hours if need be and learn what needs to
be done. You will feel better in the long run.
