Diabetes and Depression

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on May 4, 2009 at 10:09am

Thanks for the info. will check it out!!!

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Permalink Reply by Tony Rose on May 4, 2009 at 10:15am

Manny - I did a vlog a few months back on this very subject. It's not for everyone because it can be harsh.

http://bloggingdiabetes.com/2009/02/depression-and-diabetes/

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on May 4, 2009 at 11:14am

Dear Tony, Thanks for the vlog.

I did not think your video was overly depressing. You could have mentioned gangrened feet, the constant feeling of exhaustion is the one I find very dificult to handle. There is aslo the fact that depression makes insulin resistance a lot worst so some are caught in this vicious feedback loop. I wonder if somehow we can become unrealistically optimistic if would help our control of the disease.

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Permalink Reply by George Simmons on May 4, 2009 at 10:26am

I think diabetes and its difficulties cause depression. I know I feel it often.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on May 4, 2009 at 11:03am

Interesting study Manny and it does mention that cortisol increases insulin resistance. And of course once you get diabetes you will be even more depressed. One of these nasty feedback loops.

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Permalink Reply by Cory Brumbalow on May 5, 2009 at 7:29am

I Think it's just the opposite poeple with diabetes will have depression. I know first hand about I go through periods of depression and I hate it my wif e don't understand or what can she do to help me through it. My question to you is what can we do about it what if medication doesn't help? I know some times whae I get depressed anything little thing you say or do I get angry and I don't like my self when that happens.

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Permalink Reply by Judith on May 5, 2009 at 7:53am

When all else fails, one can try any of these---Valerian, St. John's Wort, Motherwort. Valerian works well for me. As always---do your research about drug interactions and the like, and pay attention to how your body responds, just like you should when you start a new med from the doctor.....These are not "happy pills" or any kind of cure, but for some, they can ease the suffering. And they are gentler on the body than prescription meds. There ar also many teas that can take the edge off gently y having a calming effecct---Chamomile, Lemon Balm.....Take care...

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Permalink Reply by kerry on May 6, 2009 at 11:33pm

I have been clinically depressed in the past (I'm a Type 1) and therapy and Zoloff and a husband who hung in there as well as changed some of his expectations of me as a person, all helped. I was able to very slowly wean myself off the Zoloff.

I think it's interesting that the spiritual aspect of handling depression hasn't been mentioned much. I keep a copy of the Serenity Prayer on my health notebook--it helps me through the bad days. Lately I have been doing much better, with tighter blood sugar control and more exercise. Exercise really helps my energy level and my mental health. I've found that a walk every other day is the absolute minimum to keep my outlook positive.

I am not suggesting in any way that prayer, exercise, or better blood sugar levels would negate the need for medication. I think when you're in the bottom of that pit of depression, medication can be the tool that lifts you up and enables you to make other positive changes instead of just feeling helpless and overwhelmed. And we all know that the Big D can make even the most optimistic person feel helpless and overwhelmed on days that other things aren't going well either.

My response to a study that shows that diabetics are more likely to be depressed: Well, DUH! It's a lifelong chronic condition that requires moment-by-moment awareness by the patient in order to properly manage it.

I try, though, to remind myself that it is a miracle that I am alive (my uncle died from it before insulin use was widespread). And to enjoy the pleasure of the moments in life. And to be grateful for what I do have, instead of feeling jealous of those who have more. And the humor on this web site is also another great way to help with coping!

Just a word to all of our diabetics here at tudiabetes: You ALL are heroes every day in a way that the non-diabetics will NEVER understand. Wimps would not survive even a day with the big D!!!

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on May 7, 2009 at 11:13am

Dear Kerry.

Very inspiring words and we diabetics can really savour them. Not like the crap you read in Reader's Digest. Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Lucile K. on May 8, 2009 at 6:44pm

Kerry, Good reply! I handle my feelings about diabetes with prayer too. The Serenity Prayer and a song based on Psalm 23, "Shepherd Me, O God" (a communion hymn) got me through surgery and post op, and both continue to help with my diabetes especially when I'm feeling overwhelmed or alone. As you may know, the song starts: "Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears..."

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Permalink Reply by Cheryl Gravelle on May 8, 2009 at 6:30pm

I can completely understand an increase in depression with diabetes, whether it be type 1 or type 2.

As a mother of a type 1, 16 year old, I can tell you that diabetes affects the entire family. I have spent the last 6 years concerned about my son's future. I am fortunate in that my son is very athletic and takes great pains to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

Last summer David had a test that is done after 5 years of a type 1 diagnosis to measure the amount of protein that spills into one's urine. The test result was very bad and added to that, my son's blood pressure results for the past twelve months have all been elevated. We had just lost my 68 year old Dad to a stroke months before, so with our family history of stroke (my Dad), heart attack (my Grandfather at a very young age) and now this issue with protein, our endocrinologist discussed introducing an ACE inhibitor within the next few weeks if a couple of overnight urine collections produced similar results. It turns out that the next two urine collections produced results that could not have been better, so we have not had to add an ACE inhibitor to the daily regime, but when we left the initial appointment my son was plain and simply MAD. He felt cheated. He felt that his efforts at control had been wasted.

