Collaborative Post
One of the biggest misconceptions about diabetes is that you can just take insulin and be fine. If only it was that easy! There is so much that goes on in the background, both physical things to do and the mental load of life with diabetes that is often unnoticed by others.
Hidden Aspects Of Life With Diabetes
Carbohydrate Counting
The act of taking insulin is the thing the external world sees. A needle is a very obvious reminder of the task at hand, but calculating a dose is less obvious. These days we are lucky that many glucose monitors or insulin pumps will calculate the exact insulin dose amount for you, but even with the best tech in the world you still need to count the carbohydrates and input the data.
Counting carbohydrates becomes a way of life and many people with diabetes do it without even thinking. I often count the carbs on my children’s plates automatically despite them not having diabetes. Having to constantly be on the ball and counting every carb that you eat becomes draining very quickly.
Accepting The Concept Of Death
It’s pretty well known that without insulin people with type 1 diabetes will die, and it can be hard to accept the concept of your own death. Not taking insulin can kill you. Taking too much insulin can kill you. A simple cold can land you in hospital in a fairly critical condition.
Diabetes Complications
While death may be the worst case scenario, there are still many complications that can affect people with type 1 diabetes. Damage to your eyes and nervous system ca result in loss of sight or limbs. Gastroparesis, kidney damage, the list of complications seems endless.
While maintaining good control of your diabetes is the best way to keep complications at bay, this puts a lot of stress on someone with type 1 diabetes. It can lead to anxiety and takes a toll on their mental health.
Read more on whether diabetes complications are inevitable over time
Diabetes Burnout
Diabetes doesn’t take a day off. You can’t just set it aside for a few hours while you relax and wind down. It’s a 24/7 condition and there are no breaks. Diabetes burnout is very common and not at all surprising when you consider the mental load every single day.
Managing Fears And Anxiety
Knowing that too much insulin can make your blood sugar go low can give some people anxiety about an insulin dose, but not giving the insulin results in high blood sugars. Managing these anxieties can be incredibly hard it is around something that you have no option but to do multiple times every day.
Diabulimia And Eating Disorders With Diabetes
Diabulimia is an eating disorder that affects only those who are injecting insulin. It occurs when people with diabetes stop taking insulin in order to lose weight. A surprisingly large number of people with diabetes have admitted to doing this on occasion, however there are some people who do it daily.
Diabulimia is a recognised eating disorder however it is not very well understood. You can find our more about diabulimia at Diabetes UK.
Read More About Life With Type 1 Diabetes