As a ten year old he took his diabetes diagnosis in stride. I think he was grateful to find a resolution to why his life was suddenly turning upside down without explanation and as long as he was not going to die... right now... he was able to cope. The training for a 10 year old is pretty intense. After our week of diabetes education, my son would not go to sleep alone for close to a year. Someone had to lie down with him. He was afraid after hearing the horror stories of seizures and so on, to go to sleep, at night. He was worried that if he went to sleep, he might never wake up. It literally broke my heart and yet his worries were not trivial. The Mom of a friend of his lost her Dad to a diabetic coma from an overnight low.

Since then I have heard about a mother of a type 1 diabetic taking insulin herself when she could no longer cope, she died following a prolonged, self induced coma. I have a friend who lost a type 1 diabetic nephew in his early 20's. He was abusing alcohol. She told me her nephew had been very depressed and alcohol and diabetes just don't mix. At JDRF, a couple sat at a volunteer table beside me. They were volunteering to honor the memory of a young doctor/family friend/diabetic who had died in a diabetic coma. They believe that diabetes related depresssion was the fault of his death.

The stories of sadness, complications, battles lost, are endless. The cost of diabetes is overwhelming. We will of course help our son financially if his workplace when he gets to that stage of his life, does not have group insurance, but I worry about that now... each and every time that I send in a health claim for $1,0000 or more of supplies. I can't imagine starting my working life with that kind of fixed expenditure before you can eat, before you are housed, before you can afford to budget earnings for anything else in your life.

We are at the stage in our lives where a 16 year old heads to bed an hour or two, later than, Mom. If David is not comfortable with his bedtime reading and whether or not he'll be OK overnight, he wakes me to set an alarm. Usually 3 or 4 nights a week he will wake me between 10 and 11 and ask that I set an alarm to check on him around 1:00. Some nights he is fine. Some nights he is very high. Some nights his BG is low and I wake him to drink a juice while I turn the basal on his pump off for an hour. It is the inconsistency that kills you. You never know what to expect from one day to the next and I find myself, dead tired, at times. If it gets to me... it is no wonder that it gets to those who deal with diabetes first hand, versus second hand. I live with diabetes as a concerned parent but I don't LIVE IT... day in... day out... test after test.

I try to get up every morning with a smile on my face and belief that my son will have the strength to fight this disease... to beat it down and not let it beat him down... to control it... conquer it... and live his life to its fullest.

Cheryl

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Permalink Reply by Corey on May 8, 2009 at 7:21pm

First of all, I have only been a diabetic (T2) since March of 2005. My hat is off to all you long-time diabetics.

I went on MDI's Nov of 2007. I tried to avoid it for along time, but all my strict eating and 6-7 days a week of exercise could not prevent the inevitable. I've been on Lantus and Novolog ever since. I had a1c's in the low to mid 6's most of this time.

This last winter though put me in a spot that I've never experienced before. I had a lot of dark days pre-DX back in the latter part of 2004 and early part of 2005, but nothing close to what happened this winter. I got out of bed every day and went to work, did the minimum there (didn't care if I lost my 29 year job either), did the minimum at home. When I came home from work, I laid down until we ate dinner. Sleep was ( and still is) the only place where I wasn't diabetic. The only place I didn't have to workout etc. I'm surprised my wife didn't literally beat the crap right out of me. I never fell into the drinking or drug abyss.

I wondered if I had just burned myself out in the past three years trying so hard to be perfect - all the time. I hit a wall last December and decided that I didn't need to go to the gym every day. I started going every other day, then it fell apart from there. I bet from Jan to now, I've been to the gym maybe 10 times. I rehired my trainer in March thinking if I paid for sessions, I would be compelled to go. Yeah, that lasted 3 sessions (still have 12 sessions in that bank).

My NP did put me on Cymbalta during this time. I guess it helps. Doesn't make me 'happy', but I guess it doesn't do that (I call them Happy Pills). The Cymbalta can't make you care, as I have found out.

My a1c at my Feb Endo visit was 7.2. I was surprised it was that low. Back in April of 2004, I was close to 300 pounds. By the time I was DX's in March of 2005, I was 180. I maintained that weight until I went on MDI's. Because I felt I could just shoot more, I ate more. I'm now approaching 230. I've gone from size 40 jeans, down to 33's (and those bitches are hard to find) and am now in 36's. Of course I've thrown out all my previous sizes so I have to keep rebuying clothes in sizes I've been in before.

Thankfully, I have a good job and great insurance. I don't have $$ worries to completely mess with my mind. I have mild-moderate neuropathy in my feet. Still have good feeling in both feet. Just the slightest Retinopathy in my right eye. The ED bothered me in the beginning, but now it's like - so what. I know I am fortunate. I keep telling mysellf that.

The arrival of Spring and a long weekend to Florida (great idea from my wife) seems to have helped.
I started walking a couple miles a day in the past couple of weeks. I don't go every day, but weather permitting, I try to get out there. I'm also trying to cut back on my eating and making a lame attempt at eating a pre-MDI diet. I also got my bike out today, which felt great.

I still feel like I'm on the edge though. I feel great that I seem to be making strides towards coming out of the funk. I never really felt like I didn't want to be around. I know I want to keep all my limbs and my eyes. I think part of the trouble, at least for me, is that I don't have blood gushing out of me or have a limb dragging on the ground at an odd angle. The fact that nothing is really 'visible' sometimes masks what is going on inside with this insedious disease.

Here's hoping for sunny days, mild winds.....and a nice bike trail - or whatever your trail is.

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